UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Christian Aksum
denying that Christ was true man and true God. In Flavian's view, each
of Christ's two natures was perfect and distinct, and united only in the
person of Christ. Dioscoros, Patriarch of Alexandria, at once opposed this
viewpoint. Christ, he said, had but one nature, which was at once human
and divine. This was the Monophysitism whose chief defender was the
scholar Eutyches. Close argument degenerated into uproar during the
Council held at Ephesus in 442. Dioscoros and Eutyches emerged victorious
from this stormy debate; the loser, having been soundly flogged by his
opponents, died very soon afterwards and Dioscoros returned triumphant
to Alexandria.
But this Pyrrhic victory of the Monophysites was short-lived. When
their imperial ally, Theodosius II, died his general, Marcian, seized power,
and the burning question of the nature of Christ was once more raised.
A council composed of 636 prelates and doctors of the church was held
in 451 in Chalcedon, under the presidency of the emperor Marcian. The
discussion became so confused that it was impossible to discern either victor
or vanquished, and the question had to be put before the Pope of Rome,
who was considered to be the supreme head of all the churches. Pope
Leo the Great declared in a letter that he was in favour of the doctrine
of the two separate natures of Christ. The Council therefore condemned
Dioscoros. His opponents, armed on the one hand by the opinion of the
supreme head of the universal church, and on the other by the support
of the emperor Marcian, went so far as to manhandle and beat Dioscoros
in revenge for the ill-treatment of the Patriarch Flavian. Dioscoros was
then banished to an island in Galatia.
Now, ever since the time of Frumentius, the kingdom of Aksum had,
as we know, come under the jurisdiction of the patriarchate of Alexandria,
whence it received its bishop and canon law. The kings and bishops of
Aksum were therefore naturally upholders of the Monophysite cause, which
was later, in Ethiopia, to take the name of TEWAHDO. The news of
the ill-treatment inflicted on their patriarch filled them with great hatred
of the supporters of the doctrine of the two natures of Christ. For the
Monophysites life became unbearable throughout the whole empire of
Constantinople, since the conquerors of Chalcedon threatened and insulted
them incessantly. To escape from this intolerable existence, the Monophysites
fledtowards Egypt and Arabia. It was at this time that the famous
Nine Saints arrived in the kingdom of Aksum, where they sought refuge
with others who professed the same doctrine as themselves.
The history of the kings, Tarike Neguest, refers briefly to the arrival of
the Nine Saints: 'Sal'adoba gave birth to AlPAmeda, and during his
reign the Nine Saints came from Rome [Constantinople]. They built up
[Asterat'ou] the religion and the monastic laws ...' I4 According to some
14. Emin Bey, manuscript deposited at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.
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