17th Temple Guard: King Azana of Ethiopia

A Temple Guardian of the Entrance:

King Ezana Defender of the Faith

Ezana of Axum (Ge'ez: ዔዛና ‘Ezana, unvocalized ዐዘነ ‘zn; also spelled Aezana or Aizan) was ruler of the Kingdom of Aksum (320s – c. 360 CE).

The Kingdom of Axum covered and large area and would be located in present-day northern Ethiopia, Yemen, part of southern Saudi Arabia, northern Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and parts of Sudan. King Ezana himself had the official title "king of Saba and Salhen, Himyar and Dhu-Raydan".  A number of coins minted bearing King Ezana’s name, were found in the late 1990s at archeological sites in India, indicating Axum’s trade contacts in that country.

King Ezana is remembered in history to have been the first monarch of the Kingdom of Aksum to embrace Christianity as the state religion.  His childhood tutor, the Syrian Christian Frumentius, who had being shipwrecked and captured at an early age, Frumentius was carried to Aksum, where he was treated well with his companion Edesius. At the time, there was a small population of Christians living there who sought refuge from Roman persecution.

Although Christianity had existed long before Frumentius had come to Ethiopia and the rule of King Ezana the Great of the Kingdom of Axum, however it was through the inspiration and partnership of these two individuals that the religion took a strong foothold and was declared the state religion by 330 AD.

This had followed the meeting of Frumentius with Athanasius, Pope of Alexandria and All Africa. After recommending that a bishop be sent to proselytize, a council decided that Frumentius be appointed as a bishop for Ethiopia and Ethiopians became united with the Coptic Egyptian Oriental Orthodox Church, as it remain until this day.

A remarkable feature of the coins of Ezana as show here, 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.

This recorded event in history, of King Ezana, makes Ethiopia, only the second country in the world, to accept and establish Christianity as its state religion, next only to Armenia, who had done so only 30 years prior to this in 301 AD.  It should also be noted and understood that this event took place, over 150 years before Rome itself became Christian and at least 700 years before the rest of Europe.

The Credentials and Significance:

Not only did King Ezana make Ethiopia the second Christian state in the world, but as Ethiopia, has also remained for nearly 1700 years, a Christian state, with minor interruption, this also makes Ethiopia, the oldest continuous Christian state on Earth.  And since they have never been conquered by outside forces, it is also sure proof, not only that the Bible & Gospel can act as the greatest tools to resistance and for freedom, but proves beyond doubt that The One God of Ethiopia, has and ill never forsake HIS Children.