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Email from G. Berhan:
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Selamta dear Nibure'Id:
I know I once wrote you that my former would have been my last
email to you, but this is a very harsh question, that I really
can't understand. I hope you will answer the same to me, so that
knowledge and Ethiopian wisdom may increase among us.
In the Book of Jubilees, it is written that Adam was made of the
soil of the land called Elda. In fact He was not made of the Soil
of the Garden of Eden. But Tradition tells us that our first Mother
is Ethiopia, Virgin Mary, the Earth Whose womb bore us in the
Origin.
So, the question is: Is Elda the same as Gennet? Are we made of
the soil of the Land of the Garden: Ethiopia?
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Our Response:-
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Here is our explanation to your question: In Scriptures of G'iz
Manuscripts, "Paradise" and "The Garden of Eden"
pertain to the same word of "Gennet" with reference
to "Edom" and "Elda". These are all designations
of the same place "Ethiopia", where Adam and Eve were
created and lived.
In all cases of the various names of the place aforementioned,
the characteristic feature that predominated the phenomenon was
the sudden and complete change of the situation of the status
of the latter, namely, the downfall of Adam and Eve from the blissful
life of Divinity to the miserable fate of humanity. This condition
was brought about by the betrayal of the Word of God committed
by the latter resulting in the withdrawal of the Divine Grace
that previously clothed their person and pervaded their abode
with sublime serenity.
It is not uncommon for a particular place to be called with various
analogous names; for example, the same name and location of Ethiopia
was known in Biblical and ancient times as Midiam, Nubia, Axum,
Kush, Sheba, Habesha (Abyssinia).
N'bure-Id Ermias K. Welde-Iyesus,
Servant of Ethiopia: The Kingdom of God Services
__________________________
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E-mail from L. Terrefe:
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My name is L. Terrefe by citizen an Ethiopian who loves my
country. Currently, am studying Ethiopian History concerning its
religion in the past; so, I am spending my time reading books
and collecting data.
I have been in Kenya for some couple of years, but now am in Addis
since last year; and got your book in Addis when I was looking
for different books. I found it such one book so nice that I have
ever seen since my search for the same, and picked some of points
from it. I am proceeding my collecting of data. God willing, I
plan to put up my writing into a book about Ethiopia.
For this purpose, I am glad to come to know you, and, to introduce
my self to you, whom I consider to be the highest talented man
and who had such great gift to present my lovely country to the
other world in your book of Ethiopia: The Classic Case.
Dear sir, what I would like to share with you at this time is
this: I am looking for someone who can understand my desire on
putting up a book for publishing. So, would you mind if I need
your assistance or co-operation in sponsoring me or getting a
sponsor for such good work?
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Our Response:-
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We admire your pursuit and diligence on the historical
quest for the truth about Ethiopia; and we encourage you to continue
on such endeavour.
Currently, we are confined to the task of publishing our own materials.
This task is undertaken through our direct approach and contact
with various printing presses individually.
As we do not have any reliable enterprise to our knowledge that
would comply with the special interest and need you mentioned
in your email, the advice we are presently capable to provide
you with is for you to do the same in your case, until we may
be in a position to notify you of any new development in this
regard that would arise in our future program.
Please visit our web site if you did not do so until now. The
address is: www.ethkogserv.org.
_________________________
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E-mail from Solomon T. M.:
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In the name of God, can you help me with the following
article, which I found from the Internet? It confused me. Please
help!
"Originally intended to send this paper to a professional
journal, I changed my mind because its message deserves to be
read by a wider public. And since the best way to reach a wider
public is through the Web, I sent the paper to popular Ethiopian
websites without altering its academic form and diluting its contents,
except for some theoretical ramifications.
"In many ways, the ideas that Aleqa Aseres Yenesew develops
in the book that I am analyzing directly deal with the problems
that Ethiopia and Ethiopian society face today. The book is highly
interesting because it suggests that the mess we are in now has
its seed in the adoption of a wrong educational policy since the
end of the Italian war.
"Asres proposes solutions in which he discloses the elementary
fact that the heritage of a legacy and the assumption of a common
destiny define a nation rather than its ethnic or linguistic oneness.
He shows this in his defense of Ge'ez language: For him, this
Tigrean legacy is the essence of Ethiopian identity. Consequently,
what makes you Ethiopian is less your identity as Amhara (he himself
is an Amhara of Gojjam) than the heritage of Ge'ez legacy. Unity
lies in the acceptance of a common heritage and destiny. But what
about the southern peoples of Ethiopia who do not trace their
identity back to Ge'ez?
"Here, Asres advances a bold assertion by questioning the
Western qualification of Ge'ez as a Semitic language that invaders
from South Arabia brought with them. He emphatically argues that
Ethiopians are black and that Ge'ez is an African language. For
him, the Semitic thesis is a Western machination intended to create
a divide between northern and southern Ethiopia.
"The direction of history is clear: The torch of Ge'ez 'which
is then an idea, a Divine Mission, and not an ethnic identity'
must pass to southern peoples. And it cannot do so unless Ethiopians
present themselves as the descendants of Ham. The objection that
Asres's reasoning lacks scientific credibility because it is filled
with biblical references and argumentations would miss the important
point that what matters in this case is not that facts justify
the discourse, but whether the discourse is empowering, whether
it organizes the world in such a way that it gives us strength,
unity, and historical destiny. Besides, one can take away the
biblical content and only retain the logic of national unity and
empowerment.
"When I wrote my book, Survival and Modernization, I was
not even remotely aware of Asres's works. Yet, what a delightful
surprise when I discovered that many of my findings reproduce
Asres's thought! I take this opportunity to thank Aleme Tadesse
for introducing me to Asres's writings.
INTRODUCTION
"The opposition of traditional scholars to
the proliferation of modern schools is a fact known to all those
who are familiar with the difficult beginning of Ethiopia's modernization.
Besides the opposition of the nobility and the Church hierarchy,
traditional scholars known as Debtera had used all their influence
to convince the country of the perilous nature of Western education.
Emperor Haile Sellassie and those who supported him often had
to battle energetically to neutralize their opposition.
"To the youngsters sent to Western schools before and soon
after the Italian invasion of 1935, the opposition of the Debtera
appeared as a pathetic attempt to stop what was unstoppable, namely,
the march of the long-awaited modernization of Ethiopia . They
easily figured out that the Debtera's ignorance of the modern
world and the anger against the loss of their traditional influence
aroused the resistance. To them, the defense of the traditional
schooling betrayed the most stubborn form of traditionalism, which
was nothing else but a wrong-headed endeavor to shield Ethiopia
from the benefits of modernization in the name of tradition and
the status quo.
"In retrospect, the judgment of the early students appears
misplaced and irresponsible. True, the Debtera had a major weakness,
which was that they opposed Western schools without suggesting
any other alternative. They were unable to tell how Ethiopia could
modernize without adopting Western rationality, science, and technology,
the very virtues that the traditional knowledge had, if not condemned,
at least ignored. More yet, the Debtera did not seem to understand
how necessary modernization was for the maintenance of Ethiopia's
independence. Especially after the dreadful episode of the Italian
occupation, which made palpable the dependence of Ethiopia's survival
on rapid modernization, the defense of traditionalism could not
be characterized as nothing other than foolish blindness.
"Granted these legitimate criticisms, granted also that traditionalism
was incompatible with survival, the fact remains that the condemnation
of the opposition of the Debtera was singularly one-sided and
hardly clever. Notably, it missed the core message of the opposition,
to wit, that the zeal to appropriate Western knowledge and know-how
may result in the loss of the very independence that it wants
to protect. Such is the vigorous message that emanates from one
of Asres Yenesew's books titled Useful Advice.1
"Asres 'a senior cleric and a leading scholar of the Ethiopian
Church' lived at a time when Haile Sellassie was forcefully pushing
for the spread of modern education to the detriment of traditional
schools. Undoubtedly, Asres was traditionalist with all the fibers
of his soul. For instance, he literally accepted the biblical
story of the creation of man and the earth and, as we shall see,
his arguments are often biblical. He believed in the magical power
of certain plants against devilish forces.2
"What cannot be taken away from him, however, was that the
need to benefit and empower Ethiopia fully inspired his traditionalism.
He was sincerely convinced that the best weapon against the marginalization
of Ethiopia by Western powers was the revival of some core traditional
beliefs.3
THE TRADITIONAL INTELLECTUAL
"Written with essentially children and youngsters
in mind, Asres's Useful Advice contains, as the title indicates,
analyses of some dangerous developments and recommendations on
how to neutralize them, all drawn from the stock of traditional
beliefs. It is a defense of tradition, but less to shield tradition
against external contaminations than to present it as the best
antidote against ominous developments. It is a plea for a return
to the source in the face of dangerous trends.
"Explaining why he wrote the book, Asres alludes to his concern
about what he saw and observed and his 'obligation to present
his reflections to the public.' 4 His attempt to counter threats
leads him not only to defend tradition, but also to reveal the
deep meanings of some of its beliefs, which meanings appear today
quite revolutionary in light of the extensive endeavor to denounce
Eurocentrism and weaken its grip on third-world intellectual productions.
"In direct connection with his felt obligation to write,
Asres underlines the social function of intellectuals and writers.
He compares the writer to an army intelligence officer: A people
without intellectuals are unable to protect themselves, just as
'an army without intelligence is likely to surrender to the enemy
before it undertakes anything.' 5 To make the parallel clearer,
he adds that a people without intellectuals are like a bee that
is unable to find flowers: 'just as a bee cannot make honey unless
it absorbs the nectar of flowers, so too a people without intellectuals
cannot achieve knowledge, diligence, and progress.' 6
"This definition of the intellectual places Ethiopia in an
obvious context of threat and war. Intellectuals are the scouts
or the outposts of their society, and as such responsible for
scrutinizing the surrounding world. Interestingly, the allusion
to flowers and bees seem to suggest that the author has no quarrel
with the Western world, provided that Ethiopians are able to extract
the nectar by separating the benefits of the modern world from
its detriments. The responsibility of separating the good from
the bad falls on intellectuals whose role is thus to filter external
influences.
"This exploratory role confirms that the great and vital
function of intellectuals is to look after their society. What
defines them is their national function, which compels them to
rise above factions and special interests. While kings rule, warriors
fight, peasants produce, priests pray, intellectuals reflect on
what is good and bad; they represent the small but advanced garrison
protecting the society from malefic and dissolving forces.
"Notice how Asres's view widely departs from the position
of many Ethiopian intellectuals today whose ethnicization deprives
them of any national stature by making them the representatives
of particular groups. They are not the outpost of national unity
and survival, but the launch pad of internal divisions and conflicts.
"The characterization of intellectuals as scouts of their
society says a lot about the traditional state of mind. It reveals
the mentality of a society trapped in a hostile environment and
compelled to be on a constant guard, not only against military
invasions, but also against foreign ideas.
'To be sure, this definition of the intellectual must be related
with the mission that the Ethiopian society assigned to itself.
We know the mission to be the guardianship of the True Faith,
itself derived from the belief that Ethiopians are God's Chosen
People.7 Some such mission requires that intellectuals assume
the role of watchdog by protecting the society against ideological
infiltrations damaging to the mission.
"We see here a function of the traditional intellectual that
is quite different from its modern understanding. Modern intellectuals
are expected to examine critically their own society so as to
remove obstacles to progress through the spread of enlightened
ideas. Above all, nothing should hamper their critical investigation,
which therefore constitutes their primary function.
"Not so with traditional Ethiopian intellectuals: Their preoccupation
is more with external threats, and at times with internal developments
harmful to the religious mission, as when an Ethiopian king espouses
a different religion. So defined, the task of intellectuals is
never to question the mission, which exists only through the acceptance
of the tradition that bequeaths it, but to defend the mission
against external and internal enemies.
"I hasten to add that traditional intellectuals are not devoid
of critical mind but that their criticisms are directed against
alien doctrines and dissident views. What is encouraged is self-defense,
less so self-examination. Such an orientation does not mean that
changes and improvements do not occur, since self-defense does
not entirely exclude self-examination. You cannot efficiently
defend yourself unless you agree to some corrections and refinements,
even at times to some reinterpretations.
"Still, the movement is not dialectical in the Hegelian sense
of the word where thesis and antithesis fight and move toward
a synthesis. The defensive goal never ventures into an antithetical
position; it simply focuses on improving the original belief without
ever integrating opposition. It is more about improving, polishing
the original belief than transforming or altering it.
"A good example of refinements of belief is found in the
various conflictual encounters of Christian churches with scientific
discoveries. Every time science counters biblical statements,
interpretations and refinements are provided that tone down the
conflict. Thus, the story of God's Creation of the world in seven
days is made consonant with the theory of evolution through the
suggestion that days should be taken as a symbolic expression,
that actually they mean longer periods of time, perhaps millions
of years. The belief is not challenged; it undergoes some improvements
whereby it is made acceptable to a modern person.
"In the same line, Asres's definition refers to the tradition
of Ethiopian intellectuals entrusted with the mission of defending
transmitted beliefs. They are not critics of the tradition; they
are its guardians. As such, they enjoy great prestige and some
autonomy, which is necessary for the defensive purpose. They are
literally the lighthouses of society: The Ethiopian state is appropriately
ready to defend itself and accomplish its mission only when the
warnings of intellectuals guide the military mobilization of kings
and their warriors against external and internal threats.
THE RENEGADE INTELLECTUAL
"After underlining the traditional role of
intellectuals, Asres deals with what he considers as the greatest
betrayal in Ethiopia's long history, that is, the transformation
of the Westernized Ethiopian intellectual into an ally of the
colonization of Ethiopia. In a statement that is most revolutionary,
he bluntly declares: 'Although Italy's army was driven out, its
politics was not.' 8 In other words, the military defeat of the
colonizer has not put an end to the colonial project. It has simply
compelled Westerners to proceed cautiously and to use other more
subtle means.
"Chief among such means of preserving their original design
is modern schooling. That is why they were so eager to open schools
and send teachers. What better means was there for realizing their
colonial project than the propagation of their books and the creation
of a Westernized Ethiopian elite? So firmly convinced is Asres
that the so-called modern intellectuals are but the instrument
of Ethiopia's colonization in default of military means that he
asks: What else is their role but 'to appropriate and expand what
originates from the enemy and pass it on to youngsters?' 9
"As a result, Ethiopia faces the greatest danger of all time
since those whose task was to provide protection now side with
the enemy. When the patrols of the society turn into deserters,
its defensive capacity is utterly shattered. This ominous transformation
occurred when the guardians of tradition turned into its critics
under the instigation of Western teachers and books.
"Let us reflect for a moment on the magnitude of this transformation.
To change intellectuals into turncoats, Western education had
first to 'denationalize their mind' by encouraging individualism
and social ambition.10 In thus isolating them from the rest of
the community and inducing frustration over their place in the
social hierarchy, Western teachers changed them into rebels. Whereas
the traditional intellectual completely endorsed the social hierarchy,
mainly because he knew what justifies it, Westernized Ethiopians
are essentially unhappy with it because they have been talked
into thinking that the exposure to Western education alone should
determine status and authority.
"The first target of this rebellious mind is the traditional
knowledge, especially the education of the Ge'ez language, which
is now derogatorily labeled as 'priestly education.' 11 No better
way could be found to instill contempt for the traditional system
of education than to reduce Ge'ez to an education reserved for
priests. To say so is to imply that Ge'ez is totally alien to
the pursuit of real and useful knowledge so that it has no place
in a modern world. Note that the exclusion of Ge'ez serves the
social ambition of the Western educated elite, since the rejection
of Ge'ez means that only those who can read Western books 'find
a place in governmental institutions.' 12
"The primacy given to the learning of foreign languages is
evidence of denationalization. Speaking directly to youngsters,
Asres says: though 'to learn is first to master the mother tongue,
you youngsters ally with expatriate teachers and refuse to learn
your national language because you primarily seek social promotion.'
13 There is no denying that young Ethiopians were persuaded to
prefer foreign languages because of the prospect of better jobs
in the modern sectors of the country.
"Asres struggles to show that the contempt for Ge'ez and
for traditional education does no more than deprive Ethiopians
of the treasure of knowledge accumulated through centuries. To
reject Ge'ez is 'no less than to burry in the ground all of Ethiopia's
history and wealth.' 14 For him, Ethiopian knowledge is like a
hidden treasure; it is found in the monasteries and in Ge'ez.
Unfortunately, because of the refusal to learn Ge'ez, this vital
knowledge will remain hidden forever.
"Asres is such a fervent defender of Ge'ez that he criticizes
those who say that we should 'abolish Ge'ez and maintain only
Amharic.' 15 The thinking is that the preservation of Amharic
provides Ethiopia with a modern language that is also native while
getting rid of the obsolete language of the Church. Such reasoning
overlooks the vast treasure of knowledge contained in books written
in Ge'ez; it misses a fundamental truth, which is that 'the source
of wisdom is Ge'ez.' 16
"For Asres, Westernized Ethiopians may know many things about
the West, but they are pretty ignorant when it comes to Ethiopia.
In rejecting Ge'ez, they make themselves unable to understand
Ethiopia and to use the treasure of accumulated knowledge to further
its interests. All they can do is read Ethiopia through the lens
of alien and borrowed concepts with the consequence that they
come up with distorted notions. Far from being the scouts of the
society, renegade intellectuals carry the viewpoint of the colonizer,
and so replace real knowledge with critical declarations. Their
so-called knowledge does not emanate from their society's history
and defining features; it is made of normative pronouncements
deploring the extent to which their society failed to develop
the features of the model society, i.e., the Western society.
MESSIANIC DESTINY
"The defense of Ge'ez through the suggestion
that it contains priceless knowledge reveals Asres's approach,
which is to counter the colonial project by providing Ethiopians
with means drawn from the traditional knowledge. Only the return
to tradition can protect Ethiopians from the dissolving ideology
of Westerners. To orient young Ethiopians toward the quest of
their abandoned legacy, Asres first defines what is meant by learning.
"According to Asres, 'the purpose of learning is knowledge;
the purpose of knowledge is understanding. Understanding, in turn,
reveals the marvels that the sovereignty of God prepares and accomplishes.'
17 Such an understanding procures wisdom: it makes us understand
that God is the ultimate cause of everything and invites us to
consider everything with 'patience.' 18 The understanding that
God is the cause of everything is essential to approach Ethiopian
history and social organization. Nothing of Ethiopia's long history
and survival is intelligible if we leave out its messianic destiny.
The amazing survival of Ethiopia requires the following explanation:
'Ethiopia survived from the kingdom of Ham to today, that is,
for 4800 years, without its flag being defeated and its script
changed because it has been blessed by the Prophesies of the Holy
Prophets and has benefited of God's protection as the country
where God's name is revered.' 19 The long survival of Ethiopia
in a hostile environment is nothing but a miracle. As such, it
is not intelligible unless one understands that God has reserved
a special meaning or destiny to Ethiopia.
"This knowledge about Ethiopia is not taught in modern schools.
In addition to being completely alien to the Messianic Fate of
Ethiopia, the very idea of God granting Ethiopia with a special
treatment is intolerable to Western teachers. The special destiny
of Ethiopia belongs to the knowledge hidden in Ge'ez books, especially
in the Bible written in Ge'ez. The latter is the only authentic
Bible: Unlike other versions, it alone reveals 'the true mystery,'
and so, must be preserved and carefully studied.20
"Supportive of the Messianic Destiny is the meaning of Ethiopia's
social stratification. Asres notes that in Ethiopia all individuals
harbor the desire to become 'king or at least lord.' 21 Nevertheless,
among all these individuals, 'only the one chosen by God occupies
the exclusive place of king while the rest follows what their
fate (idil) reserve for them.' 22
"What is meant by learning stands out here: Learning leads
to knowledge and knowledge gives us the understanding of God's
works. The social application of knowledge is that social stratification
and the unequal status of individuals express God's choice. To
know this is wisdom in that one cognizes and accepts the place
allotted to him/her by God. To be unhappy with one's fate is both
ignorance and a vain protest, since nothing can go against the
will of God.
"No exceptional intelligence is necessary to understand the
meaning of God's promotion of individuals. Since God directly
looks after Ethiopia, he makes kings and lords those individuals
who have what is required to ensure the survival of Ethiopia.
Those whom He has endowed with the best qualities occupy the various
positions of leadership. Leadership, especially political leadership,
is thus a Divine assignment. Since those who run the state are
chosen by God, and not by the people, Asres is far away from the
modern idea of the accountability of the state to the people.
For him, there cannot be a distinction between the state and the
people; in his own words, 'the state is the people. And the people
are the state.' 23
"All the same, the intervention of Divine election does not
mean that kings and lords are above the people for the simple
reason that, as we just saw, Asres identifies the state and the
people. In so doing, he rules out the idea that the political
elite has interests different from those of the people. 'Unless
the people prosper, banks cannot be established,' says Asres.
24 Since leadership is a divine assignment, what we have in Ethiopia
is the notion of leader as the shepherd who looks after the welfare
of a people so dear to God. What must be added here is that leaders
who mistreat the chosen people of God will arouse His wrath and
very soon will feel His punishment.
THE BLACKNESS OF ETHIOPIANS
"With a remarkable sense of consistency, Asres
understands that his defense of Ge'ez depends on the certification
that Ethiopians are both originally and authentically black. He
vigorously disputes the idea that 'Ham came to Africa after the
fall of the walls of Babylon and the separation of languages,'
for the idea intimates that 'humans did not inhabit Africa' before
the occurrence of said events. 25 What is more, it originates
Ge'ez from the separation of languages, thereby suggesting that
it came from elsewhere and was not the original language of Ham
in Africa.
"For Asres, Ge'ez is native of Africa; the origination took
place 'when Noah divided the world between his three sons, Shem,
Ham, and Japheth.' 26 He ascribes the wrong birth of Ge'ez to
the malicious writings of Europeans and to all those who like
to echo what Europeans say. In turning Ge'ez into a derivative
language, these writings deny that it is a primary and authentic
source of knowledge. Hence Asres's categorical assertion: 'Ethiopia
has no rival in terms of ancientness of state independence, script,
and literature.' 27
"The importance of Asres's statement emerges when we see
how his position directly clashes with the prevailing idea about
Ethiopia. Most historians, archeologists, and linguists attribute
Aksumite civilization to Semitic immigrants from South Arabia,
and so assert that the present inhabitants of the northern part
of Ethiopia, namely, Tigreans and Amhara, are Semitic rather than
black Africans. Accordingly, all what Aksum has accomplished and
the greatness of its civilization, included the written language
of Ge'ez, are duplications of South Arabian civilization.
"The racist underpinning of the assertion is not hard to
establish: Since Ethiopia had an ancient and advanced civilization,
its originators, so argue Europeans, must be Semitic invaders
from Arabia, obvious as it is that blacks are not capable of such
a realization. Concretely speaking, this means that Ethiopia moved
to an advanced stage of civilization when Semitic invaders from
South Arabia subdued the original black inhabitants known as the
Agaw people. 28
To quote an Ethiopian historian, it is most likely that at the
time of their earliest contact with the south Arabians the native
people were in a primitive stage of material culture, and lived
in small isolated clans or groups of clans with no state or political
organizations. This must have given the immigrants an excellent
opportunity to assert themselves and easily reduce the local population
to a position of political vassalage.29
"Strongly defending the originality of Aksumite civilization,
Asres writes: History attests that 'Ethiopia reached where it
is today, not thanks to borrowed things, but thanks to the wisdom
and script inherited from the kingdom of Ham.' 30 Granted that
Asres's arguments are biblical rather than scientific, the truth
remains that he is dissatisfied because he considers the Semitic
thesis as the product of European machination aimed at denying
the paternity of a great civilization to Ethiopians.
"He sees no other way to defend the originality of Ge'ez
and the knowledge it carries than to go against the prevailing
thesis by rejecting the Semitization of Ethiopians. Only the defense
of the original blackness of Ethiopians can protect them against
the contamination of Semitic borrowings and hence salvage the
authenticity of the Messianic vocation of Ethiopia. If Ge'ez is
not native of Africa , then it is a borrowed language with the
consequence that it is not the primary source of what it reveals.
When we note that most modern educated Tigrean and Amhara scholars
and the members of the Ethiopian ruling elites endorse the Semitic
thesis, Asres's position appears as a remarkable dissenting voice,
all the more so as his deep traditionalism should have pushed
him toward the Semitic thesis.
"Asres is so determined to defend the blackness of Ethiopians
that he reproaches young Ethiopians who go to America for studies
of distancing themselves from people because they are black. He
asks: 'Why do you push back your brothers? Why do you think that
your lighter skin is superior to their blackness? In your eyes,
you are the second-ranking whites. In so thinking, don't you see
that you are but ranking Ethiopians below the whites?' 31
"If it is slavery that is bothering Ethiopians, Asres reminds
them that 'slavery did not start with black people.' 32 White
people too became slaves in the past every time they lost military
battles. Slavery has nothing to do with being black or white;
worse yet, to look down on black people is 'to deride and anger
God,' since blacks are His creatures.33
"Convinced of the need to hammer on the idea of the blackness
of Ethiopians, Asres asks Ethiopians to remember that their famous
Queen Makada (otherwise known as Queen of Sheba) was black. She
proudly described herself to King Solomon as 'a fine black person'
and as 'more beautiful than all the daughters of Israel.' 34
"Here an objection comes to mind: How does Makada's story
help confirm the blackness of Ethiopians when its main purpose
is to justify the claim of Solomonic descent of Ethiopian kings?
The objection overlooks the complexity of the story, notably that
Makada's pregnancy was unwanted and that it was decided by God,
who thus wanted to shift His preference from the Israelites to
Ethiopians.35 According to the Ethiopian story, Makada turned
down King Solomon twice; the latter had to use the stratagem of
spicy foods to compel her to sleep with him. Makada was, therefore,
attracted by Solomon's wisdom, not his person, and had it not
been for God's design, she would have persistently rejected his
advances. The purity of Ethiopian blackness was tarnished less
by the desire of Semitic mixture on the part of Makada than by
Divine assignment.
"Asres brings out the contagious divisiveness of European
racism. Not only to demean black people is to ally with white
people, but once the soul is infected with the influence of white
racism, 'first you look down on your friends, then on your country,
and lastly on your father and mother.' 36 Unmistakably, Asres
warns here against the harmful influence that European racism
had on northern Ethiopians and its negative effects on national
unity and cohesion. By claiming a Semitic descent under the influence
of European racism, northern Ethiopians cannot but feel above
Ethiopia's southern peoples, who do not claim such a descent.
Equally divisive is the feeling of superiority on the basis of
wealth, which is a replication of European type of class distinction.
"For Asres, such feelings originate from the 'divisive propaganda
of the enemy,' they make Ethiopians forget that 'without unity
there is no force, and without force there is no unity and pride.'
37 The mimicking of Western superiority is injurious to Ethiopian
national unity because it presents what is but a recovery as a
colonial conquest. Indeed, faithful to the pre-European writing
of Ethiopian history, Asres sees Menilik's southern expansion
as a recovery of 'lost provinces subsequent to Gragn's invasion.'
38 Cut off from the political and cultural center, these lands
underwent a characteristic deterioration, in particular in the
use of technical devises, such the ox- ploughing technique. Asres
is further inclined to speak of the southern expansion as a return
to the motherland rather than as a new conquest since he believes
that for many centuries all African peoples 'were under one king
and one flag.' 39 Both on the basis of skin color and the legacy
of common ancestry and history, Asres pleads for worldwide black
solidarity in the defense of the black person. This solidarity
is all the more necessary as Asres sees a vast and protracted
conspiracy to humiliate and subdue the black person.
"Incidentally, he makes the Arabs accomplices of the white
conspiracy against black peoples. He backs the allegation by the
role Arab merchants played in the selling of Africans to whites.40
This conspiracy against the black person has historical roots,
as it is but revenge on the part of whites and Arabs. Indeed,
citing the Bible, Asres maintains that in the past the 'sons of
Africa had conquered and despised northern white races,' so that
the present racism against blacks is a payback for past mistreatments.
41 Both the historical grudge and the racist mistreatments of
the modern time clearly show that 'the main purpose' of whites
is 'to divide, impoverish, and obfuscate Africa so as to rule
over it.' 42
"At first look, such plain accusations recall the position
of the African scholar, Cheikh Anta Diop, who also alludes to
a conspiracy stemming from the fact that the black person is 'the
very initiator of the ''Western'' civilization flaunted before
our eyes today.' 43 However, noticeable differences quickly emerge.
Diop establishes the pioneering role of blacks through the thesis
that black people were directly responsible for the remarkable
and original contributions of ancient Egypt while categorically
rejecting the inputs of Aksum. In his eyes, 'except for one obelisk
and two pedestals of statues, nothing is found. The civilization
of Axum, former capital of Ethiopia , is more a word than a reality
attested by historical monuments.' 44 Moreover, unlike Asres,
Diop is of the opinion that Africans were so peaceful that they
never showed the desire to conquer other peoples, as demonstrated
by the historical proof that 'invasions often take place from
north to south.' 45
IMPLANTING ECONOMIC DEPENDENCY
"The goal of impoverishing African countries
is essentially manifested through the generation of a dependent
economic system under the guise of modernization. Here transpires
one of the major goals of the introduction and spread of Western
education. By creating an elite enamored with Western taste and
pattern of consumption, Western education, Asres maintains, undermines
national production and economic self-sufficiency in favor of
imported goods and techniques of production, the outcome of which
is economic dependency. In a word, the objective of replacing
traditional schools with modern schools is to change Ethiopia
into a periphery of the West. Unlike the traditional teaching,
which provides the knowledge of Ethiopian resources, the external
orientation of modern education has no concern for national wealth
and resources. 46
"It simply teaches how to import techniques and goods at
the expense of national means and resources. The so-called modernization
has been nothing but the marginalization and neglect of all the
techniques that Ethiopia had used so far to exploit its resources.
Asres justifies his assertion by providing examples of neglected
techniques and resources. For instance, consider the technique
of making colors: 'Ethiopia's painters and writers did not work
by importing colors from Europe.?' 47 They were using traditional
techniques, which are now totally forgotten so that Ethiopia today
imports colors from outside. Another example is perfumes: the
Bible highly praises perfumes made in Ethiopia and exported to
the rest of the world. 48 Today Ethiopia imports European perfumes
and the know-how is completely lost.
"Yet the ancient knowledge could be easily recuperated by
reading old books written in Ge'ez. Hence Asres's repeated advices
to youngsters: 'If you go back to Ge'ez, you will find similar
wealth in great number.' 49 Asres multiplies examples by indicating
how Ethiopia had advanced techniques for the use of wood and animal
skins, which techniques are now entirely lost. The same with the
crucial technique of blacksmith, which leads him to say: 'Ethiopians
fought against powerful enemies and defeated them by manufacturing
themselves the spear, knife, sword . . . they needed. Unlike today,
they did not import arms from outside.' 50 At times Westerners
have directly intervened and blocked the use of native resources
in order to introduce their own products. For instance, 'when
the Italians occupied Ethiopia, they eliminated the plant known
as gesho. They did so, not because they knew the hidden virtues
of the plant, but because they wanted to introduce their own ingredients
for alcoholic beverages.' 51
"Asres mocks the naivety of Ethiopians when they think that
Europeans will teach them the secrets of science. Because of this
belief, many Ethiopians were sent to Europe for study and many
foreign teachers hired at great expenses. However, all this effort
has not produced 'even 10 young Ethiopians capable of understanding
the secrets of scientific work.' 52 Asres reiterates his deep
conviction by saying to young Ethiopians: 'I want you to understand
that European scientists will never reveal the wisdom of science
to you.' 53 Let there be no misunderstanding: The warning against
the European unwillingness to share scientific knowledge does
not mean that Asres is against the attempt to import European
know-how or that he is opposed to modernization. Rather, he asks
Ethiopians to proceed in a smart way in view of the European unwillingness
to share knowledge.
"Instead of abruptly abandoning traditional techniques and
resources, which only results in the loss of self-sufficiency
in favor of dependency, Ethiopians should devise a smart policy
of transition from the traditional to the modern. Accordingly,
until modern industries are well established, Ethiopians should
use traditional means and refrain from merely importing goods
from outside.54 Likewise, instead of simply shutting down traditional
schools, the best way is to educate a small amount of Ethiopians
by hiring few foreign instructors. Once these Ethiopians graduate,
they should be sent to the various provinces to educate other
Ethiopians while foreign instructors are sent back to their country.55
SOME CRITICAL REMARKS
"One thing is sure: Asres's book reveals far-reaching
revolutionary ideas. Specifically, his analyses of the harmful
impacts of Western education and economic penetration are both
radical and highly insightful. So my criticism is not attempting
to show the invalidity of his analyses, notwithstanding the fact
that they appear excessive at times. Equally excessive is his
high regard for tradition and the traditional system of education,
not to mention the fact that some of his proposals are, if not
irrelevant, at least unrealistic. These shortcomings, however,
do not reduce the value of his analyses.
"Much more serious seems to me Asres's inconsistencies, which
strongly transpire in the complete lack of critical remarks vis-à-vis
Emperor Haile Sellassie and his regime. I know that a critical
stand would have put his life in danger, but the fact remains
that the book loses much of its revolutionary impact by not including
a criticism of the imperial regime. After all, Haile Sellassie
has been the main instrument of the introduction of Western education
and of the economic penetration of the West whose detrimental
effects are analyzed with such a sharp insight.
"Surprising as it may sound, the book does not make the slightest
allusion to the eminent role that Haile Sellassie played in designing
and applying a harmful policy of modernization. Asres could not
have missed that his acerbic criticisms of the modernizing process
of Ethiopia extends to the initiator and patron of the process,
to wit, Haile Sellassie. Though the latter is the real culprit
for the bad policy, Asres inconsistently put the blame on young
Western educated Ethiopians. He repeatedly accuses them of being
alienated and the prime instrument of the colonization of Ethiopia
when they are but the products of Haile Sellassie's modernizing
scheme. His book attacks the outcome of a policy and exonerates
the real agent of Ethiopia's derailment.
"Another related inconsistency is that Asres's defense of
tradition loses its fervor every time that he has to deal with
the imperial regime. Take what is said about the role of idil,
that is, of God's choice in the stratification of Ethiopian society.
Asres asserts that each individual occupies the place assigned
to him by God and that God's choice gives the highest positions
to those He created with adequate abilities. This justification
of social stratification implies that the present rulers of Ethiopia,
including the emperor himself, are not living up to expectations,
since Ethiopia is divested of its personality and reduces to the
status of a periphery of the West.
"Clearly, Asres backs down from being a staunch defender
of tradition to avoid a clash with the regime. Some such reversal
is unfortunate, given that he could have condemned the regime
in the name of tradition, which would have provided the best defense
of tradition. In showing that the present rulers of Ethiopia are
traitors to the tradition of Ethiopia's independence and Divine
mission, he would have mobilized nationalist feelings in his defense
of tradition.
"In light of Asres's belief that the wisdom of God chooses
the best leaders for Ethiopia, a basic condition for the implementation
of God's choices is undoubtedly the absence of social barriers
to the promotion of the most able. But if mediocre people and
sellouts continue to rule because they are protected by privileges,
Asres should denounce the obstruction, all the more vehemently
that it is bound to bring disaster, which is God's punishment
for going against His choices.
Such a position could have been premonitory in view of the occurrence
of the 1974 Revolution and the subsequent rise of the Derg, which
brought about the decapitation of the traditional elite and plunged
Ethiopia into untold sufferings and further deteriorations of
its social cohesion and power.
"That Asres's deep and first hand knowledge of tradition
could miss that the notion of idil presupposes an open society
is hardly believable. Idil posits a society allowing social mobility;
it does not make sense in a society blocked by human-made privileges,
such as the Ethiopian society under the imperial regime with its
hereditary monarchy and nobility together with individual nobles
possessing private property and using tenants in their land. These
privileges constituted formidable social barriers and artificial
impediments standing in the way of God's choices.
"Because of his reluctance to criticize the imperial regime,
Asres thus misses the opportunity of demonstrating the value of
tradition by showing how well the notion of idil fits into the
modernizing goal. The demonstration of a connivance with modernity
would have, in turn, advocated the return and consolidation of
the traditional social mobility rather than its elimination.
"Lastly, it is obvious that despite his rage against the
West, Asres is not quite successful in combating its influence.
In many ways, he agrees with the norms of the West. The agreement
transpires frequently, as when he intimates that Ethiopia regressed
because of Gragn's invasion. The destructions caused by the invasion
were so extensive that Ethiopians lost many of the technological
advances that they had to the benefit of Europeans.
"In thus assigning similar technological goals to Ethiopians
and Westerners, Asres gives up the opportunity of describing the
Ethiopian civilization in terms of alternative civilization rather
than in terms of a similar civilization that had regressed. Contrary
to the notion of different or alternative civilization, the notion
of regress confirms the idea of European superiority instead of
challenging it.
"Likewise, Asres's attempt to explain Western racism as a
behavior induced by revenge leads him to say that blacks had dominated
and mistreated white people in the past. The statement presents
world history as a field of fierce competition between races impelled
by similar goals. In so thinking, Asres is not analyzing different
civilizations in terms of divergent aspirations and means, as
did, for instance, the African revivalist school known as Negritude.
"Arguing that each culture has its own way of thinking as
well as its own goals, the thinkers of Negritude reject Europeans'
claim that they 'were the only ones who had thought out a Civilization
to the level and the dimension of University.' 56 The failure
to particularize shows that Asres did not manage to think Western
civilization and its achievements as a particular civilization
among other equally valid civilizations. Instead, he endorses
the normativeness of Western civilization by perceiving its aspirations,
especially its technological goals, as universal aspirations,
that is, aspirations shared by all people regardless of their
culture and race.57 Willy-nilly, this way of posing the problem
puts the West in the driver seat of history, and so fails to question
its colonizing goal.
NOTES :-
1. I translate the Amharic title "Tekami Mikre"
as "Useful Advice." I add that all the direct quotations
from the book are my own translations, which are loose but accurate.
2. See Useful Advice (Addis Ababa: Berhanena Selam Printing Press,
1958), p. 22.
3. It would be undoubtedly very revealing to compare Asres with
the early Westernized intellectuals of Ethiopia , such as Afework
Gebre Yesus and Gebrehiwot Baykedagn. As a representative of the
traditional scholar, Asres shares none of their views, which derive
from the conviction that Ethiopia cannot modernize unless it throws
away its traditional beliefs and values and unreservedly opens
up to the West. Ethiopia's failure to modernize may be due to
the failure to reconcile these two divergent mental directions.
For further reading, see Messay Kebede, "Gebrehiwot Baykedagn,
Eurocentrism, and the Decentering of Ethiopia," Journal of
Black Studies, 36: 6 (July 2006), pp. 815-832.
4. Asres, Useful Advice, p. 5.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. See Messay Kebede, Survival and Modernization-- Ethiopia ?s
Enigmatic Present: A Philosophical Discourse (Lawrenceville, .N.J.:
The Red Sea Press Inc., 1999).
8. Asres, Useful Advice Ibid., p. 6.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid., p. 82.
11. Ibid., p. 6.
12. Ibid., p. 8.
13. Ibid., p. 18.
14. Ibid., p. 7.
15. Ibid., p.38.
16. Ibid., p. 46.
17. Ibid., p. 8.
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid., p. 7.
20. Ibid.
21. Ibid., p. 8.
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid., p. 10.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid., p. 16.
26. Ibid.
27. Ibid., p. 18.
28. For more discussion on this issue, see Messay Kebede, "Eurocentrism
and Ethiopian Historiography: Deconstructing Semitization,"
International Journal of Ethiopian Studies, 1: 1 (Fall 2003),
pp. 1-19.
29. Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1972), p. 8.
30. Asres, Useful Advice, p. 20.
31. Ibid., p. 58.
32. Ibid.
33. Ibid., p. 69.
34. Ibid., p. 62.
35. To read more on this issue, refer to Messay Kebede, Survival
and Modernization-- Ethiopia's Enigmatic Present: A Philosophical
Discourse.
36. Asres, Useful Advice, p. 63-58.
37. Ibid., p. 65.
38. Ibid., p. 34.
39. Ibid., p. 82.
40. See, ibid., p. 83.
41. Ibid.
42. Ibid., p. 88.
43. Cheikh Anta Diop, The African Origin of Civilization: Myth
or Reality (Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 1974), p. xiv.
44. Ibid., p. 156.
45. Diop, 'African Cultural Unity,' Presence Africaine, 24/25
(1959), p. 71.
46. See Asres, Useful Advice, p. 18.
47. Ibid., p. 26.
48. See Ibid., p. 27.
49. Ibid., p. 28.
50. Ibid., p. 42.
51. Ibid., pp. 30-31.
52. Ibid., p. 43.
53. Ibid., p. 49.
54. See ibid., p. 43.
55. Ibid.
56. Leopold S. Senghor, Prose and Poetry, trans. John Reed and
Clive Wake (London: Heinemann, 1976), p. 73.
57. For further discussion on the idea of alternative civilizations,
see Messay Kebede, Africa's Quest for a Philosophy of Decolonization
(New York: Rodopi, 2004).
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Our Response:-
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Thank you for visiting our website and for writing
us in email soliciting our help in the Name of God in order that
you might be capable of dispelling the confusion that you had
been subjected to as a result of reading an article that you came
across in one of the websites of the internet.
The critical article that highlights the themes and visions of
Aleqa Asres Yenesew outlined in his book entitled "Teqami
M'kr", translated into English as "Useful Advice",
and written presumably by the Ethiopian author of the book: Survival
and Modernization-Ethiopia's Enigmatic Present: A Philosophical
Discourse, Messay Kebede, is indeed inspiring and challenging
one.
Let us come directly to the issue of your email:
1) We have found the whole content of the long article to be relatively
in line with the fundamental precepts of Ethiopia: The Kingdom
of God that we serve, referred to as "Tradition" by
the writer of the article. We are also of the opinion that it
proves to coincide generally with the themes of our published
books posted on our website. We always hail, as we had endorsed
the works and the views expressed therein, of Aleqa Asres Yenesew,
not only with regard to the topic under discussion, but also with
all the rest of his lifetime achievements that amount to his literary
legacies.
Everything that the writer of the article imparted therein is
the stark reality, which the present Ethiopian generation undergoes
nowadays. Consequently, if the latter opted to continue with its
survival as the authentic ETHIOPIAN NATION, which we doubt, it
has to recognize and cope with such trying adversity whose predictability
is as yet doomed even to an aggravated imminent eventuality, unless
the appropriate measure is taken uncompromisingly and without
undue delay. There is no alternative other than to comply with
what Aleqa Asres proposed in his book, complemented, of course,
by ours, as outlined hereunder.
The continuation of the status quo, notwithstanding the above
revelation and admonition, would amount to nothing but simply
to entertain a scenario destined for a total self-extinction individually
and/or collectively, even from the least residual life of the
temporal, let alone from that of the eternal, as witnessed in
a multitude of previous episodes, recent and ancient ones. This
is where the unbeliever, the unrepentant, the ambivalent, the
'lukewarm", the apathetic, the confused, the intransigent,
the bigot, the tyrant, the arrogant, the traitor, and the like
members of the generation seem to keep on prevailing.
At the end, it is a pity that even those adversaries of God and
Ethiopia, would not be left out to live either to benefit from
the outcome of their exhaustive exploits nor to witness and enjoy
the spectacle of their ultimate Coliseum. Such is the reward to
be received by those mentors and sponsors, instigators and perpetrators
who, under the guidance of the Evil Spirit, devised and executed,
from time immemorial to this day, the incredibly devious, unremitting
and systematic attack on all that pertains to the Divine Kingdom
of Ethiopia including Her Generation of the Holy Covenant with
the immediate aim to commit the latter to wither away, if possible,
otherwise to achieve the final goal by bringing about the utter
destruction of the whole infrastructure of the same, to the extent
of doing away even with the last fabric.
Under the circumstances, the survival of Ethiopia: The Kingdom
of God with Her Children and Divine Treasure is currently sustained
and shall continue to be sustained only by those individual Ethiopians
who remain steadfastly faithful to the Holy Covenant that their
predecessors made with God and preserved for the past seven and
half millenniums to the present.
2) We, in the Service of Ethiopia: the Kingdom of God concur just
as well with the critical analysis addressed to Aleqa Asres's
failures to win the goals of "the revolutionary impact"
of his struggle against the sinister stratagem of his contemporary
Ethiopian "Imperial Regime" of Atsie Haile-Sellassie,
with the special emphasis on the sector of education.
Not only do we express our concurrence to that effect, but would
also like to disclose the reality that pervades our missions and
activities of the Services of Ethiopia: The Kingdom of God with
reference to this line of reasoning. Here, in contrast to those
failures of Aleqa Asres in the campaign of his criticism of Atsie
Haile-Sellassie and the latter's regime, one could easily find
those shortcomings as non-existent.
These crucial matters are described in all our published books
mentioned earlier, particularly in the one entitled, "IthioPia:
YeAlemu Meffareja!" in details. There, they remain prominently
articulated, rectified and vigorously pursued as the main factors
of the basic theological contention of our Services vis-à-vis
that of the detrimental policy position of the disoriented and
derailed regime of Atsie Haile-Sellassie. In fact, the foregoing
stance of our Services continues to be the prime concern pursued
by the same incessantly and vehemently to this day against Ethiopia's
adversaries who manipulated the late Atsie Haile-Sellassie personally
and his regime collectively to the full extent.
3) The other significant focal point that needs to be dealt with
seriously is the paramount issue of the Ethiopian racial identity.
It will be singled out here and now for elaboration with reference
to the premise suggested in this regard by Aleqa Asres in his
book and analyzed in the article under consideration.
And this implies the notion of categorizing Ethiopians as being
the Children of Ham only, thus considering them to be of the Black
Race and Colour alone. Such a presumption is something that we
do not simply pass over without any regard. It proves to be a
major case that needs earnest reflection and analytical assessment,
because it infringes upon the religious foundation of our Ethiopian
Faith of the Holy Covenant. As a result, we categorically reject
it and respond to it appropriately forthwith in the following
terms:
In accordance with the Divine Truth of our Faith of the Holy Covenant,
we, Ethiopians, believe that we are the Descendants of Melke-Tsedeq
who turned out to be the Precursor of the Ultimate and Eternal
Melke-Tsedeq: Jesus Christ. Melke-Tsedeq was the first offspring
of the unified seed that constituted the three Children of Noah.
He was blessed to be the contemporary of the latter, since Noah
was still alive then. The Divine Phenomenon of such unification
was attained through the primary intermarriages of the three progenies
of Ham, Shem and Japheth, the Sons of Noah. Just as the racial
identity of the First Melke-Tsedeq happens to be thus, so also
is that of the Ultimate Melke-Tsedeq: Jesus Christ.
Be that as it may, after the cataclysm of the Great Flood, the
present human species stemmed, branched and multiplied separately
from the aforementioned three Sons of Noah into three groups.
Each created and maintained for itself distinct man-made characterization
of its individual formation, beginning from the genetic specifics,
to colour of skin, physical features, mental ingenuity, spiritual
propensity and occupational attractions of each group.
At the advent of the climax of the crossroads of the eschatological
development of the human existence on Earth, the Ultimate Melke-Tsedeq,
Jesus Christ was revealed, Himself the culmination of the initial
Divine Phenomenon that came to pass for the fulfillment of the
final and everlasting Divine Cause, as narrated below.
Ethiopians of the Holy Covenant, as Descendants and Children of
both Melke-Tsedeqs, personify, in the semblance of Noah, the restoration
of a unified human constitution. And, in the identity of both
Melke-Tsedeqs, they represent the renewed and enhanced human entity
that embodies the New Personality brought about by the Atonement
of Jesus Christ. As such, they are the "Children, Priests
and Royals of God".
That was why, the Son of God came to the world as an Ethiopian,
born of the Ethiopian Virgin Mary, in the image of Melke-Tsedeq.
The sole purpose of The Incarnation is to reconcile and unify
the mutually antagonistic and belligerent tribes of Shem, Ham
and Japheth through the Sacrifice of The Same on the Cross. Thus,
The Divine Redeemer dissolved and abolished each and every speck
of the vestiges of the scourges of human disintegration, differentiation
and discrimination based on race, ethnicity and colour of skin
from among peoples of the world once and for all.
No wonder that Ethiopiawinnet (Belief and Living in the Faith
and Reality of the Holy Covenant that Ethiopians preserved to
date) is said to be the only curative solution for all chronic
and deadly human, individual, national and international problems
that pertain to physical, mental, spiritual, religious, ethnic,
racial, social, economic and political aspects, and that plagued
Creation from the beginning to the present.
Ethiopians are, therefore, not only Hamites or Blacks, but also
Semites or Reds (Yellows), and Japhethites or Whites. The details
of the Divine Truth that relate to the exegesis of this subject-matter
is extensively provided with in the books posted on our website,
as mentioned above.
4) Finally, I would like to draw, through this response to your
email, the attentions of both the writer of the article as well
as of Ato Aleme Taddese whom the latter referred to in his analysis,
and comment on the relevant reference that pertains to the case
under review, which I deem it necessary to quote hereunder. It
reads "When I wrote my book, Survival and Modernization,
I was not even remotely aware of Asres's works. Yet what a delightful
surprise when I discovered that many of my findings reproduce
Asres's thought! I take this opportunity to thank Aleme Tadesse
for introducing me to Asres's writings."
Our comment is brief and precise: Ato Aleme Taddese, who is well
acquainted with our Services, knew intimately from the beginning,
all the time and for long about the publications and distributions
of our books mentioned above. All these books are transcribed
in Ethiopic (Amharic) with the exception of only one that was
written in English, entitled, Ethiopia: The Classic Case.
This being the reality, it is worth asking, in the first place,
whether Ato Aleme bothered to introduce even the existence of
these literary works of our Services to the writer of the article,
along with those of Aleqa Asres's. This factor is important, because
Ato Aleme was well aware of the fact that both literary sets have
relevance to each other; and that the themes and approaches of
both, directed at the current Ethiopian problems, are identical.
Again, the exception with our set in this regard is: Unlike that
of Ato Asres's, ours provides the problem at issue with the sole,
legitimate and perfect solution simultaneously.
In the unlikely event that Ato Aleme, did not do so, which became
quite apparent from the exposition of the writer of the article,
the next step would be to put forward the question of why he failed
to do so? This question ought to be left for him to answer himself.
However, had he done so, no doubt that the writer would have tended
to make a more conducive and positive conclusion on his critical
analysis, without committing his readers to the present fate of
desperation and perplexity as experienced even by yourself, as
you explicitly stated in the opening remarks of your email.
_____________________________
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E-mail from H. Haile:
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Selam inna Tena yesteligne! Please pray for me!! Egziabhare
yestiligne!!
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Our Response:-
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Thank you for continuing to visit our web site
and for writing us asking us to pray for you.
For us to comply with your request, normally, we need your Christian
(Baptismal) Name. So, please, send us the forgoing requirement,
if you will.
_________________________
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E-mail from anonymous:
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Greetings, Qess Ermias:
Forgive my ignorance! I have little knowledge of the Holy Tradition.
Thanks for
your complete and deep answer.
I would ask another, and last, question. I know that Ethiopia
is Eden, as we read in book of Creation, and I know Ethiopia is
the mother of man, as David said: "The Man shall say, Zion
is my mother". But I read in Kufale that God created Adam
and Eve from the land of Elda, not Eden. Thus, is the land of
Elda Ethiopia? If not, where is the land of Elda, and what does
this word mean?
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Our Response:-
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Presuming that you might be or might not be the
person who had posed a question similar to this one of yours,
and to which question we already had sent the following text as
our response some weeks ago, please find the same that would serve
your purpose.
Here is our explanation to your question: In Scriptures of G'iz
Manuscripts, "Paradise" and "The Garden of Eden"
pertain to the same word of "Gennet" with reference
to "Edom" and "Elda". These are all designations
of the same place "Ethiopia", where Adam and Eve were
created and lived. In all cases of the various names of the place
aforementioned, the characteristic feature that predominated the
phenomenon was the sudden and complete change of the situation
of the status of the latter, namely, the downfall of Adam and
Eve from the blissful life of Divinity to the miserable fate of
humanity. This condition was brought about by the betrayal of
the Word of God committed by the latter resulting in the withdrawal
of the Divine Grace that previously clothed their person and pervaded
their abode with sublime serenity.
It is not uncommon for a particular place to be called with various
analogous names; for example, the same name and location of Ethiopia
was known in Biblical and ancient times as Midiam, Nubia, Axum,
Kush, Sheba, Habesha (Abyssinia).
N'bure-Id Ermias K. Welde-Iyesus,
Servant of Ethiopia: The Kingdom of God Services
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E-mail from H. Abebe:
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Thank you so much for the response. I am a literature student
and very much interested in Ethiopian Orthodox Church as I am
the believer; and I would be very much interested if there is
anything that I could do towards your service. Thank you very
much again.
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Our Response:-
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Thank you for continuing to visit our web site
and for writing us expressing your compliment for our last response
to your email.
It is enough for us to hear from you of the satisfaction you obtained
from our services, since our objective is based on and limited
to rendering such services. We need no more offer from you other
than the manifestation of goodwill that is conveyed in your email
that says, "I would be very much interested if there is anything
that I could do towards your service" which we greatly appreciate
with gratitude.
___________________________
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E-mail from G. B. Wagaw:
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Thank you very much for your brief response.
I am really satisfied.
Please don't hesitate to send important information with this
email address. I am an Orthodox Christian.
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Our Response:-
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Thank you for continuing to visit our web site
and for writing us expressing your compliment for our last response
to your email.
Please, be informed that our web site is meant to serve that same
purpose you required from us in your aforementioned email. And
that purpose is: Sending important information to those interested
readers of our web site like yourself. So, please be advised to
visit our web site and consult the various forums that interest
you as often as you can.
_____________________________
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E-mail from H. Giorgis:
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Greetings Brethren!
Question #1. Did Iyesus Christos die on the Cross? And if
He did, was it spiritually, mentally or physically? Or did He
die at all? Some bible accounts state that when the soldier
cut His side that he bled with blood and water. Physiology states
that water supports life and when taken down from the Cross
His structure was still in tact. His brethren were expert healers
who, without a doubt, would have applied the highest concentration
of healing power to assist in his recovery.
Question #2. Was Iyesus Christos a vegetarian? Are there others
references outside of the Bible that inform about His diet and
health practices?
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Our Response:-
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Here are the answers to your two questions:
1) Yes, Iyesus Christos did die on the Cross, but not in the sense
and likeness of the one that we, mere humans, experience, i.e.,
the complete and total separation and departure of the Soul (mental)
and the Spirit (spiritual) out from the Flesh (the physical body)
never occurred to Him. In His Case, His Divinity, in the mystery
of Tewah'do (Incarnation), remained coexistent with His Humanity
both in the Flesh that was buried in the tomb as well as with
the Soul that descended to Hell to announce the Good News of the
Resurrection and the Liberation to those souls who deserved such
Eternal Privilege through their Faith and Repentance. Note that
His Spiritual Body is His Divine Being. On the third day after
His Death on the Cross, His Incarnate Soul returned to the Holy
Sepulcher and there reunited with the Incarnate Flesh which culminated
in His Resurrection.
That was exactly the reason why, to quote from your own writing,
"He bled with blood and water when the soldier cut His side,
and, His structure was still intact when taken down from the Cross,
as physiology states that water supports life, and even if His
brethren were expert healers who without a doubt would have applied
the highest concentration of healing power to assist in his recovery."
2) The Holy Scriptures does not suggest that Iyesus Christos was
a vegetarian, but the contrary. In fact some New Testament quotations
divulge such truth: That He was not a vegetarian. Let us refer
to few examples that corroborate this truth:
a) His rejoinder to the Pharisees when they accused Him of eating
"with tax collectors and sinners" (Matt. 9/11);
b) His retort to the accusation of the Scribes of the Jews against
His Disciples of eating without washing "their hands",
at which He explained that "Not what goes into the mouth
defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a
man." (15/11);
c) His Sermon to the multitude depicting John the Baptist as one
who "came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He
has a demon!' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they
say, 'Look, a glutton and winebibber, a friend of tax collectors
and sinners!'" (Matt. 11/18-19);
d) His instruction to His Disciples, when He appointed and sent
them away to propagate the Good News of the Advent of the Kingdom
of God, to "Remain in the same house, eating and drinking
such things as they give, for the laboror is worthy of his wages."
(Lk. 10/7);
e) His adherence to the observance of the Old Testament Divine
Commandment of partaking in the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb
at least every year at the Commemoration of "The First Day
of the Unleavened Bread (Mk. 14/12-18);
f) The voice that spoke to the Apostle Simon Peter while he was
in Joppa and in a trance stating "He saw heaven opened and
an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending
to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed
animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds
of the air," saying, "'Rise, Peter; kill and eat!' But
Peter said, 'Not so, Lord! For, I have never eaten anything common
and unclean.' and a voice spoke to him again the second time,
'What God has cleansed, you must not call common.' This was done
three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again."
(Act. 10/11-16) surely emanated from Him.
Our premise for these references is the certainty that, as He
Himself is the Word of God and the Incarnate God simultaneously,
He does not say or teach what He does not practice or apply Himself
whenever necessary.
There are no other references which we know of outside of the
Bible that inform us about His diet and health practices. And
even if there are, we do not accept them unless they concur with
the latter.
_____________________________
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| E-mail from Sylvan: |
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(1) Can you please tell me what is the Church's
position on HIM Haile Sellassie I? and,
(2) In the Bible it clearly describes the Messiah as having "hair
like a lamb's wool and feet like burnt brass". That description
to me clearly describes a person with Negroid features. So, why
is it that the Church continues to portray Jesus as a white man?
I know it is about the Message he brought to the world and not
the colour of the Messenger [that we must be more concerned about];
but the description in the Bible is there for a reason. So, why
does the Church continue to portray the opposite?
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Our Response:-
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First of all you need to know the fact that we represent, speak
of and answer for only the True Tewah'do Church of Ethiopia:
The Kingdom of God, whose age of existence spans the past seven
and half millennium of years, and not of and for the one that
calls itself the Ethiopian Orthodox Church that accepted the
claim of the Egyptian (Coptic) Orthodox Church to have been
established by the latter as its diocese or branch church in
Ethiopia in the fourth century A. D. If you have meant the questions
in your email to be directed to the latter, you may withdraw
your correspondence to us and redirect them to the above now.
However, if not, the following are our answers to your questions:
1) Our Church's position with regard to Atsie Haile-Sellassie
I is that he is simply one of the Elects of God, anointed to
serve the Lord Jesus Christ Who, as the Incarnate God, was born
of the Ethiopian Virgin Mary, and Who became the True, the Last
and Eternal Priestly King in the Order of Melke-Tsedeq and the
Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. This issue is specifically,
explicitly and extensively dealt with in our published book
entitled Ethiopia: The Classic Case and posted on our web site.
Please read it; it seems that you had not done so until now.
2) When you read the aforementioned book, you will find that
the main theme of the same is the categorical biblical assertion
of the Divine Truth that Jesus Christ is neither black nor white
alone but an Ethiopian, whose racial identity was established
in the birth of and depicted in the image of Melke-Tsedeq as
constituting the seeds of the Three sons of Noah, typifying
Ham as Black, Shem as Red or Yellow, and Japheth as White. Such
depiction diametrically conforms to the biblical description
of the features of the Messiah you referred to in your email.
As explained in our opening statement, it is understandable
and you may deduce from the situation presented therein why
the Egyptian (Coptic) Orthodox Church in Ethiopia continues
to portray Jesus Christ as a white man.
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E-mail from Fikre:
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Could you answer for me [questions] about JOHN CHAPTER 10?
Please [explain the verses, like] "I am the door. ...He who
does not come to me by the door and is going out by another window."
Any way, I am not speaking English properly. So, forgive me; but
try to understand me.
And I will wait for your true [explanation of the] Bible words
[quoted above].
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Our Response:-
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Trusting that we understood your quotation correctly,
we tried hereby to answer your question put forward in your email
as follows:
Chapter 10 verses 1-11 of the Gospel of St. John read: "Jesus
said to them, 'Most assuredly I say unto you, he who does not
enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way,
the same is a thief and a robber. ...All who ever came before
Me are thieves and robbers. ...I am the door. If anyone enters
by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out, and find pasture.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and destroy.
...I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for
the sheep."
These verses simply tell you that Jesus Christ, God the Son who
became man in the womb of, and born of the Holy Virgin Mary, is
the only True and Faithful, Reliable and Competent Shepherd, Teacher,
Priest, and Confessor of Believers, individually as well as collectively.
This simply means that, in accordance with the Church's Canon
Law, you may have a personal priestly shepherd, teacher, counselor
or confessor; but do not rely upon such person solely and completely.
The Word of God contained in the quotation above is the perfect
teaching, directive and warning given to us by Our Lord and Saviour
the Incarnate God, Jesus Christ. Every Believer needs to maintain
it for his/her own physical, mental and spiritual well-being in
this world and in the eternal life, as we, here, in Ethiopia:
The Kingdom of God, abide by it.
In order for you to understand fully, from the Ethiopian perspective
of the Holy Covenant, the Divine Message of the whole Chapter
10, and for that matter, the Divine Messages of all Scriptures,
you need to read our books and materials posted on our website.
Until then, the following exposition could serve you as a guideline
for the time being:
More often than not, human persons are the ones who, individually
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