Dominance and Diversity: Kingship, Ethnicity, and Christianity in Orthodox Ethiopia

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-305
Author(s):  
Steven Kaplan

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to survey the history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with an emphasis on several features which are of significance for comparison to Syriac Orthodox Christianity. Although it focuses primarily on the period from 1270 during which 'Ethiopian' was a national rather than ethnic identity, it shares several themes with other papers in this volume. After considering the manner in which Christianity reached Ethiopia and in particular the central role played by the royal court in the acceptance and consolidation of the Church, attention is given to the claims of successive Ethiopian rulers and ethnic groups to be 'Israelites', that is, descendants of biblical figures most notably King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The paper next considers the manner in which monastic movements, which emerged in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, were associated with ethnically based resistance to the expansion of the Christian kingdom. Other themes include the development of a tradition of biblical interpretation and Christological controversies. The paper concludes with a discussion of ongoing research concerning the Ethiopian diaspora which has developed in the period since the Marxist revolution of 1974.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 5-22
Author(s):  
Nigusie Wolde Michae Kassaye ◽  
Yu. N. Buzykina

The aim of the study is to consider the role and place of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church in preserving the ancient traditions and culture of the peoples of Ethiopia. The history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is closely related to that of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church, but for a significant part of its history it fought for autocephaly, which was achieved only under Emperor Haile Selassie I. The most important function of the Church in Ethiopia was education and spread of literacy, the preservation and transfer of knowledge in the field of religion and public administration. The objective of the study is to analyze how this function was implemented during the first half of the XX century. The research is based on the documents of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation and of the Ethiopian Microfilm Laboratory EMML.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-340
Author(s):  
Joachim Persoon

This article relates the concept of the tabot, the central symbol of divine presence in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to the European Diaspora experience. The tabot represents the arc of the covenant in Solomon's Temple, and is likewise associated with Noah's arc. Thus the Church is conceptualised as facilitating the traversing of the ‘ocean of troubles’ to reach the ‘safe haven’ of the divine presence. This is experienced in an especially intense way in the diaspora context. Beginning with the concept of diaspora the article gives an overview of the history of the establishment of Ethiopian Orthodox churches in Europe and explores related trajectories. The Church is experienced as a place of memories, and is also a place where the sojourner can feel at home and belong. It facilitates preserving identity and culture, re-creating morals and values, and through aesthetics creates a hermeneutic frame of experience, satisfying the ‘fourth hunger’.


Author(s):  
Михаил Андреевич Вишняк

Вниманию русскоязычного читателя предлагается первая часть перевода с новогреческого на русский язык книги Ὁ Θεολογικός Διάλογος Ὀρθοδόξων καί Ἀντιχαλκηδονίων (παρελθόν - παρόν - μέλλον): Μία ἁγιορειτική συμβολή. Ἅγιον Ὄρος: Ἱερά Μονή Ὁσίου Γρηγορίου, 2018 (841 σ.). Это издание посвящено богословскому диалогу между Православной Церковью и антихалкидонитами и включает в себя все тексты соответствующей тематики, составленные на Святой Горе Афон в период 1991-2015 гг. Настоящая публикация включает перевод предисловия архим. Христофора, игумена монастыря Григориат, и части введения (гл. 1, пп. 1-3). Перевод снабжён также предисловием переводчика, в котором кратко изложена история богословского диалога, цель издания и его перевода на русский язык, которая заключается в содействии плодотворному и согласному со Священным Преданием воссоединению антихалкидонитов с Церковью. The Russian-speaking reader is presented with the first part of the translation into Russian from the modern Greek of the book Ὁ Θεολογικός Διάλογος Ὀρθοδόξων καί Ἀντιχαλκηδονίων (παρελθόν - παρόν - μέλλον): Μία ἁγιορειτική συμβολή. Ἅγιον Ὄρος: Ἱερά Μονή Ὁσίου Γρηγορίου, 2018 (841 p.). This edition is devoted to the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the non-Chalcedonians and includes all texts of the relevant topics, published on the Holy Mount Athos in the period 1991-2015. This publication includes a translation of the Prologue of archim. Christophoros, the abbot of the monastery of St. Gregory, and of a part of the Introduction (Chapter 1, paragraphs 1-3). The translation is also provided with a preface of the translator, which summarizes the history of the Theological Dialogue, the purpose of the publication and its translation into Russian, which is to contribute to the fruitful and consistent with the Holy Tradition reunification of the non-Chalcedonians with the Church.


2020 ◽  
pp. 160-198
Author(s):  
Макарий Веретенников

Статья посвящена содержанию, общим принципам построения и характерным особенностям календаря, или месяцеслова, Русской Православной Церкви. Автор использует методы анализа и синтеза. В итоге делаются нижеследующие обобщения. Месяцеслов был принесён на Русь из Византии в достаточно завершённом виде, однако в процессе исторического развития он дополнился особенными русскими праздниками. Календарь-месяцеслов - это грандиозный собор святых, подвизавшихся в разных местах на протяжении веков, единение Церкви Небесной и земной, история святости и история нашей Церкви. Месяцесловным памятям посвящены составленные гимнографами богослужебные тексты, которые поются и читаются в храмах. Традиционно почитается день кончины угодников Божиих, память открытия мощей святых, перенесения их святых мощей или же день канонизации угодников Божиих, реже - день их рождения. Фенологические наблюдения русского народа связаны с повседневной деятельностью и увязаны с месяцесловом, что свидетельствует о его проникновении в повседневную жизнь русского человека. The article is devoted to the content, General principles of construction and characteristic features of the calendar, or mesyatseslov, of the Russian Orthodox Church. The author uses methods of analysis and synthesis. As a result, the following generalizations are made. The mesyatseslov was brought to Russia from Byzantium in a fairly complete form, but in the course of historical development it was supplemented with special Russian holidays. The calendar-mesyatseslov is a grandiose council of saints who have labored in different places over the centuries, the unity of the Church of Heaven and earth, the history of holiness and the history of our Church. Liturgical texts composed by hymnographers, which are sung and read in churches, are dedicated to the mesyatseslovs memory. Traditionally, the day of the death of saints, the memory of the discovery of the relics of saints, the transfer of their Holy relics, or the day of the canonization of saints, less often - the day of their birth are honored. Russian people’s phenological observations are related to their daily activities and are linked to mesyatseslov, which indicates its penetration into the daily life of the Russian people.


2020 ◽  
pp. 269-274
Author(s):  
Сергей Забелич

В статье рассказывается об истории создания Синодальной Богослужебной комиссии, основных направлениях ее деятельности, задачах. На заседаниях обсуждаются вопросы и принимаются предварительные решения по сложным календарным вопросам, а также введение новых текстов в богослужебную практику Русской Православной Церкви на основе церковного Устава (Типикона) и литургической традиции Русской Церкви. The article is devoted to the history of establishing the Synodal Liturgical Commission, the main fields of its work and the essential tasks. The Commission raises a number of important liturgical questions, takes preliminary decisions on the complicated calendar issues and introduces the new texts of divine services into the worship practice of the Russian Orthodox Church following the Church statutes (Typikon) and the liturgical tradition of the Russian Church.


2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim A. Dreyer

In this contribution, the author reflects on historical theology as theological discipline. After a short introduction to the precarious situation of church history as a theological discipline in South Africa and the question of faith and history, the contribution presents an analysis of Gerhard Ebeling’s 1947 publication on church history in which he proposed that church history should be understood as a history of Biblical interpretation. Based on some of the principles Ebeling delineated, the author proposes that historical theology could be applied to five areas of research: prolegomena, history of the church, history of missions, history of theology and church polity. The point is made that historical theology, when properly structured and presented, could play a major role in enriching the theological and ecclesial conversation and in assisting the church in the process of reformation and transformation.Keywords: Gerhard Ebeling; Hermeneutics; Church History


2020 ◽  
pp. 71-84
Author(s):  
Алексей Черный

The article attempts to reconstruct various pastoral models that appeared in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church over several centuries. The author identifies several "images" of confession, which are very different, among them: the realization of "despotical" power in a "confessional" family of the sixteenth century, the fulfillment of conscription, deeply personal interaction based on mutual trust and the value of a hierarchical aspect, counseling under the guidance of a "parish elder". The state, depending on the circumstances, either embeds the pastor in itself as a necessary part of its own mechanism, or considers the priesthood as a foreign element, or completely distances itself from religious affairs. The author suggests that the “types” of confession presented in the article can be compared with the forms of pastoral self-consciousness to be found in the modern life of the church. This in turn suggests that in the Russian Church today is characterized by the search for pastoral identity, in which the priesthood plays a key role.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 254-268
Author(s):  
Sergey V. Bazavluk

The author analyzes the ideological views of a group of Russian migrants of the fi rst wave, known as Eurasianists, including N.S. Trubetskoy, P.N. Savitsky, N.N. Alekseeva, L.N. Karsavina and others. The author discusses fundamental elements of the classical Eurasianist program, such as the role of the Orthodox Church and the state in the life of Russia and its society, their attitude to Roman Catholic culture, and their place in dialogue with other religions. In addition, other important elements of Eurasianism noted here are the ideas of pan-Eurasian nationalism, ideocracy, the spatial borders of Russia-Eurasia, the symphonic personality, a guarantee state. These issues are associated directly with the authors of these concepts and with Eurasianism in general. The author demonstrates the continuity with the teachings of the Slavophiles and highlights the special attention that the Eurasians paid to the traditional cultures of Russia. Also noted is the interest in Eurasianism of church circles in exile in Europe. At the same time, the Eurasianists’ critical vies on the “Petersburg period” in the history of the Russian church are highlighted, which are also implicit in Eurasianism as an independent ideological and philosophical line of thought of Russian emigration in the fi rst half of the twentieth century. An attempt is made to show how, through conservative thought, Eurasians tried to form a new type of political identity. This ideological direction with an emphasis on spirituality and special institutions was considered by Eurasians as a prototype of the future statehood of Russia as opposed to the Soviet-Marxist system. In the context of the contemporary Eurasian integration (EAEU), of the current role of the Russian Orthodox Church and external political manipulations around the role of the Moscow Patriarchate, the theoretical views of the Eurasians take on a new dimension.


2020 ◽  
pp. 126-136
Author(s):  
Константин Рева

В настоящей статье предпринята попытка рассмотреть влияние Придворной певческой капеллы на развитие богослужебной практики Русской Православной Церкви в Синодальный период. После церковного раскола XVII в. продолжающееся развитие богослужебной практики не находило отражения в корпусе богослужебных книг. В XVII в. в Русской Церкви было два практически равновеликих по значению образцовых столичных хора: хор патриарших певчих дьяков и хор государевых певчих дьяков. С упразднением патриаршества и переносом столицы в Санкт¬-Петербург в Синодальный период истории Русской Православной Церкви Придворная певческая капелла стала главным церковным хоровым коллективом, основной обязанностью которого было пение за богослужением в придворных церквях. В XIX в. Придворная певческая капелла была на делена особыми административными правами в церковно-¬певческой сфере, связанны ми с цензурой церковно-¬певческих произведений и подготовкой церковных регентов. Исключительные права по изданию церковно¬-певческих книг в Русской Православной Церкви, закрепленные Святейшим Синодом за Придворной певческой капеллой, стали причиной широкого распространения литургических особенностей богослужения придворных церквей в Российской империи. Практика обязательной аттестации церковных регентов Придворной певческой капеллой усилила распространение не только её церковно-¬музыкальной традиции, но и придворного литургического порядка, что оказало существенное влияние на практику совершения кафедрального и приходского богослужения. Изучение богослужебной практики Русской Православной Церкви в XVIII-XX вв. немыслимо без учёта деятельности и наследия Придворной певческой капеллы. This article attempts to consider the influence of the Court Singing Chapel on the development of divine practice of the Russian Orthodox Church during the synodal period. After the Church split of the 17th century, the continuing development of liturgical practice was not re flected in the corpus of liturgical books. In the XVII century the Russian Church had two almost equal in importance exemplary Metropolitan choirs: the choir of Patriarchal singing deacons and the choir of sovereign singing deacons. With the abolition of the Patriarchate and the transfer of the capital to Saint Petersburg during the Synodal period of the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Court singing Capella became the main Church choral group, whose main duty was to sing at divine services in the court churches. In the 19th century, the Court singing chapel was giv en special administrative rights in the Church singing sphere related to the censorship of Church singing works and the training of Church Regents. The exclusive rights to publish Church sing ing books in the Russian Orthodox Church, which were assigned by the Holy Synod to the Court singing chapel, caused a wide spread of liturgical features of the service of court churches in the Russian Empire. The practice of mandatory certification of Church Regents by the Court singingchapel has increased the spread of not only its Church music tradition, but also the court liturgical order, which has had a significant impact on the practice of performing Cathedral and parish ser vices. The study of the liturgical practice of the Russian Orthodox Church in the XVIII-XX centuries is unthinkable without taking into account the activities and heritage of the court singing chapel.


2019 ◽  
pp. 286-292
Author(s):  
Николай Сергеевич Черепенин

Изучение жизненных обстоятельств священнослужителей первой половины XX в. является важной составляющей изучения истории Русской Православной Церкви. Оно позволяет детально проследить некоторые процессы и явления, происходившие в Церкви того периода, на конкретных примерах. Данная статья посвящена священнику Петру Ильинскому, около сорока лет прослужившему на сельском приходе. Его служение раскрывается в статье в хронологическом порядке: педагогическая и хозяйственная деятельность пастыря дополняется описанием его публицистических трудов и заканчивается описанием его семьи и исповеднического подвига. Данная работа служит свидетельством незаурядного пастырского служения священника Петра в переломный момент жизни нашего государства и в достаточной мере иллюстрирует историческую эпоху конца XIX - первой половины XX веков на конкретном примере. The study of the life circumstances of clergymen in the first half of the 20th century is an important part of the study of the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. It allows us to trace in detail some of the processes and phenomena that took place in the Church in that period, using concrete examples. This article is about the priest Peter Ilyinsky, who served forty years in a rural parish. His ministry is presented in chronological order: his teaching and economic activities are followed by a description of his publicist writings and ending with a description of his family and confessional deeds. This work is a testimony to the extraordinary pastoral ministry of the Priest Peter at a crucial point in the life of our nation, and illustrates the historical era of the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century with concrete examples.


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