Mengistu, Yoseph (2012) He was annointed because he was incarnated: Cyrillo‐Alexandrian orthodoxy in the view of modern Ethiopian theologians. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/16804 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. HE WAS ANOINTED BECAUSE HE WAS INCARNATED: Cyrillo-Alexandrian Orthodoxy in the View of Modern Ethiopian Theologians YOSEPH MENGISTU Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in Languages and cultures of Africa 2012 Department of Languages and Cultures of Africa School of Oriental and African Studies University of London Declaration for PhD thesis I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the School of Oriental and African Studies concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: ____________________________ Date: _________________ He was Anointed because He was incarnated: Cyrillo-Alexandrian Orthodoxy in the view of modern Ethiopian Theologians An Abstract That Christianity came to Ethiopia in the fourth Century at the time of King Ezana was fairly established by reliable historical accounts and archaeological findings. The arrival of Christianity also marked the introduction of Cyrillo-Alexandrian Christology. Athanasius the Great ordained the first bishop of Axum but it was his distant successor Cyril that had the final say on Ethiopian Christology through the translation of his polemical works against Nestorius of Constantinople into Ge’ez by the Nine Saints. Their work was seminal in firmly establishing Cyrillo-Alexandrian Christology in Ethiopia. In the view modern Ethiopian theologians, the arrival of the Jesuit missionaries in the 16th century was a challenge to Cyrillo-Alexandrian tradition by promoting a Chalcedonian alternative. The strategic mistakes committed by the Jesuits aside, the main reason for Ethiopian theologians rejection of Roman Catholicism was its perceived incompatibility with Cyrillian Christology. It was the same commitment to and the quest for Cyrillo-Alexandrian orthodoxy on the part of modern Ethiopian theologians that led to bloody christological disputes that lasted for over three hundred years and the formation of schools of thoughts (cultures) after the expulsion of the Jesuits. The driving force for the development of Ethiopian Christology was loyalty to the Cyrillo-Alexandrian tradition rather than theological innovations triggered by the need to address the challenges of the society. One of the schools of thought, Karra Haymanot, was declared authentic representative of the Cyrillo-Alexandrian tradition at the Council of Borumeda in 1878 to the dismay and persecutions of the other groups; namely, Qïbat and S’ägga. It was, however, the contention of this thesis that the underlying factor behind the decisions of Borumeda was political considerations rather than theological reflections and we propose that all the three traditions sufficiently meet the requirements Cyrillo-Alexandrian orthodoxy. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i KEY TO TRANSCRIPTIONS v 1. INTRODUCTION: EXPANSION AND CONSOLIDATION 8 2. CHAPTER 1 ALEXANDRIAN CHRISTOLOGY ARRIVED: EXPANSION AND CONSOLIDATION 18 1.1. The Coming of Christianity to Ethiopia 18 1.1.1. The Ethiopian Eunuch 18 1.1.2. Frumentius and Aedesius 20 1.1.3. The Nine Saints 25 1.2. The Life and Works of Cyril of Alexandria 29 1.2.1. Early Years 29 1.2.2. Career 31 1.2.3. The Christological controversy 40 2. CHAPTER 2 ALEXANDRIAN CHRISTOLOGY CHALLENGED: THE INDIGENOUS AND THE FOREIGN 65 2.1. The People and the Troops 65 2.2. The Priests and the Missionaries 68 2.2.1. The First Theological Debate 75 2.2.2. The Theological Debate during the Reign of Zä-Dïngïl 90 2.2.3. Debates during the Reign of Susnïyos 92 2.2.4. The Theological Debate during the Reign of Fasilädäs 95 3. CHAPTER 3 ALEXANDRIAN CHRISTOLOGY DISPUTED: THE FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THEOLOGICALS SCHOOLS IN ETHIOPIA 101 3.1. Qïbat 107 3.2. S’ägga 121 3.3. Karra 134 4. CHAPTER 4 ALEXANDRIAN CHRISTOLOGY PRESECRIBED: THE COUNCIL OF BORUMEDA AND THE IMPERIAL EDICT 146 4.1. The Occasion of the Council of Borumeda 146 4.2. The Theology of the Council of Borumeda 157 5. CONCLUSION 176 BIBLIOGRAPHY 188 KEY TO TRANSCRIPTIONS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th order 7th ‘wa’ order order orders order order order letters ha ሀ hu ሁ hi ሂ ha ሃ he ሄ h(ï) ህ ho ሆ lä ለ lu ሉ li ሊ la ላ le ሌ l(ï) ል lo ሎ lwa ሏ ha ሐ hu ሑ hi ሒ ha ሓ he ሔ h(ï) ሕ ho ሖ mä መ mu ሙ mi ሚ ma ማ me ሜ m(ï) ም mo ሞ mwa ሟ sä ሠ su ሡ si ሢ sa ሣ se ሤ s(ï) ሥ so ሦ rä ረ ru ሩ ri ሪ ra ራ re ሬ r(ï) ር ro ሮ rwa ሯ sä ሰ su ሱ si ሲ sa ሳ se ሴ s(ï) ስ so ሶ swa ሷ šä ሸ šu ሹ ši ሺ ša ሻ še ሼ š(ï) ሽ šo ሾ šwa ሿ qä ቀ qu ቁ qi ቂ qa ቃ qe ቄ q(ï) ቅ qo ቆ qwa ቋ bä በ bu ቡ bi ቢ ba ባ be ቤ b(ï) ብ bo ቦ bwa ቧ tä ተ tu ቱ ti ቲ ta ታ te ቴ t(ï) ት to ቶ twa ቷ čä ቸ ču ቹ či ቺ ča ቻ če ቼ č(ï) ች čo ቾ čwa ቿ ha ኀ hu ኁ hi ኂ ha ኃ he ኄ h(ï) ኅ ho ኆ hwa ኋ nä ነ nu ኑ ni ኒ na ና ne ኔ n(ï) ን no ኖ nwa ኗ ňä ኘ ňu ኙ ňi ኚ ňa ኛ ňe ኜ ň(ï) ኝ ňo ኞ ňwa ኟ a አ u ኡ i ኢ a ኣ e ኤ ï እ o ኦ kä ከ ku ኩ ki ኪ ka ካ ke ኬ k(ï) ክ ko ኮ kwa ኳ hä ኸ hu ኹ hi ኺ ha ኻ he ኼ h(ï) ኽ ho ኾ wä ወ wu ዉ wi ዊ wa ዋ we ዌ w(ï) ው wo ዎ a ዐ u ዑ i ዒ a ዓ e ዔ ï ዕ o ዖ zä ዘ zu ዙ zi ዚ za ዛ ze ዜ z(ï) ዝ zo ዞ zwa ዟ žä ዠ žu ዡ ži ዢ ža ዣ že ዤ ž(ï) ዥ žo ዦ žwa ዧ yä የ yu ዩ yi ዪ ya ያ ye ዬ y(ï) ይ yo ዮ dä ደ du ዱ di ዲ da ዳ de ዴ d(ï) ድ do ዶ dwa ዷ jä ጀ ju ጁ ji ጂ ja ጃ je ጄ j(ï) ጅ jo ጆ jwa ጇ gä ገ gu ጉ gi ጊ ga ጋ ge ጌ g(ï) ግ go ጎ gwa ጓ t’ä ጠ t’u ጡ t’i ጢ t’a ጣ t’e ጤ t’(ï) ጥ t’o ጦ t’wa ጧ č’ä ጨ č’u ጩ č’i ጪ č’a ጫ č’e ጬ č’(ï) ጭ č’o ጮ č’wa ጯ p’ä ጰ p’u ጱ p’i ጲ p’a ጳ p’e ጴ p’(ï) ጵ p’o ጶ s’ä ጸ s’u ጹ s’i ጺ s’a ጻ s’e ጼ s’(ï) ጽ s’o ጾ s’wa ጿ s’ä ፀ s’u ፁ s’i ፂ s’a ፃ s’e ፄ s’(ï) ፅ s’o ፆ fä ፈ fu ፉ fi ፊ fa ፋ fe ፌ f(ï) ፍ fo ፎ fwa ፏ pä ፐ pu ፑ pi ፒ pa ፓ pe ፔ p(ï) ፕ po ፖ vä ቨ vu ቩ vi ቪ va ቫ ve ቬ v(ï) ቭ vo ቮ v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My academic pilgrimage has been a long and meandering one, full of hurdles and set- backs of all sorts, and I have been equally lucky to be generously supported, along the way, by many individuals, from all walks of life, and organisations, far too many to mention each one of them by name. Even though I lack the space to list them all here, I’m not short of memory space. They all hold a very special place in my heart. Many thanks to you all! I must, however, mention the outstanding contribution of some without whose support I would not have come this far. This dissertation began its genesis under the supervision of David Appleyard, Professor of the Languages and Cultures of the Horn of Africa (now emeritus), School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. I’m eternally grateful for his invaluable inputs and unprecedented pastoral care during the early stages of the thesis. His knowledge of and love for the languages, cultures and history of the Horn of Africa is truly astounding.