Ethiopian ecclesiastical titles
Encyclopedia
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
is a hierarchical organization
with many offices, some of which are unique to it. Some of the more important offices include:
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the predominant Oriental Orthodox Christian church in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Church was administratively part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All...
is a hierarchical organization
Hierarchical organization
A hierarchical organization is an organizational structure where every entity in the organization, except one, is subordinate to a single other entity. This arrangement is a form of a hierarchy. In an organization, the hierarchy usually consists of a singular/group of power at the top with...
with many offices, some of which are unique to it. Some of the more important offices include:
- Patriarch we Re'ese Liqane Papasat -PatriarchPatriarchOriginally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
and First of the ArchbishopArchbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
, meaning CatholicosCatholicosCatholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...
. Since 1959, the title of the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is Patriarch Catholicos of Ethiopia. The first Patriarch, Abuna BasiliosAbuna BasiliosHis Holiness Abuna Basilios was the first Ethiopian born Archbishop or Abuna, and later the first Patriarch, of the Ethiopian Church.-Early life :...
was enthroned by the Coptic Orthodox Pope Cyril VIPope Cyril VI of AlexandriaFather Mina became Pope of Alexandria on 10 May 1959 . In accordance with the old Coptic church tradition, Pope Cyril VI was the only monk in the 20th century to be chosen for papacy without having being a bishop /Metropolitan first...
in 1959, and so the Patriarchs of Ethiopia are part of the Apostolic succession of the Holy See of St. MarkChurch of AlexandriaThe Church of Alexandria in Egypt is the particular church headed by the Patriarch of Alexandria. It is one of the original four Apostolic Sees of Christianity, with Rome, Antioch and Jerusalem ....
. The Ethiopian Patriarchate combined the old offices of AbunaAbunaAlso see Leaders of ChristianityAbun is the honorific title used for any bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as well as of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church...
and Ichege (see below). In 2001, the title of Archbishop of Axum was added to the titles of the Patriarch after Axum was elevated to the rank of an Archdiocese by the Holy Synod. - AbunaAbunaAlso see Leaders of ChristianityAbun is the honorific title used for any bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as well as of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church...
-- Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. From the 4th Century until the middle of the 20th century he was a CoptCoptThe Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic Metropolitan appointed by the Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All AfricaPatriarch of AlexandriaThe Patriarch of Alexandria is the Archbishop of Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation of Pope , and did so earlier than that of the Bishop of Rome...
to serve as its leader. However, as time passed, the authority of the Abuna was reduced to little more than a figurehead largely because the incumbents spoke little Ge'ezGe'ez languageGe'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
or Amharic. In 1948, the Coptic Orthodox Pope Joseph IIPope Joseph II of AlexandriaPope Joseph II of Alexandria, known in Coptic as Yusab II was the Coptic Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St...
under request from Emperor Haile Selassie I, appointed the then Ichege (see below) as the first Ethiopian born Archbishop, Abuna Basilios, and granted the Ethiopian church autocephalyAutocephalyAutocephaly , in hierarchical Christian churches and especially Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop...
. His successor as Coptic Orthodox Pope, Cyril VICyril VICyril VI may refer to:* Cyril VI Tanas, Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church* Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria, Pope and Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
, elevated Abune Basilios to the exalted rank of PatriarchPatriarchOriginally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
in 1959. The title of Abuna is now held by all the numerous Archbishops and Bishops of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. - Ichege -- the abbotAbbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of the monastery of Debre LibanosDebre LibanosDebre Libanos is a monastery in Ethiopia, lying northwest of Addis Ababa in the Oromia Region. Founded in the thirteenth century by Saint Tekle Haymanot, the monastery's chief abbot, called the Ichege, was the second most powerful official in the Ethiopian Church after the Abuna.The monastery...
, who served as the second highest ecclesiastic of the Ethiopian church, and was often the de facto head of that church. Margary Perham describes the position as comparable to a Vicar-General. Beginning in the mid-17th century, the Ichege lived at GondarGondarGondar or Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder Province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar...
while the capital was in that city. The Ichege followed the capital when it moved to Debre TaborDebre TaborDebre Tabor is a town and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, about 100 kilometers southeast of Gondar and 50 kilometers east of Lake Tana, this historic town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2706 meters above...
, Mekele and ultimately Addis AbabaAddis AbabaAddis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. - Sebate -- Administrator of the Debre LibanosDebre LibanosDebre Libanos is a monastery in Ethiopia, lying northwest of Addis Ababa in the Oromia Region. Founded in the thirteenth century by Saint Tekle Haymanot, the monastery's chief abbot, called the Ichege, was the second most powerful official in the Ethiopian Church after the Abuna.The monastery...
Monastery and deputy to the Ichege. - Aqabe sa'at ("Guardian of the Church hours") -- Chaplain to the Emperor, who served as the third highest ecclesiastic. In earlier times this office was held by the head of the abbots of Istifanos MonasteryIstifanos MonasteryIstifanos Monastery is in Ethiopia, located in Lake Hayq. The monastery was built around an 8th century church of Aksumite origins by Emperor Yekuno Amlak to fulfill a promise he made to Iyasus Mo'a.- History :The monastery is responsible for producing five people, known as...
in Lake HayqLake HayqLake Hayq or Lake Haik is a freshwater lake of Ethiopia. It is located north of Dessie, in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region . The town of Hayq is to the west of the lake....
; the earliest recorded abbot of Istifanos to also serve as aqabe sa'at was Za-Iyasus in the reign of Amda Seyon. This office is extinct. - Qomos -- CanonCanon (priest)A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
, who has a role in the creation of tabotTabotTabot , is a Ge'ez word referring to a replica of the Tablets of Law, onto which the Biblical Ten Commandments were inscribed, used in the practices of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Tabot can also refer to a replica of the Ark of the Covenant...
s. - Lique Siltanat' --"Arch-hierarch" title originally granted only to the Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, but today is granted to the deans of most of Ethiopia's cathedrals.
- Lique Liqawint -- "Arch-scholar", head of all clergy in a province. This title was granted to the Dean and Abbot of the Ba'eta Le Mariam Monastery, the mausoleum church on the grounds of Addis Ababa's Imperial Palace, where Emperor Menelik II and Empress Zewditu are buried.
- Lique Diaqon - ArchdeaconArchdeaconAn archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
. - Diaqon - DeaconDeaconDeacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
. In Ethiopian Christianity three deacons and two priests are required to correctly celebrate Mass.