Even today, one will bear witness to children as young as 7 years old, walking solemnly into a church yard to bow, kiss the ground, pay homage and humbly exit.
Probably no where in today’s modern age is religion taken so seriously as it is in Ethiopia with her Tewahedo Orthodox Church.
The word Tewahedo means “being made one” a principle that came from the Orthodox belief that illustrates Jesus’ one unified nature, symbolizing his divine and human aspects.
The following are 30 facts we believe will help you get a complete understanding of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church:
Paganism and Judaism were religions that Ethiopian’s were following before the introduction of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church.
It is believed that the worship of the serpent (snake-like) was widespread and Ethiopians used to offer sacrifices to the creatures alter.
This was proved by archeologists who discovered engravings (drawings) of the serpent on one of the famous Axum Stelae, which can still be seen today.
A description written in the “Avesta”, an ancient and sacred book of Persia which is identical to the worship of the serpent in Ethiopia, lends credence to the belief that the religion was introduced to Ethiopia from Persia.
Ethiopians/Axumites would eventually convert from this ancient religon to Christianity.
n the 1st millennium B.C. Sabaean immigrants came across the Red Sea and settled in Ethiopia. They were polytheists and paid homage to and worshipped different gods of the sea, heaven, and earth.
Some of the gods that were adopted and widely worshiped by the local Ethiopians were:
