Enbaqom
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Abba Enbaqom (, , ; c.1470 – c.1565) was a
Yemeni Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the northeast, the south-eastern part of the Arabian Sea to the east, the Gulf of Aden to the south ...
polyglot Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
, translator, religious leader of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...
, and author of the ''Anqaṣa Amin''. As
Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...
at the leading monastery of
Debre Libanos Debre Libanos () is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo monastery, lying northwest of Addis Ababa in the North Shewa Zone (Oromia), North Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region. It was founded in 1284 by Saint Tekle Hay ...
he became the Echege, the second highest ecclesiastical office, as well as head of all Ethiopian monasteries, and was often regarded as the most influential person in the Ethiopian Church.


Life and views

Enbaqom was born c. 1470 to a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
mother and
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
father in Yemen. He was a devout Muslim in his youth up until he grew intensely involved in questioning his religious affiliation. Eventually, after much reading and discussion, he decided to convert and become a Christian. His teacher Petros, then Echage or Abbot of the leading Ethiopian monastery at
Debre Libanos Debre Libanos () is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo monastery, lying northwest of Addis Ababa in the North Shewa Zone (Oromia), North Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region. It was founded in 1284 by Saint Tekle Hay ...
in
Shewa Shewa (; ; Somali: Shawa; , ), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa, is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The modern Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is located at it ...
, baptized him, giving him the name Enbaqom, the Ethiopian form of
Habakkuk Habakkuk or Habacuc is the main figure described in the Book of Habakkuk, the eighth of the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. He is traditionally regarded as a prophet active around 612 BCE. Almost all information about Habakkuk is dr ...
; while the Hebrew name signifies "savant", the Ethiopian has the connotation of "professor". After further prayer and learning Enbaqom circa 1500 became a monk at Debre Libanos. By his study he acquired many languages, including:
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
,
Geʽez Geez ( or ; , and sometimes referred to in scholarly literature as Classical Ethiopic) is an ancient South Semitic language. The language originates from what is now Ethiopia and Eritrea. Today, Geez is used as the main liturgical langu ...
, Coptic,
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
, Syriac,
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
, Portuguese, and
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
. Throughout his clerical life he worked to translate into Geez, the language of the Ethiopian Church, many Christian writings, e.g.,
John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (; ; – 14 September 407) was an important Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and p ...
's Commentary on the
Epistle to the Hebrews The Epistle to the Hebrews () is one of the books of the New Testament. The text does not mention the name of its author, but was traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle; most of the Ancient Greek manuscripts, the Old Syriac Peshitto and ...
, and the story from India of
Barlaam and Josaphat Barlaam and Josaphat, also known as Bilawhar and Budhasaf, are Christian saints. Their story tells of the conversion of Josaphat to Christianity. According to tradition, an Indian king persecuted the Christian Church in his realm. After ast ...
.Getachew Haile. For his writings he won wide respect. At the court of the Emperor
Lebna Dengel Dawit II (;  – 2 September 1540), also known by the macaronic name Wanag Segad (ወናግ ሰገድ, ''to whom the lions bow''), better known by his birth name Lebna Dengel (, ''essence of the virgin''), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 150 ...
, Enbaqom become the friend of the
Abuna Abuna (or Abune, which is the status constructus form used when a name follows: Ge'ez አቡነ ''abuna''/''abune'', 'our father'; Amharic and Tigrinya) is the honorific title used for any bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as w ...
Marqos, the chief ecclesiastic in Ethiopia. During this Emperor's reign Enbaqom became the Echage, i.e., the Abbot at the Debre Libanos monastery. While at court Enbaqom also met the Portuguese priest
Francisco Álvares Francisco Álvares ( – 1536–1541) was a Portugal, Portuguese missionary and exploration, explorer. In 1515 he traveled to Ethiopia as part of the Portuguese embassy to emperor Lebna Dengel accompanied by returning Mateus (Ethiopia), Ethi ...
. Later this priest visited Enbaqom at the monastery, teaching him Portuguese and Latin. Álvares reports that in 1520 he was at Dabra Libanos when the Emperor Libna Dengel installed a new Echage:
"He whom they made Ichee was also held to be a man of holy life, and he had been a Moor. As he was a great friend of mine, he told me all his life and said to me that when he was in his sect .e., a Muslimhe heard a revelation, which said to him: 'You are not following the right path; go to the Abima Marcos, who is head of the priests of Ethiopia, and he will teach you another path'. Then he came to the Abima Marcos, and related to him what he had heard, and the Abima Marcos had made him a Christian, and had taught him, and considered him as a son; and therefore the mperortook this monk who had been a Moor for governor of this monastery... . This man had so much affection for me that he used not to leave me and always went about with me. ealso mastered the Portuguese language, so we both understood one another very well."
Álvares says that the new Echage also knew how to write Latin in good style. This, of course, sounds like Enbaqom; yet Álvares gives his name as Jacob. Van Donzel, however, assures us that Enbaqom ''is'' this Jacob who Álvares describes in some detail. Accordingly at the death of Petros, Enbaqom had become the eleventh ''Echage'' at Dabra Libanos, which was the second highest office in the Ethiopian Church (after the Coptic Abuna). Yet Enbaqom next entered a long period of turbulence. He was accused of disloyalty to the Emperor Lebna Dengel, then tried and, in lieu of death, banished. A year later the Emperor forgave and recalled him, but he may not have returned as Abbot.E. J. Van Donzel at 23. Instead, he may have withdrawn further southeast to Warab by the headwaters of the river Awash. Then during the years 1526-1543 there came upon them very destructive raids led by the Muslim Ahmad Gran which destabilized the region and threatened the continued existence of Christian kingdom. During these decades of chaos and anarchy, Enbaqom kept on the move, relocating westward to Gafat then to Bizamo, both regions located south of the Abbay River or
Blue Nile The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major Tributary, tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the wa ...
. In 1532 the monastery at Debre Libanos had been torched, enveloped in flames due to the forces of Ahmad Gran. Enbaqom in that year sent a letter in Arabic addressed to Ahmad Gran, writing that he should stop destroying churches and monasteries (whose libraries held the literary history of the people), and that he should stop killing priests and monks. Ahmad Gran evidently replied in effect that as a Muslim he respected the Jewish
Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
and the Christian
Gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the second century AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message was reported. In this sen ...
, so he would not burn churches and would limit the killing to those who resist. Enbaqom book in Geez ''Anqasa Amin'' grew out of this letter to Ahmad Gran. Because of his unusual background, Enbaqom was better able to address Christian Ethiopians about effective ways to understand and to resist Islam. From such a partisan point of view, he was in an "admirable position to meet their needs, and his presence was seen as
providential Providential (February 6, 1977 – May 1998) was an Ireland, Irish-born Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse who competed successfully in France and won the most important race on turf in the United States. Bred and raced by Bertram & Diana Fir ...
. While Ahmad did all he could to capture and execute him, Enbaqom moved from place to place comforting the faithful." The new Emperor Galawdewos returned Enbaqom to favor, making him his councilor in war. Perhaps too the learned Enbaqom influenced Galawdewos when he wrote his well-known "Confession of Faith" which diplomatically presents a theological and liturgical response to the Catholic Church. The next Emperor Menas allowed the monk to become the Echage again at Debre Libanos. In a few years later Enbaqom would see his last. Abba Enbaqom sought "to provide spiritual and intellectual leadership for the Ethiopian Church, and to translate works and ideas from the rest of Christendom, thus bringing a richer theology from abroad and higher standards of clerical education... ." The
Ethiopian Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...
celebrates his life on the 21st of ''miyazya'' (corresponding to April 29) in the liturgical year.


Anqaṣa Amin

His book ''Anqasa Amin'' 'Gateway of Faith'' written in Geez, was an expansion and scholarly development of his 1532 letter in Arabic to the Muslim invader Ahmad Gran. It is perhaps the only Ethiopian Church writing with so many quotations from and references to the
Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...
(Enbaqom relied on his memory for many of these). The book is polemical, however, and was never popular. The arguments employed by Enbaqom "seem mostly drawn from the standard Arab Christian responses to Islam." For example: Jesus in the Qur'an has greater stature than many Muslims will admit. Enbaqom on occasion draws some interesting parallels. The Muslim
Laylat al-Qadr In Islamic belief, Laylat al-Qadr () or Night of Power is an Islamic holidays, Islamic festival in memory of the night when the Quran was first sent down from Heaven in Islam, heaven to the world, the first Waḥy, revelation the Islamic proph ...
'night of power'' or ''night of decrees''during
Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...
commemorates the first revelations of the Qur'an to Muhammad, when it is said that the angels and the Spirit will descend until dawn. For Enbaqom this refers to Noel,
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
night, when the Deity came here to earth, the night of his birth, when bands of angels filled the sky singing, "Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth!" Enbaqom discusses the process of his own coverstion to Christianity, which began when he heard a passage from the Qur'an discussing Jesus in the divine plan. According to Enbaqom, many Muslims then held three false beliefs about Christianity: that God had a wife and a son; that Christians worship trees, stones, and images; and that Christians admit of three Gods. Two original arguments made by Enbaqom have been noted.Adrian Hastings at 146. First, that the Qur'an relies on only one language, Arabic, and the Judaic scriptures on Hebrew with some Aramaic. The Christian Gospels, however, communicate effectively their spiritual message in many different languages. Second, the Qur'an and the Judaic scriptures give prescriptions for war and the like. Christian scriptures do not, but are addressed to the welfare of the poor. The ''Anqasa Amin'' is an argumentative work, written in the midst of long-term and widespread chaos, destruction, and death. In it Enbaqom demonstrates familiarity with Christian doctrine and prior Christian polemics, and also with Muslim religious literature.E. J. Van Donzel at 35-39, 57-59. Yet Enbaqom is not without errors, e.g., at 162 ommentary 255
ext Ext, ext or EXT may refer to: * Ext functor, used in the mathematical field of homological algebra * Ext (JavaScript library), a programming library used to build interactive web applications * Exeter Airport Exeter Airport , formerly ''Ex ...


Notes


Bibliography

PRIMARY SOURCES: *E. A. Wallis Budge, ''The Book of the Saints of the Ethiopian Church'' (Cambridge 1928), 4 volumes; translation of the ''Synaxaire''. *E. J. Van Donzel, Enbaqom'', Anqaṣa Amin (La Porte de las Foi). Introduction, texte critique, traduction'' (Leiden: E. J. Brill 1969). The text of Enbaqom is at 165-263, with facing pages of Geez in its alphabet and the French translation; Van Donzel's introduction and scholarly apparatus are at 1-164 and 265-302. *Lanfraco Ricci, "La Vite di Enbaqom e di Yohannes, Abbati di Dabra Libanos di Scioa" in ''Ressagna di Studi Etiopici'' (Roma e Napoli), at 13: 91-120 (1954); 14: 69-107 (1959). This is a translation from the Geez of the ''Gadl'' 'Acts'' or ''Struggles''of Enbaqom and of Yohannes, both Abbots at the Dabra Libanos monastery in Shewa. *Francisco Álvares, ''Verdadera Informaçam das terras do Preste Joam das Indias'' (Lisbon: Luís Rodrigues 1540), edited and translated as ''The Prester John of the Indies'' (Cambridge University for the Hakluyt Society 1961), two volumes. Here an 1881 English translation is revised, with commentary, and edited by C. F. Beckingham and G. W. B. Huntingford. *Galawdewos, "Confession of Faith" at 104-107 in J. M. Harden, ''An Introduction to Ethiopic Christian Literature'' (London: S.P.C.K. 1926). SECONDARY SOURCES: *Enrico Cerulli, ''Storia della letteratura etiopica'' (Milan 1956).
Getachew Haile, "Enbaqom"
in ''Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions'', edited by Gerald H. Anderson (Grand Rapids, Michigan: W. B. Eerdman's Publishing 1998). *Adrian Hastings, ''The Church in Africa, 1450-1950'' (Oxford University Press 1994).
Richard Pankurst, "Abba 'Enbaqom, Iman Ahmad Ibn Ibrahim, and the ''Conquest of Ethiopia''"
in the ''Addis Triburne'', November 25, 2003, reprinted by the ''Awdal News Network''. *Taddesse Tamrat, ''Church and State in Ethiopia 1270-1527'' (Oxford University: Clarendon Press 1972). *J. Spencer Trimingham, ''Islam in Ethiopia'' (Oxford University 1952); reprint: Frank Cass, London, 1965. TERTIARY SOURCES: *David Buxton, ''The Abyssinians'' (New York: Praeger, 1970). *Chris Prouty and Eugene Rosenfeld, ''Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia'' (Metuchen NJ: The Scarecrow Press 1981). {{Authority control 15th-century Ethiopian people 16th-century Ethiopian people 15th-century Yemeni people 16th-century Yemeni people Ethiopian Orthodox Christians Ethiopian Oriental Orthodox Christians Ethiopian saints Ethiopian writers