NEW DEPARTURE IN THE ABYSSINIAN CHURCH by Prof. George H. Schodde, Ph.D.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 29, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 17.

NEW DEPARTURE IN THE ABYSSINIAN CHURCH.

By Prof. George H. Schodde, Ph.D.

BY PROF. GEORGE H. SCHODDE, PH.D.

RECENT events indicate that the Abyssinians, the oldest organized national church and Christian people on the globe, have decided to change their policy of isolation and separation and seek to come into touch again with other Christian communions.

The movement in this direction has proceeded from both the Abyssinian State and Church governments, as also from the representatives of the two great Catholic Churches, the Greek and the Latin, who have, each in their own way and manner, sought to come to an understanding with the dignitaries of the Abyssinian Church, and to bring about a modus vivendi with this venerable tho degenerate relic of ancient Oriental churchdom. The most recent effort of this kind has been the effort of the pope to secure the release of the Italian prisoners of war. It may be doubtful whether this move was prompted by ecclesiastical or patriotic considerations; certain it is that the ultimate purposes were to see if it were possible again to prepare the way for a Roman Catholic propaganda among the Abyssinian Christians.

The Vatican has pleasant memories in this respect, as there was a period in the sixteenth century when the Jesuits actually succeeded in establishing the papal authority in Abyssinia and of maintaining this supremacy for some years, largely after the manner of the old Jesuit States in South Africa. Only a phenomenal national uprising and a revolutionary reaction of native Christians under King Basilides, succeeded in overthrowing this innovation, which has never really been popular with the masses. In recent years, again, the representatives of the Roman Catholic Church have been accorded privileges, especially by the late King Johannes, which were denied their Protestant competitors. As is seen especially from the posthumous publication of Münzberger, himself a Jesuit missionary in Abyssinia, the Vatican authorities have succeeded in reestablishing the framework of a hierarchy in Abyssinia, while the Protestant missionaries have been excluded from the country and been allowed to labor only on the coast; or, at best, as in the case of the veteran Abyssinian missionary Krapf, been permitted to send Bible and other mission literature to their former converts, the Falashas, or Black Jews. These have during all these years remained faithful to the evangelical teachings of the Protestant missionaries; and now and then word, in the shape of a letter from one of their leaders, reaches western mission journals. It is very evident, tho, that the present dynasty in Abyssinia does not look upon the offers of the Roman Catholic Church. King Menelek returned a very polite but equally firm non possumus to the request of the pope, and with this disappointment his representative was compelled to depart.

It is evident, however, that the king by this reply does not wish to sever his connections with western Christianity. On the contrary, it is plain that he has the fixed determination to maintain friendly relations. He has generously consented that a commission of western scholars shall have free access to the literary treasures that for probably a thousand years and more have been deposited in the vaults of the Cathedral at Axum, the old capital city of the Abyssinian Empire. They have been a sealed book to western scholarship all along, who only knew that there must be valuable relics of early Christian literature here, rare specimens that had been lost to Graeco-Latin Christianity. Abyssinia has already given the church excellent works of this kind, such as an exceptionally good version of the Scriptures, the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, Ascension of Isaiah, and the like; and as the Axum collection is known to contain also papyrus documents, the well-grounded opinion prevails in competent circles that Christian literature can expect some rich finds here.

In addition to this collection there are famous libraries on the islands of Lake Zana, in southern Abyssinia, where for a thousand years and more the monks have not allowed any layman to land, until King Menelek under military escort recently put his foot on this sacred soil. These two are to be made accessible to scholars, who, however, as yet know nothing definite as to the literary or historical value of these collections. The indications, however, are that these libraries are, in their way and manner, for the Abyssinian Church what the famous Mt. Athos cloister collections are for the Orthodox Greek Church.

The Italian expedition has been fruitful of good results in this direction, altho the number of manuscripts secured is not by any means equal to that brought back by the British expedition under Napier forty years ago. Some descriptions of these finds are being published, the latest and most important being probably the inscription discussed by Eduard Glaser in the last number of the Journal of the German Oriental Society, this inscription turning out to be older than the introduction of Christianity into Abyssinia, and being particularly interesting for the study of the Semitic and Abyssinian alphabets.

But while the Abyssinian Church shows no inclination to renew her connection with the Roman Catholic Church, it has in recent months been making systematic efforts to come to an understanding with the Orthodox Church of the east, notably the Russian. That the Russian and not the Greek branch of the Eastern Church is selected for these union and reunion efforts is probably owing to historic and political causes. The Abyssinian was at one time a part and portion of the Greek Church; in fact, the modern church and Christianity of Abyssinia is a stereotyped reproduction and formal petrification of the Greek Church of the fourth century. But then the Greek Church and the Abyssinian separated for dogmatic reasons. The doctrine of the one or two natures of Christ was the issue at stake. The Abyssinians are very proud of their monophysitic peculiarities; while, on the other hand, the Greek Church continues to uphold the Chalcedon Synod, which is repudiated in Abyssinia. This state of affairs naturally makes the question of a union with the old Greek Church a matter of greater difficulty, as the Abyssinians are by no means ready to give up their theological idiosyncrasies. On the other hand, the Russian is a later branch of the Eastern Church, that did not pass through the ups and downs of theological controversies that drove the Abyssinian Church out of the church general. While theoretically the same doctrinal difficulties exist here too, yet practically and historically the basis for reunion in this case is of a more tangible kind. Add to this the great political prominence of the Russian Empire, its zeal for the Orthodox propaganda in every direction, and it can be at least understood why so astute a man as King Menelek, who, like his great predecessor, King Theodorus, is more of a politician than a religious devotee, should seek to come to an understanding with the Church and State of Russia. It is only about a year ago that a formal embassy of Abyssinian Church dignitaries went to St. Petersburg, and were there overwhelmed with honors and gifts, and the whole program was given a decidedly religious flavor. Since then the relations have been kept up, tho naturally outsiders can only be allowed to guess from the interchange of messengers between these States, how far the movement has been successful.

It is only natural that Abyssinia should seek such a modus vivendi with Russia. In doctrine, worship, and in everything ecclesiastical, the Abyssinian is most closely connected with the church of the czar's empire. Only an inner revolution and complete rejuvenation could make Abyssinia the home of a genuine, living, evangelical Christianity; and under the circumstances it would seem to be a hopeless case. Possibly, if the church should form at least a federative, if not an organic union with that of Russia, and should come more and more under the influence of modern ideals of Christian civilization, the chances, or at least opportunities, for the spread of a genuine Christian life and faith would, among this gifted and historic nation, noticeably increase. Abyssinia once regained for Christianity would make an excellent basis of operations for the great work of conquering for the Gospel the vast length and breadth of the Dark Continent.—The Independent.