Ethiopian Christianity: History, Theology, Practice

by Philip F. Esler

In  Ethiopian Christianity  Philip Esler presents a rich and comprehensive history of Christianity’s flourishing. But Esler is ever careful to situate this growth in the context of Ethiopia’s politics and culture. In so doing, he highlights the remarkable uniqueness of Christianity in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Christianity  begins with ancient accounts of Christianity’s introduction to Ethiopia by St. Frumentius and King Ezana in the early 300s CE. Esler traces how the church and the monarchy closely coexisted, a reality that persisted until the death of Haile Selassie in 1974. This relationship allowed the emperor to consider himself the protector of Orthodox Christianity. The emperor's position, combined with Ethiopia’s geographical isolation, fostered a distinct form of Christianity―one that features the inextricable intertwining of the ordinary with the sacred and rejects the two-nature Christology established at the Council of Chalcedon. In addition to his historical narrative, Esler also explores the cultural traditions of Ethiopian Orthodoxy by detailing its intellectual and literary practices, theology, and creativity in art, architecture, and music. He provides profiles of the flourishing Protestant denominations and Roman Catholicism. He also considers current challenges that Ethiopian Christianity faces―especially Orthodoxy’s relations with other religions within the country, in particular Islam and the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. Esler concludes with thoughtful reflections on the long-standing presence of Christianity in Ethiopia and hopeful considerations for its future in the country’s rapidly changing politics, ultimately revealing a singular form of faith found nowhere else.

Genres: Theology

326 pages, Hardcover

Published August 15, 2019

Reviews

[Natnael Tefera Mulatu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: The book is thoroughly researched and presents the history of Christianity in Ethiopia in a well organized, easily readable manner. The author did well to present the subject without polarization or extreme bias towards a single world-view.

Cons: It discusses too much about the current prime minister of Ethiopia, and because he mentioned things that are too near in history; the way things looked in Ethiopia back when he wrote the book have changed. Thus, it makes it seem outdated in that sense.

Overall: It is a very nice introduction book in this understudied topic.

[Tyler Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good introduction to Christianity in Ethiopia, especially to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. I would recommended the book particularly for those who are interested in church history but have a sense that all roads lead through the European Reformation.

You will need to remember that this is an introduction organized around the 3 categories in the subtitle, so there is no overall narrative to carry you through the book. Also, because of how entwined Ethiopian Christianity is to the Ethiopian state, you will likely be reading more political history than you thought you signed up for. But Esler writes engagingly about an impressively broad range of material and Ethiopian Christianity is a tradition worth paying attention to.

This is not a subject I really know anything about so I cannot comment on Esler's accuracy or if his presentation is fair.

[Bob Kirk]

I agree with Tyler's review of Esler's book. A more current view including the rise of the Protestant church in Ethiopia and interactions with the Orthodox church would be "Perception and Identity: A Study of the Relationship between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Churches in Ethiopia (Seblewengel Daniel, Langham Monographs, 2019). This is her revised PhD thesis done under Andrew Walls, and highly readable, accessible, practical.