Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Christian Coptic Orthodox Church Of Egypt

The word Copt is derived from the Greek word Aigyptos, which was, in turn, derived from "Hikaptah", one of the names for Memphis, the first capital of Ancient Egypt. The modern use of the term "Coptic" describes Egyptian Christians, as well as the last stage of the ancient Egyptian language script. Also, it describes the distinctive art and architecture that developed as an early expression of the new faith.

The Coptic Church is based on the teachings of Saint Mark who brought Christianity to Egypt during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero in the first century, a dozen of years after the Lord's ascension. He was one of the four evangelists and the one who wrote the oldest canonical gospel. Christianity spread throughout Egypt within half a century of Saint Mark's arrival in Alexandria as is clear from the New Testament writings found in Bahnasa, in Middle Egypt, which date around the year 200 A.D., and a fragment of the Gospel of Saint John, written using the Coptic language, which was found in Upper Egypt and can be dated to the first half of the second century. The Coptic Church, which is now more than nineteen centuries old, was the subject of many prophecies in the Old Testament. Isaiah the prophet, in Chapter 19, Verse 19 says "In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border."

Although fully integrated into the body of the modern Egyptian nation, the Copts have survived as a strong religious entity who pride themselves on their contribution to the Christian world. The Coptic church regards itself as a strong defendant of Christian faith. The Nicene Creed, which is recited in all churches throughout the world, has been authored by one of its favorite sons, Saint Athanasius, the Pope of Alexandria for 46 years, from 327 A.D. to 373 A.D. This status is well deserved, after all, Egypt was the refuge that the Holy Family sought in its flight from Judea: "When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son" [Mathew 2:12-23].

The contributions of the Coptic Church to Christendom are many. From the beginning, it played a central role in Christian theology---and especially to protect it from the Gnostics heresies. The Coptic Church produced thousands of texts, biblical and theological studies which are important resources for archeology. The Holy Bible was translated to the Coptic language in the second century. Hundreds of scribes used to write copies of the Bible and other liturgical and theological books. Now libraries, museums and universities throughout the world possess hundreds and thousands of Coptic manuscripts.

The Catechetical School of Alexandria is the oldest Catechetical School in the world. Soon after its inception around 190 A.D. by the Christian scholar Pantanaeus, the school of Alexandria became the most important institution of religious learning in Christendom. Many prominent bishops from many areas of the world were instructed in that school under scholars such as Athenagoras, Clement, Didymus, and the great Origen, who was considered the father of theology and who was also active in the field of commentary and comparative Biblical studies. Origen wrote over 6,000 commentaries of the Bible in addition to his famous Hexapla. Many scholars such as Saint Jerome visited the school of Alexandria to exchange ideas and to communicate directly with its scholars. The scope of the school of Alexandria was not limited to theological subjects, because science, mathematics and the humanities were also taught there: The question and answer method of commentary began there, and 15 centuries before Braille, wood-carving techniques were in use there by blind scholars to read and write. The Theological college of the Catechetical School of Alexandria was re-established in 1893. Today, it has campuses in Alexandria, Cairo, New Jersey, and Los Angeles, where priests-to-be and other qualified men and women are taught among other subjects Christian theology, history, Coptic language and art---including chanting, music, iconography, tapestry etc.

Monasticism was born in Egypt and was instrumental in the formation of the Coptic Church's character of submission and humbleness, thanks to the teachings and writings of the Great Fathers of Egypt's Deserts. Monasticism started in the last years of the third century and flourished in the fourth century. Saint Anthony, the world's first Christian monk was a Copt from Upper Egypt. Saint Pachom, who established the rules of monasticism, was a Copt. And, Saint Paul, the world's first anchorite is also a Copt. Other famous Coptic desert fathers include Saint Makarios, Saint Moses the Black, and Saint Mina the wondrous. The more contemporary desert fathers include the late Pope Cyril VI and his disciple Bishop Mina Abba Mina. By the end of the fourth century, there were hundreds of monasteries, and thousands of cells and caves scattered throughout the Egyptian hills. Many of these monasteries are still flourishing and have new vocations till this day. All Christian monasticism stems, either directly or indirectly, from the Egyptian example: Saint Basil, organiser of the monastic movement in Asia minor visited Egypt around 357 A.D. and his rule is followed by the eastern Churches; Saint Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin, came to Egypt around 400 A.D. and left details of his experiences in his letters; Saint Benedict founded monasteries in the sixth century on the model of Saint Pachom, but in a stricter form. And countless pilgrims visited the "Desert Fathers" and emulated their spiritual, disciplined lives. There is even evidence that Copts had missionaries to Nothern Europe. One example is Saint Moritz of the Theban Legion who was drafted from Egypt to serve under the Roman flag and ended up teaching Christianity to inhabitants of the Swiss Alps, where a small town and a Monastery that contains his relics as well as some of his books and belongings are named after him. Another saint from the Theban Legion is Saint Victor, known among Copts as "Boktor".

Under the authority of the Eastern Roman Empire of Constantinople (as opposed to the western empire of Rome), the Patriarchs and Popes of Alexandria played leading roles in Christian theology. They were invited everywhere to speak about the Christian faith. Saint Cyril, Pope of Alexandria, was the head of the Ecumenical Council which was held in Ephesus in the year 430 A.D. It was said that the bishops of the Church of Alexandria did nothing but spend all their time in meetings. This leading role, however, did not fare well when politics started to intermingle with Church affairs. It all started when the Emperor Marcianus interfered with matters of faith in the Church. The response of Saint Dioscorus, the Pope of Alexandria who was later exiled, to this interference was clear: "You have nothing to do with the Church." These political motives became even more apparent in Chalcedon in 451, when the Coptic Church was unfairly accused of following the teachings of Eutyches, who believed in monophysitism. This doctrine maintains that the Lord Jesus Christ has only one nature, the divine, not two natures, the human as well as the divine.

The Coptic Church has never believed in monophysitism the way it was portrayed in the Council of Chalcedon! In that Council, monophysitism meant believing in one nature. Copts believe that the Lord is perfect in His divinity, and He is perfect in His humanity, but His divinity and His humanity were united in one nature called "the nature of the incarnate word", which was reiterated by Saint Cyril of Alexandria. Copts, thus, believe in two natures "human" and "divine" that are united in one "without mingling, without confusion, and without alteration" (from the declaration of faith at the end of the Coptic divine liturgy). These two natures "did not separate for a moment or the twinkling of an eye" (also from the declaration of faith at the end of the Coptic divine liturgy).

The Coptic Church was misunderstood in the 5th century at the Council of Chalcedon. Perhaps the Council understood the Church correctly, but they wanted to exile the Church, to isolate it and to abolish the Egyptian, independent Pope, who maintained that Church and State should be separate. Despite all of this, the Coptic Church has remained very strict and steadfast in its faith. Whether it was a conspiracy from the Western Churches to exile the Coptic Church as a punishment for its refusal to be politically influenced, or whether Pope Dioscurus didn't quite go the extra mile to make the point that Copts are not monophysite, the Coptic Church has always felt a mandate to reconcile "semantic" differences between all Christian Churches. This is aptly expressed by the current 117th successor of Saint Mark, Pope Shenouda III: "To the Coptic Church, faith is more important than anything, and others must know that semantics and terminology are of little importance to us." Throughout this century, the Coptic Church has played an important role in the ecumenical movement. The Coptic Church is one of the founders of the World Council of Churches. It has remained a member of that council since 1948 A.D. The Coptic Church is a member of the all African Council of Churches (AACC) and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). The Church plays an important role in the Christian movement by conducting dialogues aiming at resolving the theological differences with the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Presbyterian, and Evangelical Churches.

Perhaps the greatest glory of the Coptic Church is its Cross. Copts take pride in the persecution they have sustained as early as May 8, 68 A.D., when their Patron Saint Mark was slain on Easter Monday after being dragged from his feet by Roman soldiers all over Alexandria's streets and alleys. The Copts have been persecuted by almost every ruler of Egypt. Their Clergymen have been tortured and exiled even by their Christian brothers after the schism of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. and until the Arab's conquest of Egypt in 641 A.D. To emphasize their pride in their cross, Copts adopted a calendar, called the Calendar of the Martyrs, which begins its era on August 29, 284 A.D., in commemoration of those who died for their faith during the rule of Diocletian the Roman Emperor. This calendar is still in use all over Egypt by farmers to keep track of the various agricultural seasons and in the Coptic Church Lectionary.

For the four centuries that followed the Arab's conquest of Egypt, the Coptic Church generally flourished and Egypt remained basically Christian. This is due to a large extent to the fortunate position that the Copts enjoyed, for the Prophet of Islam, who had an Egyptian wife (the only one of his wives to bear a child), preached especial kindness towards Copts: "When you conquer Egypt, be kind to the Copts for they are your protégés and kith and kin". Copts, thus, were allowed to freely practice their religion and were to a large degree autonomous, provided they continued to pay a special tax, called "Gezya", that qualifies them as "Ahl Zemma" protégés (protected). Individuals who cannot afford to pay this tax were faced with the choice of either converting to Islam or losing their civil right to be "protected", which in some instances meant being killed. Copts, despite additional sumptuary laws that were imposed on them in 750-868 A.D. and 905-935 A.D. under the Abbasid Dynasties, prospered and their Church enjoyed one of its most peaceful era. Surviving literature from monastic centers, dating back from the 8th to the 11th century, shows no drastic break in the activities of Coptic craftsmen, such as weavers, leather-binders, painters, and wood-workers. Throughout that period, the Coptic language remained the language of the land, and it was not until the second half of the 11th century that the first bi-lingual Coptic-Arabic liturgical manuscripts started to appear. One of the first complete Arabic texts is the 13th century text by Awlaad El-Assal (children of the Honey Maker), in which the laws, cultural norms and traditions of the Copts at this pivotal time, 500 years after the Islamic conquest of Egypt were detailed. The adoption of the Arabic language as the language used in Egyptians' every-day's life was so slow that even in the 15th century al-Makrizi implied that the Coptic Language was still largely in use. Up to this day, the Coptic Language continues to be the liturgical language of the Church.

The Christian face of Egypt started to change by the beginning of the second millennium A.D., when Copts, in addition to the "Gezya" tax, suffered from specific disabilities, some of which were serious and interfered with their freedom of worship. For example, there were restrictions on repairing old Churches and building new ones, on testifying in court, on public behavior, on adoption, on inheritance, on public religious activities, and on dress codes. Slowly but steadily, by the end of the 12th century, the face of Egypt changed from a predominantly Christian to a predominantly Muslim country and the Coptic community occupied an inferior position and lived in some expectation of Muslim hostility, which periodically flared into violence. It is remarkable that the well-being of Copts was more or less related to the well-being of their rulers. In particular, the Copts suffered most in those periods when Arab dynasties were at their low.

The position of the Copts began to improve early in the 19th century under the stability and tolerance of Muhammad Ali's dynasty. The Coptic community ceased to be regarded by the state as an administrative unit and, by 1855 A.D., the main mark of Copts' inferiority, the "Gezya" tax was lifted, and shortly thereafter Copts started to serve in the Egyptian army. The 1919 A.D. revolution in Egypt, the first grassroots display of Egyptian identity in centuries, stands as a witness to the homogeneity of Egypt's modern society with both its Muslim and Coptic sects. Today, this homogeneity is what keeps the Egyptian society united against the religious intolerance of extremist groups, who occasionally subject the Copts to persecution and terror. Modern day martyrs, like Father Marcos Khalil, serve as reminders of the miracle of Coptic survival.

Despite persecution, the Coptic Church as a religious institution has never been controlled or allowed itself to control the governments in Egypt. This long-held position of the Church concerning the separation between State and Religion stems from the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, when he asked his followers to submit to their rulers: "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." [Mathew 22:21]. The Coptic Church has never forcefully resisted authorities or invaders and was never allied with any powers, for the words of the Lord Jesus Christ are clear: "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword." (Mathew 26:52). The miraculous survival of the Coptic Church till this day and age is a living proof of the validity and wisdom of these teachings.

Today [as of the writing of this document in 1992 A.D.], there are over 9 million Copts (out of a population of some 57 million Egyptians) who pray and share communion in daily masses in thousands of Coptic Churches in Egypt. This is in addition to another 1.2 million emigrant Copts who practice their faith in hundreds of churches in the United States, Canada, Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Holland, Brazil, and many other countries in Africa and Asia. Inside Egypt Copts live in every province and in no one of these provinces are they a majority. Their cultural, historical, and spiritual treasures are spread all over Egypt, even in its most remote oasis, the Kharga Oasis, deep in the western desert. As individuals, Copts have reached prestigious academic and professional stature all over the world. One such individual is Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali the Sixth United Nations Secretary-General (1992-1997). Another is Dr. Magdy Yacoub one of the world's most famous heart surgeons.

Copts observe seven canonical sacraments: Baptism, Christmation (Confirmation), Eucharist, Confession (Penance), Orders, Matrimony, and Unction of the sick. Baptism is performed few weeks after birth by immersing the whole body of the newborn into especially consecrated water three times. Confirmation is performed immediately after Baptism. Regular confession with a personal priest, called the father of confession, is necessary to receive the Eucharist. It is customary for a whole family to pick the same priest as a father of confession, thus, making of that priest a family counselor. Of all seven sacraments, only Matrimony cannot be performed during a fasting season. Polygamy is illegal, even if recognized by the civil law of the land. Divorce is not allowed except in the case of adultery, annulment due to bigamy, or other extreme circumstances, which must be reviewed by a special council of Bishops. Divorce can be requested by either husband or wife. Civil divorce is not recognized by the Church. The Coptic Orthodox Church does not have and does not mind any civil law of the land as long as it does not interfere with the Church's sacraments. The Church does not have (and actually refuses to canonize) an official position vis-à-vis some controversial issues (e.g. abortion). While the church has clear teachings about such matters (e.g. abortion interferes with God's will), it is the position of the Church that such matters are better resolved on a case-by-case basis by the father of confession, as opposed to having a blanket canon that makes a sin of such practices.

There are three main Liturgies in the Coptic Church: The Liturgy according to Saint Basil, Bishop of Caesarea; The Liturgy according to Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople; and The Liturgy according to Saint Cyril I, the 24th Pope of the Coptic Church. The bulk of Saint Cyril's Liturgy is from the one that Saint Mark used (in Greek) in the first century. It was memorized by the Bishops and priests of the church till it was translated into the Coptic Language by Saint Cyril. Today, these three Liturgies, with some added sections (e.g. the intercessions), are still in use; the Liturgy of Saint Basil is the one most commonly used in the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The worship of Saints is expressly forbidden by the Church; however, asking for their intercessions (e.g. Marian Praise) is central in any Coptic service. Any Coptic Church is named after a Patron Saint. Among all Saints, the Virgin Saint Mary (Theotokos) occupies a special place in the heart of all Copts. Her repeated daily appearances in a small Church in Elzaytoun district of Cairo for over a month in April of 1968 was witnessed by thousands of Egyptians, both Copts and Muslims and was even broadcast on International TV. Copts celebrate seven major Holy feasts and seven minor Holy feasts. The major feasts commemorate Annunciation, Christmas, Theophany, Palm Sunday, Easter, Ascension, and the Pentecost. Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. The Coptic Church emphasizes the Resurrection of Christ (Easter) as much as His Advent (Christmas), if not more. Easter is usually on the second Sunday after the first full moon in Spring. The Coptic Calendar of Martyrs is full of other feasts usually commemorating the martyrdom of popular Saints (e.g. Saint Mark, Saint Mina, Saint George, Saint Barbara) from Coptic History.

The Copts have seasons of fasting matched by no other Christian community. Out of the 365 days of the year, Copts fast for over 210 days. During fasting, no animal products (meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, butter, etc.) are allowed. Moreover, no food or drink whatsoever may be taken between sunrise and sunset. These strict fasting rules -- which have resulted in a very exquisite Coptic cuisine over the centuries -- are usually relaxed by priests on an individual basis to accommodate for illness or weakness. Lent, known as "the Great Fast", is largely observed by all Copts. It starts with a pre-Lent fast of one week, followed by a 40-day fast commemorating Christ's fasting on the mountain, followed by the Holy week, the most sacred week (called Pascha) of the Coptic Calendar, which climaxes with the Crucifix on Good Friday and ends with the joyous Easter. Other fasting seasons of the Coptic Church include, the Advent (Fast of the Nativity), the Fast of the Apostles, the Fast of the Virgin Saint Mary, and the Fast of Nineveh.

The Coptic Orthodox Church's clergy is headed by the Pope of Alexandria and includes Bishops who oversee the priests ordained in their dioceses. Both the Pope and the Bishops must be monks; they are all members of the Coptic Orthodox Holy Synod (Council), which meets regularly to oversee matters of faith and pastoral care of the Church. The Pope of the Coptic Church, although highly regarded by all Copts, does not enjoy any state of supremacy or infallibility. Today, there are over 60 Coptic Bishops governing dioceses inside Egypt as well as dioceses outside Egypt, such as in Jerusalem, Sudan, Western Africa, France, England, and the United States. The direct pastoral responsibility of Coptic congregations in any of these dioceses falls on Priests, who must be married and must attend the Catechetical School before being ordained.

There are two other non-clerical bodies who participate in taking care of Church affairs. The first is a popularly-elected Coptic Lay Council, which appeared on the stage in 1883 A.D. to act as a liaison between the Church and the Government. The second is a joint lay-clerical committee, which appeared on the stage in 1928 A.D. to oversee and monitor the management of the Coptic Church's endowments in accordance with the Egyptian laws.

Source: Encyclopedia Coptica :http://www.coptic.net/EncyclopediaCoptica/

Brief History of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church

Pre-Christian Ethiopia



There are two versions of history regarding the religion of Ethiopia in pre-Christian times.

• The first version says that since the original settlers of Ethiopia were Saba & Sabta, the grandchildren of Noah who was a believer in God and later followed by Sabaens of Semitic stock, these settlers have not discontinued worshiping the one God which their grandfather worshiped. Because of this, it is said that are no times when Ethiopia existed without knowing God. It has preserved this worship of God which it got by tradition from 2545-982 B.C.

• The second version maintains that the Ethiopian Queen Makeda (Queen Sheba) who reigned between 1013-982 B.C. went to Jerusalem to see for herself the famed wisdom of King Solomon, to acquaint to the then known world the existing Ethiopian civilization and learn the Old Testament belief, teaching and order from its very source. While in Jerusalem the Queen of Sheba conceived a child named Menelik from King Solomon and returned to Ethiopia. When Menelik attained manhood he visited Jerusalem, the land of his father and on his return journey he brought along with him the Art of the Covenant, priests of the Old Testament and many old testament books written up to the time of Solomon.

From that time on the Judaic faith with its teaching, the sacramental service and priesthood hierarchies entered Ethiopia.

The Old Testament books began to be translated into the ancient Ethiopian language Geez from that time onwards.

It is not only history that testifies the acceptance of the Old Testament faith by Ethiopia. The cultures and traditions up to now manifested by the people are other major evidences.

Circumcision on the eighth day after birth, the organization of the church choir and the instruments, the Ark of the covenant and the celebrations of holidays etc. are some of the examples which have resemblances with the orders of the Old Testament faith.

The Fact that Ethiopia the possesses land in Jerusalem, and the surroundings explains that Ethiopia had a longstanding faith and historical relationship with Jerusalem which of all countries was the first to accept the Old Testament faith.

The Bible repeatedly speaks that Ethiopia is a believer in one God.

The main quotations in support of this are the following:

"Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to god" Psa 67:31

"Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O'children of Israel" Ams 9:7

From 982 B.C to 34 A.D. Ethiopia has been adhering faithfully to the Old Testament beliefs and order.


Christianity in Ethiopia



All the prophesies of Good spoken to the people through the prophets have been fulfilled at different times. Even if there is that which is not fulfilled, it is certain that it will be fulfilled.

That the prophesy "Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands" spoken of by the prophet" (Psa 67:31) may be fulfilled, Ethiopia accepted the Christian faith in 34 A.D. This happened as narrated in the act of the Apostles (8:26-40) when a eunuch of great authority of Queen Garsamot (Candace) was baptized by Philip, the evangelist, when he had gone to Jerusalem to celebrate the passover in accordance with Old Testament beliefs. Eseboius, the well-known writer of the history of the ancient church wrote the following about how the eunuch taught what he heard and understood from St. Philip about Christ after he returned to Ethiopia.

"The eunuch of great authority of the Ethiopian Queen is the first

fruit of the Christian faith outside the Jews who learnt the secret of

the word of God from the evangelist Philip and believed. For his

people he was the first evangelist. And through him the prophesy

stated in Psalms 67:11 about Ethiopia has been fulfilled"

(Esebius Second Book No. 1)

Following the Eunuch, the holy apostles Mathew, Nathnael, Bartholemew and Thomas had preached the Holy gospel in Nubia and Ethiopia and this is testified by church historians like Rufinos and Socrates.

Although the Christian faith along with the baptismal sacrament and the teaching of the Gospel entered Ethiopia, because there was no bishop, the sacrament of Holy communion and the other sacraments were not administered until 330 A.D.

In 330 A.D. St. Frementius who was Syrian by birth and Ethiopian by nationality was sent to alexandria by the permission of King Ezana and after being consecrated by St. Athnasius, 20 th Patriarch of Alexandria, returned to Ethiopia.

Since then the sacraments of the church were administered in fullness and the Christian religion became a national religion. Those who had adequately studied the Christian faith and teaching were ordained as priests and deacons. The synagogues were transformed into churches, churches were built everywhere. The gospel was preached in every Awraja. The holy books were translated.

St. Frementius for all his work, was given the epithet "Kesate Brehan Selama" (the light of peace) and from his time onwards the Ethiopian church was recognized at a bishoptic level.

In the 5 th century (480) nine saints came from Syria and Asia Minor to Ethiopia and performed many spiritual tasks. Among the tasks they performed a few are:

* the teaching of Monastic order, monastic life.
* Translation of books not translated during Frementius's time.
* Establishment of monasteries everywhere.
* Strengthening of the church established by Frementius and the like.

Because of their blessed deeds they are respected as saints by the Ethiopian church. Churches have been built in their name.

After this, in the 6 th century (540-560) a new chapter opened in the history of the Ethiopian church and this was the rise of the great scholar St. Yared. St. Yared composed in three varieties the church hymn which is used by the Ethiopian Church from ancient time upto now. He is recognized as a composer of spiritual music without parallel in the church upto now and because of this the Ethiopian scholars appreciates him by saying "there is not one before him and after him a hymn composer like him:. the three varieties of hymn composed by St. Yared are Geez, Ezel and Araray. To day all the services of the Ethiopian church are performed with the hymn composed by St. Yared.

From the 7 th to the 10 th century the followers of Islam had invaded North Africa and the Middle East upto the Indian Ocean and as this situation reached the Red Sea, the relationship of the Ethiopian church with Alexandria and the christian world was interrupted. In the 9 th century, an opponent of the christian religion by the name of Yodit rose from the Jewish community in Ethiopia and assumed power and inflicted great damages on the church. She was instrumental for the killing of the laity and clergy.

The period from the 11 th to the 15 th century is a period in which Ethiopian scholars appeared in great numbers and the churches destroyed by Yodit were repaired and destroyed. The world famous Lalibela churches were also constructed during this period. The great apostles St. Tekle Haimanot, St. Abba Giorgis of Gasicha and other saints came into prominence in great number during this period. This was the period in which the evangelical works embraced all Ethiopia, the monastic life was strengthened, religious books were translated from Arabic to Geez and many church books were written by native scholars.

Thereafter, the 16 th century was a period of great trial for the Ethiopian church. An internal enemy and a bitter opponent of the christian religion rose up from Eastern Ethiopia in 1539 and supported by the Ottoman empire he caused much suffering and agony and endangered the very survival of our church and country. He killed extremely many clergy and laity. He destroyed churches and ecclesiastical objects. He forced the mild-hearted Christians to convert to Islam and become his followers. However since the people of Ethiopia at that time were strong in their unity, upright in their moral and firm in their religion, with the cooperation of Portugal and with the power of God, Gragn Mohammed was destroyed.

After Gragn Mohammed, the blood of many people was shed in the attempt of the Jesuit Catholic Missionaries to make the Ethiopian people accept the catholic religion. In particular during the reign of Emperor Susneyos (1595-1623) the catholic missionaries had created great conflicts in our country and in our church.

Although external and internal forces had on several occasions risen and attempted to weaken the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, she has existed by overcoming the suffering and trial with the help of Christ, the source of her power.

Our church has been under the spiritual leadership of bishops who came appointed from Alexandria from the 4 th to 20 th century. Nevertheless the authority of the bishops who came from Alexandria to Ethiopia was limited to ordaining, benedictions and anointing the kings during their coronation. The administration of the church however, from the time of St. Tekle Haimanot and thereafter was in the hands of his successors, the itcheges. The seat of the Itchege was the monastery of Dabre Libanos. We have presented at the end of this part the list of the names of the archpriests and itcheges in order including the time of their service.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, first during the time of St. Harbe (1117-1157) and later during the time of Emperor Yohannes IV (1863-1881) had repeatedly asked the church of Alexandria to appoint bishops from among Ethiopian scholars. This request finally got an answer during the first half of the twentieth century.

Accordingly, for the first time, during the reign of Empress Zewditu, on May 21, 1921 four Ethiopian church scholars were chosen and sent to Cairo where they were consecrated bishops by His Holiness Yohannes the XIX at St. Mark Cathedral. furthermore when His Holiness Yohannes the XIX visited Ethiopia in 1922, he consecrated Itchege Gebre Menfus Kidus as the fifth bishop with the name of Sawiros.

This being so, Italy invaded Ethiopia during 1928-1933 (E.C.) with the purpose of colonizing it, for changing its church to Catholic faith and to decimate the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church scholars. During this time many churches and relics were burnt and ecclesiastical objects were looted, bishops, clergy, monks and deacons were killed.

Notwithstanding, our church went through this period of persecution with exemplary patience, organized itself once again and continued to give its services to the people. After the end of enemy occupation of the country, four of the bishops who were consecrated passed away and it was difficult to perform spiritual services with only one bishop. Once again on July 18, 1940, in Cairo, five Ethiopians were consecrated bishops by His Holiness Yosab II.

After the death of the Egyptian Archbishop Kerilos on January 6, 1943, His Grace Abune Basiliwos was appointed as archbishop of Ethiopia by Patriarch Yosab II.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church in this manner continued to gather one momentum after another, to proceed from one stage of development to a still better level of development until on June 21, 1951 His Holiness Abune Basiliwos was appointed as the first patriarch of Ethiopia.

Thus, this authority and self-reliance was attained by the historically unforgettable relentless, effort of His Imperial Majesty Hile Selassie, by the desire of the church scholars and by the cooperation of the church of Alexandria.

While the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church had attained its independence and was serving the people with peace and without embellishment and spreading the Holy Gospel, just like the 16 th century it was once again confronted with an internal menace. This was the atheistic Derg government. The church leaders including the patriarch, archbishops and clergy suffered many years of imprisonment. Lastly His Holiness Patriarch Tewoflos was brutally murdered.

His Holiness Abune Paulos, the present patriarch of Ethiopia and leader of our church like the apostle Paul was imprisoned by the anti-christian Derg government and during seven years of imprisonment performed great deeds of martyrdom

"Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Even should she forget yet I will not forget the Eisaih 49:14-15. God did not abandon the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church to be destroyed by thertrials. He did not forget her in her difficulties. Our church has passed through all those trials has put things in order and it is now serving God and the people.

Since the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church became autocephalous, it has appointed five patriarchs. During the period of the fifth Patriarch His Holiness Abune Paulos, Patriarch of Ethiopia and Itchege of the See of St. Tekle Haimanot unparalleled achievements are being witnessed. The newly constructed palace of the Patriarch and the publication of the bible which contains the eighty one books according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church interpretation and style are vivid evidences of the ongoing progress within our church.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church has at present 32 dioceses within the country and in addition in foreign countries, it has dioceses in Jerusalem, the Caribbean Islands and Latin America, USA, Europe, other parts of Africa outside of Ethiopia, Canada and in others. It has more than 40 million followers, more than 40 archbishops, more than 400 thousand clergy and more than 30 thousand parish churches.

"May the Lord who raised our church above all be praised"

Name of Itchegues

from the Time of St. Tekle Haimanot upto the Present




Name of Itchegues Date (E.C.)


1. Abune Tekle-Haimanot 1250-1299

2. Itcheque Elias of Wolamo 1299-1300

3. Itchegue Flipos 1455-1489

4. Itchegue Hizkia ?-1551

5. Itchegue Tewodros ?-1660

6. Itchegue Yohannis 1561-1665

7. Itchegue Yohannis Kama 1670-1675

8. Itchegue Indrias ?-1682

9. Itchegue Merha Kristos 1683-?

10. Itchegue Petros 1689-?

11. Itchegue Inbakom 1691-1695

12. Itchegue Yacob 1695-?

13. Itchegue Matias ?-1698

14. Itchegue Yohannis ?-1701

15. Itchegue Yohannis 1737-1748

16. Itchegue Betre-Wongel 1737-1748

17. Itchegue Abraham 1748-?

18. Itchegue Zewngel D. Tsigue 1744-?

19. Itchegue Zemikael ?-1790

20. Itchegue Betre-Ghiorghis of Tchalma 1790-1814

21. Itchegue Zekristos of Shemi 1814-1815

22. Itchegue Yemane Berhan of Tigre 1815-?

23. Itchegue Zekristos of Dankala 1847-1852

24. Itchegue Hiriakos of Mahdere-Mariam 1864-?

25. Itchegue Kale Awadi of Bethlehem 1882-1895

26. Itchegue Tsega Kristos of Bethlehem 1905-1910

27. Itchegue Yohannis of Angar 1916-1925

28. Itchegue Sefani-Kristos 1927-1963

29. Itchegue Zemikael of Tenbien 1963-1968

30. Itchegue Agnatios of Tenbien 1968-1980

31. Itchegue Wolde-Hawariat 1980-1983

32. Itchegue Tewolde-Medhin of Azezo 1984

33. Itchegue Meteko of Azezo

34. Itchegue Zemikael (priest Atse)

35. Itchegue Zewolde-Mariam of Moghina

36. Itchegue Tekle-Haimanot of Tigre

37. Itchegue Abu Lidis of Mahdere Mariam

38. Itchegue Estaewos of Sikay

39. Itchegue Henok of Bethllehem

40. Itchegue Esayas of Azezo

41. Itchegue Tesfa-Ghiorghis of Wudo

42. Itchegue Wolde-Yesus of Gonder

43. Itchegue Wolde-Hona

43. Itchegue Ark-Yohannis of Sega

44. Itchegue Filipos of Dibaba-Mariam

45. Itchegue Gabre-Selassie of Gorfo

46. Itchegue Wolde-Mariam of Wukro

47. Itchegue Mahsente-Mikael of Jejja

48. Itchegue Gabre-Mariam of Gonj

49. Itchegue Gabre-Selassie of Kuwalha

50. Itchegue Wolde-Mariam of Waldiba

51, Itchegue wolde-Tinsae of Gashola

52. Itchegue Gebre-Yesus of Nabega

53. Itchegue Tewoflos of Keriana Amba

54. Itchegue Gebre-Selassie of Hamassen

55. Itchegue Wolde-Ghiorghis of Beghaemdir

56. Itchegue Gebre-Menfeskidus of Dera

57. Itchegue Gabre-Ghiorghis of Medashowa

(later His Holiness Abune Bassllios)

58. Itchegue His Holiness Abune Tewoflos

(Second Patriarch of the EOC)

59. Itchegue His Holiness Abune Tekle-Haimanot

(Third Patriarch of the EOC)

60. Itchegue His Holiness Abune Markoreos

(Fourth Patriarch of the EOC)

61. Itchegue His Holiness Abune Paulos

(Present Patriarch of the EOC*)

Source: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church: http://www.eotc-patriarch.org/index.htm

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Orthodox in Africa

Orthodoxy in Africa
From OrthodoxWiki
Outline of the history of the Orthodox Church in Africa

The Orthodox Church in Africa traces its origins to St. Mark, who planted the church in the city of Alexandria in AD 42 or thereabouts.

Alexandria was a cosmopolitan city, established by Alexander the Great, whose successors established the Ptolemaic dynasty, and ruled Egypt until they were conquered by the Romans.

Towards the end of the 2nd century Christianity spread rapidly among the native Egyptian population, and the scriptures and liturgical texts were translated into several vernacular languages. This expansion led to an increase in the number of bishops, and the bishop of Alexandria, as the senior bishop, began to be referred to by the title "Pope" (before the bishops of Rome began using that title). With the establishment of the Alexandrian Catechetical School, Alexandria became an important an important intellectual centre for Christianity as well.

Persecutions in the 3rd century gave rise to the monastic movement, as people fled from the cities into the desert, and when the persecutions abated, some remained in the desert to pray. St Antony and St Pachomius organised and regularised the monastic life, and it spread from Egypt to other parts of the Christian world.

In the 4th century Africa became the scene of theological controversies that shaped the history of Christianity. The teaching of Arius was rejected by St Athanasius, and the First Ecumenical Council was called to deal with it in AD 325, at Nicea, though it was originally a local African doctrinal dispute. The result was the Nicene Creed, which was eventually expanded to become the Symbol of Faith ratified by the Fourth Ecumenical council at Chalcedon in 451.

Following the Council of Chalcedon, however, the Church in Egypt was divided: some supported the teaching of the council, others did not. Each group tried to control the Church, and get their candidates as Pope and Patriarch. Eventually in the 6th century, the split became a schism, and since then there have been Chalcedonian ("Melkite" or "Greek") and non-Chalcedonian (Coptic) popes and patriarchs.

One of the consequences of the split was divided missions being sent to Nubia, where the Northern and Southern kingdoms were evangelised by non-Chalcedonian missionaries sponsored by the Empress St Theodora, and the central kingdom was evangelised by a Chalcedonian mission sponsored by the Emperor St Justinian I. The rivalry between the missions meant that they also used Greek and Coptic as liturgical languages, and did not follow the principle of translating into the vernacular. The result was that the Nubian Church eventually disappeared in about the 15th century, and the people (in what is today Sudan) became Muslims. The Ethiopian Church was more successful, but it was aligned to the Coptic group, and remained so aligned after the schism.

In the 7th century Muslim Arabs invaded North Africa, and conquered it, which made Christians, after 300 years of freedom, second-class citizens. The church in North-West Africa (today Tunisia and Morocco), which looked to Rome and the West for leadership, disappeared even faster than the church in Nubia. Only the Christians in Ethiopia remained free.

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, then, like those of Antioch and Jerusalem, could not do much more than hold on. Mission was out of the question in a society in which the conversion of a Muslim to Christianity was punishable by death. Most of the conversions went the other way.

In the 19th century things began to change. Large numbers of Greeks settled in Alexandria, which helped to revitalize the Church there. Also Greek and Syrian traders began settling in other parts of Africa, establishing Orthodox communities. At the same time, Western missionaries, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, began evangelising in sub-Saharan Africa. Some Africans who had become Christian, however, began studying Church history, and discovered that the Orthodox Church was the original one, and therefore sought to become Orthodox. Different groups in East and West Africa made such discoveries independently of each other, and sought to be united to the Patriarchate of Alexandria. This led to a great growth in Orthodoxy around Lake Victoria, in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and later in other parts of tropical Africa as well, especially in the second half of the 20th century.

Patriarch Pope Petros VII, who was elected in 1997, actively encouraged mission until his untimely death in a helicopter crash on September 11, 2004, along with three other bishops, including Bishop Nektarios, a pioneer missionary in Madagascar. The new Patriarch, His Beatitude Pope Theodoros, himself has missionary experience, having been Archbishop of Cameroun and later Zimbabwe.

Today the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the largest Church in the Middle East and Africa. Besides the Coptic Orthodox Church bishops in Sudan (HG Bishop Sarabamon is the Coptic Orthodox Bishop of Sudan (Atbara and Om Dorman) and HG Bishop Elija is the Coptic Orthodox Bishop of Khartoum), Africa also currently has two dedicated Coptic Orthodox bishops, HG Bishop Antonious Markos and HG Bishop Paul (Boulos), serving in missions in at least nine African countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Zaire, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, and as far as Johannesburg, South Africa in the south (see [1]). (Bishop names correct as of August 2005--see [2].)

Thursday, May 13, 2010

ልደታ ለማሪያም!

ስለ እመቤታችን በዓለ ልደት ከመናገር አስቀድመን ስለእመቤታችን ማንነት ማወቅ ያስፈልጋል። እመቤታችን በብዙ ትንቢት የተነገረች ናት። እመቤታቸን ለአምላክ ዙፋንነት፣ ለመለኮት ማደርያነት፣ ለአምላክ እናትነት እና ለድኅነተ ዓለም የተዘጋጀች የተመረጠች ናት።

በመሆኑም በአምላክ ሕሊና ስትታሰብ ኖራለች። በተአምረ ማርያም መቅድም- “እግዝእትነ ማርያም ነበረት እምቅድመ ዓለም በኅሊና አምላክ- እግዝእትነ ማርያም ከዓለም አስቀድሞ በአምላክ ሕሊና ትታሰብ ነበር” ይላል። እመቤታችን በአዳምም ኅሊና ስትታሰብ ነበረ። ሊቁ አባ ሕርያቆስም በቅዳሴዉ- “አንቲ ውእቱ ተስፋሁ ለአዳም አመ ይሰደድ እምገነት- አዳም ከገነት በተሰደደ ጊዜ ተስፋው አንቺ ነሽ” ሲል እንዳስረዳ።

ልበ አምላክ ዳዊት በመዝሙር 86.1 ና 2 ላይ “መሠረታቲሃ ውስተ አድባር ቅዱሳን:: ያበድሮን እግዚአብሔር ለአናቅጸ ጽዮን:: እምኲሉ ተዓይኒሁ ለያዕቆብ። ነኪር ነገር በእንቲአኪ ሀገረ እግዚአብሔር- መሠረቶቿ የተቀደሱ ተራሮች ናቸው ከያዕቆብ ድንኳኖች ይልቅ እግዚአብሔር
የጽዮንን ደጆች ይወድዳቸዋል የእግዚአብሔር ከተማ ሆይ በአንቺ የተከበረ ነገር ይባላል።” በማለት የእመቤታችንን የቅድስት ድንግል ማርያምን ሥርወ ግንድ እንዲሁም የእርሷን
ልዩ ክብርና ጸጋ አስቀድሞ በትንቢት ገልጾ ነበር። መሠረት የተባሉት ከእናቷ ከቅድስት ሐና ከአባቷ
ከቅዱስ እያቄም ጀምሮ እስከ አብርሃም ድረስ ያሉትን ነው። የተቀደሱ ተራሮች የተባሉት እግዚአብሔር ለወዳጆቹ በተራሮች ላይ እየተገለጸ ተራሮቹን እንደቀደሳቸው (ዘጸ. 3.5፤ማቴ. 17. 1- 8) የአርሷንም አባቶች በረድኤት እየቀረበ ስለቀደሳቸው ነው። ተራራዎች እንዲሁ በረድኤት እንደተቀደሱ የእመቤታችንም አባቶች፣ ወላጆች እና ዘመዶች እንዲሁ በተቀደሱ ተራሮች ተመስለዋል። በአባቷ ወገን
ከንጉሥ ዳዊት በእናቷ ወገን ከሊቀ ካህናቱ ከአሮን ወገን ናት።

እነዚህ ሁሉ የተሰጣቸው ተስፋ የሚፈጸምላቸው. የተነገረላቸው ቃል የሚደርስላቸው በእመቤታችን በኩል
በመሆኑ ገና ሳትወለድ በእርሷ ይመኩ ነበር። ለምሳሌ አባቷን ክቡር ዳዊትን ብንወስድ- "በወርቅ ልብስ ተጎናጽፋና ተሸፋፍና ንግሥቲቱ በቀኝህ ትቆማለች። ልጄ ሆይ. ስሚ እዪ ጆሮሽንም አዘንብዪ፤ ወገንሽን ያባትሽንም ቤት እርሺ ንጉሥ ዉበትሽን ወድዶአልና፤" መዝ. 44. 9 ና 10 ብሏል።

“ከያዕቆብ ድንኳኖች ይልቅ እግዚአብሔር የጽዮንን ደጆች ይወዳቸዋል” ማለት ከሌሎች የእሥራኤል ደናግል ሕዋሳት ይልቅ እግዚአብሔር ጽዮን የተባለች የእመቤታችንን ሕዋስ ለተዋሕዶ መረጧል ማለት ነዉ። “የእግዚአብሔር ከተማ ሆይ በአንቺ የተከበረ ነገር ይባላል” ማለትም እመቤታችን በማኅፀኗ 9 ወር ከ5 ቀን እግዚአብሔር የተመሰገነባት ረቂቅ ከተማ መሆኗንና ከእርሷ ድንቅ ተዋሕዶ የተደረገ መሆኑን መናገር ነዉ።

የእመቤታችን እናት ቅድስት ሐና መካን ነበረች። እንደ ካህኑ ዘካርያስ እና ኤልሳቤጥ ኢያቄምና ሐና ልጅ ስላልነበራቸው ኑሮዋቸው በሃዘን የተሞላ ነበር። በዚህም ምክንያት ወደ እግዚአብሔር ከማመልከት አልቦዘኑም ነበረ። የነቢዩ ሳሙኤል እናት በመካንነቷ ዘመን ዘወትር ወደ መገናኛው ድንኳን እየሄደች በታቦተ ጽዮን ፊት ቆማ ታለቅስ እንደነበረ ሁሉ (1ኛ ሳሙ. 1፣ 9- 18) እነርሱም ወደ ቤተ እግዚአብሔር እየሄዱ ያለቅሱ ነበር። ጊዜው ሲደርስ ሁለቱም በየራሳቸው ደግ ሕልም አዩ። ወደ ሕልም ፈቺ ሄደው
ቢያስተረጉሙ ከፍጥረታት ወገን የሚተካከላትና የሚመስላት የሌለ ደግ ልጅ እንደሚወልዱ ተነገራቸው። እግዚአብሔር በሕልምም በገሃድም ምሥጢር መግለፅ ልማዱ ነው (ዘፍ. 18.1፣ መሳ. 13.3፣ ሉቃ. 1፣8 ሉቃ. 1፣16)።

ቅዱስ ኢያቄምና ቅድስት ሐና ይህንን ምሥጢር ካወቁ በኋላ አንዲህ ዓይነቱን ፀጋ ጾም ጸሎት ይዞ መቀበል ይገባል ብለው መኝታቸውን ለይተው ሱባኤ ገቡ። በሱባኤ ጊዜ ያልተለያቸው መልአክ መኝታቸውን አንድ እንዲያደርጉ ነግሯቸው እመቤታችን ነሐሴ 7 ቀን ተፀነሰች። ይህንንም ሊቁ
አባ ሕርያቆስ ሲናገር “ኦ ድንግል አኮ በፍትወተ ደነስ ዘተፀነስኪ አላ በሩካቤ ዘበሕግ እም ሐና ወኢያቄም
ተወለድኪ” ድንግል ሆይ በኃጢአት ፍትወት የተፀነስሽ አይደለም ከሕግ በሆነ ሩካቤ ከሐና ከኢያቄም ተወለድሽ አንጂ ብሏል።

እመቤታችን በማህፀን ሳለች ተአምር ታደርግ ነበር። አንዲት ዐይነ ስውር የነበረች የሐና ዘመድ ፅንሷን ለማረጋገጥ የቅድስት ሐናን ሆድ ብትዳስስ ዐይኗ በርቶላታል። እንዲሁም ሳሚናስ የሚባል ሰዉ ሞቶ ዘመዶቹ ሊቀብሩ ይዘዉት ሲሄዱ ቅድስት ሐናም ዘመዷ ነዉና እንደ ሥርዓታቸዉ አስከሬኑ የተኛበትን የአልጋዉን ሸንኮር (እግሩን) ይዛ ስታለቅስ ቅዱስ ጴጥሮስ በጥላው ይፈውስ እንደነበረ (ሐዋ. 5. 15 ና 16)
የቅድስት ሐና ጥላ ቢያርፍበት ሳሚናስ ተነስቶ በሐና ማኅፀን ያለች ፅንስ ንጉሠ ሰማይ ወምድርን እንደምትወልድ መሰከረ። ለእመቤታችንም ምስጋና አቀረበ።

የእመቤታችን በማኅፀን ውስጥ ሆና ተአምር ማድረግ አይሁድን አስቀናቸው፤ አስቆጣቸውም። ስለዚህም ቅዱስ ኢያቄምንና ቅድስት ሐናን ከሰፈራቸዉ አባረሯቸዉ። በዚህም የተነሣ የእመቤታን ወላጆች ከአይሁድ ፊት ወደ ሊባኖስ ተራራ ሸሹ። ወደ ሊባኖስ ተራራ መሄዳቸው ለጊዜው ሽሽት ቢሆንም ምስጢሩ ግን “ሙሽራዬ ሆይ ከሊባኖስ ከእኔ ጋር ነዪ” መኃ. 4.8 የሚለው ትንቢት እንዲፈጸም ነው።
ሙሽራ የተባለች እመቤታችን ናት። ጠቢቡ ሰሎሞን አስቀድሞ ሲናገር “ሙሽራዬ ሆይ ከከንፈሮችሽ ማር ይንጠባጠባል ከምላስሽ በታች ማርና ወተት አለ፣ የልብስሽም መዓዛ እንደ ሊባኖስ ሽታ ነው። እኅቴ ሙሽራ የተቆለፈ ገነት የተዘጋ ምንጭ የታተመም ፈሳሽ ናት” መኃ. 4. 12 ብሏል። ከከንፈሮችሽ ማር ይንጠባጠባል ሲል የአማላጅነቷን ጣዕም ማለቱ ነው። የተቆለፈ ገነት የተዘጋ ምንጭ ያለው ደግሞ
ማኅተመ ድንግልናዋን ነው።

እንግዲህ በዚህ ዓይነት ትንቢት የተነገረላት እመቤታችን በሊባኖስ ተራራ ግንቦት 1 ቀን ተወለደች።
የተወለደችው የፀሐየ ጽድቅ የኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ እናቱ ናትና የሊባኖስ ተራራ በብርሃናውያን መላእክት ተሞልቷል፤ በምስጋናም ተናውጧል። ብዙ ሰዎችም የተደረገውን ተአምር አይተው ዜናውን ሰምተው ወደዚያ ተራራ ጎርፈዋል፤ ደስታቸዉንም ገልፀዋል።

እመቤታችን የተወለደችዉ ወላጆቿ በስደት ላይ ሳሉ ነዉ። በስደት እያሉ ወላድ የምትታረስበት የላመ የጣመ ዝግጅት የለምና ዛሬ ያንን ለማስታወስ ከቤት ወጥቶ ሻይ ቡና አፍልቶ ንፍሮ ቀቅሎ በዝማሬ በትምህርተ ወንጌል የእመቤታችን የልደት በዓል ይከበራል።

በቤተ ክርስቲያን በዓሉ በማኅሌት፣ በቅዳሴ እና በልደታ ቤተ ክርስቲያን ደግሞ በተጨማሪ በሥርዓተ ንግሥ ይከበራል። በአጠቃላይ የእመቤታችን ልደትና የበዓሉ አከባበር ይህንን ይመስላል።
ቅዱስ ኢያቄምና ቅድስት ሐና ልጅ ከሰጠኸን እኛን የሚያገለግል ሳይሆን አንተን የሚያገለግል ይሆናል ብለው ተስለው ስለነበር እመቤታችን 3 ዓመት ሲሞላት ታህሣሥ 3 ቀን ወደ ቤተ መቅደስ ወስደዉ በስዕለታቸዉ መሠረት ለእግዚአብሔር ሰጥተዋል። እመቤታችንም በቅድስና በንፅሕና በቤተ መቅደስ አድጋ ለፈጣሪ እናትነት ለድኅነተ ዓለም ምክንያትነት በቅታለች።

በድኅነተ ዓለም ሂደት ዉስጥ እመቤታችን ታላቅ ድርሻ አላት። ጌታን በመዉለድ ብቻ ሳይሆን እርሱን ይዛ በመሰደድ . በጌታችን ላይ ከአይሁድ ይደርስ በነበረዉ ተቃዉሞና መከራ ሁሉ እንደ እናትነቷ የመከራዉ ተካፋይ በመሆን እስከ መስቀሉም እስከ መቃብሩም ብዙ መከራ ተቀብላለች። ምህረትን ለሰዉ ልጅ ሁሉ በመለመን. በቃል ኪዳኗ በመጠበቅ የድኅነታችን ምክንያት ናትና በዓለ ልደቷን በታላቅ ደስታ እናከብራለን።

እድሜ ለንስሐ ጨምሮልን ለዚህ ያደረሰን አምላካችን ቅዱስ እግዚአብሔር የተመሰገነ ይሁን። ከእመቤታችን በረከት ረድኤት ይክፈለን፣ የእመቤታችንም እናትነት. በረከትና አማላጅነት አይለየን አሜን።
ወስብሐት ለእግዚአብሔር
አዘጋጅ፦
በኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተክርስቲያን የሰንበት
ት/ቤቶች ማ/መምሪያ ማኅበረ ቅዱሳን በአውሮፓ ማዕከል
የሆላንድ ቀጠና ማዕከል ትምህርት ና ሐዋርያዊ አገልግሎት
ክፍል
ግንቦት 2002 ዓ.ም.