Ethiopia First Christian Nation
The Acts of the Apostles describe the baptism of an Ethiopian eunuch shortly after the death of Christ 1-5 A.D. Eusebius of Caesaria, the first church historian, in his “Ecclesiastical History,” further tells of how the eunuch returned to diffuse the Christian teachings in his native land shortly after the Resurrection and prior to the arrival of the Apostle Matthew.
Before the Ethiopian king Ezana, (whose kingdom was then called Aksum) embraced Christianity for himself and decreed it for his kingdom (c. 330 A.D.), his nation had already constituted a large number of Christians.
“King Ezana Stele Axum”
Ezana’s conversion became a public conversion for Aksum, and Christianity continued to serve as a point of reference for the nation.
During the persecutions of Diocletian (284-305 A.D.), commerce ports like Adulis, along the Red Sea, served as a sanctuary for Christians in exile and the Christian faith began to grow rapidly in these areas. Pagans still comprised the religious majority at this time, but as historian Kevin O’Mahoney argued, the Christian faith first took root in “the upper social classes and gradually spread downwards to become the religion of the people.”
Such was the religious climate that St. Frumentius faced when his ship was pillaged by the native Ethiopians at the start of the fourth century A.D. The Ethiopian king spared his life, and Frumentius received a place of honor at the royal court. In this position, he nourished the Christian faith by locating Christians and helping them find places of worship. He also educated the king’s heir,
Ezana, and converted him to Christianity.
For this people, Ezana’s conversion became a public conversion for Aksum, and Christianity continued to serve as a point of reference for the nation. Unlike the case of Armenia, we have tangible proof of this conversion:
Historians have uncovered a public acknowledgement of the Christian faith from Ezana. Also, coins bearing Ezana’s image depict the cross after his conversion.
As the authors of “Abyssinian Christianity” conclude, “the promotion of the new faith developed into the single point of personal and public identification and unity for Abyssinians.” Christianity became the centralizing force behind the Ethiopian empire, which endured through 1974, despite religious and political threats from all sides.
Can a nation only become Christian if there is an official decree from its sovereign? If that were the case, then the Kingdom of Edessa would be the first Christian city-state (in modern terms) in c. 218. As we see with Abyssinia, and Israel before it, a nation isn’t confined to political boundaries.
Rather, it is defined by a group of people who share a common heritage.
For the Ethiopians, this shared heritage was Christianity.
Brendan Pringle is a graduate of the National Journalism Center and the editor of “Abyssinian
Christianity: The First Christian Nation?” For more details about the book, visit www.bp-editing.com
Second Christian Nation
The Armenian Church claims apostolic succession through the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus.[5][6][7] According to legend, the latter of the two apostles is said to have cured Abgar V of Edessa of leprosy with the Image of Edessa, leading to his conversion in 30 AD. Thaddaeus was then commissioned by Abgar to proselytize throughout Armenia, where he converted the king Sanatruk's daughter, who was eventually martyred alongside Thaddeus when Sanatruk later fell into apostasy. After this, Bartholomew came to Armenia, bringing a portrait of the virgin Mary, which he placed in a nunnery he founded over a former temple of Anahit. Bartholomew then converted the sister of Sanatruk, who once again martyred a female relative and the apostle who converted her. (Church History) Both apostles ordained native bishops before their execution, and some other Armenians.' This would make them the second oldest Christian Nation. ' This is the conclusion of GTM.
Three Church Divisions
Catholic Church
According to Catholic tradition, Jesus founded the papacy in the first century, when he chose St. Peter, the leader of the apostles, to be his earthly representative. "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church," he states in chapter 16 of Matthew. "I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Those words, which now circle the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, serve as the biblical mandate for the papacy. All popes are considered symbolic descendants of Peter and are thought to hold "Peter's Chair"
Since then, there have been more than 260 occupants of the papal office. The institution has endured through the defining moments of European history, including the split of the Roman Empire, the bloodbath of the crusades and the rise of the Italian Renaissance. More recently, popes have struggled to reconcile the strict traditions of doctrinaire Catholicism with the realities of modern life, including defending firm stances against abortion and the death penalty. Here, a short history of some of the most notable occupants of "St. Peter's Chair."
First Pope
St. Linus
Linus (died c. 76) was, according to several early sources, the second Bishop of Rome, and is listed by the Roman Catholic church as the second pope.
His papacy lasted from c. 67 to his death. According to other early sources, Pope Clement I was the second pope; per the Annuario Pontificio Clement was the fourth pope. Among those considered by the Catholic Church to have held the position of pope, only Clement, Linus and Peter are specifically mentioned in the New Testament.
Oriental Orthodox Church
This church can trace it's origin to St. Mark. The church had a leader called the Coptic Pope. This church dates back to 42 A.D. It was based in Egypt. The Armenian, Coptic-Egyptian, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Syriac, and Indian Orthodox Churches--collectively referred to as the Oriental Orthodox Churches--are heirs to some of the richest and most ancient traditions in the Christian world. Today they are estimated to have as many as 50 million members worldwide, including significant diaspora populations (Roberson). Nonetheless, they remain relatively unknown in the West, where the study of church history has traditionally focused on Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, and to a lesser degree Eastern Orthodoxy.
Each of the six churches traces its origins to apostolic missions of the first century. Saints Thaddeus and Bartholomew are believed to have been martyred in Armenia; St. Mark is referred to as the first bishop of Alexandria; St. Philip is said to have baptized an Ethiopian pilgrim, who returned home to spread the faith in African lands south of Egypt; Antioch is mentioned in the book of Acts as the place where the term “Christian” was first used; and St. Thomas is believed to have been martyred in South India. While some of these claims are debated by scholars, the establishment of Christianity in these lands certainly dates to the earliest centuries of the Christian era.
The Oriental Orthodox Churches were united with Rome and Byzantium in a common profession of faith until the fifth century, when the Council of Chalcedon (451) proclaimed Christ to have two distinct natures--human and divine--united in one person. While the Roman and ByzantineChurches came to accept Chalcedon as the Fourth Ecumenical Council, the Oriental Orthodox Churches acknowledge only the first three. Their theology, which closely follows the teaching of St. Cyril of Alexandria, holds that Christ has only one nature, at once human and divine.
These churches have been variously referred to as “non-Chalcedonian,” “pre-Chalcedonian,” and “lesser Eastern” churches. Today the standard designation is Oriental Orthodox; while the use of the term “Oriental” is not ideal, it is officially accepted by the churches themselves. Geographically, the Christian “Orient” comprises those regions of Africa and Asia that fell outside the boundaries of the Byzantine-Roman Empire
Eastern Orthodox Church
The religious authority for Eastern Orthodoxy is not a Patriarch or the Pope as in Catholicism, nor the Bible as in Protestantism, but the scriptures as interpreted by the seven ecumenical councils of the Church. The Orthodox Church is a fellowship of "autocephalous" (the Greek for self-headed) Churches, with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople being the only autocephalous head who holds the title primus inter pares, meaning "first among equals" in Latin. The Patriarch of Constantinople has the honor of primacy, but his title is only first among equals and has no real authority over Churches .The church has between 225-300 million members.(Church History)
'These are the three major divisions or developments of the Christian Church right after the age of the apostles.Ethiopia is part of the Oriental Orthodox Church. Ethiopia was spreading Christianity right after the death of Jesus which would be between 1 A.D. to 10 A.D.That would make it the oldest Christian Nation.' This is the conclusion of GTM.