Ezana of Axum

Template:Short description Template:Infobox royalty Template:Infobox saint Template:Oriental Orthodox sidebar Template:Contains special characters Ezana (Template:Langx, ‘Ezana, unvocalized ዐዘነ ‘zn), (Template:Langx, Aezana) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Aksum (320s – Template:Circa). One of the best-documented rulers of Aksum, Ezana is important as he first adopted for his country the religion of Christianity and the name of Ethiopia. Tradition states that Ezana succeeded his father Ella Amida (Ousanas) as king while still a child but his mother, Sofya then served as regent until he came of age.

ReignEdit

Template:Further Ezana was the first monarch of the Kingdom of Aksum to embrace Christianity,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> after his slave-teacher, Frumentius, converted him.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He was the first monarch after Zoskales to be mentioned by contemporary historians, a situation that lead Stuart Munro-Hay to comment that he was "the most famous of the Aksumite kings before Kaleb."<ref>Munro-Hay, Aksum, p. 77</ref> In early life he considered himself a son of Ares, but later inscriptions show a growing attachment to Christianity. His childhood tutor, the Syrian Christian Frumentius, became head of the Ethiopian Church. A surviving letter from the Arian Roman emperor Constantius II is addressed to ‘Ezana and his brother Saizana and requests that Frumentius be sent to Alexandria to be examined for doctrinal errors and be replaced by Theophilos the Indian; Munro-Hay assumes that ‘Ezana either refused or ignored this request.<ref>Munro-Hay, Aksum, pp. 78ff</ref>

Ezana also launched several military campaigns, which he recorded in his inscriptions. A pair of inscriptions on a stela in Ge'ez found at Meroë is thought of as evidence of a campaign in the fourth century, either during Ezana's reign, or by a predecessor like Ousanas. While some authorities interpret these inscriptions as proof that the Aksumites destroyed the kingdom of Meroë, others say that archaeological evidence points to an economic and political decline in Meroë around 300.<ref>Munro-Hay, Aksum, pp. 79, 224.</ref> Moreover, some view the stela as military aid from Axum to Meroë to quell the revolt and rebellion by the Nuba. However, conclusive evidence and proof as to which view is correct is not currently available.

On some of the Aksumite coins minted during ‘Ezana's reign appears the motto in Greek ΤΟΥΤΟ ΑΡΕΣΗ ΤΗ ΧΩΡΑ – "May this please the country". Munro-Hay comments that this motto is "a rather attractive peculiarity of Aksumite coinage, giving a feeling of royal concern and responsibility towards the people's wishes and contentment".<ref>Munro-Hay, Aksum, p. 192.</ref> A number of coins minted bearing his name were found in the late 1990s at archaeological sites in India, indicating trade contacts in that country.<ref>Details in Paul B. Henze, Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 31 n.18.</ref> A remarkable feature of the coins is a shift from a pagan motif with disc and crescent to a design with a cross. ‘Ezana is also credited for erecting several stelae and obelisks. An inscription in Greek gives the regnal claims of Ezana:<ref name="WT">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="FA">Template:Cite journal|quote=Moi, Ézana, roi des Axoumites, des Himyarites, de Reeidan, des Sabéens, de S[il]éel, de Kasô, des Bedja et de Tiamô, Bisi Alêne, fils de Elle-Amida et serviteur du Christ</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:Quote

Ezana is unknown in the King Lists even though the coins bear this name. According to tradition, Emperors Abreha and Asbeha ruled Ethiopia when Christianity was introduced. It may be that these names were later applied to ‘Ezana and his brother or that these were their baptismal names.<ref>See "'Ezana" article on Dictionary of African Christian Biography (http://www.dacb.org) Web site at {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

VenerationEdit

Along with his brother, Saizan (Sazan), Ezana (Aizan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is regarded as a saint by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Catholic Church, with a feast day of the first of October<ref name="Holweck">Holweck, F. G., A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints. St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co. 1924</ref> and on 27 October.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

Ezana of Axum

Contents

ReignEdit

VenerationEdit

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Further readingEdit