Christianity in Ethiopia: The Quest for When and by Whom It was Introduced?

Abstract

The introduction of Christianity into Ethiopia was heralded first by an Ethiopian eunuch known by the name Bakos. It happened soon after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and this makes Ethiopia the second country in the world next to Palestine. The evangelical activities of Bakos were subsequently supported by several apostles of Jesus Christ.  Among them were St. Matthew, St. Thomas, St. Bartholomew, St. Matthias, and St. Andrew. Matthew preached the new faith to the people of Ethiopia, and henceforth he wrote the Gospel known by his name for Ethiopians in their own tongue. Unfortunately, this historical fact remains concealed, and above all, there is a general misunderstanding that Christianity was introduced by Frumentius in the fourth century after the Council of Nicaea. This paper attempts to examine both ancient and medieval documents, and it avers to reconstruct that Christianity was a first-century phenomenon in Ethiopia.