Christianity In Axum

Written by Bior Malual

Damat

Pre Axumite kingdom situated in Eritrea and North Western Ethiopia (Capital in North Western Ethiopia). 

The Kingdom interacted in extensive trade with neighboring advanced cultures along the Red Sea cost, and is thought to have been founded by the Sebeans, which is supported by linguistic and genetic evidence. Looking specifically at the modern Habesha people of Ethiopia and Eritrea. 

• Adulis

The City of Adults (City of Damat?) which is one of the biggest excavation sites of Eritrea has shed light on the pre-christian religious practices of the people there. The Adiulite Sphinx (built sometime around the 5th century bc) showed connections with the African continent (specifically. The Egyptian - Nubian culture of the Nile valley, just a few miles to the east away). Also featuring braided hair and Sabean writing. 

• Writing 

The writing system used by the people of Damat has not been fully researched and is an area of scholarly research, however, Geez, the writing system still used by modern Ethiopians today has been shown to have evolved from Sabean script. 

• Religion 

The early religion of Damat isn’t as very well documented other ancient civilizations or cultures. But they were believed to be polytheist. Archeological records show an adoption of religious aspects from the neibhoring Kush kingdom along the nile, and the Sabean 

One of these religious elements 

• Decline

However the Kingdom of Data would cease to exist by the mid 7th century bc possibly due to changed in trade routes, environmental factors, & possible interaction with other cultures. It was succeeded by the kingdom of Aksum. 

Axum

The kingdom of Axum, succeeding the kingdom of Damat, can trace its origins to around the 1st century ad. It was strategically located along the Red Sea cost, which gave it trade access and control over trading routes with otters ancient people such as the romans, Arabian peninsula, and ancient India. They built multiple towers of stone called obelisk and stele for commemorating military victories. 

The city/civilazation of Axum is even mentioned in ancient maps for trading routes along the Red Sea and Indian ocean. Specifically, the “Periplus of the Erythaen sea”. Noted for its trade of ivory goods with a region in Sudan, known to them as “Cyeneum”, located just beyond the nile, and south of the Meroitic kingdom. 

• Christianity 

The Axumite Kingdom was one of the earliest kingdoms to covert to christianity, with Rome & Greeks becoming Christians only 20 years earlier

King Ezana 

Axum reached it’s peak around the 4th and 5th centuries under King Ezana, with expanded influence to Southern Arabia 

And he is also credited with unifying power in Axum, making it a formidable force in the region. 

Christianization: 

The transition to Christianity brought many of cultural and political changes. 

It would strengthen diplomatic ties with the Roman Empire and other powerful Christian states, providing Axum with a multitude of political advantages 7 aiding him to consolidate power in the region. 

It was believed to occur around the early to mid 4th century 

• 2 brothers 

2 Syrian brothers by the names of Frementius & Aedisius would play a crucial role in the Christianization of Axum and their King Ezana. Accroding to historical records they arrived in Axum around the 4th century ad, in the year 330. 

They were accompanying ship that was stopping at the Red Sea port, when they’re ship was hijacked, all of the men of the ship were killed, and the 2 boys were spared, they then taken t the royal court were they’d would develop strong ties with the king and the members of the royal family. 

They were also allowed to openly practice their faith in Christianity without percution. Tragedy struck when one of the brothers Aedidus died.

 The other brother is said to have influenced greatly what would later be King Ezana’s conversion to Christianity. 

The brother Frumentius would then start to promote Christianity to the people of Axum, which was beyond his roles as an advisor. For his work, he would be labeled as “The Apostle of the Ethiopians”  as he encouraged the construction of churches and helped establish Christian communities. 

He even went to Alexandria where he informed the the Patriarch of the Coptic Church on the Christian community that he has helped built in Axum, and they made him their Bishop. 

• Story 

King Ezana embraced Christianity and institutionalized it as a state religion for the Axumites. 

The Axumite Church (an indigenous Church) was established with Geez as liturgical language of its members 

War with the Amerite would occur, because their king (Dimnos) would attack Roman merchant ships. 

 The king would then later send a letter to king Dimnoss condemning him for his acts, claiming that they “hurt” his kingdom. 

This lead to a relationship of hatred between them, leading to war, and King Ezana claiming 

“If I succeed in vanquishing Dimnos, the king of the Ameritai, I shall become a Christian. For, it is for the sake of Christians that I am waging the war.”

To the king’s fortune, he ended up vigorous, occupied the lands of that former king, and had bishops of Axumite choosing come to help covert the people pf their kingdom. 

http://www.medievalnubia.info/dev/index.php/Malalas

Quote:

The story of the victory of the Aksumite king followed by his 'conversion to Christianity’ - which Malalas probably drew from Greek-Syriac sources - was later copied in the Chronicle of John of Nikiou [q.v.]. However, we find "Nubian" written instead of "Aksumite king".]

At the same time,<ref>Malalas possibly wrote his Chronography before John of Ephesus' Eccles. History, or about the same time. He names the Ethiopian king Andas ('Amda, Amida), who, according to both the ancient and modern historians is not to be identified with Elesbaas – Caleb.</ref>a war broke out between the Aksumite and the Ameritae Indians (Ameritōn), on the following grounds. The king of the Ameritae (Omēritae) is closer to Egypt than the king of the Auxumitae, who reigns over the inner regions. Some Roman merchants, on their way to Aksum (Auxuma) and to the inner kingdoms of the Indians, passed through the lands of the Ameritai (Omēritae). In fact, there are seven kingdoms of Indians (Indōn) and Ethiopians (Aithiópōn), of which three belong to the Indians, the other four, which face to the east along the coast of the ocean, were under the Ethiopians. Dimnos, king of the Ameritae, assailed the Roman merchants who were on transit through his kingdom for commerce, killed them and carried away all their belongings. "Actually, he said, the Jews, who live in the territory of the Roman Christians, are vexed, and many are killed every year." Since then it was forbidden to carry out trade. The king of the Auxumitae, writing to the king of the Ameritae, warned him: "You have acted very badly, he said, in killing the Christian Roman merchants; you have also harmed my kingdom". This was a source of hatred between them, which later ended in a war. Under these circumstances, the king of the Auxumitae on his way to the war, bound himself with a promise saying: "If I succeed in vanquishing Dimnos, the king of the Ameritai, I shall become a Christian. For, it is for the sake of Christians that I am waging the war." The king of the Auxumitai was victorious, seized [the king of the Ameritai] and slew him, defeated his army and occupied all his lands and kingdoms. After the victory, he sent two envoys accompanied by two hundred other prominent people to Alexandria. Through them he made a petition to Justinian asking that he appointed a bishop and clerics to teach him the elements of Religion and the mysteries, after which he could be baptised. He also requested that all the territory of the Indians be taken under the empire of the Romans. The emperor, informed by Licinius, the Augustal of Alexandria, wrote back ordering that they might choose for themselves the bishop whom they wanted. The envoys of the Indians chose John, the Paramonarius of the Church of St. John in Alexandria, who was pious, unmarried, and about 62 years old. The envoys, having chosen thus a bishop and other clerics, took them to India, to their own king Anda.

(L. Dindorf, pp. 433—434).

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Legacy & Impact 

• Distinguished Axum from neiboring regions
• Influences the communities of Ethiopia to this day, as the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is still string today