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Christianity's First Centuries in Africa |
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| The Arrival of Christianity in Africa By Thelma K. Thomas |
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 figure 12  figure 13  figure 14  figure 15 |
The famous, venerable stelae of Ezana’s
capital were converted by Christian inscriptions. And Ezana’s coinage
was marked by the Sign of the Cross before crosses appeared in
Roman coinage. [figure
12] Evangelization by monks seems to have
been mainly responsible for spreading Christianity farther south
and inland from the original base around the capital at Axum. And
Egyptian monasticism seems to have played a strong role in the
development of Ethiopian monasticism, thanks to travel, written
communication, and translations of Egyptian monastic literature.
Ethiopian Christianity, although formally dependent on the church
of Alexandria with, for example, the head of the Ethiopian Church
(the abuna), receiving
consecration from the Coptic patriarch, developed a distinctive
Christian culture. Ethiopian Christianity maintained a strong emphasis
on Hebrew scriptures and on “Judaizing
practices” such as sabbath observance and dietary restrictions.
Perhaps as early as the thirteenth century, Ethiopian Christianity,
with its strong ties to Ethiopian royalty, claimed direct descent
from King Solomon. Moreover, medieval Ethiopian Christianity
transformed the local landscape into a New Jerusalem, for pilgrimage
within Ethiopia. This slide shows the Timkat ceremony, a procession
honoring the Ark of the Covenant. We’ll
hear more about Ethiopian Christian traditions from Dr. Alisa
LaGamma and Chester Higgins. Between ancient Egypt and Ethiopia was Nubia, nearly congruent with modern-day Sudan. When independent Nubian kingdoms emerged in the sixth-century, they, too, were Christian and strongly allied with the Coptic Church in Egypt, especially the Nubian monasteries, which received religious refugees from Egypt when it came under Islamic rule. Yet, Greek remained the official church language. Unfortunately, early Christian and medieval Christian Nubia is understudied, although there is a spectacular record of material remains. The medieval city of Faras and its cathedral—shown here in a model—have yielded numerous wall paintings. This one represents Christ with apostles. [figure 13] This painting, also from the cathedral at Faras, depicts the apostle Peter embracing, sanctioning a medieval Nubian bishop named Peter. [figure 14] These are fascinating and provocative documents for the history of Christianity in Africa. These documents of visual culture reveal strong connections to Byzantium and to Byzantine perceptions of the origins of Christianity, as well as connections to Egypt and Coptic Christianity. They definitely merit much more scholarly attention than they have received. This, Christianity’s first centuries in Africa, is rich stuff. [figure 15] |
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