Abuna Atnatewos II

Abuna Atnatewos II (Athanasius) was an Egyptian Copt who served as the Abuna or head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (1869–1876).

Originally a Coptic bishop from Egypt, he was brought to Ethiopia by Emperor Yohannes IV, who raised the $20,000 to pay Cyril V, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church.[1]

Abuna Atnatewos actively worked against the influence of Catholic missionaries; Asseggahen wrote to Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie that Atnatewos anathematized the Catholic bishop Massaia, and threatened to excommunicate the inhabitants of Shewa were they to associate with him.[2]

The Abuna supported Emperor Yohannes' campaign against the Egyptian attempt to annex Hamasien.[3] It is reported that Abuna Atnatewos was wounded at the Battle of Gura, later dying on 29 June 1876.[4][5]

  1. ^ Paul B. Henze, Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 146
  2. ^ Letter dated March 1873, Internal Rivalries and Foreign Threats: 1869-1879, edited by Sven Rubenson (Addis Ababa: University Press, 2000), pp. 144ff
  3. ^ Sven Rubenson, The Survival of Ethiopian Independence (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), p. 321
  4. ^ Internal Rivalries, p. 253
  5. ^ Erlikh, Haggai (1996). Ras Alula and the Scramble for Africa A Political Biography : Ethiopia & Eritrea, 1875-1897 (PDF). p. 19. The Dadjazmaches, the Afa Negus, the Turk Basha perished, let alone the soldiers. Abuna Antanewus was injured by lead shot and became sick and died.