Introduction to the Doctrines of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church – Part 3

 

Exploring the Foundations of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s Faith

Introduction to the Doctrines of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church – Part 3

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church preserves and transmits the saving faith through divinely revealed mysteries that form the foundation of Christian belief and life. Among these, the Five Pillars of Mysteries occupy a central place, summarizing what the Church believes, confesses, practices, and hopes for. Rooted in Scripture, articulated through the Creed (ጸሎተ ሃይማኖት), and safeguarded by the Fathers, these mysteries guide the faithful toward a true knowledge of God and steadfast communion with Him. This essay presents the nature, biblical grounding, doctrinal foundation, and spiritual value of the Five Pillars of Mysteries within the life of the Church.

Which Mysteries Are the Pillars of Mysteries?

The Pillars of Mysteries are five in number. They are illustrated by the four attributes of the body (አራቱ ባህርያተ ሥጋ)—soil/አፈር, water/ውኃ, fire/እሳት, and wind/ነፋስ—and by the three attributes of the soul (ሦስቱ ባህርያተ ነፍስ)—heart/ልባዊት, speech/ነባቢት, and life/spirit/ሕያዊት—which together signify the fifth. They are also prefigured by the five porticoes (መመላለሻ) of the pool of Bethesda mentioned in John 5:2: “በኢየሩሳሌምም በበጎች በር አጠገብ በዕብራይስጥ ቤተ ሳይዳ የምትባል አንዲት መጠመቂያ ነበረች፤ አምስትም መመላለሻ ነበረባት።” While the baptism at Bethesda was for the healing of the body, the Pillars of Mysteries are for the healing of both soul and body. Accordingly, the Holy Church enumerates the five Pillars in their proper order and nature: the mystery of the Trinity (the oneness and threeness of God), the mystery of the Incarnation (how God became man), the mystery of Baptism (rebirth), the mystery of the Eucharist (the Body and Blood of Christ), and the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead (the Second Coming and the final judgment).

These five are further grouped by their mode of reception: the mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarnation are accepted by belief alone (አምነን የምንቀበላቸው); Baptism and the Eucharist are accepted by belief and practice (አምነን የምንተገብራቸው); and the Resurrection of the Dead is believed and awaited in hope (አምነን በተስፋ የምንጠብቀው ናቸው). Though each will be discussed in detail in the forthcoming essays, the following biblical passages highlight key verses related to these mysteries.

1.     The Mystery of the Trinity:
“አሕዛብን ሁሉ በአብ በወልድና በመንፈስ ቅዱስ ስም እያጠመቃችኋቸው፥ ያዘዝኋችሁንም ሁሉ እንዲጠብቁ እያስተማራችኋቸው ደቀ መዛሙርት አድርጓቸው፡፡” (Matthew 28:20)

2.     The Mystery of the Incarnation:
“ቃልም ሥጋ ሆነ፤ ጸጋንና እውነትንም ተመልቶ በእኛ አደረ፥ አንድ ልጅም ከአባቱ ዘንድ እንዳለው ክብር የሆነው ክብሩን አየን።” (John 1:14)

3.     The Mystery of Baptism:
“ያመነ የተጠመቀም ይድናል፥ ያላመነ ግን ይፈረድበታል።” (Mark 16:16)

4.     The Mystery of the Eucharist:
“ሥጋዬን የሚበላ ደሜንም የሚጠጣ የዘላለም ሕይወት አለው፡፡” (John 6:54)

5.     The Mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead:
“ትንሣኤና ሕይወት እኔ ነኝ፤ የሚያምንብኝ ቢሞት እንኳ ሕያው ይሆናል፡፡” (John 11:23)

What Is the Basis of the Pillars of Mysteries?

The content of the Pillars of Mysteries is drawn from the teachings of the Lord and the Apostles. Their formal foundation, however, is the Creed (ጸሎተ ሃይማኖት), as defined by the Councils of Nicaea (325 A.D.) and Constantinople (381 A.D.), organized by the early Church Fathers to preserve the faithful in the true faith and to refute heresies (መናፍቃንን ድል ለመንሳት). Building upon this Creed, the Tewahedo Fathers articulated the Five Pillars of Mysteries by drawing from the Old and New Testaments and from patristic writings. Thus, although the Pillars of Mysteries are firmly grounded in Scripture, their doctrinal framework rests primarily on the Creed proclaimed by the 318 Fathers at Nicaea after the condemnation of Arius.

The Creed precisely expresses the central mysteries of our faith. It opens with the Trinity, proclaiming: “We believe in one God, the Father (በአንድ አምላክ በእግዚአብሔር አብ እናምናለን),” “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ (በአንድ ጌታ በኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ እናምናለን),” and “We believe in the Holy Spirit (በመንፈስ ቅዱስም እናምናለን).” It then celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation: “For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, and was incarnate and was conceived by the Holy Spirit; and of the Holy Virgin Mary (ስለእኛ ስለ ሰዎች ስለመዳናችን ከሰማይ ወረደ ፣ በመንፈስ ቅዱስ ከቅድስት ድንግል ማርያም ፈጽሞ ሰው ሆነ).” The Creed continues with the mystery of the Eucharist (ሥጋወ ደሙ), affirming the one holy Church (በአንዲት ቅድስት ቤተክርስቲያን እናምናለን), the sacred space where Christ’s body and blood are offered. It recognizes baptism: “We believe in one baptism (በአንዲት ጥምቀትም እናምናለን),” and closes with the hope that grounds our faith: “We hope for the resurrection of the dead (የሙታንንም መነሳት ተስፋ እናደርጋለን).”

Why is it useful to know the Five Pillars of Mysteries?

God cannot be seen with physical eyes or fully examined by the limited human mind. Even within creation, there are realities humanity has not yet understood, whether about itself or about the world made for it. Yet, according to His will, God revealed Himself to our fathers—the holy prophets and apostles—in ways appropriate to their capacity to understand. As Scripture declares: “ከጥንት ጀምሮ እግዚአብሔር በብዙ ዓይነትና በብዙ ጎዳና ለአባቶቻችን በነቢያት ተናግሮ፥ ሁሉን ወራሽ ባደረገው ደግሞም ዓለማትን በፈጠረበት በልጁ በዚህ ዘመን መጨረሻ ለእኛ ተናገረን ።” (Heb 1:1–2). Therefore, we know God only to the extent that He has revealed Himself and as far as the human mind is able to receive and understand that revelation.

If a person has learned the Five Pillars of the Mysteries of Faith well, no matter how strong the winds blow or how great the floods that rise in life, nothing can shake him from his faith. These teachings become part of his very being—integrated into his blood and bones—and enable him to endure the trials of this world. One who knows and believes in the pillars of the mysteries of faith and who has received sonship of the Trinity through baptism is comforted by the fatherhood of the Trinity, even if his father and mother pass away. When he suffers, he endures patiently, remembering the suffering that Christ bore on earth as a man. When he experiences the hunger of the soul (ረኀበ ነፍስ), he feeds on Christ’s holy flesh and drinks His precious blood. If he is threatened with death because of his faith, he holds fast to the hope of the resurrection of the dead. For this reason, the Holy Church teaches these pillars of mysteries to her believers so that they may not be separated from God in conscience (በኅሊና) and remain steadfast (ጽኑ) in faith with Him. One who is strengthened by these pillars overcomes enemies, demons, and heretics (ምንፍቅናን). In sum, a sound knowledge of the pillars of mysteries enables a true understanding of faith, safeguards against doubt and heresy, and sustains steadfast faith and righteous living.

Conclusion

The Five Pillars of Mysteries constitute the doctrinal and spiritual backbone of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo faith. Drawn from divine revelation, structured by the Creed, and lived through faith, sacrament, and hope, they preserve believers from error and secure them firmly in Christ. Through these mysteries, the faithful come to know God as He has revealed Himself, to endure suffering with patience, and to persevere in righteousness until the resurrection of the dead. Thus, the Holy Church faithfully teaches these pillars so that her children may remain united with God in conscience (በኅሊና), committed in faith, and steadfast on the path to eternal life.

The upcoming parts of the essay will be devoted to a deeper exploration of the doctrines of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.