St. Frumentius

Posted on October 28, 2018 by admin No comments

Born: 4th century Tyre, Eastern Roman Empire (modern-day Lebanon)

Died: about 383 Ethiopia

Venerated: in Western and Eastern Christianity

Feast: Taḫśaś 18 (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church) which equates to 14 December (Julian calendar) or 27 December (Gregorian calendar), October 27 (Catholic Church), November 30 (Eastern Orthodox Church), December 18 (Coptic Orthodox Church)

Patronage: Kingdom of Aksum

Saint Frumentius (Ge’ez: ፍሬምናጦስ Fremnāṭos; born in Tyre, Eastern Roman Empire, in the early fourth century, died circa 383, Kingdom of Aksum) was the first bishop of Axum, and is credited with bringing Christianity to the Kingdom of Aksum. He is sometimes known by other names, such as Abuna (“Our Father”) and Aba Salama.

He was ethnically a Syro-Phoenician Greek born in Tyre. As a boy, he was captured with his brother, 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 indigenous people, as well as the king. His appointment began a tradition that the Patriarch of Alexandria appoint the bishops of Ethiopia.

Biography

According to the fourth-century historian Tyrannius Rufinus (x.9), who cites Frumentius’ brother Edesius as his authority, as children (ca. 316) Frumentius and Edesius accompanied their uncle Meropius from their birthplace of Tyre (now in Lebanon) on a voyage to Ethiopia. When their ship stopped at one of the harbors of the Red Sea, local people massacred the whole crew, sparing the two boys, who were taken as slaves to the King of Axum. The two boys soon gained the favour of the king, who raised them to positions of trust. Shortly before his death, the king freed them. The widowed queen, however, prevailed upon them to remain at the court and assist her in the education of the young heir, Ezana, and in the administration of the kingdom during the prince’s minority. They remained and (especially Frumentius) used their influence to spread Christianity. First they encouraged the Christian merchants present in the country to practise their faith openly, and they helped them find places “where they could come together for prayer according to the Roman Rite”; later they converted some of the natives.

When the prince came of age, Edesius returned to Tyre, where he stayed and was ordained a priest. Frumentius, eager for the conversion of Ethiopia, accompanied his brother as far as Alexandria, where he requested Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria, to send a bishop and some priests as missionaries to Ethiopia. By Athanasius’ own account, he believed Frumentius to be the most suitable person for the job and consecrated him as bishop, traditionally in the year 328, or according to others, between 340-346.
Frumentius returned to Ethiopia, where he erected his episcopal see at Axum, then converted and baptized King Ezana, who built many churches and spread Christianity throughout Ethiopia. The people called Frumentius Kesate Birhan (Revealer of Light) and Abba Salama (Father of Peace). He became the first Abune, a title given to the head of the Ethiopian Church.

In about 356, the Emperor Constantius II wrote to King Ezana and his brother Saizana, requesting them to replace Frumentius as bishop with Theophilos the Indian, who supported the Arian position, as did the emperor. Frumentius had been appointed by Athanasius, a leading opponent of Arianism. The king refused the request.

Ethiopian traditions credit him with the first Ge’ez translation of the New Testament, and being involved in the development of Ge’ez script from an abjad (consonantal-only) into an abugida (syllabic).

Feast Date

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church celebrate the feast of Abba Salama on Taḫśaś 18.

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria celebrates the feast of Frumentius on December 18, the Eastern Orthodox Church on November 30 and the Catholic Church on October 27.

In the 20th century, Lutherans mistakenly claimed that Saint Frumentius was venerated on August 1 in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church without providing any evidence for this.

Prayer to St. Frumentius of Ethiopia

Pray for us, dear Frumentius, that we may also “bloom where we are planted.” You were just a young boy in a strange and pagan land, but you made the best of the situation and brought truth and life to that desolate land and lost people. We pray for your intercession that we may bring the light of Christ with us wherever we go in the hope of inspiring others to follow Him. In His name we pray. Amen.