Frumentius


Frumentius
Saint Frumentius
Confessor
Bishop of Axum
Apostle to Ethiopia
Born4th century
Tyre, Phoenice, Byzantine Empire (modern-day Lebanon)
Diedc. 383
Kingdom of Aksum
Venerated inEastern Orthodox Church
Oriental Orthodoxy
Catholicism
Anglican Communion
Feast
PatronageKingdom of Aksum
Frumentius

Frumentius (Ge'ez: ፍሬምናጦስ; died c. 383) was a Phoenician Christian missionary and the first bishop of Axum who brought Christianity to the Kingdom of Aksum.[1] He is sometimes known by other names, such as Abuna ("Our Father") and Aba Salama ("Father of Peace").[2]

He was a native of Phoenicia, born in Tyre, modern day Lebanon.[3][4] As a boy, he was captured with his brother on a voyage, and they became slaves to the King of Axum. He freed them shortly before his death, and they were invited to educate his young heir. They also began to teach Christianity in the region. Later, Frumentius traveled to Alexandria, Egypt, where he appealed to have a bishop appointed and missionary priests sent south to Axum. Thereafter, he was appointed bishop and established the Church in Ethiopia, converting many local people, as well as the king. His appointment began a tradition that the Patriarch of Alexandria appoint the bishops of Ethiopia.[5]

  1. ^ Adejumobi, Saheed A. (2007). The History of Ethiopia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-313-32273-0.
  2. ^ Alban Butler; Paul Burns (1995). Butler's Lives of the Saints. A&C Black. p. 191. ISBN 0-86012-259-X.
  3. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Frumentius" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 270. FRUMENTIUS (c. 300–c. 360), the founder of the Abyssinian church, traditionally identified in Abyssinian literature with Abba Salama or Father of Peace (but see Ethiopia), was a native of Phoenicia.
  4. ^
  5. ^ Stuart Munro-Hay (2002). Ethiopia, the Unknown Land. IB Tauris. p. 20.