This week in Christian history: Doug Phillips resigns; Protestant Reformation begins
Abuna Salama III dies – Oct. 25, 1867
This week marks the anniversary of when Abuna Salama III, the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, died in prison.
A native of Egypt who became a bishop while in his early 20s, Salama arrived in Ethiopia in 1841, becoming involved in the political and religious turmoil of the time period.
Salama crowned Emperor Téwodros II, while the ruler expelled Roman Catholic missionaries and organized a reconciliation meeting between Salama and his rivals within the Church.
Relations between Salama and the emperor soured over time, with the bishop being imprisoned at the Maqdala stronghold after he threatened to excommunicate supporters of Téwodros.
The Encyclopaedia Africana labeled Salama “one of the best known and most controversial leaders in Ethiopia’s ecclesiastical history” who “settled most disputes by excommunicating his opponents, who included Empress Manan Liben-Amdié, King Sahla Selassé of Shawa, Ali Alula, Webé, and the Echagé (premier monk of the realm).”
