Ethiopian Orthodox Church

This book is an extensive bibliography, with 570 entries, of publications on the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. All books and articles listed are in English. Most entries have been annotated and arranged alphabetically by author, under five general classifications: General Works; History and Development; Teaching and Practice; Literature and Scriptures; and Organization and Government. Each annotation summarizes the content of the book or article; where necessary, there is also an evaluation of the accuracy or quality of the work. A number of books and articles have been listed but not annotated, sometimes because the title is sufficiently explanatory, sometimes because the author could not make a firsthand examination. Most entries, however, are annotated, thanks to the excellent resources of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa, the Library of Congress in Washington, the New York Public Library, and the Oriental Institute Library in Chicago. A one-page introduction states that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church traces its origins to the early fourth century. In that century, two young Syrians, Frumentius and Aedesius, who were captured by the Red Sea (due to piracy or shipwreck). They were taken inland to Axum, the ancient capital of Ethiopia. There, they became servants to the Emperor Ezana. After he became Christian, he gave them their freedom. It seems that Aedesius returned to Syria and became a priest in the Church of Tyre. There, he told this story to Rufinus, the historian. Frumentius travelled to Alexandria, to meet Athanasius, patriarch of the Church of Egypt. About 340, Athanasius ordained Frumentius bishop of Ethiopia. For the next 1600 years, until 1959, the Coptic Church had authority over the Church of Ethiopia. Only in that year did the Ethiopian Orthodox Church achieve complete autonomy. After the Council of Chalcedon in 451, both Churches became separated from both Rome and Constantinople.