Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Traditions== [[File:Inside Debre Sema'it rock church.jpg|thumb|Inside [[Debre Sema'it]] village rock church]] [[File:Ethio-orthodox-priests.jpg|thumb|Priests and deacons conducting a church liturgy service at Debre Meheret Kedus Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral, Washington, DC, US.]] The faith and practice of Orthodox Ethiopian Christians include elements from [[Miaphysitism|Miaphysite]] Christianity as it has developed in Ethiopia over the centuries. Christian beliefs include belief in God (in Ge'ez / Amharic, ''′Egziabeher'', lit. "Lord of the Universe"), [[veneration]] of the Virgin Mary, the angels, and the saints, besides others. According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church itself, there are no non-Christian elements in the religion other than those from the [[Old Testament]], or ''Higge 'Orit'' (ሕገ ኦሪት),{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} to which are added those from the [[New Testament]], or ''Higge Wongiel'' (ሕገ ወንጌል).<ref>[http://www.mahiberekidusan.org/Default.aspx?tabid=82&ctl=Details&mid=371&ItemID=126 EOTC Doctrine] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727054539/http://www.mahiberekidusan.org/Default.aspx?tabid=82&ctl=Details&mid=371&ItemID=126 |date=2011-07-27 }}</ref> A hierarchy of ''Kidusan''/ቅዱሳን{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} (angelic messengers and saints) conveys the prayers of the faithful to God and carries out the divine will, so when an Ethiopian Christian is in difficulty, he or she appeals to them as well as to God. In more formal and regular rituals, priests communicate on behalf of the community, and only priests may enter the inner sanctum of the usually circular or octagonal church where the [[tabot]] ("ark") dedicated to the church's patron saint is housed.<ref name="worship">{{Cite web | author=Professor Sergew Hable Sellassie | author2=Belaynesh Mikael | name-list-style=amp| year=2003 | url=http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/ethiopian/worship.html | title=Worship in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church | access-date=5 November 2014 | via=EthiopianOrthodox.org | work=The Church of Ethiopia – A Panorama of History and Spiritual Life | location=[[Addis Ababa]] | orig-year=1970 }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|reason=Source is not officially affiliated to the Church; see [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 179#Ethiopianorthodox.org]]|date=March 2017}} On important religious holidays, the tabot is carried on the head of a priest and escorted in procession outside the church. It is the tabot, not the church, which is consecrated. At many services, most parish members remain in the outer ring, where [[debtera]]s sing hymns and dance.<ref name="cs">Turner, John W. "Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity: Faith and practices". ''[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ettoc.html A Country Study: Ethiopia]'' (Thomas P. Ofcansky and LaVerle Berry, eds.) [[Library of Congress]] [[Federal Research Division]] (1991). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/about.html].</ref> [[File:Brooklyn Museum 2000.123.1 Processional Cross.jpg|thumb|Mid-20th century [[processional cross]] from the [[Amhara Region]]. Typically carried on long poles in Ethiopian Orthodox religious processions|alt=|271x271px]] The [[Eucharist]] is given only to those who feel pure, have fasted regularly, and have, in general, properly conducted themselves.<ref name="worship" /> In practice, communion is mainly limited to young children and the elderly; those who are at a sexually active age or who have sexual desires generally do not receive the Eucharist.<ref name="worship" /><ref name="Molvaer">{{Cite book | last=Molvaer | first=Reidulf K. | title=Socialization and Social Control in Ethiopia | series=Äthiopistische Forschungen | volume=44 | year=1995 | location=Wiesbaden | publisher=Harassowitz | pages=256–257 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F6dW0EPJiVAC&pg=PA256 | isbn=9783447036627}}</ref> Worshipers receiving communion may enter the middle ring of the church to do so.<ref name="worship" /> Ethiopian Orthodox believers are strict [[Trinity|Trinitarians]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dskmariam.org/artsandlitreature/litreature/pdf/doctorinoftheethiopianorthodoxchurch.pdf|title=Doctrine of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church|access-date=2009-10-30|archive-date=2018-03-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328181239/http://www.dskmariam.org/artsandlitreature/litreature/pdf/doctorinoftheethiopianorthodoxchurch.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> maintaining the Orthodox teaching that God is united in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This concept is known as ''səllasé'' (ሥላሴ),{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} Ge'ez for "Trinity". Daily services constitute only a small part of an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian's religious observance. Several holy days require prolonged services, singing and dancing, and feasting. === Fast days === {{Main|Fasting and abstinence in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church}} An important religious requirement, however, is the keeping of [[Fasting#Oriental Orthodox|fast]] days, during which adherents abstain from consuming meat and animal products, and refrain from sexual activity.<ref name="worship" /><ref name="Molvaer" /><ref name="dw2017-03-22">{{Cite news | author=James Jeffrey | title=Ethiopia: fasting for 55 days | url=http://www.dw.com/en/ethiopia-fasting-for-55-days/g-38067533 | publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]] | date=22 March 2017 | access-date=24 March 2017 }}</ref> The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has 250 fasting days, 180 of which are obligatory for laypeople, not just monks and priests, when [[Veganism|vegan]] food is eaten by the faithful. During the 40-day Advent fast, only one vegan meal is allowed per day.<ref>{{Cite news|title=A 40-Day Vegan Fast, Then, At Last, A January Christmas Feast|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/01/01/373834051/a-40-day-vegan-fast-then-at-last-a-january-christmas-feast|access-date=2021-06-15|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref> [[File:Gondar Fasiladas Bath Timket.jpg|thumb|An Ethiopian Orthodox ceremony at Fasilides' Bath in [[Gondar]], [[Ethiopia]], celebrating ''[[Timkat]]'' ([[Epiphany (Christian)|Epiphany]]).]] #Fast for Hudadi or Abiye Tsome [ሁዳዴ/ዓብይ ጾም] (Great Lent), 55 days prior to [[Easter]] (''[[Fasika]]'').<ref name="nenewe">{{Cite web | title=Tsome Nenewe (The Fast of Nineveh) | url=http://www.debreselam.net/index/?p=789 | publisher=Debre Selam Medhanealem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church | location=[[Minneapolis]] | date=28 January 2015 | access-date=30 March 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405110705/http://www.debreselam.net/index?p=789 | archive-date=2015-04-05 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="arega">{{Cite web | author=Robel Arega | title=Fasting in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church | at=Why Fifty-Five Days? | publisher=Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Sunday School Department – Mahibere Kidusan | url=http://eotcmk.org/site-en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=1 | access-date=30 March 2017 | archive-date=31 March 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331025244/http://eotcmk.org/site-en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=1 | url-status=dead }}</ref> This fast is divided into three separate periods: Tsome Hirkal (ጾመ ህርቃል), eight days commemorating [[Heraclius]]; Tsome Arba (ጾመ አርባ), forty days of [[Lent]]; and Tsome Himamat (ጾመ ሕማማት), seven days commemorating [[Holy Week]].<ref name="nenewe" /><ref name="arega" /><ref name="keraneyo-medhanealem">{{Cite web | title=Great Lent - Abiy Tsom - ዐብይ ጾም First Sunday - Zewerede - ዘወረደ | url=https://www.keraneyo-medhanealem.com/post/great-lent-abiy-tsom-%E1%8B%90%E1%89%A5%E1%8B%AD-%E1%8C%BE%E1%88%9D-first-sunday-zewerede-%E1%8B%98%E1%8B%88%E1%88%A8%E1%8B%B0 | publisher=Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Keraneyo Medhane Alem | location=[[Toronto]], [[Ontario|ON]] | date=3 March 2021 | access-date=27 February 2023 }}</ref> #Fast of the Apostles, 10–40 days, which the Apostles kept after they had received the [[Holy Spirit]]. It begins after [[Pentecost]]. #The fast Tsome Dihnet (ጾመ ድህነት), which is on Wednesdays in commemoration of the plot organized to kill [[Jesus Christ]] by [[Caiaphas]] and the members of the house of the high priest and Fridays in commemoration of the [[Crucifixion]] of [[Jesus Christ]] (starts on Wednesday after [[Pentecost]] and spans up to Easter, in other words all Wednesdays and Fridays except during 50 days after Easter).<ref name="worship" /> #The fast of [[Dormition of the Mother of God|Dormition]], 16 days. #The fast preceding Christmas, 40 days ([[Advent]]). It begins with Sibket on 15th Hedar and ends on Christmas Eve with the feast of Gena and the 29th of Tahsas and 28th if the year is preceded by leap year. #The [[Fast of Nineveh]], commemorating the preaching of [[Jonah]]. It comes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the third week before Lent. #The ''gahad'' of [[Timkat]] ([[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]]), fast on the eve of Epiphany. In addition to standard holy days, most Christians observe many saints' days. A man might give a small feast on his personal saint's day. The local voluntary association (called the ''maheber'') connected with each church honours its patron saint with a special service and a feast two or three times a year.<ref name=cs/> === Monasticism === {{Main|Christian monasticism in Ethiopia}} ===Exorcism=== [[File:Inda Abba Hadera holy water.jpg|thumb|Inda Abba Hadera holy water in [[Inda Sillasie]]]]Priests intervene and perform [[exorcism]]s on behalf of those believed to be afflicted by demons or ''[[buda (folklore)|buda]]''. According to a 2010 [[Pew Research Center]] study, 74% of Christians in Ethiopia report having experienced or witnessed an exorcism.<ref name="bbc2010-04-15">{{cite news |title=Ten things we have learnt about Africa |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8620249.stm |work=BBC News |date=April 15, 2010 |access-date=April 15, 2010 |quote=In Ethiopia, 74% of Christians say they have experienced or witnessed the devil or evil spirits being driven out of a person}}</ref> Demon-possessed persons are brought to a church or prayer meeting.<ref name="geleta">Geleta, Amsalu Tadesse. "[http://www.lausanne.org/all-documents/ethiopian-case-study.html Case Study: Demonization and the Practice of Exorcism in Ethiopian Churches] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101104543/http://www.lausanne.org/all-documents/ethiopian-case-study.html |date=2010-01-01 }}". Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, Nairobi, August 2000.</ref> Often, when an ill person has not responded to modern medical treatment, the affliction is attributed to demons.<ref name="geleta" /> Unusual or especially perverse deeds, particularly when performed in public, are symptomatic of a demoniac.<ref name="geleta" /> Superhuman strength — such as breaking one's bindings, as described in the New Testament accounts — along with [[glossolalia]] are observed in the afflicted.<ref name="geleta" /> Amsalu Geleta, in a modern case study, relates elements that are common to Ethiopian Christian exorcisms: <blockquote> It includes singing praise and victory songs, reading from the Scripture, prayer and confronting the spirit in the name of Jesus. Dialogue with the spirit is another important part of the exorcism ceremony. It helps the counsellor (exorcist) to know how the spirit was operating in the life of the demoniac. The signs and events mentioned by the spirit are affirmed by the victim after deliverance.<ref name="geleta" /></blockquote> The exorcism is not always successful, and Geleta notes another instance in which the usual methods were unsuccessful, and the demons apparently left the subject at a later time. In any event, "in all cases the spirit is commanded in no other name than the name of Jesus."<ref name="geleta" /> ===Biblical canon=== {{Main|Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon}} [[File:Ethiopian Madonna.jpg|thumb|Drawing of the [[Virgin Mary]] {{'}}with her beloved son{{'}} in pencil and ink, from a manuscript copy of Weddasé Māryām, {{Circa|1875}}.]] The Orthodox Tewahedo Church Canon contains 81 books. This [[Biblical canon|canon]] contains the books accepted by other Orthodox Christians.<ref>{{cite web | title= The Bible | url= http://www.ethiopianorthodox.org/english/canonical/books.html | publisher= Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church | access-date= 23 January 2012 }}</ref> * The Narrower Canon also includes [[Book of Enoch|Enoch]], [[Jubilees]], and [[Meqabyan|I II III Meqabyan]]. (These are unrelated to the Greek [[1 Maccabees|I]], [[2 Maccabees|II]], [[3 Maccabees|III Maccabees]] with which they are often confused.) The canonical Enoch differs from the editions of the [[Ge'ez]] manuscripts in the [[British Museum]] and elsewhere (A-Q) used by foreign scholars ([[Old Testament Pseudepigrapha|OTP]]), for example in the treatment of the [[Nephilim]] of Genesis 6.{{Citation needed|date= July 2010}} The current 81-book version, published in 1986, contains the same text as previously published in the ''[[Bible translations (Amharic)|Haile Selassie Version of the Bible]]'', only with some minor modifications to the New Testament translation. <ref> {{Cite journal | last= Cowley | first= R.W. | title= The Biblical Canon Of The Ethiopian Orthodox Church Today | journal= Ostkirchliche Studien | year= 1974 | volume= 23 | pages= 318–323 | url= http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Bible/Text/Canon/ethiopican.html | access-date= 21 January 2012 }} </ref> ===Language=== [[File:Meskel Celebration.jpg|thumb|Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of [[Meskel]] (Geʽez for "cross")]] The divine services of the Ethiopian Church are celebrated in [[Geʽez]], which has been the [[liturgical language]] of the church at least since the arrival of the [[Nine Saints]] (Pantelewon, Gerima (Isaac, or Yeshaq), Aftse, Guba, Alef, Yem’ata, Liqanos, and Sehma), who are believed to have fled persecution by the [[Byzantine Empire]] after the [[Council of Chalcedon]] (451).<ref>[[Taddesse Tamrat]], ''Church and State in Ethiopia, 1270-1527'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), p. 23</ref> The Greek [[Septuagint]] was the version of the [[Old Testament]] originally translated into Ge'ez, but later revisions show clear evidence of the use of [[Hebrew]], [[Syriac language|Syriac]] and [[Arabic]] sources. The first translation into a modern vernacular was done in the 19th century by a man usually known as [[Abu Rumi]] (died 1819). Later, Haile Selassie sponsored [[Amharic]] translations of the Ge'ez Scriptures during his reign (1930–1974): one in 1935 before World War II and one afterwards (1960–1961).<ref>Ullendorff, ''Ethiopia and the Bible'', pp. 31-72</ref> [[Sermons]] today are usually delivered in the local language. ===Architecture=== [[File:Bet Giyorgis church Lalibela 01.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Church of Saint George, Lalibela|Church of Saint George]], a monolithic church in Lalibela]] There are many [[monolithic church|monolithic (rock-hewn) church]]es in Ethiopia, most famously eleven churches at [[Lalibela]]. Besides these, two main types of architecture are found—one [[basilica]]n, the other native. The [[Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion]] at Axum is an example of the basilican design, though the early basilicas are nearly all in ruin. These examples show the influence of the architects who, in the 6th century, built the basilicas at [[Sanaá|Sanʻāʼ]] and elsewhere in the [[Arabian Peninsula]]. There are two forms of native churches: one oblong, traditionally found in [[Tigray Region|Tigray]]; the other circular, traditionally found in [[Amhara Region|Amhara]] and [[Shewa]] (though either style may be found elsewhere). In both forms, the sanctuary is square and stands clear in the centre, and the arrangements are based on [[Judaism|Jewish]] tradition. Walls and ceilings are adorned with [[fresco]]es. A [[courtyard]], circular or rectangular, surrounds the body of the church. Modern Ethiopian churches may incorporate the basilican or native styles and use contemporary construction techniques and materials. In rural areas, the church and outer court are often [[Thatching|thatched]], with mud-built walls. The church buildings are typically surrounded by a [[Church forests of Ethiopia|forested area]], acting as a reservoir of biodiversity in otherwise de-forested parts of the country.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Abbott |first1=Alison |title=Biodiversity thrives in Ethiopia's church forests |url=https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-019-00275-x/index.html |access-date=31 January 2019 |work=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]}}</ref><ref name=emergence>{{Cite news|url=https://emergencemagazine.org/feature/the-church-forests-of-ethiopia/|title=The Church Forests of Ethiopia: A Mystical Geography|first=Fred|last=Bahnson|date=January 11, 2020|website=Emergence Magazine}}</ref>{{sfn|Butler|1911|p=96}} ===Ark of the Covenant=== [[File:Ark of the Covenant church in Axum Ethiopia.jpg|thumb|The Chapel of the Tablet at the [[Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion]] is said to house the original [[Ark of the Covenant]].]] The Ethiopian Church claims that one of its churches, [[Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion|Our Lady Mary of Zion]], is host to the original [[Ark of the Covenant]] that [[Moses]] carried with the [[Israelites]] during the [[The Exodus|Exodus]]. Only one priest is allowed into the building where the Ark is located, ostensibly due to biblical warnings of danger. As a result, international scholars doubt that the original Ark is truly there.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} Throughout Ethiopia, Orthodox churches are not considered churches until the local bishop gives them a ''[[tabot]]'', a replica of the original Ark of the Covenant.<ref name="E_Af1868-1001-21">{{Cite web | title=tabot | url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1868-1001-21 | access-date=2024-01-31 | quote=Curator's comments… The Tabots remain in the Qeddest Qeddusan and are only brought out of the churches at festival times or in times of calamity, in order to pray for divine help. When they leave the Queddest Qeddusan they are carried on the heads of priests, veiled from public view by richly decorated cloths. Ornate silk umbrellas are held over the Tabots as a sign of respect.|website=[[British Museum]]}}</ref><ref name="lisantewahdo">{{Cite web | title=The Ark of Covenant | date=2021-12-01 | url=https://www.lisantewahdo.org/index.php/english/teachings/item/1191-the-ark-of-the-covenant | website=The Official Website of Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church | access-date=2024-02-02 }}</ref> The ''tabot'' is at least six inches (15 cm) square, and it is made of either [[alabaster]], [[marble]], or wood (see [[acacia]]). It is always kept in ornate coverings on the altar.<ref name="E_Af1868-1001-21" /> Only priests are allowed to see or touch the ''tabot''.<ref name="lisantewahdo" /><ref name="mk-2023">{{Cite web | title=Liturgical Worship, Part Three: Unique Features of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church | url=https://eotcmk.org/e/unique-features-of-ethiopian-orthodox-tewahedo-church/ | publisher=[[Mahibere Kidusan]] | website=Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Sunday School Department | access-date=2024-02-02 | author=Habtamu Teshome | date=2023-01-16 }}</ref> In an elaborate procession, the ''tabot'' is carried around the outside of the church amid joyful song on the feast day of that particular church's namesake.<ref name="E_Af1868-1001-21" /> On the great Feast of [[Timkat|T'imk'et]], known as [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]] or Theophany in Europe, a group of churches send their ''tabot'' to celebrate the occasion at a common location where a pool of water or a river is to be found.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/ethiopian-epiphany-01491 | title=Ethiopian epiphany | date=2019 | access-date=2024-02-07 | publisher=[[UNESCO]]}}</ref> ===Similarities to Judaism and Islam=== [[File:The Ethiopian Church.jpg|thumb| [[Kidane Mehret Church, Jerusalem|The Ethiopian Church, Jerusalem]]]] The Ethiopian Church places a heavier emphasis on Old Testament teachings than one might find in [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]], Roman Catholic or [[Protestantism|Protestant]] churches, and its followers adhere to certain practices that one finds in [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] or [[Conservative Judaism]]. Ethiopian Christians, like some other [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern Christians]], traditionally follow dietary rules that are similar to Jewish [[Kashrut]], specifically with regard to the slaughter of animals. Similarly, pork is prohibited, though unlike [[Rabbinical Judaism|Rabbinical]] Kashrut, [[Ethiopian cuisine]] does mix [[Milk and meat in Jewish law|dairy products with meat]], which in turn makes it even closer to [[Karaite Judaism|Karaite]] and [[Islamic dietary laws]] (see [[Halal]]). Women are prohibited from entering the church temple during [[menses]];<ref>{{cite web |last1=Daoud |first1=Marcos |last2=Hazen |first2=Blatta Marsie |title=The Liturgy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church |url=http://www.eotc.faithweb.com/liturgy.htm |publisher=[[Ethiopian Orthodox Church]] |access-date=24 August 2020 |language=en |date=1991}}</ref> they are also expected to [[Christian headcovering|cover their hair]] with a large scarf (or ''shash'') while in church, as described in 1 Corinthians, chapter 11. As with Orthodox [[synagogue]]s, men and women sit separately in the Ethiopian church, with men on the left and women on the right (when facing the altar).<ref name="Hable1997">{{cite book|last= Hable Selassie|first= Sergew|title= The Church of Ethiopia – A panorama of History and Spiritual Life|year= 1997|publisher= Berhanena Selam|location= Addis Abeba, Ethiopia|page= 66}}</ref> (Women covering their heads and separation of the sexes in churches officially is common to few other Christian traditions; it is also the rule in some non-Christian religions, [[Islam]] and [[Orthodox Judaism]] among them).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Duffner |first1=Jordan Denari |title=Wait, I thought that was a Muslim thing?!|url=https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/wait-i-thought-was-muslim-thing |publisher=[[Commonweal (magazine)|Commonweal]] |access-date=26 July 2020 |language=en |date=13 February 2014}}</ref> Before praying, the Ethiopian Orthodox wash their hands and face, in order to be clean before and present their best to God; [[Tradition of removing shoes in the home and houses of worship|shoes are removed]] in order to acknowledge that one is offering prayer before a holy God.<ref name="Amherst1906">{{cite book |author1=Mary Cecil, 2nd Baroness Amherst of Hackney |author-link=Mary Cecil, 2nd Baroness Amherst of Hackney |title=A Sketch of Egyptian History from the Earliest Times to the Present Day |date=1906 |publisher=Methuen |page=399 |language=en |quote=Prayers 7 times a day are enjoined, and the most strict among the Copts recite one of more of the Psalms of David each time they pray. They always wash their hands and faces before devotions, and turn to the East.}}</ref><ref name="Kosloski2017">{{cite web |last1=Kosloski |first1=Philip |title=Did you know Muslims pray in a similar way to some Christians? |url=https://aleteia.org/2017/10/16/did-you-know-muslims-pray-in-a-similar-way-to-some-christians/ |publisher=[[Aleteia]] |access-date=25 July 2020 |language=en |date=16 October 2017}}</ref> Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers remove their shoes when entering a church temple,<ref name="Hable1997" /> in accordance with [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 3:5 (in which [[Moses]], while viewing the [[burning bush]], was commanded to remove his shoes while standing on holy ground). Furthermore, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church upholds a form of [[Sabbatarianism]], observing the [[Sabbath in Christianity|seventh-day Sabbath]] (Saturday), in addition to the [[Lord's Day]] (Sunday),<ref name="Binns2016">{{cite book|last= Binns|first= John|title= The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia: A History|date= 28 November 2016|publisher= I.B.Tauris|language= en|isbn= 9781786720375|page= 58|quote= The king presided, overruled the bishops who were committed to the more usual position that Sunday only was a holy day, and decreed that the Sabbatarian teaching of the northern monks became the position of the church.}}</ref> although more emphasis, because of the [[Resurrection]] of Christ, is laid upon Sunday. The Ethiopian Church does not call for circumcision, yet it is a cultural practice.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://britishorthodox.org/glastonburyreview/issue-122-circumcision-and-the-copts/ | title=Issue 122 – Circumcision and the Copts | the British Orthodox Church }}</ref> It is not regarded as being necessary to salvation.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.keraneyo-medhanealem.com/post/gizret-%E1%8C%8D%E1%8B%9D%E1%88%A8%E1%89%B5-circumcision | title=Gizret - ግዝረት [Circumcision] | date=9 January 2022 }}</ref> The liturgy explicitly mentions, "let us not be circumcised like the Jews." The Ethiopian Orthodox Church prescribes several kinds of [[hand washing]] and traditionally follow rituals that are similar to Jewish [[Handwashing in Judaism|netilat yadayim]], for example after leaving the latrine, lavatory or bathhouse, or before prayer, or after eating a meal.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pwtw.pl/wp-content/uploads/wst/12-2/Pedersen.pdf |title=IS THE CHURCH OF ETHIOPIA A JUDAIC CHURCH ? |access-date=2022-10-08 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115645/http://pwtw.pl/wp-content/uploads/wst/12-2/Pedersen.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Ethiopian Orthodox Church observes days of [[ritual purification]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=[[Ian Bradley]] |title=Water: A Spiritual History |date=2 November 2012 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-4411-6767-5 |language=English|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last= H. Bulzacchelli|first=Richard|title=Judged by the Law of Freedom: A History of the Faith-works Controversy, and a Resolution in the Thought of St. Thomas Aquinas|publisher=[[University Press of America]]|year=2006|isbn=9780761835011|pages=19|quote=The Ethiopian and Coptic Churches distinguishes between clean and unclean meats, observes days of ritual purification, and keeps a kind of dual Sabbath on both Saturday and Sunday.}}</ref> People who are ritually unclean may approach the church but are not permitted to enter it; they instead stand near the church door and [[Christian prayer|pray]] during the liturgy.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pedersen |first1=Kristen Stoffregen |title=Is the Church of Ethiopia a Judaic Church? |journal=Warszawskie Studia Teologiczne |date=1999 |volume=XII |issue=2 |pages=205–206 |language=en}}</ref> Rugare Rukuni and Erna Oliver identify the Nine Saints as [[Jewish Christians]], and attribute the Judaic character of Ethiopian Christianity, in part, to their influence.<ref name="RukuniOliver">{{Cite journal | first1=Rugare | last1=Rukuni | first2=Erna | last2=Oliver | title=Ethiopian Christianity: A continuum of African Early Christian polities | url=https://dx.doi.org/10.4102/hts.v75i1.5335 | journal=Hervormde Teologiese Studies | volume=75 | issue=1 | date=January 2019 | pages=1–9 | doi=10.4102/hts.v75i1.5335}}</ref>{{Rp|6, 8}} ===Debtera=== {{Main|Debtera}} [[File:Ethiopian Painting 2005 SeanMcClean.JPG|thumb|A painting of performing [[debtera]]s.]] A debtera is an itinerant lay priest figure (not a member of the priesthood) trained by the Ethiopian Church to function principally as a [[scribe]] or [[Cantor (church)|cantor]]. But often he is also a folk healer, who may also function in roles comparable to a [[deacon]] or [[exorcist]]. Folklore and legends ascribe the role of magician to the debtera as well.<ref>{{cite book|author=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica|authorlink=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica|title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: He-N|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l4WUdKWGcYsC&pg=PA4|year=2003|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag|isbn=978-3-447-05607-6|page=4}}</ref> ===Music=== {{Main article|Orthodox Tewahedo music}} [[File:Timkat priests.jpg|thumb|Ethiopian Orthodox priests dancing during 2015 [[Timkat]] celebration]] The music of Ethiopian Orthodox Church traced back to Saint [[Yared]], who composed [[Zema]] or "chant", which divided into three modes: Ge'ez (ordinary days), Ezel (fast days and Lent) and Araray (principal feasts).<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 August 2022 |title=YARED: THE COMPOSER OF HUMNS |url=https://piassabooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/e18b9ce18a93-e18aa0e189a0e18b8d.pdf}}</ref> It is important to Ethiopian liturgy and divided into fourteen Anaphoras, the normal use being of the Twelve Apostles. In ancient times, there were six Anaphoras used by many monasteries.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Salvadore |first1=Matteo |last2=Lorenzi |first2=James De |date=April 2021 |title=An Ethiopian Scholar in Tridentine Rome: Täsfa Ṣeyon and the Birth of Orientalism |journal=Itinerario |language=en |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=17–46 |doi=10.1017/S0165115320000157 |s2cid=232422416 |issn=0165-1153|doi-access=free }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page