The Nine Saints: Preservers of Extreme Tradition
A pivotal group in Ethiopian ecclesiastical history are the Nine Saints, also known as the Nine Roman Saints or the Nine Righteous Ones. Arriving in Ethiopia approximately a century after its conversion to Christianity, these monks and scholars are traditionally believed to be from Syria, though some may have originated as far as Rome. Their migration was spurred by their resistance to the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon, seeking a place to preserve their theological understanding and spiritual experience.
The Nine Saints became a repository of knowledge, bringing with them numerous texts and manuscripts that did not survive elsewhere. These include additional Clementine letters and several books considered part of the broader New Testament canon in Ethiopia, such as the Book of Enoch, Jubilees, the Ascension of Isaiah, and the Book of Adam and Eve.
Their arrival led to an infusion of more extreme pieces of learning and tradition from the imperial church into Ethiopia, which were then preserved. They also undertook the crucial work of translating liturgical texts and hagiographies into the local language, Geez, deeply embedding Christian tradition within Ethiopian culture.
Detailed lives of some of the Nine Saints illuminate the extreme and symbolic nature of Ethiopian holiness:
Aragawi (or Michael)
Regarded as the leader of the Nine Saints, Aragawi is famed for ascending the holy mountain of Dabbra Damo. He is depicted holding the tail of a serpent, which, in iconography, appears coiled around a pillar, pulling the saint upwards. This imagery recalls Moses taking the serpent by the tail, transforming it into a staff of authority, and Saint Symeon the Stylite, who stood atop a pillar. It symbolises the transformation of variability into hierarchy, or death turned against death through asceticism. For some individuals, ascension is only possible by engaging with danger, taking the serpent by the tail, a perilous act that, if successful, transforms the person into a guide for the servants of God.
Garema (or Isaac)
Described as a Roman prince and emperor, Garema experienced a miraculous conception. He judged justly for seven years before abandoning his imperial robes and wealth to become a monk, influenced by Saint Abba Pantaleon. Garema is credited with miracles, such as planting a grape seed into a rock with his thumb, from which a grapevine grew. A particularly enigmatic story recounts his accusation of a sin, to which he responded by requesting to be walled into a cell, becoming a secret himself, living in isolation for the rest of his life.
Pantaleon of the Cell
His name derives from his extreme ascetic practice. He carved a cell out of rock on a mountain, measuring five cubits long, three cubits wide, and three cubits deep. This cell had no door or opening and was designed such that one could only stand within it, never sit or lie down. He blessed King Caleb, who subsequently waged a war against a Jewish king.
The iconography associated with the Nine Saints further accentuates the extreme nature of Ethiopian sanctity. Images depict saints throwing themselves from cliffs onto pointy rocks, one with nine wings like a seraphim, and another feeding dying birds with his tears by holding their beaks to his eye. These visual representations impart a sense of a fantastical and magical world, reinforcing the unique character of Ethiopian Christianity.
Cannibalism and the Cynocephali
Ethiopian tradition frequently incorporates cannibalism and cynocephaly (dog-headed beings) into its sacred narratives, particularly concerning saints.
Saint Mercurius
Icons of Saint Mercurius often show him on horseback alongside two dog-headed men. According to legend, these cynocephalites killed Mercurius's father but were subsequently converted by the saint, becoming his fierce companions and warriors against pagans.
Apostle Bartholomew
In Ethiopian hagiography, Saint Bartholomew is associated with a legion of cannibal cynocephalites. These "dog faces," after encountering Bartholomew, converted and became his loyal defenders, protecting him from those who sought to harm him.
This mirrors the historical practice of emperors employing foreign, seemingly barbarian guards, such as the Varangian Guard, who were loyal only to the emperor and served as an internal defence against external threats. This mythological telling presents a pattern observed in the world: the use of a perceived foreign power to defend oneself.
Bellai the Cannibal
Perhaps the most striking and extreme narrative is that of Bellai the Cannibal. His image is often found on the doors leading into the sanctuary of Ethiopian churches, from which the Eucharist, the body and blood of Christ, emerges.
The story relates that Bellai, like Abraham, received three guests, but instead of feeding them, he consumed the food they offered. These guests were demons, and the food was human flesh, leading Bellai to develop an insatiable desire for cannibalism. Despite his horrific deeds, he was saved at the Last Judgment.
While wandering in the desert, he gave a glass of water to an ascetic in the name of the Holy Virgin. At his judgment, the Mother of God appeared and tipped the scales in his favour due to this single, small act of charity. This narrative simultaneously presents the ultimate scandal of communion, the abhorrent behavior of cannibalism, alongside the boundless universality of salvation, reaching far beyond human understanding or judgment.
It underscores the belief that salvation is inherently scandalous, a concept that early Christians found difficult to accept, as Christ Himself spoke of consuming His body and blood in public. Western Christian scholasticism, as exemplified by Thomas Aquinas, expended considerable effort to distance the Eucharist from any notion of cannibalism, but the Ethiopian tradition embraces this challenging paradox.
The presence of monsters or dragons guarding sacred spaces, such as the holy doors of an iconostasis, is an ancient symbolic tradition. Cherubs, for instance, are described in biblical texts as creatures resembling bulls with wings, guarding God's throne - a non-neutral, active guardianship. While such imagery is common in Orthodox churches, the placement of a cannibal on the holy doors is a truly radical expression of this symbolic embrace of the scandalous nature of salvation.
This is echoed, albeit less extremely, by the tradition of depicting the Good Thief on the northern door of the sanctuary entrance in some Eastern churches. The Good Thief, through a single moment of contrition, steals paradise, becoming the first to enter it. This narrative, central to Eastern liturgy during Holy Week, highlights God's immense clemency and offers hope that even with nothing to offer, mercy may be found.
Ethiopia as the Ark
Ethiopia's identity as a container or ark is vividly manifested in its liturgical life through the Tabot. These are symbolic replicas of the Ark of the Covenant, representing the tablets of the Law, found in the altar area of every Ethiopian church. They are often wooden blocks, sometimes adorned with relief icons of Christ on the cross, or with text or abstract symbols.
The Tabot underscores the pervasive idea of the sacred container throughout Ethiopian Christianity, extending the symbolism of the Ark to every local congregation. This functions symbolically in a similar manner to the placement of the Mother of God in the apse above the altar in other Orthodox churches, where she is understood as the New Ark, the mercy seat, the seat of wisdom, and the resting place of God's presence.
This notion of Ethiopia as a spiritual ark extends into its eschatological vision. The Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius speaks of a Roman emperor, in a time of crisis, hiding in Ethiopia.
This prophecy suggests that in the end times, Ethiopia will stretch its hands out to God, and the last emperor will emerge from Ethiopia, manifesting a final glorious moment before the end of the world. This vision neatly connects the beginning of the Christian era in Ethiopia, marked by the arrival of the Nine Saints who sought refuge there, with the ultimate culmination of history. Ethiopia is thus not merely a historical recipient of an ancient form of Christianity, but as a destined participant in its ultimate manifestation.