Founded by, Dedicated to, and Fighting About the Holy Savior: Schism in Wald ba, a Microcosm of Factionalism in the Ethiopian Church

Abstract

For members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Wald ba is the emblem of monasticism. Its isolation and reputation as the site of the utmost rigorous monastic asceticism has made it the metaphor for the pursuit of spiritual life in the form of extreme self-denial. What the popular imagination does not allow for, however, is the fact that Wald ba is also a place of perpetual rivalry and acrimonious division. Betä Minas and Betä ama, the two monastic houses or orders that constitute the community of Wald ba, have been bitter rivals throughout their known history. The rivalry of the two houses is in turn both an outcome and manifestation of centuries-old division and rivalry within the Ethiopian Church. The story of the rivalry of the two houses of Wald ba is therefore explored in this study for the light it throws on broader issues of factionalism in the Ethiopian Church. The main focus of the study is the period from the early seventeenth century to the present. Throughout this...