ABSTRACT
Many books have been written about the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwahәdo Church, whose development has been inextricable from the history of the Aksumite Kingdom and Abyssinia. However, studies that weave the theological, historical and vernacular dimensions together and allow us an insight into how ecclesiastical discourse has translated vernacularly have been rare. Chapter 4 attempts a multi-dimensional analysis toward developing an understanding of this Church tradition’s development in its historical interface with socio-cultural realities. It first provides a history-informed analysis of the local religious tradition and its dogmatic basis, followed by a more detailed look into traditional Church education to investigate what the clergy’s typical exposure to theological training and the interface with their vernacular cultural surroundings might have been historically. It also provides a presentation of Church teachings on marriage, the conjugal relationship and conjugal abuse by engaging with a wide range of old and new Church-related materials, including canonical and liturgical books, sections of the ’andәmta commentary, official materials published by the Church, books available in the Ethiopian market for public consumption and consultations with theologians, Church scholars and other informed ‘insiders’. The chapter delineates an eclectic tradition that is not without internal tensions, with Church theology, ecclesiastical tradition and clergy discourses being deeply enmeshed in folklore culture and vernacular tradition.
