Minas (or Menas) was an early

bishop of Aksum 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 we ...

, probably in the sixth century. According to traditional

Ethiopian historiography Ethiopian historiography includes the Ancient literature, ancient, medieval, Early modern literature, early modern, and modern disciplines of recording the history of Ethiopia, including both native and foreign sources. The roots of Ethiopian hi ...

, he was the second ''abun'' after

Frumentius Saint Frumentius (; died c. 383) was a Phoenician Christian missionary and the first bishop of Axum who brought Christianity to the Kingdom of Aksum. He is sometimes known by other names, such as Abuna ("Our Father") and Aba Salama ("Father ...

(Salama I) and took the name Salama II. The Ethiopian sources, however, place the episcopate of Frumentius in the reign of King

Ezana Ezana (, ''‘Ezana'', unvocalized ዐዘነ ''‘zn''), (, ''Aezana'') was the ruler of the Kingdom of Aksum (320s – ). One of the best-documented rulers of Aksum, Ezana is important as he first adopted for his country the religion of Christ ...

(c. 320–360) and that of Minas in the reign of Anbasa Wedem, twenty-six kings later, yet before the

Arab conquest of Egypt The Arab conquest of Egypt, led by the army of Amr ibn al-As, took place between 639 and 642 AD and was overseen by the Rashidun Caliphate. It ended the seven-century-long Roman Egypt, Roman period in Egypt that had begun in 30 BC and, more broa ...

(c. 640). This may indicate a long gap in the episcopal succession. Alternatively, it may indicate "a fresh start of vigorous Christian activities" under Minas. This would also explain why he was considered by later Ethiopians to be a second Salama.Getachew Haile
"Ethiopian Prelates (c.300–fl. second half of eleventh century): Minas (fl. sixth century)"
in ''

The Coptic Encyclopedia The ''Coptic Encyclopedia'' is an eight-volume work covering the history, theology, language, art, architecture, archeology and hagiography of Coptic Egypt. The encyclopedia was written by over 250 Western and Egyptian contributing experts in th ...

'' (Macmillan, 1991), Volume 3, pp. 999a–1003b. Retrieved from Claremont Colleges Digital Library on 13 October 2019. According to the '' Gadla Afse'', Minas was bishop when the

Nine Saints The Nine Saints were a group of missionaries who were important in the initial growth of Christianity in what is now Ethiopia during the late 5th century. The names of the Nine Saints are: # Abba Aftse # Abba Alef # Abba Aragawi # Abba Garima (Is ...

came to Ethiopia between the late 4th and 6th centuries. Although there is no information on Minas' origins, modern scholars have been quick to assume he was an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

. This would make him the first Egyptian ''abun'' in a continuous line down to the 20th century. His name was common in Egypt.Stuart C. Munro-Hay, ''Ethiopia and Alexandria: The Metropolitan Episcopacy of Ethiopia'' (Warsaw, 1997), pp. 68–69. Minas is credited with several works of

Ethiopian literature Ethiopian literature dates from Ancient Ethiopian literature (around 300 AD) up until modern Ethiopian literature. Ancient Ethiopian literature starts with Axumite texts written in the Geʽez language using the Geʽez script, indigenous to both Et ...

. He wrote sermons, six of which are still part of the liturgy of Ethiopian monasteries, read at designated times of the year. These six cover the

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

, the

Seventy Disciples The seventy disciples (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα μαθητές, ''hebdomikonta mathetes''), known in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκον� ...

, the

Dormition of the Virgin The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of G ...

, the

Feast of the Cross The Feast of the Holy Cross, or Feast of the Cross, commemorates True Cross, the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Christianity, Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different celebrations which honor and celebrate the ...

, the 318 attendees of the

First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea ( ; ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I. The Council of Nicaea met from May until the end of July 325. This ec ...

and the season of spring. Tradition also ascribes to him the translation of the ''

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...

'' into

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 ...

. The translation of the Geʽez text ''The Story of How the Interiors of Ethiopia Came to Christianity'', an extract from

Tyrannius Rufinus Tyrannius Rufinus, also called Rufinus of Aquileia (; 344/345–411), was an early Christian monk, philosopher, historian, and theologian who worked to translate Greek patristic material, especially the work of Origen, into Latin. Life Rufinus ...

on the mission of Frumentius, may also be the work of Minas.

Works

*An English translation of Minas' homily on the cross is found in Getatchew Haile, ''The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's Tradition on the Holy Cross'' (Leiden: Brill, 2018), pp. 112–125.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minas 6th-century bishops People from the kingdom of Aksum Bishops of Axum