African Roots in Black Catholic History

African Roots

• Black history in America is intertwined with African roots
• American Black Catholics sought their origins in the religious experience of Africa
• The African saints of the early church were used for self-definition in the black Catholic community
• Both Protestant and Catholic Americans found their roots in the black Africans depicted in the Bible, particularly in references to Ethiopia in the Psalms and Prophets
• Origen, a prominent Alexandrian church father, interpreted the Song of Songs as a representation of the church's relationship with God
• Origen believed the Queen of Sheba, described as a beautiful black woman, was a symbol of the universality of the church
• Isaiah's prophecy about Egypt's defeat by Assyria mentioned Tirhakah, a black pharaoh who ruled from 690 to 664 B.C.
• The "Ethiopian Eunuch" in Acts 8:26-40, a wealthy proselyte, is the first undeniable black individual mentioned in the New Testament
• This "Ethiopian Eunuch" was actually from Nubia and held the position of a royal treasurer
• He possessed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, which he read in the Greek Septuagint version, indicating his wealth and education
• The "Ethiopian Eunuch" represents the first black individual to convert to Christianity
• Nubia, divided into three kingdoms, was converted to Christianity in the 6th century
• Missionaries sent by both Emperor Justinian and his wife, Theodora, played a role in converting Nubia to Christianity
• Nubia's Christian population was divided into Monophysites and Chalcedonians
• The survival of the Christian church in Nubia is evidenced by the discovery of the remains of Bishop Timotheos, who was ordained in the 14th century
• The Christian community in Nubia persisted for almost eight hundred years, demonstrating the existence of an African Christian culture

Ethiopian Christianity

• Ethiopia embraced Christianity two centuries before Nubia
• Ethiopian civilization originated from Semites from Southern Arabia and later developed into a major indigenous black civilization
• The archaeological remains of the royal capital, Axum, provide evidence of this civilization
• Ethiopia had its own unique alphabet and written language, Ge'ez, by the 2nd century A.D.
• King Caleb or Elesbaan led an Ethiopian expedition into southern Arabia in the 6th century to punish those responsible for killing Christians
• Ethiopia established its own distinct Christian tradition and culture in the 5th century, with its own liturgy, sacred rites, and unique artistic and architectural traditions
• Ethiopian monasticism emerged in the 5th century and played a significant role in the spiritual life of the people
• Ethiopian Christianity, despite its Monophysite stance, has a rich theological tradition, including unique translations of Scripture and patristic texts
• Ethiopian Christians have historically followed the Monophysite teachings of the Egyptian church
• Political and cultural ties between Ethiopia and the Byzantine Empire existed from the 4th to the 7th century
• The rise of Islam in the 7th century diminished Ethiopia's connection with the Byzantine Empire and the Mediterranean world
• Ethiopia holds a special place in church history for its early adoption of Christianity, preceding the establishment of the Church in Ireland, Anglo-Saxon England, and other parts of Northern Europe
• Ethiopia's early Christian church established a strong tradition in African culture before the spread of Christianity to other areas