Page 128 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

Hebraic, Old Testament practices?” While we may admire the church
for withstanding the influence of Islam, another question arises: “Did
religious ritualism lead to nominal Christianity?”

I have been in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia many times. There I have
observed the obvious ritual and outward forms of the Ethiopian Orthodox
Church, and I can’t help but wonder what might have been if Ethiopia
had received more apostolic, New Testament, missio Dei teachings in
those early centuries. Could this church have saved Christianity along
the Nile Corridor? These questions are also important for the student of
African church history.

Missionary Ef orts in the Middle Ages

In Europe, the Medieval Roman Catholic Church gained political
strength. Ironically, after the Roman Empire fell in A.D. 476, the Roman
Catholic Church began to consolidate power. Many historians believe
papal power began with Pope Gregory I (A.D. 590–604), who became
known as Gregory “the Great.” He was the first monk to become
pope, and he changed the bishopric of Rome into a papal system. This
power increased when on Christmas Day, A.D. 800, the Frankish King
Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by
the pope. Behind this act was the concept of one state and one church
working together for the advancement of the kingdom of God.

Initially, the pope disclaimed authority over the king; however, the
path to papal hierarchy was clear, as Renwick indicates:

When Hildebrand became Pope in [A.D.] 1073, taking the name
of Gregory VII,…he held that, as vicar of Christ and representative
of Peter, he could give or take away “empires, kingdoms, duchies,
marquisates, and the possessions of all men.” Everyone on
earth, from the emperor down to the humblest peasant, must
acknowledge him. (89)

By the end of the thirteenth century, Europe had become nominally
Christian under the influence of the Roman Catholic Church. From
approximately A.D. 1073 to A.D. 1216, the papacy held nearly absolute
power over the church and the nations of Europe. The Crusades were

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