Difference between revisions of "Ethiopia"

<p> Hebrew; '''''Cush''''' . (See [[Cush]] ; [[Babylon]] &nbsp;Isaiah 11:11. S. of Egypt. Now Nubia, Sennaar, Kordofan, and N. Abyssinia. In a stricter sense the kingdom of Meroe from the junction of the Blue and the White Nile to the border of Egypt. [[Syene]] on the N. marked the boundary from Egypt (&nbsp;Ezekiel 29:10; &nbsp;Ezekiel 30:6). The Red Sea was on the Ethiopia, the [[Libyan]] desert on the W. The native name was Ethaush; the Greek "Ethiopia" means the land of the sunburnt. Compare &nbsp;Jeremiah 13:23, "can the [[Ethiopian]] change his skin?" "The rivers of Ethiopia" (&nbsp;Zephaniah 3:10) are the two branches of the Nile and the Astabbras (Tacazze). The Nile forms a series of cataracts here. The dispersed [[Israelites]] shall be brought as an offering by the nations to the Lord (&nbsp;Zephaniah 3:8-9; &nbsp;Isaiah 66:20; &nbsp;Isaiah 60:9), from both the African and the [[Babylonian]] Cush, where the ten tribes were scattered in Peter's time (&nbsp;1 Peter 1:1; &nbsp;1 Peter 5:13; &nbsp;Isaiah 11:11, "from Cush and from Shinar".) </p> <p> The [[Falashas]] of Abyssinia are probably of the ten tribes. In &nbsp;Isaiah 18:1, "the land shadowing with wings" is [[Ethiopia]] shadowing (protecting) with its two wings (Egyptian and Ethiopian forces) the Jews, "a nation scattered and peeled" (loaded with indignity, made bald) though once "terrible" when God put a terror of them into surrounding nations (&nbsp;Exodus 23:27; &nbsp;Joshua 2:9), "a nation meted out and trodden down whose land the (Assyrian) rivers (i.e. armies, &nbsp;Isaiah 8:7-8) have spoiled"; the Jews, not the Ethiopians. Ethiopia had sent her ambassadors to [[Jerusalem]] where they now were (&nbsp;Isaiah 18:2), [[Tirhakah]] their king shortly afterward being the ally whose diversion in that city's favor saved it from [[Sennacherib]] (&nbsp;Isaiah 36:37). Isaiah announces Sennacherib's coming overthrow to the Ethiopian ambassadors and desires them to carry the tidings to their own land (compare &nbsp;Isaiah 17:12-14; not "woe" but "ho," calling attention (&nbsp;Isaiah 18:1-2); go, take back the tidings of what God is about, to do against Assyria, the common foe of both Ethiopia and Judah. </p> <p> [[Queen]] [[Candace]] reigned in this Nile-formed is land region; the name is the official designation of a female dynasty shortly before our Lord's time (&nbsp;Acts 8:27). The "vessels of bulrushes" or papyrus boats are peculiarly suited to the Upper Nile, as being capable of carriage on the shoulders at the rocks and cataracts. Ethiopia" is often used when Upper Egypt and Ethiopia are meant. It is the Thebaid or Upper Egypt, not Ethiopia by itself, that was peopled and cultivated, when most of Lower Egypt was a marsh. Thus Ethiopia and Egypt are said (&nbsp;Nahum 3:9) to be the "strength" of "populous No" or Thebes. [[Zerah]] the Ethiopian who attacked Asa at [[Mareshah]] on the S. of Palestine, and Tirhakah the Ethiopian who advanced toward Judah against Sennacherib, were doubtless rulers of Upper Egypt and Ethiopia combined. Tirhakah's name is found only on a Theban temple, and his connection with Ethiopia is marked by several monuments there being ascribed to him. </p> <p> An Azerch-Amen reigned in Ethiopia, we know from the monuments; perhaps = Zerah (Rawlinson). Hincks identifies him with Osorkon I, king of Egypt, second of the 22nd dynasty (See [[Asa]] ) (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 14:9). Tirhakah was third of the 25th dynasty of Egypt, an Ethiopian dynasty. So or Sevechus or Sabacho was another of this dynasty; the ally of [[Hoshea]] king of [[Israel]] against [[Shalmaneser]] (&nbsp;2 Kings 17:3-4). Osirtasin I (Sesostris, Herodotus, 2:110), of the 12th dynasty, was the first [[Egyptian]] king who ruled Ethiopia. While the shepherd kings ruled Lower Egypt the 13th native dynasty retired to the Ethiopian capital Napara. Shishak's army was largely composed of [[Ethiopians]] (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 12:3). </p> <p> The monuments confirm &nbsp;Isaiah 20:4; &nbsp;Nahum 3:5; &nbsp;Nahum 3:8-9, by representing [[Sargon]] as warring with Egypt and making the [[Pharaoh]] tributary; they also make Ethiopia closely united to Egypt. Probably he was provoked by the help which So had given to his rebel tributary Hoshea. The inscriptions tell us Sargon destroyed [[No-Amon]] or [[Thebes]] in part, which was the capital of Upper Egypt, with which Ethiopia was joined. Esarhaddon, according to the monuments, conquered Egypt and Ethiopia Meroe was the emporium where the produce of the distant S. was gathered for transport either by the Nile or by caravans to northern Africa; compare &nbsp;Isaiah 45:14. </p>

<p> [[Ethiopia]] ( ''Ç'Thi-Ô'Pi-Ah'' ), ''Burnt-Faces.'' Called Cash by the Hebrews, a country south of Egypt. &nbsp;Ezekiel 29:10. In the [[Scriptures]] "Ethiopia" usually refers to the region extending from Egypt southward beyond the junction of the White and Blue Nile. This was Seba, &nbsp;Isaiah 43:3, and known to the Romans as the kingdom of Meroe. The country is rolling and mountainous, the elevation increasing toward the south, until it reaches a height of about 8000 feet in Abyssinia. Frequent notices of this country and its people are found in the Bible. It was settled by the children of Ham, &nbsp;Genesis 10:6, dark-skinned men of stature. &nbsp;Jeremiah 13:23; &nbsp;Isaiah 45:14. They were selected as members of royal households. &nbsp;Jeremiah 38:7-13. The treasurer of its queen, Candace was baptized by Philip. &nbsp;Acts 8:27-38. It is noticed in, connection with Egypt, &nbsp;Isaiah 20:4; &nbsp;Isaiah 43:3; &nbsp;Isaiah 45:14; with [[Libya]] (Phut), &nbsp;Jeremiah 46:9 : [[Lydia]] and [[Chub]] (Lub and Lud), &nbsp;Ezekiel 30:5, and the Sukkiim. &nbsp;2 Chronicles 12:3. Moses married an Ethiopian, &nbsp;Numbers 12:1; Ethiopians were in Shishak's army, &nbsp;2 Chronicles 12:3; Zerah, an Ethiopian king, had an army of a million soldiers, &nbsp;2 Chronicles 14:9-12 : Job mentioned the precious stones of Ethiopia, &nbsp;Job 28:19; the Israelites were familiar with the merchandise of that country, &nbsp;Isaiah 45:14; and Isaiah foretold the subjugation of Ethiopia by the Assyrians. &nbsp;Isaiah 20:4; &nbsp;Isaiah 20:6. Among the [[Assyrian]] inscriptions of Assurbanipal, now in the British Museum, [[George]] Smith deciphered several which especially illustrate and confirm the fulfillment of this prophecy. Among other prophecies in respect to Ethiopia are &nbsp;Psalms 68:31; &nbsp;Psalms 87:4; &nbsp;Isaiah 45:14; &nbsp;Ezekiel 30:4-9; &nbsp;Daniel 11:43; &nbsp;Habakkuk 3:7; &nbsp;Zephaniah 2:12; &nbsp;Nahum 3:8-10. The Romans in the reign of [[Augustus]] Caesar, b.c. 22, defeated Candace, queen of Ethiopia, and made the country tributary to Rome. Candace was an official title of the queens, one of whom is named in &nbsp;Acts 8:27. </p>

<p> This is the Greek and Roman name for CUSH, a kingdom in Africa to the south of Egypt. The boundary between the two kingdoms is not well defined, indeed, it may have varied at different times. The first cataract, 24 N, is generally taken as its northern boundary: its extent southward is altogether unknown. &nbsp;Genesis 2:13; &nbsp;Esther 1:1; &nbsp;Ezekiel 29:10 . At times Ethiopia conquered Egypt: two of the kings mentioned in scripture were Ethiopians. &nbsp;2 Chronicles 14:9; &nbsp;Isaiah 37:9 . In some of the prophecies they are mentioned as separate kingdoms. &nbsp;Nahum 3:9 . See [[Egypt, Land Of]]  </p>

<p> ''''' ē ''''' - ''''' thi ''''' - ''''' ō´pi ''''' - ''''' a ''''' ( כּוּשׁ , <i> ''''' kūsh ''''' </i> ; Αἰθιοπία , <i> ''''' Aithiopı́a ''''' </i> ): </p> 1. Location, Extent and [[Population]] <p> Critically speaking Ethiopia may refer only to the Nile valley above the First Cataract, but in ancient as in modern times the term was often used not only to include what is now known as Nubia and the ''''' Sūdān ''''' (Soudan), but all the unknown country farther West and South, and also at times Northern, if not Southern, Abyssinia. While Ethiopia was so indefinitely large, yet the narrow river valley, which from the First to the Fifth Cataract represented the main agricultural resources of the country, was actually a territory smaller than Egypt and, excluding deserts, smaller than [[Belgium]] (W. Max Müller). The settled population was also small, since in ancient as in modern times Egypt naturally drew away most of the able-bodied and energetic youth as servants, police and soldiers. The prehistoric population of Northern Nubia was probably Egyptian but this was displaced in early historic time by a black race, and the thick lips and woolly hair of the typical African are as well marked in the oldest Egyptian paintings as in the latest. But by the side of these natives of <i> ''''' K'sh ''''' </i> , the artist also represents various reddish-brown varieties; for from the beginning of historic time the pure [[Negro]] stock has been mixed with the fellaheen of Egypt and with the Sere population of the Arabian coast. The rulers of Ethiopia were generally of foreign blood. The Negroes, though brave and frugal, were slow in thought, and although controlled for centuries by cultivated neighbors, under whom they attained at times high official prominence, yet the body of the people remained uninfluenced by this civilization. The country which we now know as Abyssinia was largely controlled, from the earliest known date, by a Caucasian people who had crossed the Red Sea from Arabia. The true Abyssinians, as Professor Littmann shows, contain no Negro blood and no Negro qualities. In general they are "well formed and handsome, with straight and regular features, lively eyes, hair long and straight or somewhat curled and in color dark olive approaching brown." Modern discoveries prove their close racial and linguistic connection with Southern [[Arabia]] and particularly with the kingdom of [[Sheba]] (the Sabeans), that most powerful people whose extensive architectural and literary remains have recently come to light. The [[Sabean]] inscriptions found in Abyssinia go back some 2,600 years and give a new value to the Bible references as well as to the constant claim of [[Josephus]] that the queen of Sheba was a "queen of Ethiopia." The Falashas are a Jewish community living near Lake Tsana, of the same physical type and probably of the same race as other Abyssinians. Their religion is a "pure Mosaism" based upon the Ethiopic version of the Pentateuch, but modified by the fact that they are ignorant of the [[Hebrew]] language ( <i> Jewish Encyclopedia </i> ). It is uncertain when they became Jews. The older scholars thought of them as dating back to the Solomonic era, or at least to the Babylonian captivity. Since the researches of [[Joseph]] Halévy (1868), some date within the [[Christian]] era has seemed preferable, notwithstanding their ignorance of Talmudic rules. However, the newly discovered fact that a strong Jewish community was flourishing at Syene in the 6th century bc makes it clear that Jewish influence may have been felt in Ethiopia at least that early. Although Abyssinians are noted for their strict adherence to ancient custom, Jewish characteristics are prominent all over the entire country. The opening formula of the king in every official letter - "The Lion of the [[Tribe]] of Judah has Conquered!" - is no more Jewish than scores of ordinary phrases and customs. Although it is barely possible that some rites, like circumcision and observance of the Sabbath, may have been received from the ancient Egyptians or Christian Coptics ( <i> The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of [[Religious]] [[Knowledge]] </i> ) yet a strong Hebrew influence cannot be denied. All travelers speak of the "industry" of the Falashas and of the "kindliness and grave courtesy" of the Abyssinians. Besides those named above there are many communities of mixed races in Ethiopia, but the ancient basis is invariably Negro, Semitic or Egyptian </p> 2. History <p> The ancient Greek writers are full of fantastic and fabulous stories about Ethiopia. Sometimes they become so puzzled in their geography as to speak of Ethiopia as extending as far as India; their notes concerning the miraculous fauna and flora are equally Munchausian. [[Homer]] praises the Ethiopians as the "blameless race," and other writers rank them first among all men for their religious knowledge. This latter notion may have had its origin from a priestly desire to consider the Ethiopian reverence for the priesthood - which had the power of life and death over the kings - as the Divinely ordained primitive custom, or it may have sprung from the fact that the Egyptian "Land of the Gods" was partly situated in Southern Abyssinia. It is suggestive that the Hebrew prophets never fell into these common errors but invariably "gave a very good idea of geographical and political conditions" (W. Max Müller). The oldest important historic document referring to Ethiopia is from the 4th Dynasty of Egypt. when Sneferu laid waste the land, capturing 7,000 slaves and 100,000 cattle. </p> <p> In the VIth Dynasty the Egyptians reached as far South as the Second Cataract and brought back some dwarfs, but did not establish any permanent control. In the 12th Dynasty Egypt's real occupation of Ethiopia began. Usertesen Iii records his contempt by saying: "The Negro obeys as soon as the lips are opened. They are not valiant, they are miserable, both tails and bodies!" [[Notwithstanding]] this satiric reference, these naked Ethiopians clad in skins and tails of wild animals, compelled the Pharaoh to make several campaigns before he could establish a frontier at the Second Cataract beyond which no Negro could come without a permit. That the natives were not cowardly may be seen from the songs of triumph over their subjection and from the fact that every later Pharaoh encouraged them to enlist in his army, until finally the very hieroglyphic for archer became a Nubian. The 18th Dynasty pushed the frontier beyond the Third Cataract into the splendid Dongola district and often boasts of the rich tribute from Ethiopia., in one case 2,667 "manloads" of ivory, ebony, perfumes, gold and ostrich feathers besides cattle, wild beasts and slaves. The chairs of ivory and the jewelry sometimes shown seem barbaric in style but excellent in workmanship. [[Copper]] and bronze factories and great iron foundries date also to a very early time in Ethiopia ( <i> PSBA </i> , Xxxiii , 96). The Ethiopian gold mines where hundreds of criminals toiled, with ears and noses mutilated, made gold in Egypt in the 15th century bc as "common as dust." The choicest son of the Pharaoh, next to him in power, was proud to be called "Prince of Kush." Amenhotep [[Iv]] (1370 bc), the religious reformer, built his second greatest temple (the only one of his works now existent) in Nubia. The 19th Dynasty sought to colonize Ethiopia., and some of the most magnificent temples ever built by man can be seen as far South as the Fourth Cataract. For over five centuries Egyptian rule was maintained, until about 1000 bc a war for independence began which was so successful that the victorious Ethiopian kings finally carried their armies against Thebes and [[Memphis]] and for a century (763-663) ruled all Egypt from Napata - which in religious architecture became the Southern Thebes - and for another century (and even at times during the Ptolemaic era) controlled upper Egypt. While the leaders of this revolution were doubtless descendants of exiled priests from Thebes, yet the mixture of Ethiopian blood is plainly discernible and is perhaps also shown in their "Puritan morals" (Petrie, III, 276) and spirit of clemency, so different from the legitimate Pharaohs. Shabaka = So (715-707) and Taharka = ''''' Tirhaḳah ''''' (693-667), both mentioned in the Bible, were the last great kings of Ethiopia. When Tanutamen, son of Shabaka and nephew of Taharka (667-664), was forced by [[Ashurbanipal]] to give up his claim to Egypt and retire to the South, the influence of Ethiopia ceased. [[Cambyses]] (525-521) made Ethiopia tributary clear to the Third Cataract (compare &nbsp; Ezekiel 30:4 ), while King Ergamenes, near the close of the 3rd century bc, broke forever the power of the Egyptian priesthood. Though the Romans held a nominal protectorate over Ethiopia, it was of so little importance as to be scarcely ever mentioned. After being expelled from Egypt the Ethiopians still continued to honor the gods of Thebes, but, as foreign influence ceased, the representations of this worship became more and more African and barbaric. Even after [[Christianity]] had triumphed everywhere else, the Nubians, as late as the 5th century ad, were still coming to Philae to give honor to the statue of [[Isis]] (Erman). In the 6th century ad a native king, Silko, established a Christian kingdom in the Northern ''''' Sūdān ''''' with Dongola as its capital. This raised somewhat the culture of the land. In the next century the Arabs made Nubia tributary, though it took an immense army to do it. For six centuries thereafter [[Islam]] demanded a tribute of 360 slaves annually, and other treasure, though innumerable campaigns were necessary to collect it. The Nubian kings refused all overtures to become Moslems, and Christian churches multiplied along the banks of the Nile. In the 8th century Egypt was invaded by 100,000 [[Nubians]] to repay an insult given to the [[Coptic]] patriarch and to the sacred pictures in the Egyptian Christian churches. In the 13th century, David, king of Nubia, not only withheld tribute but invaded Egypt. He was terribly punished, however, by the Arabs, who sacked churches and tortured Christians clear to the Fourth Cataract. This was the beginning of the end. By the close of the 15th century almost every Christian altar was desolate and every church destroyed. </p> 3. Bible References <p> Winckler long ago proved that the [[Assyrians]] designated a district in Northern Arabia by the same name which they ordinarily applied to Ethiopia. Skinner ( <i> [[Genesis]] </i> , 1910, 208) thinks the Hebrews also made this distinction and were therefore entirely right when they spoke of [[Nimrod]] as "son of Gush," since the earliest Babylonian dynasty had as a matter of fact a Semitic origin. There may be other references to an Arabian district, but undoubtedly the African <i> ''''' Kush ''''' </i> must be the one generally designated. This is referred to once in the New Testament and over 40 times in the Old Testament. Many secular monuments speak of the high honor paid to women in Ethiopia., and Candace (&nbsp;Acts 8:27 ) seems certainly to have been an official or dynastic name for a number of Ethiopian queens. One of the pyramids of Meröe was Candace's - her picture can still be seen at Kaga - and to her belonged the wonderful treasure of jewelry found in 1834 by Ferlini and now in the Berlin museum. [[Petronius]] (24 bc) raided Ethiopia for Rome and stormed the capital, but Candace sent ambassadors to Rome and obtained peace. The "eunuch" who may have been the treasurer of this very queen was probably "no black proselyte but a Jew who had placed the business ability of his race at the service of the Nubian woman" (W. Max Müller). In the Old Testament Ethiopia is spoken of with great respect, and several Bible characters are named [[Cushi]] (&nbsp;2 Samuel 18:21 the King James Version; &nbsp; Jeremiah 36:14; &nbsp;Zephaniah 1:1 ); even Moses married an Ethiopian wife (&nbsp;Numbers 12:1 ), and Ebed-melek the Ethiopian is helper to Jeremiah (&nbsp;Jeremiah 38:7 ). It is a great land situated beyond the frontiers of the civilized world (&nbsp;Ezekiel 29:10 ), yet with Jews in its farthest district (&nbsp;Zephaniah 3:10 ). It is very rich (&nbsp;Job 28:19; &nbsp;Isaiah 43:3 ); is engaged in trade with Arabia (&nbsp;Isaiah 45:14 ), and its citizens are proud of their nationality (&nbsp;Psalm 87:4 ). Again and again the relation of Cush with Sheba is mentioned (&nbsp;Genesis 10:7 , &nbsp;Genesis 10:28; &nbsp;Isaiah 43:3 , etc.), which latter statement is strangely corroborated by the recently discovered Sabean inscriptions throughout Abyssinia. Its typical inhabitants have a color as unchangeable as the leopard's spots (&nbsp;Jeremiah 13:23 ), are careless (&nbsp;Ezekiel 30:9 ), but very warlike (&nbsp;Ezekiel 38:5; &nbsp;Jeremiah 46:9 ), giving "infinite" strength to [[Nineveh]] (&nbsp;Nahum 3:9 ), but who can be resisted by Israel because of Yahweh's favor (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 16:8; &nbsp;Isaiah 20:5; &nbsp;Isaiah 36:6 ). [[Yahweh]] is interested in the history of Ethiopia as well as Egypt (&nbsp;Isaiah 20:3 ), loves the children of Ethiopia as the children of Israel (&nbsp;Amos 9:7 ), and the time is coming when Ethiopia shall yet stretch out her hands to Yahweh (&nbsp;Psalm 68:31 ). Cush and [[Mizraim]] are correctly mentioned as political unit (&nbsp;Isaiah 20:4 f) , and several kings of Ethiopia are mentioned by name - Z erah (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 14:9 ), So (&nbsp;2 Kings 17:4 ) and Tirhaqah (&nbsp;2 Kings 19:9; &nbsp;Isaiah 37:9 ). The statements concerning these kings have been pronounced incorrect because it seemed that Zerah could not possibly be an equivalent for Usarkon or So for Shabaka - the known kings of Egypt at those periods - and also because the reigns of Shabaka and ''''' Tirhaḳah ''''' did not begin until after the dates at which in the Hebrew records they were called "kings of Ethiopia." </p> <p> Recent, information, however, makes it clear that both Shabaka and ''''' Tirhaḳah ''''' exercised royal authority in the Delta before they were given it farther south, and that the Hebrew transcription of names was very easy and natural. (See W. M. Flinders Petrie, <i> Hist of Egypt </i> , III, 280-309; <i> Egypt and Israel </i> (1911), 76-78.) </p> 4. The Church in Abyssinia <p> [[Sem]] influence entered Abyssinia at least as early as the 7th or 8th century bc (see above), and the kings of Axum claimed descent from Menelek, Son of Solomon, but the first certain information concerning the kingdom of Axum comes from the middle of the 1st century ad, at which time Axum was a rich capital, and its ancient sacredness was so great that from that period clear down to the 19th century the kings of Abyssinia would travel there to be crowned. There is no reason to doubt that [[Frumentius]] (circa 330 ad) was the first to introduce Christianity. Merope of Tyre, according to the often-told story, when returning from India with his two nephews, was captured and killed off the Ethiopian coast, but the two boys were carried to the Abyssinian king; and although one perished the other, Frumentius, succeeded in converting the king and his people to Christianity, and later was himself consecrated by [[Athanasius]] of [[Alexandria]] as the first [[Metropolitan]] of Ethiopia, taking as his title <i> ''''' [[Abu]] Salama ''''' </i> ("Father of Peace"). From that time until now, with but one single interruption, the <i> ''''' [[Abuna]] ''''' </i> ("Father") has always been appointed by the [[Patriarch]] of Alexandria and, since the 13th century, has been by legal necessity not a native Abyssinian, but a Copt. </p> <p> After the [[Council]] of [[Chalcedon]] (450 ad) condemned all as heretics who did not accept the "double nature" of Christ, both the Egyptian and Abyssinian churches separated themselves from Rome, believing so thoroughly in the [[Deity]] of Christ as to refuse to accept His humanity as essential "nature." In the 5th century a great company of monks entered Abyssinia, since which time the monastic tendency has been strongly marked. About 525, Caleb, king of Axum, attacked the Homeritae across the Red Sea - either for their persecution of Christians or their interference with his trade - and for some half a century controlled a large district of Arabia. At this time Abyssinian trade was extensive. Greek influence was also felt, and the Christian cathedral at Axum was a magnificent work of architectural article The early churches were protected by heavy surrounding walls and strong towers. The invasion of Africa by Islam in the 7th century required 300 years of battle for the preservation of Abyssinian liberty and Christian faith. It alone of all the African states succeeded in preserving both - but its civilization was destroyed, and for 1,000 years it was completely hidden from the eyes of its fellow- Christians in Europe. Occasionally during those centuries a rumor would reach Europe of a "Prester John" somewhere in the Far East who was king of a Christian people, yet it was a thrilling surprise to [[Christendom]] when Pedro de Cavilham in the 15th century discovered this lost Christian kingdom of Abyssinia completely surrounded by infidel pagans and bigoted Mohammedans. When, early in the 16th century, the Negus of Abyssinia sent an envoy to the king of [[Portugal]] asking his help against the Moslems, the appeal was met with favor. In 1520 the Portuguese fleet arrived in the Red Sea and its chaplain, Father Francisco Alvarez, 20 years later stirred the Christian world by his curious narratives. Not long afterward, when the Arabs actually invaded the country, another Portuguese fleet was sent with a body of military, commanded by [[Christopher]] de Gama. These 450 musketeers and the six little pieces of artillery gave substantial aid to the endangered state. Father Lobe tells the story. The Abyssinian king must have been grateful for such help, yet presently the strenuous efforts of the Portuguese clergy to convert him and his people to the Roman [[Catholic]] faith became so offensive that Bermudez, the most zealous missionary, was compelled to leave the country and the [[Jesuits]] who remained were mistreated. Other efforts to win the Abyssinian Christians to renounce the Monophysitic heresy and accept the doctrine and control of Rome were somewhat more successful. Early in the 17th century Father Pedro Paez, an ecclesiastic of much tact, won the king fully to his faith, and under his direction many churches were erected and advantageous government works carried on. However, his successor Mendez lacked his conciliatory ability and, although a punishment of seven years' chastisement was proclaimed against recalcitrants, the opposition became so violent and universal that the Negus Sysenius finally abdicated in favor of his son Fasilidas, who in 1633 sent all Jesuits out of the country and resumed official relations with the Egyptian church. Since then, although many efforts have been made, no controlling influence has ever been obtained by Rome. Once more, for over a century, Abyssinia became completely hidden from the eyes of the outside world until James Bruce, the explorer, visited the country, 1770-72, and made such a report as to arouse again the interest of Christendom. The translation of the Bible, which was made by his Abyssinian guide, was adopted and published by the British and Foreign Bible Society, and in 1829 the Church Missionary Society sent out Gobat and Kugler as the first [[Protestant]] missionaries to Abyssinia, who were followed shortly after by some Roman Catholics. Owing chiefly to the opposition of native priests the [[Protestants]] were expelled in 1838 and the expulsion of the Roman missionaries followed in 1854. In 1858 a Copt who had been influenced as a youth by a Protestant school, became <i> ''''' Abuna ''''' </i> , and Protestant missionaries were again admitted, but succeeded in doing little permanent work owing to the political disturbances while King Kesa (Theodore) - the Napoleon of Africa - was attempting to consolidate native resources and build up an African empire. At this period the influence of Great Britain began to be felt in Abyssinia. After the suicide of [[Theodore]] (1868) and especially after Menelek Ii had succeeded in making himself emperor (1899), this influence became great. During the 20th century missionaries have been able to work in Abyssinia without much danger, but the Moslem influence is so preponderating that little has been attempted and little done. The religion of the [[Crescent]] seems now almost completely victorious over the strange land which for so many centuries, alone and unhelped, held aloft in Africa the religion of the Cross. (See especially <i> The Mohammedan World of Today </i> , by Zwemer, Wherry, and Barton, 1907; <i> Missionary World </i> , 1910-11.) </p> 5. Beliefs and [[Practices]] <p> In creed, ritual, and practice, the Abyssinian church agrees generally with the Coptic. There are seven sacraments and prayers for the dead, high honor is paid to the [[Virgin]] Mary and to the saints; fasts and pilgrimages are in much favor; adults are baptized by immersion and infants by affusion. A blue cord is placed about the neck at baptism. An extract from one of the Gospels, a silver ring, an ear pick and a small cross, often very artistic, are also worn about the neck. No charms or beads or crucifixes ("graven images") are worn. The Jewish as well as the Christian [[Sabbath]] is kept sacred, and on an average every other day during the year is a religious holiday. The people are ignorant and superstitious, yet impress observers with their grave kindliness and seem at times eager to learn. The clergy can marry before but not after ordination. [[Priests]] must be able to read and recite the Nicene [[Creed]] (the "Apostles' Creed" is not known), but do not understand the Ge'ez language in which the liturgies are written. They conduct many and long services and attend to the ceremonial purifications. Deacons must also be able to read; they prepare the bread for the [[Holy]] [[Sacrament]] and in general help the priests. The monastic clergy have chief care of the education of the young - though this consists mainly in Scripture reading - and their head, the <i> ''''' Etshege ''''' </i> , ranks next to the <i> ''''' Abuna ''''' </i> . </p> <p> The ancient churches were often basilican, but modern native churches are quadrangular or circular. The Holy of Holies always stands in the center, and is supposed to contain an ark. Tradition declares that the ark in the cathedral at Axum is the original ark from Solomon's temple. An outer court surrounds the body of the church, which is freely used by laymen and as a place of entertainment for travelers. Very crude pictures are common. These show both Egyptian and European influence, and are probably not merely decorations but have a relation, as in Egyptian thought, to spiritual advancement in this life or the next (compare Budge, <i> Introduction to the Lives of ''''' Mabâ' Sĕyôn ''''' </i> and <i> ''''' Gabra Krĕstôs ''''' </i> , 1898). The services consist of chanting psalms, reading Scriptures and reciting liturgies. </p> 6. Abyssinian Literature <p> The Abyssinian canon ( <i> ''''' Semanya Ahadu ''''' </i> ) consists of 46 Old Testament and 35 New Testament books. Besides the usually accepted books, they count [[Shepherd]] of Hermas, Synodos (Canons), [[Epistles]] of Clement, Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, 4 Ezra, [[Ascension]] of Isaiah, Book of Adam, Joseph ben Gorion, [[Enoch]] and Jubilees. The Ethiopic texts of the two latter give these books in the most ancient form, and their discovery has led to much valuable discussion. The use of the Ge'ez language in which these are written dates back to a time shortly before the introduction of Christianity. From the 5th to 7th centuries ad, the literature is almost exclusively translated from Greek writers or adaptations of such writings. [[Quotations]] abound from Basil, Gregory, Ignatius, Athanasius, Epiphanus, Cyril, Dioscurus, etc. The second literary period begins 1268, when the old "Solomonic" Dynasty regained its place and continues to the present; it consists mainly of translations from the Arabic. In both periods the topics are few: liturgies, hymns, sermons, the heroic deeds of the saints and their orthodoxy. Each saint uses the four Holy Gospels, as David his four stones, to kill every heretical [[Goliath]] (compare Goodspeed and Crum, <i> ''''' Patrologia Orientalis ''''' </i> , IV, 1908). A large place is given to miracles and magic prayers and secret names (compare Budge, <i> [[Miracles]] of the Virgin Mary </i> , 1900, and "Magic Book of Disciples," <i> JAOS </i> , 1904). The legends or histories are occasionally well written, as the famous "Magda Queen of Sheba" (English [[Translation]] by Mrs. J. [[Van]] Vorst, 1907), but usually are as inferior in style as in thought (compare Littmann, <i> Bibliotheca-Abessinica </i> , 1904). A few specimens of "popular literature" and many Abyssinian "proverbs" are extant ( <i> JAOS </i> , Xxiii , 51-53; Xxv , 1-48; <i> Jour. asiatique </i> , IV, 487-95). </p> 7. Nubian Literature <p> The modern Nubian does not write, and his ancient predecessors wrote but little. Even in the days of the Pharaohs the hieroglyphics in most Nubian temples were written so poorly as to be almost unintelligible, and in later pre-Christian monuments put up by native rulers the usual tablets accompanying the [[Divine]] tableaux are often left blank. Some centuries before our era the necessary monumental inscriptions began to be composed in the Nubian language, though still written in hieroglyphics. Shortly after the beginning of the Christian era a native cursive writing begins to be used on the monuments, closely resembling the Egyptian demotic, from which undoubtedly its alphabet was derived (F. L. Griffith in <i> Areika </i> ). Finally, after Nubia became Christian (6th century), another native system appears written in Greek and Coptic letters. Lepsius found two such inscriptions on the Blue Nile and numbers have since been discovered, but until 1906 these were as unreadable as the other two forms of Nubian writing. In that year Dr. Karl Schmidt found in [[Cairo]] two precious fragments of parchment which had been owned by some Nubian Christians of probably the 8th or 9th century. One of these contained a selection of passages from the New Testament - as was ascertained by comparing it with the Greek and Coptic Scriptures. By the aid of bilingual cartouches several proper names were soon deciphered. New inscriptions are now being brought to light every few months, and undoubtedly the translation of this important tongue, which contains the "history of an African Negro dialect for some 2,000 years" and also the religious history of the long-lost Christian church of the ''''' Sūdān ''''' , will soon be accomplished. The other fragment found by Schmidt was a curious [[Hymn]] of the Cross, well representing the ancient Ethiopian hymnology: </p> <p> "The cross is the hope of Christians; </p> <p> The cross is the resurrection of the dead; </p> <p> The cross is the physician of the sick; </p> <p> The cross is the liberator of the slave," etc. </p> <p> - J ames H. Breasted in <i> Biblical World </i> , December, 1908; <i> Nation </i> , June 2, 1910. </p> 8. Exploration <p> Scientific observation of Nubia began with [[Burckhardt]] (1813), Cailliaud, and Waddington (1821), and especially with Lepsius (1844), but excavation in the proper sense was begun by the University of [[Chicago]] (1905-7), followed (1907-10) by expeditions sent out by the [[Royal]] [[Academy]] of Berlin, University of Pennsylvania, University of Liverpool, and Oxford University. </p> Literature <p> Besides the works quoted above, among recent Encyclopedias, see especially <i> Encyclopedia Britannica </i> (11th edition) and <i> New Sch-Herz </i> ; and among the more recent books: James T. Bent, <i> The [[Sacred]] City of the Ethiopians </i> (1893); Glaser, <i> Die Abessinier in Arabien und Afrika </i> (1895); A. B. Wylde, <i> Modern Abyssinia </i> (1901); R. P. Skinner, <i> Abyssinia of Today </i> (1906); Th. Noeldeke, <i> Die äthiopische Litteratur </i> (1906); Louis J. Morié, <i> Les civilisations africaines </i> (1904); Littmann, <i> Geschichte der äthiopischen Litteratur </i> (1907); W. Max Müller, <i> Aethiopien </i> (1904); Petrie, <i> Hist of Egypt </i> (1895-1901); J. H. Breasted, <i> [[Temples]] of Lower Nubia </i> (1906); <i> [[Monuments]] of Sudanese Nubia </i> (1908); A. E. Weigall, <i> [[Report]] of [[Antiquities]] of Lower Nubia </i> (1906); E. A. W. Budge, <i> The Egyptian Sudan </i> (1907); Kromrei, <i> Glaubenslehre und Gebräuche der älteren abessinischen Kirche </i> (1895); M. Fowler, <i> Christian Egypt </i> (1901); Dowling, <i> Abyssinian Church </i> (1909); <i> "Meroe </i> , <i> " the City of the Ethiopians </i> , by [[Liverpool]] University Expedition (1909-10); University of [[Pennsylvania]] Publications, Egyptian Dept., Eckley B. Coxe, Jr., <i> Expedition to Nubia </i> , I-Iv (1909-11); <i> Archeological Survey of Nubia </i> ; and Egyptian government reports. </p>