Page 127 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

The Middle Ages

seen as the new David who would lead his people against the new
Philistines of paganism and Islam. (1996, 103)

The church in Ethiopia with the help of monks, holy men, and nobility
developed a spiritual heritage intended to stand the test of time.

It was probably during this
Medieval Period that the legend
of Prester John developed. With The church in Ethiopia
the failure of the Crusades, the with the help of monks,
Roman Catholic Church desired to
connect with a Christian kingdom holy men, and nobility
in a distant land. During the developed a spiritual
fifteenth century (A.D. 1453), the
followers of Muhammad captured heritage intended to
the city of Constantinople, and stand the test of time.
the church yearned for a united
Christendom.

Early in the sixteenth century, the Ethiopian church faced its greatest
challenge. In A.D. 1529, Imam Ahmad defeated the Ethiopian forces in the
battle of Shimbra-Kure. As a result, churches were burned, monasteries
destroyed, and people displaced. The Emperor, Lebna-Dengal, appealed
for help from the Portuguese, who perhaps had come to Ethiopia looking
for Prester John. A combined force of Ethiopian and Portuguese soldiers
surprised and defeated Imam Ahmad. In addition, Shaw states that

Imam Ahmad was killed, the Muslim army was crushed, and
Christian rule of Ethiopia regained. But the damage had been done.
Though Ethiopia had survived and regained its independence,
thus entering the ranks of legend, the glory of the kingdom as it
had been under Zara-Yaqob would never be the same. (1996, 105)

The Ethiopian kings faced the dilemma of wanting to be independent
but needing European military help to survive.

As always, the student of history should ask questions such as: “What
kind of Christianity is spread by force of arms?” and “How syncretistic
had the Ethiopian church become as it developed independently with

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