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MariaRegina
22nd November 2003, 09:34 PM
I was doing an Internet search for a paper that I'm writing at the university.

The Ethiopian Orthodox are in unity with the Coptic Orthodox.

They have 5 commandments - all from the New Testament:

There are commandments which are to be observed, through which the work of our salvation is completed. The keeping of these commandments is equal to the keeping of all the commandments. They are five:
1) The first commandment, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength", containing all our duties towards God and every commandment having any reference to God. ( Luke 10: 25-28)
2) The second commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself', contains all our duties towards Christ, who became Neighbor to us, and whom we ought to love as He also first loved us. In this is every commandment referring to Christ.
3) The third commandment, "A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye love one another", contains all our duties towards our brethren and the brethren of Christ and every commandment having reference to the Christian Brotherhood (John 13. 34,35).
4) The fourth commandment, "Ye shall love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you", contains all our duties towards the enemies and persecutors of the faith and the teaching of Christ, and every commandment having reference to this order of men (Luke 6:27-28).
5.) The fifth commandment, "All things therefore which you would that men should do to you, do even so to them", contains all our duties to all men whether ill disposed towards us or friendly, and every commandment having reference to them(Matt. 7:12 and Luke 6:13)

PLEASE NOTE: I post this site below only for reference, in order to comply with Erwin's request. So that CF will not be sued.

http://www.eotc.faithweb.com/orth.html#CREED

Please DO NOT search this website with the sinister motive of trying to find anything negative. I implore you to show Christian love as the above 5 commandments dictate. These commandments are the very words of Christ.

If you find anything on this Internet site and you want to make a comment, then please do so in your own forum and in your own thread, but do so with charity. Let charity be your motivation and not revenge.

I remind you that the black Ethiopians are being persecuted by Islam and desperately need our prayers. The Eritrean Orthodox, formerly part of the Ethiopian Church, are also in unity with the Coptic Patriarch. These Orthodox Christians are in danger of extinction because they are now a minority in Eritrea where the muslims outnumber them.

We need to start praying for our fellow persecuted Christians and to cease arguing about petty things.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us and save us.

Lovingly yours in Christ our God,
Elizabeth

MariaRegina
22nd November 2003, 09:43 PM
http://www.eotc.faithweb.com/cgi-bin/i/lastsupper.jpg

Here is a beautiful icon of the Last Supper.

MariaRegina
22nd November 2003, 09:47 PM
http://www.eotc.faithweb.com/cgi-bin/i/Mariam3.JPG

This is a beautiful icon of the Virgin Mother of God. And yes, the Ethiopians use this term to rightly honor our Blessed Virgin Mary.

Photini
22nd November 2003, 09:53 PM
Please DO NOT search this website with the sinister motive of trying to find anything negative. I implore you to show Christian love as the above 5 commandments dictate. These commandments are the very words of Christ.

If you find anything on this Internet site and you want to make a comment, then please do so in your own forum and in your own thread, but do so with charity. Let charity be your motivation and not revenge. I remind you that the black Ethiopians are being persecuted by Islam and desperately need our prayers.

.
Elizabeth, I applaud you.

MariaRegina
22nd November 2003, 09:55 PM
Thanks Photini.

Through the prayers of the Theotokos, may God grant you and your loved ones many blessed years.

Reader Nilus
22nd November 2003, 10:17 PM
I would add at least unofficially they are in communion with us as well. I saw Met ANTHONY of the Greek Church commune an Ethiopian Parish in Seattle that met at one of the Greek Churches there.
Jeff the Finn

MariaRegina
22nd November 2003, 10:20 PM
I would add at least unofficially they are in communion with us as well. I saw Met ANTHONY of the Greek Church commune an Ethiopian Parish in Seattle that met at one of the Greek Churches there.
Jeff the Finn

The Ethiopian Orthodox I have met were extremely devout and they talk of the Ark of the Covenant. One of their priestmonks guards it day and night.

Photini
22nd November 2003, 10:28 PM
Has anyone here heard of Rastafarianism? (I believe Bob Marley was a rasta.) I think it was somehow an offshoot from the Ethiopian Church? I think Ras Tafari (sp?) was a very devout Christian, of the same lineage of King David, but some thought he was someone he wasn't, nor ever claimed to be.

Orthodox Andrew
22nd November 2003, 10:30 PM
Has anyone here heard of Rastafarianism? (I believe Bob Marley was a rasta.) I think it was somehow an offshoot from the Ethiopian Church? I think Ras Tafari (sp?) was a very devout Christian, of the same lineage of King David, but some thought he was someone he wasn't, nor ever claimed to be.
I'm pretty sure it's a religion where they think by smoking marijuana they become closer to God.

Photini
22nd November 2003, 10:41 PM
I'm pretty sure it's a religion where they think by smoking marijuana they become closer to God.
Yes it is. My sister's church (Serbian) is in a shared building with an Ethiopian church. She told me there are former rastas that came home to Orthodoxy that attend there. What I stated is about all I know though.

MariaRegina
22nd November 2003, 10:51 PM
Photini,

Do the Ethiopians frown on smoking like the Eastern Orthodox? All the Orthodox Priests I know don't smoke and many said that they quit because it is a slow form of suicide and is harmful to the body, and therefore, is sinful.

Photini
22nd November 2003, 10:58 PM
Photini,

Do the Ethiopians frown on smoking like the Eastern Orthodox? .I'm sure they do. It's the rastas I was wondering about.

I think I heard that the Ethiopian Church celebrates Pontius Pilate as a saint. Does anyone know if that's true?

Reader Nilus
22nd November 2003, 11:22 PM
I found the following at this site: Of Black Madonnas and Eunuchs:
Ethiopia extends its hands to God (http://www.unicorne.org/orthodoxy/articles/articles_a/etheopia.htm)
And St Pontius Pilate and his wife St Procla have their feast on June 25th! The veneration of Pilate is based on an apocryphal account that portrays Pilate doing penance for crucifying Christ and then dying by beheading.
Jeff the Finn

Photini
22nd November 2003, 11:37 PM
wow Jeff, that's a great page.
They take their shoes off at my sister's church too.

MariaRegina
22nd November 2003, 11:43 PM
Dear Photini and Jeff the Finn:

Didn't the wife of Pontias Pilate have dreams that disturbed her greatly? It would stand to reason that Pontias Pilate was a good man but weak. If the whole Ethiopian Church honors him as a saint, there must be a reason. After all, their church is part of the early Christian Church. When St. Philip instructed the Ethiopian eunuch -- this was recorded in the New Testament. That's biblical times.

BTW: St. Peter was weak also, even denying Christ three times, but in the end he is one of our greatest saints.

Yours truly in Christ,
Elizabeth

P.S. Great Internet site -- Thanks, Jeff.

Photini
2nd December 2003, 11:34 PM
http://www.bethel.edu/~letnie/EthiopiaHomepage.html

I found this page, which gives a brief history of the Ethiopian church.

* A disclaimer to our Catholic friends....there is information on this page which you may or may not find offensive.