Thus the dynasty of Solomon was born in Ethiopia, through a long line of kings with blood ties that came to pass up and currently in commemoration day of St. Michael the Archangel, the Christian Ethiopians parade through the streets of the country with replicas of the Ark of the Covenant, also called the Ark of the Covenant.
The dynasty that began with Menelik I, son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, introduced the Jewish tradition in Ethiopia and since then the Lion of Judah became a symbol of the royal family. This family had a succession of kings unfolded, getting titles like Biblical Solomon, Jacob, David, and others in the fourth century of the Christian era the royal family converted to Orthodox Christianity, influenced by the Egyptians, the founding of the Coptic Orthodox Church Ethiopia, in the same century that arose in the Roman Catholic Church. The Ethiopians claim that the Ark of the Covenant, containing the Ten Commandments of Moses remains unique in Africa at the request of King Solomon himself, already the Roman Catholic Church claims that the Ten Commandments were lost throughout history and recognizes no other version. Furthermore, according to the Orthodox Egyptians, Ethiopians, and with the Armenians, the person of Jesus Christ, although he was a man incarnate, had a single nature strictly divine and only in 1504 at the Council of Chalcedon declared their belief Monophysite (one physical nature of Jesus) and distanced themselves Roman belief that supposes two natures, human and divine, living simultaneously in the personality of Christ.
For centuries, the kings and queens of Ethiopia remained the sole Jewish tradition, Frumentius until converting to Christianity. This had been a slave of the court of Axum (Ethiopia) and his vocation to study, had won the confidence of the king, he became the private secretary of Monarch and responsible for the education of their children.
In the fourth century, the century in which appeared a Roman Catholic institution, the Egyptian Christians held their practices religious (fasting and prayer) in the Egyptian desert and was known as the Desert Fathers, among them were Anthony and Athanasius (later considered holy). Frumentius after gaining freedom, visited Egypt and became one of the most dedicated disciples of Athanasius Coptic Christians received the title of Abba (Father) Salama (Bringer of Light) and returned to Axum as the first bishop of Ethiopia, also called "Top of light". Known today as St. Frumentius, founded by encouraging Athanasius, Coptic Orthodox Church of Ethiopia that became part of the Eastern Churches. Since then the kings and the Ethiopians Solomon's dynasty began to identify as Orthodox Christian kings and St. George was the patron of the chosen nation.
Other episodes mark the entrance of Christianity in the history of the legendary Abyssinia, even before the emergence of the Orthodox Church. They say that the apostle Matthew was living in Ethiopia after the death of Jesus in order to evangelize the Africans and to get there attracted a group made up mostly of women, led by Princess Ephigenia. The king of Ethiopia, outraged by the attitude of the daughter who had denied the wedding invitation from a powerful African prince, requested the help Matthew, considering its strong influence on the princess. The Apostle then said that his help would be to respect the will of Ephigenia (I did not want to get married) and for this reason the king ordered that Matthew was murdered.
The princess hid with her companions for many years, has dedicated his life to Christianity and the teachings of Matthew, founded the first convent of Ethiopia, even in the early years of the Christian era and is now known worldwide, even among Roman Catholics, like Saint Ephigenia, the first black saint of history.
End of the second part
