- Frumentius of Tyre (died c.383 CE) was consecrated Bishop of Axum sometime between 328-341 CE, by Athanasius the Patriarch of Alexandria, and returned to Ethiopia to convert the Country.
- Under Frumentius, between 331-341 CE, Christianity became the Official State Religion of Ethiopia.
History of Christianity in Ethiopia
- As a boy, Frumentius of Tyre was accompanying his uncle on a merchant vessel to an Ethiopian Port in the Red Sea. The Crew were massacred but he and his brother Edesias were spared and taken to the King of the Aksumite Empire at Aksum, to become his slaves. Eventually, they rose to become important Officials in the Government, and they were given their Freedom.
- After the King’s death they were invited by the Queen, acting as Regent for her son, to stay on. They started converting the Merchants to Christianity, then when the Prince became King, decided to retire and go back to Tyre in Lebanon, where Edesias became a Priest.
- Sometime between 328-341 CE, Frumentius was consecrated Bishop of Axum by Athanasius, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and returned to Ethiopia to convert the Country.
- Between 331-341 CE Christianity became the Official State Religion of Ethiopia.
- The Aksumite Empire was the first country to use the sign of the Cross on its coins.
Axum, Ethiopia