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Matthew I

MATTHEW I The eighty-seventh patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (1378-1409) (feast day: 7 Kiyakh). Matthew I is better known by the title of Matta al-Miskin, or Matthew the Poor. He was a native of a small village called Bani Ruh in the district of al-Ashmunayn in Upper Egypt. His life is better known …

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Menelik II (1844-1913)

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

MENELIK II (1844-1913) The emperor of Ethiopia. From 1865 to 1889, he was king of Shewa (Sawa), and from 1889 to 1913, emperor of Ethiopia. He was the last Ethiopian sovereign to expand the empire by conquest and he enlarged it to about three times the original size of the Christian core area. He also …

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John VI

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

JOHN VI Saint and seventy-fourth patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (1189-1216). John VI proved to be one of the most significant personalities to occupy the throne of Saint Mark since the ARAB CONQUEST OF EGYPT. He was a layman by the name of Abu al- Majd ibn Abi Ghalib ibn Sawirus, and his …

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John XVII

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

JOHN XVII The 105th patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (1726-1745). He was a native of Mallawi in Upper Egypt. As a young man by the name of ‘Abd-al-Sayyid, he retired to the monastery of Saint Paul (DAYR ANBA BULA) in the Eastern Desert for some years. He started by taking the monastic vow …

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John, Saint

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

JOHN, SAINT Bishop of Armant (feast day: 7 Kiyahk). According to the SYNAXARION of Upper Egypt, John’s parents, who were citizens of the town of Armant (Hermonthis), practiced the trade of carpentry. His elder brother Pisentius withdrew to the monastery of Tud. The excellence of the Christian religion having become clear to him, Pisentius had …

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Ethiopian Orthodox Church

History / By Armia FAYEZ

ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH The Ethiopian church was the only state church in the Orient that remained intact from early times into the late twentieth century, when it was separated from the secular state by a revolutionary decree of 1974. With a membership of at least 12 million, it is still the largest single autocephalous Christian …

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Eccage

Culture / By Youssef Matta

ECCAGE The title and office of the eccage (high church dignitary) have been of national importance in Ethiopia for several centuries. Insofar as the ABUN was alien to the language and culture of the country, it was necessary for an Ethiopian dignitary to be appointed as chief administrator of the church. The Nebura’ed of Axum …

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Abun

Culture / By Youssef Matta

ABUN The highest spiritual leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox church. The term signifies “our father” and is applied to bishops, archbishops, and patriarchs, as well as to saints who were monks. The office of the abun was filled usually by a Coptic monk elected by his brethren in the monasteries of Egypt and was consecrated …

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