Abuna Mikael I

Last updated

Abuna Mikael was an abuna or head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the 12th century. According to tradition, Mikael anointed seven kings, dedicated 1,009 churches, and appointed 27,000 priests. [1]

During this period the Abun was appointed by the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa, who had diocesan authority over Ethiopia and the rest of Africa, at the request of the Emperor of Ethiopia, usually after paying a substantial fee to the Muslim government for the privilege. [2] Mikael was appointed by the Patriarch Macarius II (1103-1131), and was still in office during the tenure of Patriarch John V (1146-1167). [1]

According to the History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria , the Emperor of Ethiopia wrote to Patriarch John in 1152, requesting a new abuna, because Mikael was too old; his request was denied. Although the name of the Emperor was not recorded, Carlo Conti Rossini identified him as Mara Takla Haymanot, arguing from this exchange that the true reason a new abuna was wanted was that Abuna Mikael had refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the new Zagwe dynasty. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gudit</span> Queen of the Kingdom of Semien of the Zagwe dynasty in the early 10th century

Gudit is the Classical Ethiopic name for a personage also known as Yodit in Tigrinya, and Amharic, but also Isato in Amharic, and Ga'wa in Ţilţal. The personage behind these various alternative names is portrayed as a powerful female ruler, probably identical to Māsobā Wārq, the daughter of the last Aksumite king, Dil Na'ad, mentioned in an early Arabic source. She is said to have been responsible for laying waste the Kingdom of Aksum and its countryside, and the destruction of its churches and monuments in the 10th century AD in revenge for the church having cut her breast off and selling her into slavery. If she is the same as the Tirda' Gābāz in other Ethiopian sources, she is also said to have attempted to exterminate the members of the ruling dynasty. The deeds attributed to her are recorded in oral tradition and in a variety of historical narratives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church</span> Oriental Orthodox Church branch of Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in sub-Saharan Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates back to the acceptance of Christianity by the Kingdom of Aksum in 330, and has between 36 million and 51 million adherents in Ethiopia. It is a founding member of the World Council of Churches. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is in communion with the other Oriental Orthodox churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zagwe dynasty</span> Kingdom in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea (900–1270)

The Zagwe dynasty was a medieval Agaw Orthodox Christian monarchy that ruled the northern parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Agaw are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the northern highlands of Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. Centered at Roha, it ruled large parts of the territory from approximately 900 to 1270 CE, when the last Zagwe King Za-Ilmaknun was killed in battle by the forces of the Amhara King Yekuno Amlak. The Zagwe are most famous for their king Gebre Mesqel Lalibela, who is credited with having constructed the rock-hewn monolithic churches of Lalibela.

Pope Christodoulos of Alexandria was the 66th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

Pope Cosmas III of Alexandria was the Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark.

Pope John V of Alexandria, 72nd Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. He was initially a monk in the Monastery of Saint John the Dwarf in Scetes. He was enthroned as a Pope of Alexandria on the second day of Pi Kogi Enavot, 863 A.M..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yekuno Amlak</span> Emperor of Ethiopia from 1270 to 1285

Yekuno Amlak ; throne name Tesfa Iyasus was Emperor of Ethiopia, from 1270 to 1285, and the founder of the Solomonic dynasty, which lasted until 1974. He was a ruler from Bete Amhara who became the Emperor of Ethiopia following the defeat of the last Zagwe king.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abuna</span> Honorific title of Orthodox Tewahedo Church bishops

Abuna is the honorific title used for any bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as well as of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. It was historically used solely for the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Ethiopia during the more than 1000 years when the Coptic Patriarchate of Alexandria appointed only one bishop at a time to serve its Ethiopian flock. When referred to without a name following, it is Abun, and if a name follows, it becomes Abuna.

Kedus Harbe was King of Zagwe dynasty. According to Taddesse Tamrat, he was the son of Jan Seyum, the brother of Tatadim. Some authorities date his reign to the years 1079–1119. G.W.B. Huntingford does not include him in his list of kings of the Zagwe dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abuna Theophilos</span> 21st-century Patriarch of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Abune Theophilos, also known as Abune Tewophilos, was the second Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. He officially succeeded Abuna Basilios in 1971 after he had assumed the role of acting patriarch upon Abuna Basilios's death in 1970.

Mara Takla Haymanot was King and the founder of the Zagwe dynasty. Some king lists give his name simply as "Mararah", and other King Lists as "Takla Haymanot".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gebre Meskel Lalibela</span> King of Zagwe dynasty from 1181 to 1221

Lalibela, regnal name Gebre Meskel, was a king of the Zagwe dynasty, reigning from 1181 to 1221. He was the son of Jan Seyum and the brother of Kedus Harbe. Perhaps the best-known Zagwe monarch, he is credited as the patron of the namesake monolithic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. He is venerated as a saint by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church on 19 June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian ecclesiastical titles</span> List of offices of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Ethiopian ecclesiastical titles refers to the offices of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, a hierarchical organization. Some of the more important offices are unique to it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coptic Orthodox Church in Africa</span>

This article, dealing with the Coptic Orthodox Church in Africa, is about the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria in African countries other than Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian Empire</span> 1270–1974 empire centered in Ethiopia and Eritrea

The Ethiopian Empire, also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or simply known as Ethiopia was an empire that historically spanned the geographical area of present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea from the establishment of the Solomonic dynasty by Yekuno Amlak approximately in 1270 until the 1974 coup d'etat of Emperor Haile Selassie by the Derg. By 1896, the empire incorporated other regions such as Hararghe, Gurage and Wolayita, and saw its largest expansion with the federation of Eritrea in 1952. Throughout much of its existence, it was surrounded by hostile forces in the African Horn; however, it managed to develop and preserve a kingdom based on its ancient form of Christianity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abuna Basilios</span> First bishop of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Abuna Basilios was an Ethiopian-born first Archbishop or Abuna, and later the first Patriarch, of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

Abuna Yohannes was an Abuna, or head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the 14th century, during the reign of Emperor Amda Seyon. He was accused of simony by a group of Ethiopian clergy at the Royal Court.

Bartalomewos of Ethiopia was an Abuna, or head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church from 1398/99 to sometime after 1434; he succeeded Abuna Salama II. His tenure was a period marked by a series of doctrinal disputes in the Church, and at one point Bartalomewos was accused of denying the threefold nature of the Holy Trinity. Emperor Yeshaq appointed a committee to investigate this serious charge, whose members included graduates of the school at Istifanos Monastery in Lake Hayq.

Abuna Sawiros (Severus) was an Abuna, or head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the 11th century.

References

  1. 1 2 Marie-Laure Derat (2010), "The Zagwe dynasty (11-13th centuries) and King Yemrehanna Krestos", Annales d'Ethiopie, 25, p. 164
  2. ↑ Margery Perham, The Government of Ethiopia, second edition (London: Faber and Faber, 1969), p. 104
  3. ↑ Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), p. 55.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.