Debra Berhan Selassie church, Gondar
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest churches in the world. Christianity was accepted in Ethiopia on the 4th century AD, under King Ezana of the Axumite kingdom.
The Ethiopians believe that before Christianity they used to be Jews, a religion that brought to Axum empire by Queen of Sheba and her son Menelik 1. Back from the holy-land, Menelik carried with him the Ark of Covenant, that to this day is kept in Axum. The ark was never been described by Christians since it is forbidden to see it.
Being related Judaism and the Old Testament, the Church kept many of its costumes: Children are circumcised on the 8th day after birth (and baptized on the 40th day (boys) and 80th day (girls)), Church members respect Saturday (Sabbath) as well as Sunday, etc’.
The uniqueness of Orthodox Ethiopian Christians is the believe that the human and divine natures of Christ are equally present within a single nature (in other words, Christ’s humanity cannot be separated from his divinity, he has only one appearance). This is called Miaphysitism (or Monophysitism).
This photo was taken in front of Debra Berhan Selassie church in Gondar. Women were praying early morning on Sunday.
