that Abūna is the only bishop in Abyssinia.[1] Certainly in the past he has ordained suffragans, and has wanted to ordain twelve. Now he has suffragans, but does not ordain them. The Coptic Patriarch has succeeded in applying the rule about Abūna to other Abyssinian bishops too, or has enforced the general principle that he alone ordains all bishops of his patriarchate. So the modern practice is that all bishops in Abyssinia are Coptic monks ordained by the Patriarch. I believe I am right in saying that the present Primate[2] has two suffragans, Peter and Luke.[3] Abyssinian institutions, laws, faith and arrangements generally are those of the Copts, with local variety. In order not to say the same thing twice over, we will here assume that everything corresponds to Coptic use, with the following exceptions.
The priests are even more illiterate than those of Egypt. They are ordained in great numbers without any kind of training. Lobo's account of an ordination in the 16th century is interesting. He quotes from Fr. Alvarez, of the Portuguese mission. Abūna rode up on a mule and made a speech in Arabic,[4] to the effect that if, among those to be ordained, anyone were present who had been twice married, he must withdraw, under pain of excommunication. Hereupon he got off his mule and sat by a white tent specially prepared for him. Alvarez says that 2356 men were waiting to be ordained.[5] Meanwhile some priests arranged these in rows, and examined them by giving to each a book to read. They touched those whom they approved on the arm and made them step forward. After this examination Abūna went into the tent, and the candidates were admitted, one by one, before him. Abūna laid his hand on each one's head, said several prayers, and blessed him repeatedly with his little bronze cross. Then followed the liturgy, at which the newly ordained priests received Communion from Abūna.[6] Deacons are boys who can just read. The
- ↑ So Gondal: op. cit. p. 21; Silbernagl: Verfassung, u.s.w. p. 295; Lobo: Voyage hist. p. 353.
- ↑ He is Matthew: Abūna Matewos, aba salāma.
- ↑ I know nothing more about either Peter or Luke, except that they are Egyptian monks, ordained at Cairo.
- ↑ Presumably the only language he knew; I suppose no one present but Alvarez could understand him.
- ↑ Apparently some are stark naked.
- ↑ Lobo: Voyage historique d'Abyssinie, pp. 341-342.
