Gondar - Phi Kappa Psi

. . . Emperor Yekuno Amlak of the Solomid dynasty was
supported by a line of Ethiopian theologians: Tekle Haymanot,
Iyasus Mo'a and the Abbot Yohannes . . .
Tekle Haymanot or Takla
Haymanot (Ge'ez takla hāymānōt, modern
tekle hāymānōt, "Plant of Faith"; known in
the Coptic Church as Saint Takla
Haymanot of Ethiopia) (c. 1215 – c. 1313)
was an Ethiopian monk who founded a
major monastery in his native province of
Shewa. He is considered a saint by both
the Coptic and Ethiopian Churches. His
feast day is August 17, and the 24th day of
every month in the Ethiopian calendar is
dedicated to Tekle Haymanot. Tekle
Haymanot was born in the district of Bulga
on the eastern edge of Shewa, the son of
the priest Sagaz Ab ("Gift of Faith") and his
wife Egzi'e Haraya ("Choice of God"), who
is also known as Sarah. According to
tradition, his ancestors had been Christian
who had settled in Shewa ten generations
before.
The Lion of Judah
His father gave Tekle Haymanot his earliest religious instruction; later he
was ordained a priest by the Egyptian bishop Qerilos. During his youth, Shewa
was subject to a number of devastating raids by Motalami, the pagan king of
Damot. As a result, the morale of Christians in Shewa had weakened, and the
practice of paganism increased. There are a number of traditions, some of less
historical value than others, that describe Tekle Haymanot's interactions with
Motalami.
The first significant point in his life was when Tekle Haymanot, at the age
of 30, travelled north to settle at the monastery of Iyasus Mo'a, who had only a
few years before founded a monastery on an island in the middle of Lake Hayq in
the district of Amba Sel (the present-day Amhara Region). There he studied
under the abbot for nine years before travelling to Tigray, where he visited Axum,
then stayed for a while at the monastery of Debre Damo, where he studied under
Abbot Yohannes, Iyasus Mo'a's spiritual teacher. By this point, a small group of
followers began to attach themselves around him.