The War Against Africa: Ideological Colonialism

By Dr. Jeff Mirus (bio – articles – email) | Mar 22, 2018

I have long been convinced that those who seek political office are, as a general rule, morally unfit to rule. We could make an example of almost any historical regime to illustrate this thesis, for nearly every ruling group, whatever good it may have done, has deliberately led (not followed) those under its control and influence in ignoring one moral principle or another in pursuit of its own self-interest.

But we do not need to look to history. How else, except by the application of this general rule, can we explain why nearly every government in the world—and certainly every government in the West—spends so much time and energy undermining the very virtues which are required for a healthy social order? And at the purely theoretical level, is it not perfectly logical to assume that those who aspire to controlling others are most often uninterested in a wholesome participation in what we might call life on the ground?

If it were otherwise, they would be too busy for politics.

A new proof

Our political and social leaders, whatever their differences, are chosen from the pool of those who seek political and social advancement. This, my friends, is at best a tainted pool. Not only do the vast majority of them today consistently and deliberately undermine the natural law, but they work ceaselessly to export this contempt for sound moral values wherever wealth has enabled them to gain influence. In our time we have another monumental example: It was not enough that the European nations conspired to take political control of Africa in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; no, even in giving up overt political control, the West insists on taking social, economic and above all moral control of all who inhabit that vast continent.

Africa, in other words, is the new proof of my depressing thesis, and of an even older axiom: Beware of political and social leaders bearing gifts. Every one of them is a Trojan Horse. Every one of them is equipped not only with strings but reins. In Africa this takes the form of a relentless push by Western governments and foundations to destroy the personal integrity and family stability which a culture must possess if it is ever to be truly independent of first world nations that “just want to help.”

Thus the West is transforming Africa with treacherous gifts—with “aid” programs and packages designed to limit the population, lure young people and women to seek personal independence through sexual license, accept abortion as liberation, normalize sexual perversion, and remain dependent on foreign aid. All of this, of course, could have been predicted as just another variation of my central thesis. But Catholic readers, at least, know from the news that it is true. If they have any doubt, they should consult a brave new book by Obianuju Ekeocha entitled Target Africa.

My Note:

Obianuju Ekeocha

A remarkable Nigerian woman, Obianuju Ekeocha holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Nigeria and a Masters in Biomedical Science from the University of East London. She works in Canterbury, England as a Specialist Biomedical Scientist. And perhaps most important of all, she is the founder of Culture of Life Africa, an organization defending the dignity of human life through research, information and education. According to the blurb on her book jacket, she has spoken on life and women’s issues in seventeen countries and at the United Nations.

By birth, nationality, upbringing, education and sheer ability, Ekeocha is the ideal foil for everything from the United States government to the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation, which pours millions into Africa each year in a colossal effort to solve African problems by destroying Africans. In fact, a few years ago Ekeocha wrote an open letter to Melinda Gates, essentially telling her that Africans don’t need her stinkin’ money.

But the sum total of evil actors dwarfs the Gates Foundation. Ekeocha’s new book, just out from Ignatius Press with a foreword by Robert P. George, is subtitled “Ideological neocolonialism in the twenty-first century”. Following a jam-packed introduction providing the necessary background, Ekeocha offers compelling chapters on the effort to control Africa through population restrictions, the hypersexualization of youth, radical feminism, abortion rights, and the normalization of homosexuality. The final three chapters explain what it means to be a modern-day colonial master, explore the problem of “aid addiction”, and offer suggestions for decolonization. (Oh, and that remarkable letter to Gates is in the appendix.)

Compelling

Target Africa is absolutely compelling. It is a deeply-felt personal and even emotional witness coupled with more than enough data to prove the case, and all from a source whom the reader cannot help but admire.

“Africans by and large believe that sex is sacred,” Ekeocha writes,

that human life is precious from womb to tomb, that children are blessings, that motherhood is desirable, and that marriage between man and woman is life-generating. These are the basic family values that our parents and grandparents transmitted to us. They are embedded in our customs, enshrined in our laws, and even encoded in our native languages. To take them away from us amounts to invasion, occupation, annexation, and colonization of our people.

Returning to the thesis with which I began, I should point out that one of the book’s pervasive themes is the way in which African officials and bureaucrats line up to receive Western aid packages in return for implementing the purpose of these packages, which is to undermine their own people. What did I say about those who are interested in controlling the lives of others?

Before ever I wrote this review, there was Qoholeth the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem, as quoted in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Was he thinking of social engineers when he said there was nothing new under the sun? Perhaps I am vain to think my own little theory is original. But I can say this: For those who seek to direct others without first surrendering themselves to God, everything under that all-revealing sun is vanity.

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Zära Yaqob | The African Enlightenment

The Highest Ideals Of Locke, Hume And Kant Were First Proposed More Than A Century Earlier By An Ethiopian In A Cave

he ideals of the Enlightenment are the basis of our democracies and universities in the 21st century: belief in reason, science, skepticism, secularism, and equality. In fact, no other era compares with the Age of Enlightenment. Classical Antiquity is inspiring, but a world away from our modern societies. The Middle Ages was more reasonable than its reputation, but still medieval. The Renaissance was glorious, but largely because of its result: the Enlightenment. The Romantic era was a reaction to the Age of Reason – but the ideals of today’s modern states are seldom expressed in terms of romanticism and emotion. Immanuel Kant’s argument in the essay ‘Perpetual Peace’ (1795) that ‘the human race’ should work for ‘a cosmopolitan constitution’ can be seen as a precursor for the United Nations. 

As the story usually goes, the Enlightenment began with René Descartes’s Discourse on the Method (1637), continuing on through John Locke, Isaac Newton, David Hume, Voltaire and Kant for around one and a half centuries, and ending with the French Revolution of 1789, or perhaps with the Reign of Terror in 1793. By the time that Thomas Paine published The Age of Reason in 1794, that era had reached its twilight. Napoleon was on the rise.

But what if this story is wrong? What if the Enlightenment can be found in places and thinkers that we often overlook? Such questions have haunted me since I stumbled upon the work of the 17th-century Ethiopian philosopher Zera Yacob (1599-1692), also spelled Zära Yaqob.

Yacob was born on 28 August 1599 into a rather poor family on a farm outside Axum, the legendary former capital in northern Ethiopia. At school he impressed his teachers, and was sent to a new school to learn rhetoric (siwasiw in Geéz, the local language), poetry and critical thinking (qiné) for four years. Then he went to another school to study the Bible for 10 years, learning the teachings of the Catholics and the Copts, as well as the country’s mainstream Orthodox tradition. (Ethiopia has been Christian since the early 4th century, rivalling Armenia as the world’s oldest Christian nation.)

In the 1620s, a Portuguese Jesuit convinced King Susenyos to convert to Catholicism, which soon became Ethiopia’s official religion. Persecution of free thinkers followed suit, intensifying from 1630. Yacob, who was teaching in the Axum region, had declared that no religion was more right than any other, and his enemies brought charges against him to the king.

Yacob fled at night, taking with him only some gold and the Psalms of David. He headed south to the region of Shewa, where he came upon the Tekezé River. There he found an uninhabited area with a ‘beautiful cave’ at the foot of a valley. Yacob built a fence of stones, and lived in the wilderness to ‘front only the essential facts of life’, as Henry David Thoreau was to describe a similar solitary life a couple of centuries later in Walden (1854).

For two years, until the death of the king in September 1632, Yacob remained in the cave as a hermit, visiting only the nearby market to get food. In the cave, he developed his new, rationalist philosophy. He believed in the supremacy of reason, and that all humans – male and female – are created equal. He argued against slavery, critiqued all established religions and doctrines, and combined these views with a personal belief in a theistic Creator, reasoning that the world’s order makes that the most rational option.

In short: many of the highest ideals of the later European Enlightenment had been conceived and summarised by one man, working in an Ethiopian cave from 1630 to 1632. Yacob’s reason-based philosophy is presented in his main work, Hatäta(meaning ‘the enquiry’). The book was written down in 1667 on the insistence of his student, Walda Heywat, who himself wrote a more practically oriented Hatäta. Today, 350 years later, it’s hard to find a copy of Yacob’s book. The only translation into English was done in 1976, by the Canadian professor and priest Claude Sumner. He published it as part of a five-volume work on Ethiopian philosophy, with the far-from-commercial Commercial Printing Press in Addis Ababa. The book has been translated into German, and last year into Norwegian, but an English version is still basically unavailable.

Ethiopia was no stranger to philosophy before Yacob. Around 1510, the Book of the Wise Philosophers was translated and adapted in Ethiopia by the Egyptian Abba Mikael. It is a collection of sayings from the early Greek Pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle via the neo-Platonic dialogues, and is also influenced by Arabic philosophy and the Ethiopian discussions. In his Hatäta, Yacob criticises his contemporaries for not thinking independently, but rather accepting the claims of astrologers and soothsayers just because their predecessors did so. As a contrast, he recommends an enquiry based on scientific rationality and reason – as every human is born with intelligence and is of equal worth.

Far away, grappling with similar questions, was Yacob’s French contemporary Descartes (1596-1650). A major philosophical difference is that the Catholic Descartes explicitly denounced ‘infidels’ and atheists, whom he called ‘more arrogant than learned’ in his Meditations on First Philosophy (1641). This perspective is echoed in Locke’s A Letter Concerning Toleration(1689), which concludes that atheists ‘are not at all to be tolerated’. Descartes’s Meditations was dedicated to ‘the dean and doctors of the sacred Faculty of Theology in Paris’, and his premise was ‘to accept by means of faith the fact that the human soul does not perish with the body, and that God exists’.

In contrast, Yacob shows a much more agnostic, secular and enquiring method – which also reflects an openness towards atheistic thought. Chapter four of the Hatäta starts with a radical question: ‘Is everything that is written in the Holy Scriptures true?’ He goes on to point out that all the different religions claim theirs is the true faith:

Indeed each one says: ‘My faith is right, and those who believe in another faith believe in falsehood, and are the enemies of God.’ … As my own faith appears true to me, so does another one find his own faith true; but truth is one.

In this way, Yacob opens up an enlightened discourse on the subjectivity of religion, while still believing in some kind of universal Creator. His discussion of whether or not there is a God is more open-minded than Descartes’s, and possibly more accessible to modern-day readers, as when he incorporates existentialist perspectives:

Who is it that provided me with an ear to hear, who created me as a rational being and how have I come into this world? Where do I come from? Had I lived before the creator of the world, I would have known the beginning of my life and of the consciousness of myself. Who created me?

In chapter five, Yacob applies rational investigation to the different religious laws. He criticises Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Indian religions equally. For example, Yacob points out that the Creator in His wisdom has made blood flow monthly from the womb of women, in order for them to bear children. Thus, he concludes that the law of Moses, which states that menstruating women are impure, is against nature and the Creator, since it ‘impedes marriage and the entire life of a woman, and it spoils the law of mutual help, prevents the bringing up of children and destroys love’.

In this way, Yacob includes the perspectives of solidarity, women and affection in his philosophical argument. And he lived up to these ideals. After Yacob left the cave, he proposed to a poor maiden named Hirut, who served a rich family. Yacob argued with her master, who did not think a servant woman was equal to an educated man, but Yacob prevailed. When Hirut gladly accepted his proposal, Yacob pointed out that she should no longer be a servant, but rather his peer, because ‘husband and wife are equal in marriage’.

In contrast to Yacob’s views, Kant wrote a century later in Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime (1764): ‘A woman is embarrassed little that she does not possess certain high insights.’ And in Kant’s lectures on ethics (1760-94) we read that: ‘The desire of a man for a woman is not directed to her as a human being, on the contrary, the woman’s humanity is of no concern to him; and the only object of his desire is her sex.’

Yacob wrote ‘all men are equal’ decades before Locke, the ‘Father of Liberalism’, put pen to paper 

Yacob looked upon the woman in a completely different way, namely as a philosopher’s intellectual peer. Hirut, he wrote: ‘was not beautiful, but she was good-natured, intelligent and patient’. Yacob cherished his wife’s intelligence, and he stressed their mutual and individualistic love for one another: ‘Since she loved me so, I took the decision in my heart to please her as much as I could, and I do not think there is another marriage which is so full of love and blessed as ours.’

Yacob is also more enlightened than his Enlightenment peers when it comes to slavery. In chapter five, he argues against the idea that one can ‘go and buy a man as if he were an animal’. That is because all humans are created equal and with the capacity to reason. Hence, he also puts forward a universal argument against discrimination based on reason:

All men are equal in the presence of God; and all are intelligent, since they are his creatures; he did not assign one people for life, another for death, one for mercy, another for judgment. Our reason teaches us that this sort of discrimination cannot exist.

The words ‘all men are equal’ were written decades before Locke (1632-1704), the ‘Father of Liberalism’, put pen to paper (indeed, he was born the same year that Yacob returned from his cave). But Locke’s social-contract theory did not apply to all in practice: he was secretary during the drafting of The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina (1669), which gave white men ‘absolute power’ over their African slaves. And he invested heavily in the English Trans-Atlantic slave trade through the Royal African Company. In the Second Treatise (1689), Locke argues that God gave the world ‘to the use of the industrious and rational’ – which the philosopher Julie K Ward at Loyola University in Chicago argues can be read as a colonial attack on the right to land of American Indians. Compared with his philosophical peers, then, Yacob’s philosophy often reads like the epitome of all the ideals we commonly think of as enlightened.

Some months after reading the work of Yacob, I finally got hold of another rare book this summer: a translation of the collected writings of the philosopher Anton Amo (c1703-55), who was born and died in Guinea, today’s Ghana. For two decades, Amo studied and taught at Germany’s foremost universities, writing in Latin. His book, Antonius Gvilielmus Amo Afer of Axim in Ghana, bears a subtitle that describes the author: ‘Student. Doctor of philosophy. Master and lecturer at the universities of Halle, Wittenberg, Jena. 1727-1747.’ According to the World Library Catalogue, just a handful of copies, including those in the original Latin, are available in libraries around the world.

Amo was born a century after Yacob. He seems to have been kidnapped from the Akan people and the coastal city of Axim as a young boy, possibly for slavery, before being brought via Amsterdam to the court of Duke Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. Amo was baptised in 1707, and he received a very high-standard education, learning Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, High and Low German, in addition to probably knowing some of his mother tongue, Nzema. The great polymath G W Leibniz (1646-1716) frequently visited Amo’s home in Wolfenbüttel when he was growing up.

Amo matriculated at the University of Halle in 1727, and became well-respected in German academic circles of the time, holding lecturing positions both at the universities of Halle and Jena. In Carl Günther Ludovici’s 1738 book on the Enlightenment thinker Christian Wolff (1679-1754) – a follower of Leibniz and a founder of several academic disciplines in Germany – Amo is described as one of the most prominent Wolffians. While in the dedicatory preface to Amo’s On the Impassivity of the Human Mind (1734), the rector of the University of Wittenberg, Johannes Gottfried Kraus, hailed Amo’s compendious knowledge and ‘the praises he received thanks to his genius’. He also set Amo’s contribution to the German Enlightenment in a historical context:

In the past, the veneration given to Africa was enormous, whether for its natural genius, its appreciation for learning, or its religious organisation. This continent nurtured the growth of a number of men of great value, whose genius and assiduousness have made an inestimable contribution to the knowledge of human affairs.

Kraus stresses ‘the development of Christian doctrine, how many were its promoters who came from Africa!’ And he cites intellectuals such as Augustine, Tertullian, and the Amazigh (Berber) Apuleius as examples. The rector also underscores the European Renaissance’s African heritage, ‘as the Moors coming from Africa crossed through Spain, they brought knowledge of the ancient thinkers, while also bringing much assistance to the development of letters which were coming out of the darkness little by little’. 

Amo wrote of other theologies than the Christian, including the Turks and the ‘heathens’

Such words from the heart of Germany in the spring of 1733 might make it easier for us to remember that Amo was not the only African to achieve success in 18th-century Europe. At the same time, Abraham Petrovich Gannibal (1696-1781), also kidnapped from sub-Saharan Africa, became the general of Peter the Great of Russia. Gannibal’s great-grandson became Russia’s national poet, Alexander Pushkin. And the French author Alexandre Dumas (1802-70) was the grandson of an enslaved African woman, Louise-Céssette Dumas, and son of a black aristocratic general born on Haiti.

Neither was Amo alone in bringing diversity or cosmopolitanism to the University of Halle in the 1720s and ’30s. Several talented Jewish students studied there and received doctorates. The Arab teacher Salomon Negri of Damascus and the Indian Soltan Gün Achmet from Ahmedabad were others who arrived in Halle to study and teach. Amo himself developed a close relationship with Moses Abraham Wolff, a Jewish medical student, who was one of the students he supervised. And in his thesis, Amo wrote explicitly that there were other theologies than the Christian, including among them the Turks and the ‘heathens’.

Amo discussed such cosmopolitan issues when he defended his first thesis, the legal dissertation On the Right of Moors in Europein 1729. Amo’s dissertation is not available today. It might be that the defence was given only orally, or that the text has simply been lost. But in the Halle weekly paper of November 1729 there is a short report from his public disputation, which was granted to him so that the ‘argument of the disputation should be appropriate to his situation’. According to the newspaper report, Amo argued against slavery with reference to Roman law, tradition and rationality:

Therein it was not only shown from books and history that the kings of the Moors were enfeoffed [given freedom in exchange for pledged service] by the Roman Emperor, and that every one of them had to obtain a royal patent from him, which Justinian also issued, but it was also investigated how far the freedom or servitude of Moors bought by Christians in Europe extends, according to the usual laws.

Did Amo hold Europe’s first legal disputation against slavery? We can at least see an enlightened argument for universal suffrage, like the one Yacob had advanced 100 years earlier. However, such non-discriminatory perspectives seem to have been lost on the central Enlightenment thinkers later in the 18th century.

In his Essays and Treatises on Several Subjects (1753-4), Hume wrote: ‘I am apt to suspect the negroes, and in general all the other species of men (for there are four or five different kinds) to be naturally inferior to the whites.’ He added: ‘There never was a civilised nation of any other complexion than white, nor any individual eminent either in action or speculation.’ Kant (1724-1804) built on Hume (1711-76), and stressed that the fundamental difference between blacks and whites ‘appears to be as great in regard to mental capacities as in colour’, before concluding in Physical Geography: ‘Humanity is at its greatest perfection in the race of the whites.’

In France, the most famous Enlightenment thinker, Voltaire (1694-1778), not only described Jews in anti-Semitic terms, as when he wrote that ‘they are all of them born with raging fanaticism in their hearts’; in his Essay on Universal History(1756), he also wrote that if Africans’ ‘intelligence is not of another species than ours, then it is greatly inferior’ (fort inférieure). Like Locke, he invested his money in the slave trade.

Amo’s philosophy is often more theoretical than Yacob’s, but they share an enlightened perspective of reason, treating all humans alike. His work is deeply engaged with the issues of his day, as in Amo’s best-known book, On the Impassivity of the Human Mind (1734), which is built upon a logically deductive method using strict arguments, seemingly in line with his former juridical dissertation. Here he grapples with Cartesian dualism, the idea that there is an absolute difference in substance between mind and body.

At times, Amo seems to oppose Descartes, as the contemporary philosopher Kwasi Wiredu points out in A Companion to African Philosophy (2004), when he writes: ‘Human beings sense material things not with respect to their mind but with respect to their living and organic body.’ Wiredu argues that Amo opposed the Cartesian dualism between mind and body, rather favouring the Akan metaphysics and Nzema language of his early childhood: that you feel pain with your flesh (honam), not with your mind (adwene).

But at the same time, Amo says that he will both defend and speak against Descartes’s view (from his Letters, Part I) that the soul (mind) is able to act and suffer together with the body. Hence, Amo writes: ‘In reply to these words we caution and dissent: we concede that the mind acts together with the body by the mediation of a mutual union. But we deny that it suffers together with the body.’

The examples of Yacob and Amo make it necessary to rethink the Age of Reason 

Amo argues that Descartes’s statements in these matters are contrary to the French philosopher’s ‘own view’. He concludes his thesis by stating that we should avoid confusing the things that belong to the body and the mind. For whatever operates in the mind must be attributed to the mind alone. Perhaps it is as the philosopher Justin E H Smith at the University of Paris points out in Nature, Human Nature and Human Difference(2015): ‘Far from rejecting Cartesian dualism, on the contrary Amo offers a radicalised version of it.’

But could it also be that Wiredu and Smith are both right? For example, if the traditional Akan philosophy and Nzema language had a more precise Cartesian body-mind distinction than Descartes, a way of thinking that Amo then brought into European philosophy? It might be too early to tell, as a critical edition of Amo’s works is still pending publication, possibly at Oxford University Press.

In Amo’s most thorough work, The Art of Philosophising Soberly and Accurately (1738), he seems to anticipate the later Enlightenment thinker Kant. The book deals with the intentions of our mind, and with human actions as natural, rational or in accordance with a norm. In the first chapter, writing in Latin, Amo argues that ‘everything knowable is either a thing in itself, or a sensation, or an operation of the mind’.

He elaborates in the next paragraph, stating that ‘for the sake of which cognition occurs, is the thing in itself’. And in the following demonstration: ‘Real learning is cognition of things in themselves. It thus has the basis of its certainty in the known thing.’ Amo’s original wording is ‘Omne cognoscibile aut res ipsa’, using the Latin notion res ipsa for the ‘thing-in-itself’.

Today, Kant is known for his notion of the ‘thing-in-itself’ (das Ding an sich) in Critique of Pure Reason (1787) – and his argument that we cannot know the thing beyond our mental representation of it. Yet it is acknowledged that this was not the first use of the term in Enlightenment philosophy. As the Merriam-Webster Dictionary writes on the term thing-in-itself: ‘First known use: 1739.’ Still, that is two years after Amo’s main work was turned in at Wittenberg, in 1737.

The examples of these two Enlightenment philosophers, Yacob and Amo, might make it necessary to rethink the Age of Reason in the disciplines of philosophy and history of ideas. Within the discipline of history, new studies have shown that the most successful revolution to spring from the Enlightenment ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity was in Haiti rather than in France. The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) and the ideas of Toussaint L’Ouverture (1743–1803) paved the way for the state’s independence, new constitution, and the abolition of slavery in 1804. The historian Laurent Dubois concludes in Avengers of the New World (2004) that the events in Haiti were ‘the most concrete expression of the idea that the rights proclaimed in France’s 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen were indeed universal’. In a similar vein, one might wonder: will Yacob and Amo also one day be elevated to the position they deserve among the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment?

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How Ethiopian Prince Scuppered Germany’s WW1 Plans

Image: 100 years ago – Lij Iyasu and the German gov envoy, Frederick Wilhelm von Syburg

A hundred years ago, the Ethiopian prince Lij Iyasu was deposed after the Orthodox church feared he had converted to Islam. But it also scuppered Germany’s plans to draw Ethiopia into World War One, writes Martin Plaut.

In January 1915 a dhow slipped quietly out of the Arabian port of Al-Wajh. On board were a group of Germans and Turks, under the guise of the Fourth German Inner-Africa Research Expedition.

Led by Leo Frobenius, adventurer, archaeologist and personal friend of the German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, its aim was nothing less than to encourage Ethiopia to enter World War One.

Germany believed that the Suez canal was Britain’s “jugular vein” allowing troops and supplies to be brought from Australia, New Zealand and India.

The war plan

An assault on the canal by Turkish and German forces had been repelled in early 1915, but it was clear that this was not the final attack.

Ethiopia – an independent nation – was the major power in the region and Germany believed that if it could persuade the Ethiopians to enter the war on its side, British and allied forces would have to be withdrawn from the Canal and other fronts.

The aims of the General Staff in Berlin were: “To force the enemy to commit large forces in defending their colonies in the Horn of Africa, thus weakening their European front and relieving the German forces fighting in German East Africa.”

This called for “insurrection” in Sudan with the aim of toppling British rule and attacks on French-ruled Djibouti and Italian Eritrea.

“The colonial Italian and French possessions on the shore of the Red Sea were difficult even impossible to defend without [the] commitment of large forces: chances were that an Ethiopian blow against the shores of the Red Sea and Suez Canal would either succeed at once, or that Italy and France would voluntarily withdraw in view of the critical situation of the European front, where all men and rifles were badly needed after the initial military successes of the Central powers.”

In Berlin’s view, the “double threat” of internal insurrection in Sudan and an Ethiopian offensive would pave the way for a successful attack on the Suez Canal by Turkish forces “supported by a German expeditionary force”.

The loss of the Canal would be a decisive blow against Britain and its allies, from which it would be unable to recover.

Mission failure

It was with this objective in mind that Frobenius was despatched to Ethiopia, with orders which mirrored the plans drawn up by the British for an Arab uprising against the Ottomans – plans which resulted in the Arab Revolt of 1916 and the legend of “Lawrence of Arabia”.

The Frobenius expedition landed in the Italian colony of Eritrea on 15 February but the Italians, who were British allies, arrested them.

Forbenius was deported back to Berlin, but the German high command were determined that this would not be the end of the story.

A fresh expedition was despatched in June 1915, this time led by Salomon Hall, who came from a Jewish Polish family with long ties to Ethiopia.

Again he was intercepted in Eritrea. Keen-eyed police spotted that although he wore sandals, he had corns, and was clearly not the Arab he was pretending to be.

Although the Hall mission failed, copies of the documents he carried reached the German mission to Ethiopia in October.

The German envoy in Addis Ababa, Frederick Wilhelm von Syburg, was instructed to do everything possible to convince the Ethiopian government to enter the war.

Von Syburg was ordered to explain to the Ethiopians that Germany had scored “great victories” in the war and made lavish promises of what might follow.

“Now the time has come for Ethiopia to regain the coast of the Red Sea driving the Italians home, to restore the Empire to its ancient size…

“Germany commits herself to recognize any territory which Ethiopia may conquer or occupy in military action against the Allied powers as being her rightful and permanent property and part of the Ethiopian Empire after the war.”

These plans found a ready audience with the heir to the Ethiopian throne, Lij Iyasu. The prince, who was never crowned, had become the effective ruler after his grandfather, Emperor Menelik II suffered a massive stroke in 1909, finally dying in December 1913.

On 10 April 1911 the 16-year-old Iyasu took the opportunity of the death of the regent, to claim personal rule. He was hardly ready for the position.

As historian Harold Marcus wrote: “The youth was hardly ready to govern: during his adolescence, he had mostly abandoned the classrooms for the capital’s bars and brothels. He had a short attention span, and lacked political common sense, if not a grand vision.”

That vision included reaching out to the Muslim peoples whom his grandfather had conquered during his expansion of Ethiopian rule from the Christian highlands into the surrounding Muslim lowlands.

Muslim empire

Lij Iyasu sent much of his time outside the capital, touring the Somali and Afar regions of his country. Iyasu was encouraged by the Ottoman envoy to Ethiopia, Ahmad Manzar.

Iyasu took a number of Muslim wives and soon rumours began spreading that the prince had adopted Islam himself.

Although his ancestors had included Muslim nobility who had converted to Christianity, the idea that Iyasu returned to Islam is contested by scholars.

What is clear is that the prince was very friendly with Muslims, including a longstanding British enemy, Sayyid, Muhammad Abd Allah al-Hassan, (known as the “Mad Mullah”) of Somaliland.

Iyasu – encouraged by the Ottomans – sent weapons and ammunition to the Sayyid. Turkey went further, promising that it would land troops to back the Sayyid.

By 1916 most of the pieces were in place. Iyasu appeared to have decided to throw in his lot with the Ottoman and German cause.

Iyasu took a number of Muslim wives and soon rumours began spreading that the prince had adopted Islam himself

He was reinforced in this view by the Turkish successes in Gallipoli and Mesopotamia.

Matters came to a head in September. Reports began to circulate that Iyasu had presented an Ethiopian flag with a Red Crescent and a quotation from the Koran to Somali troops.

As historian Haggai Erlich concluded: “His steps cannot be interpreted other than leading towards a new Ethiopia, centred on Harar as the capital of an Islamic, African empire, allied with Istanbul and under his rule.”

Excommunicated

The Ethiopian nobility and the church, fearing for the future of their nation as a bastion of Christianity, decided to act.

The head of the Orthodox church was persuaded – somewhat reluctantly – to excommunicate Iyasu.

On 27 September 1916, the prince was deposed. Iyasu fought back, but his troops were defeated and he fled into hiding. Iyasu was only captured in 1921, when he was finally imprisoned.

Ras Tefari was placed on the throne as regent for his cousin Empress Zewditu until he was crowned Haile Selassie in 1930.

Britain, France and Italy had encouraged the coup by lobbying the Ethiopian elite to act against Iyasu.

On 12 September, the Tripartite powers sent a formal message to the Ethiopian foreign minister complaining that Iyasu was supporting rebellion in Somaliland and demanded an immediate explanation.

With the prince out of the way, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

As the UK ambassador to Ethiopia Wilfred Thesiger informed the Foreign Office in London: “the Government is now in the hands of those who are friendly to our cause.” The threat that Ethiopia might enter the war was at an end.

The attempt to set Ethiopia on a new course as part of Kaiser Wilhelm’s dream of inflaming the “whole Mohammedan world with wild revolt” had come to nought.

There had been no landing of Turkish or German troops from the Red Sea. Yet it had been a close-run thing.

If the Arab Revolt had not taken hold on the opposite side of the Red Sea and Iyasu had not played his cards quite so poorly, the outcome might have been very different, with catastrophic implications for Britain and its allies.

Source

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Women Who Wear Makeup Less Likely to be Considered Good Leaders in The Workplace, New Study Reveals

Both male and female participants perceived bare-faced women as more efficient leaders

In disappointing news, a recent study has revealed that women who wear makeup in the workplace are less likely to be perceived as good leaders in comparison to bare-faced colleagues.

Researchers, Esther James and Shauny Jenkins from the Abertay University in Dundee, conducted the experiment which required participants to analyse sixteen pairs of images, one depicting a woman donning makeup and the other without.

Respondents were then asked to assess which one they perceived to be a greater leader. And results indicated, that the majority of both male and female participants viewed women wearing makeup in a less positive light.

According to a recent study, women who wear makeup are less likely to be perceived as worthy leaders in the workplace

Dr Christopher Watkins of Abertay’s Division of Psychology led the study and said,”This research follows previous work in this area, which suggests that wearing makeup enhances how dominant a woman looks.”

He continued: “While the previous findings suggest that we are inclined to show some deference to a woman with a good looking face, our new research suggests that make-up does not enhance a woman’s dominance by benefitting how we evaluate her in a leadership role.”

Source

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መስከረም ፪ – ዕረፍቱ ለመጥምቀ መለኮት ቅዱስ ዮሐንስ! እንኳን አደረሰን!

ዘመን አልፎ ዘመን ሲተካ የመሸጋገሪያው ዕለት በየዓመቱ ቅዱስ ዮሐንስ እየተባለ ይጠራል።

ደማቅ የቅዱስ ዮሐንስ መጥምቅ ክብረ በዓል በቦሌ መድኃኔ ዓለም

የአምላከ በረከቱ፣ ረድኤቱና አማላጅነቱ አይለየን፡ ቅዱስ ዮሐንስ ከሁላችን ጋር ይሁን አሜን።

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አቡነ ሳሙኤል | የኢትዮጵያውያን ጥንታዊ ሥልጣኔ

እኛ ኢትዮጵያውያንና ኢትዮጵያውያት ዓለም ጨለማ ውስጥ በነበረበት ጊዜ ቀድመን ያወቅንና የሰለጠን፤ ጥሩን ከመጥፎው፤ ጽድቁን ከኃጢአት ለይተን የተረዳን፤ ከአምስት ሺህ ዓመታት በላይ ታሪክ ያለን ሰብአዊ ክብራችን የጠበቅን ሕዝቦች፤ ለፈጣሪያችን ተገዥ፤ ሰውን አክባሪ፤ ሃይማኖተኞች መሆናችንን ለመረዳት ጥንታዊ ታሪካችንን ማየት ይገባል፡፡ ለምሳሌ፡– ዓባይ (ናይል) ግዮን ወንዝን በተመለከተ፤ ከቀይ ባህር በተያያዘ መልኩ ከውጩ ዓለም ጋር የነበረን ግንኙነት፤ ሀገራችን የመን ድረስ የነበራትን የይዞታ ስፋትና የሕንድ ውቅያኖስን በመጠቀም ከህንድና ከሌሎች ዓለማት ጋር የነበረንን የጠበቀ ትስስር መመልከቱ በቂ ማስረጃ ሊሆነን ይችላል፡፡

ኢትዮጵያ በታሪክ ጸሐፍትና በፈላስፎች ዘንድ ብቻ ሳይሆን በመጽሐፍ ቅዱስም የታወቀች አገር ናት። የሕዝቧም ማንነት በቅዱስ መጽሐፍ (በብሉይ ኪዳን) እና በሐዲስ ኪዳን ተገልጧል። ሙሴ የሥነ ፍጥረትን ታሪክ በተናገረበት በመጀመሪያው መጽሐፍ ኢትዮጵያ በዐባይ ወንዝ የተከበበች አገር መሆኑዋን ተናግሯል። “የሁለተኛው ወንዝ ስም ግዮን ነው፤ እርሱም ኢትዮጵያን ምድር ይከበዋል” የሚል ማስረጃ ተጽፎ እናገኛለን፡፡ ዘፍ 2÷13

እስራኤልን ከግብፅ ነጻ ያወጣው ታላቁ ነቢይ ሙሴ የዮተር ኢትዮጵያዊ ልጅን ያገባ መሆኑ መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ይነግረናል። ዘኁ. 12÷1

መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ የኢትዮጵያን ሕዝብና ምድር ሁልጊዜ ከግብፅ ጋር በማያያዝ ይናገራል፡፡ ኢሳ. 20÷3-6፣ ሕዝ. 20÷4-51፣ ዳን. 11÷43፤ ናሆ. 3÷9

በጂኦግራፊ አቀማመጥም ኢትዮጵያ ከግብፅ ደቡብ የምትገኝ አገር መሆኑዋ በቅዱስ መጽሐፍ ተነግሯል ሕዝ. 29፣10፣ ዮዲ .1÷10

ሱዳንንና ግብፅን ሲያጠጡ የሚኖሩ የኢትዮጵያ ወንዞች ዐባይና ተከዜ በመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ የታወቁ ታላላቅ ታሪካዊ ወንዞች ናቸው ኢሳ. 18÷1

ኢትዮጵያ በማዕድን የከበረች አገር እንደመሆንዋ አልማዟና ወርቋም በዓለም ተደናቂ ነበር፡፡ኢዮ. 28÷19

ሕዝቧም በንግድ ሥራ በዓለም የታወቁ ነበር። በንግዳቸውም በልጽገውና ተደስተው ይኖሩ ነበር። ኢሳ. 43÷3

የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ እንደ ድንክ አጭር፣ እንደ አዛሔል ረዥም ሳይሆኑ ልከኛና መጠነኛ ናቸው። ኤር. 13÷23

የኢትዮጵያ ግዛትም እጅግ በጣም ሰፊ እንደ ነበር ቅዱስ መጽሐፍ ይመሰክራል። በዜና መዋዕል ካልዕ እንደተገለጸው ኢትዮጵያውያን በጦር ስልትና በጀግንነት ከጥንት ጅምሮ የታወቁ ናቸው ዜራህ (ዝሪ) በሚባለው ንጉሣቸው እየተመሩ ዘምተው ምድረ ይሁዳን ያዙ 2ኛ ዜና መዋ. 14÷9-15፣ 16÷8

ኢትዮጵያውያንን ያለ ፈቃደ እግዚአብሔር በኀይላቸው ተመክተው በሚሠሩት ሥራ ነቢያት ይገሥፁአቸው ነበር። ሶፎ. 2÷12

በእግዚአበሔርና በኢትዮጵያ መካከል ያለውን የማያቋርጥ ፍቅርና ግንኙነት ሲገልጡ ደግሞ “ኢትዮጵያ እጆቹዋን ወደ እግዚአብሔር ትዘረጋለች” እያሉ በግልፅ ተናግረዋል። መዝ. 68÷31

ከዚህ ሌላ እንደ ባጅ ያሉ ታዋቂ ታሪክ ጸሐፊዎች ኢትዮጵያ ያለ ሃይማኖት የኖረችበት የታሪክ ዘመን እንደሌለ ጽፈዋል። ይህም ያገር ውስጥ ታሪክ ጸሐፊዎች ከሚሰጡት የምስክርነት ቃል ተጨማሪ ነው።

ኢትዮጵያ ከክርስትና በፊት ስለነበራት ሃይማኖት ስንናገር የአቅኒዎቹዋን የሕይወት ታሪክ በመመርመር ነው። ኢትዮጵያን ያቀኑ ሰዎች የመምለኬ እግዚአብሔር የኖኅ የልጅ ልጆች የአያታቸውን አምላክ አንድ እግዚአብሔርን ያመልኩ ነበር።

በተጨማሪም በሐዲስ ኪዳን ክርስትናን በ34 ዓ.ም እንደተቀበለች እነዚሁ ብሔራውያን ሊቃውንት፦ ኢትዮጵያውያን የቅዱስ ፊልጶስን ትምህርትና ስብከት ከጃንደረባው ሰምተው ክርስቶስን መቀበላቸውንና ማመናቸውን ሲገልጡ እንዲህ ብለዋል።

“…. መጥምቁና የወንጌል ሰባኪው ሐዋርያ ፊልጶስ ሆይ! ኢትዮጵያውያን ትምህርትህን ከብልሁ ጃንደረባ ሰምተው ለድንግል ማርያም ልጅ ይሰግዳሉ…..”

ወይም መባቸውን ይዘው ለተወለደው ሕፃን ሊሰግዱለት ቤተልሔም ከተገኙ ሰብአ ሰገል አንዱ ኢትዮጵያዊ ከባዜን ንጉሥ የተላከ መሆኑ ግልጽ ነው።

ይህ አገላለጥ ጃንደረባው በመንፈስ ቅዱስ ከተላከለት አስተማሪው ከቅዱስ ፊልጶስ የተማረውን ትምህርት ለኢትዮጵያውያን በማስተማሩ ዳዊት በመዝሙሩ 72÷9 “በፊቱም ኢትዮጵያውያን ይሰግዳሉ” ሲል የተናገረው ትንቢት እንደተፈጸመ ያሳያል።

ኢትዮጵያዊው ጃንደረባ “ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ የእግዚአብሔር ልጅ እንደሆነ አምናለሁ” ብሎ እምነቱን በመግለጡና በማረጋገጡ “ኢየሱስ የእግዚብሔር ልጅ እንደሆነ በሚያምን ሁሉ እግዚአብሔር በእርሱ ይኖራል፤ እርሱም በእግዚአብሔር ይኖራል” (1ኛ ዮሐ. 4÷15) የሚለው አምላካዊ ተስፋ የተፈጸመለት እውነተኛ አማኝ ነበር።

ጃንደረባው የጥንታዊት ቤተ ክርስቲያን ምእመናንን በምታጠምቅበት ጊዜ ትጠቀምበት ለነበረው ሥርዐተ ተአምኖ ጀማሪ መሆኑ ይነገርለታል። ሥርዐቱም የሚከተለው ነው።

አጥማቂው ካህን፦ “ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ የእግዚአብሔር ልጅ እንደሆነ ታምናልህን? ተጠማቂ ምእመን፡– አዎ ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ የእግዚአብሔር ልጅ እንደሆነ አምናለሁ።

ይህ ሥርዐት ከወንጌላዊው ፊልጶስና ከጃንደረባው ንግግር ጋር ስለሚተባበር ከዚሁ እንደተወሰደ ይታመናል። የሐዋ. ሥራ 8÷37

ወንጌላዊው ፊልጶስና ኢትዮጵያዊው ጃንደረባ በምን ቋንቋ እንደተነጋገሩ የግብረ ሐዋርያት አንባቢዎች ሁሉ ለማወቅ እንደሚፈልጉ ግልጥ ነው። ድርጊቱ የተፈጸመው በ34 ዓ.ም በተከበረው በበዓለ ሐምሳ ሰሞን እንደሆነ በሐዲስ ኪዳን ተገልጧል። ስለሆነም ወንጌላዊው ፊልጶስ በበዐለ ሐምሳ ዕለት ከቅዱሳን ሐዋርያት ጋር ስለዚህ በመንፈስ ቅዱስ በሀገሩ ሁሉ ቋንቋ የመናገር ስጦታን መቀበሉ የታመነ ንው። ስለሆነም ጃንደረባው በራሱ ቋንቋ በግእዝ መጽሐፈ ኢሳይያስን በሚያነብበት ጊዜ ፊልጶስ ሊሰማውና ሊያነጋግረው ችሏል። በመሆኑም ፊልጶስና ጃንደረባው የተነጋገሩበት ኢትዮጵያዊ ቋንቋ ግእዝ ነበር።

በመሆኑም እኛ ኢትዮጵያውያን እንደ ክርስትናችን ሁሉ በተለይ ሰብአዊ ክብራችንና ጤናማ ሕይወታችን በጠበቀ መልኩ ለመምራት የነበረን አሁንም ያለን ጥሩ ትውፊት በቀላሉ የሚለካና የሚታይ አይደለም፡፡ ሊቃውንቱ ሰዎች ሰላማዊና ጤናማ ሕይወት እንዲኖራቸው ለማድረግ ለምርምር የጻፏቸው መጻሕፍት፤ ለመድኃኒትነት የዕፀው ቅመማ፤ የግብረ–ገብ (መልካም ሥነ ምግባራት ትምህርት) ጽሑፎቻችንን በዘረፋ እና በስርቆት ወደ ውጭ ሀገር ቢሄዱብንም አሻራቸው ግን አሁንም አለ፡፡ በጥንት ጌዜ ሰዎች ከልዩ ልዩ ዕፀው መድኃኒት እየቀመሙ በሽተኞችን ይፈውሱ ነበር ኢሳ. 38÷21 ኤር. 8÷22 ሕዝ. 47÷12 ኩፋሌ. 10÷7 እግዚአብሔር አምላክ ለኖኀ መድኃኒትነት ያላቸውን ዕፀው አሳይቶታል።

ጥበብ፣ ማስተዋል፣ ዘዴ ማንኛውንም ነገር ለማግኘት የመመርመር ችሎታ፣ የሥራ ችሎታ የሕክምና ችሎታ የአስተዳደር ችሎታ ያላቸው ሁሉ ጥበበኞች ይባላሉ፡፡ ዘፍ. 31÷2-5 ሕዝ. 27÷8-9

ሰው እግዚአብሔርን በመፍራት ጥበብን ያገኛልና በእግዚአብሔር መንገድም ይራመዳልና መዝ.111÷10፣ ያዕ. 1÷5 ሆኖም ተማርን የሚሉ ሰዎች ጥበብ ከእግዚአብሔር ጥበብ ጋር ሲመዛዘን እንደ ምንም ወይም እንደ ኢምንት ነው።

ሰው ጥበበኛ ነኝ ቢልም በእግዚአብሔር ዘንድ እንደ ባዶ እንደ (አላዋቂ) ነው። ምክንያቱም አወቅሁ ተፈላሰፍኩ መጠቅኹ የሚል ሰው በእግዚአብሔር ከሃሊነት የተፈጠረ እና ሙሉ ሕይወቱም በእግዚአብሔር ሥልጣን የተወሰነ ስለሆነ እያንዳዱ ሰው እንደ ወቅቶች ታይቶ የሚሔድና የሚያልፍ መሆኑን ማወቅና መመራመር በራሱ ጥበብ ከመንፈስ ቅዱስ ስጦታዎች አንዱ መሆኑን ኢትዮጵያውያን ጠንቅቀው ያውቃሉ፡፡ 1ቆሮ. 12÷8፣ ሮሜ 1÷22፣ 1ቆሮ. 1÷19፣ ያዕ 3÷13

ይህን እውቀታችንና ጥንታዊነታችንን መነሻና መሠረት በማድረግ አሁን ዓለም በግሎቫላይዜዥን ከደረሰበት ስልጣኔ ጋር እንዴት አድርገን በማጣጣም የሚበጀንን ብቻ መጠቀም እንዳለብን ቆም ብሎ በማሰብና በማስተዋል ሊሆን ይገባል፡፡ ሁሉም ነገር ከውጭ የመጣውና ጊዜ የወለደው ፍልስፍና ሁሉ ጥሩ ነው ብለን የምናምንና የምንቀበል ከሆን ወይም ዘመናዊነትን ብቻ የምንከተል ከሆነ አደጋው በትውልድና በሀገር እንዲሁም በነፍስም ሆነ በሥጋ የከፋ ይሆናል፡፡

አሁን በቀላሉ የምናያቸውና የምንሰማቸው ከጊዜ በኋላ ዋጋ ሊያ ስከፍሉን ይቸላሉና ነው።

ጥሩ ማስተዋል የተሞላበት ዕውቀት ምን ጊዜም ቢሆን ሰውን ወደ እግዚአብሔር ይመራዋል እንጂ ከእግዚአብሔር አያርቀውም። ከእግዚአብሔር የሚያርቅ ሃይማኖታዊ ያልሆነ ሥጋዊ ዕውቅት ብቻ ነው።

ሀ. ሳይንስና ሐኪሞቹ

ብዙዎችን ሰዎች በተለይ በሕክምና ሙያ ባሉ ክፍሎች ከሃይማኖት እንዲርቁ የሚያደርጉዋቸው ዋና ዋና ምክንያቶች ሙያቸው ሳይሆን የአምላክን ሥራ ተመራምረው መድረስ ባለመቻላቸው ነው። ይህ ደግሞ ክህደቱ የብስጭት ይመስላል፡፡ ዛሬ የምናየው የሳይንስ ዕድገት በሚያደርገው ምርምርና (መፈላሰፍ) ለብዙዎች ሰዎች የዕውቀት ዳርቻ ሆኖ ታይቷቸው ሊሆን ይችላል። ከዚህ በፊት ያልታዩና የማይታወቁ የነበሩት ነገሮች ሁሉ ዛሬ በልዩ ልዩ መሣሪያዎች ርዳታ በመገለጻቸው ምክንያት ብዙ ሰዎች የፍጥረት ምስጢር እንደተገኘ አድርገው ቈጥረውታል። ስለዚህ ዛሬ ከመታየትና ከዕውቀትም ውጭ የሆነ ነገር ሁሉ በብዙዎች ዘንድ እንደሌለ ያህል እስከ መቈጠር ደርሷል። ነገር ግን በእውነቱ ከሆነ እነዚህ ሰዎች ምንኛ ተሳስተዋል? ዛሬ የሰው ልጅ የደረሰበት የዕውቀት ደረጃ ምንም እንኳ ካለፈው ዘመን ጋራ ሲነጻጸር ከፍ ያለ ሁኖ ቢታይም ቅሉ እውነቱ ሲታይ የምናውቀው ነገር ከማናውቀው ነገር ጋር ሲነጻጸር ከዕውቀት ጫፍ መድረሳችን ቀርቶ ገና ከመጀመሪያው (ከመነሻው) ትንሽ ፈቀቅ እንኳ እንዳላልን ለምን አንረዳም። አንዳንድ ሰዎች በሃይማኖት እግዚአብሔርን ከማመን የሚርቁት ስለ ሰው የዕውቀት ደረጃ እንዲህ ዐይነት አስተያየት ስለሌላቸው ነው። ይኸውም የሰው ልጅ ሊኖር የሚቻለውን ነገር ሁሉ እንዳገኘና እንደ ተረዳው አድርገው ያስባሉ። በመሆኑም ከዕውቀት ውጭ የሆነውንና ሊታይ ወይም ሊዳሰስ የማይቻለውን ሁሉ ሊቀበሉት ያዳግታቸዋል። ግን ይህ ሁሉ መሳሳት ነው። ለዚህ ጉዳይ ታላላቅ ሳይንቲስቶችንም ሆነ ሊቃውንትን መጠየቅ ያስፈልጋል። መጻሕፍቶቻቸውንም ወስደን ብንመለከት እንዲህ ያለው አመለካከት ስሕተት መሆኑን ያረጋግጡልናል። ለመሆኑ ሳይንስ ገና ከዚህ መቼ ደረሰና! ገና ልናውቀው የሚገባን የዚህ ዓለም ምስጢር የትና የት! ሳይንስ ስለ ዓለም የመጨረሻውን ጥበብ ሰጥቷል ብለን ስንደመድም በማግስቱ እንደገና አዳዲስ ነገሮችና በሽታዎች ሲፈጠሩ እናያለን። በዚሁ ጉዳይ ተመራማሪዎች በየበኩላቸው የሚያቀርቡትን ሐሳብ ብንሰማ በእውነቱ ከዚህ በላይ ስለ ሳይንስ ከፍተኛ ግምት ባልደረስን ነበር።

ዛሬ ስለምንመካበትና ሁሉንም ነገር እንዳወቅን አድርገን ስለምን መለከተው፣ ስለምናስበው ስለዚሁ ሳይንስ ስለ ተባለው ነገር BOUTROUX የተባለ ሊቅ ከዚህ ቀጥሎ ያለውን ቃል ለማስረጃነት ይሰጠናል።

ሳይንስ ተብሎ ስለሚነገረው ነገር ዛሬ ባለንበት ዘመን የተፈጠረውን ሐሳብ መመልከት ዋጋ ያለው ነገር ነው። ከጥቂት ዓመታት በፊት ሳይንስ ሲባል የፍጥረትን ልዩ ልዩ ነገሮች በትክክል አድርጎ የሚፈታና የሚያስረዳ ፍጹምነት ያለው የዕውቀት ዐይነት ሁኖ ይታሰብ ነበር። ይህም የሆነበት ምከንያት ይህ ትምህርት ብዙ ርምጃዎችን በማድረጉ የሱ ኀይል የማይደርስበት ምንም ስፍራ እንደማይገኝ ታስቦ ከፍ ያለ ግምት ተጥሎበት ስለ ነበር ነው። ግን ይህ ሁሉ ዛሬ ሳይንስ ያስገኘው ጥቅም አለ፤ ነገር ግን ያልተደረሰበትም ሌላ ጥበብና እውቀት አለ።

LE COMTE DE NOUY የተባለ ምሁር ሲናገር እንዲህ ብሏል።

ተረድቸዋለሁ ደኀና አድርጌ ዐውቀዋለሁ ብለን ዛሬ ስለ ምንም ነገር ለመናገር አንችልም። ይህ እንዲህ ዓይነቱ አፍን መልቶ መናገር ከብዙ ዓመታት በፊት ነበር እንጂ ዛሬ እንዲህ ለማለት የማይቻል መሆኑ በሊቃውንት ሁሉ ፊት የጸደቀ ሐሳብ ሁኗል። ምክንያቱም ቀድሞ ማንኛቸውንም ነገር በርግጥ ባሕርዩን ለይተን ምስጢሩን የምንረዳው አድርገን እናስብ ነበር።ነገር ግን ዛሬ እንዲህ ያለው ዘመን አልፎ ያለነው የኀይላችንን ትንሽነት መገንዘብ ማስተዋል ግዴታ ከሆነብን ዘመን ላይ ነን ያለነው። ከዚህ በፊት በሰው ዕውቀት ላይ የነበረው እምነትና ከፍተኛ ግምት ዛሬ የለም። ይህ በፊት የነበረው እምነትም ተመልሶ ሊመጣ የሚችልበት ዘመንም ያለ አይመስልም።

የዚህን ሰው ሐሳብ የመሰለ ዛሬ እንዲሁ ሌላም PRINCIPLE OF INDETERMINTION በሚል ዐይነት አነጋገር የታወቀ በሳይንቲስቶች በኩል አንድ ዐይንት ሐሳብ ተፈጥሯል። በዚህም ሐሳብ መሠረት ስለ ምንም ነገር ከዚህ በፊት ይደረግ እንደ ነበረው ሁሉ አንድም ርግጠኛና ስሕተት የሌለበት ሆኖ የሚታሰብ ዕውቀት ለማግኘትና ወስኖ ለመናገርም የማይቻል መሆኑ የተረጋጋጠ ሁኗል። ይህም በብዙዎች ታላላቅ ምሁራን ዘንድ የጸደቀ ሐሳብ ነው።

እንደዚህም አንድሬይንክ የተባለ ሊቅም ሲናገር የምናውቀው ነገር መጠኑ ካንድ ከማይታወቅ ትልቅ የውቅያኖስ ባሕር ውስጥ እንደ ሁለት ያኸል ጠብታዎች ነው። የበለጠ ባወቅንም ቁጥር ሌሎች ብዙዎች የማይታወቁ ልዩ ልዩ ከባድ ጥያቄዎች ይፈጠሩብናል ሲል አመልክቷል። ስለሆነም ብዙ ምሁራን እንዳላችሁ አውቀናል ሰዎች ከየት እስከ የት ነው እውቀታችሁ?

አንድሬ ብሎንዴል የተባለ ምሁርም እንዲህ ብሏል። የዛሬዎቹ ሊቃውንት ከፍጥረት ምስጢር ፊት ስለ ራሳቸው ከፍ ያለ ትሕትና ይሰማቸዋል። ዛሬ ሁላቸውም ደካማነታቸው ታውቋቸዋል።

ባንድ ከፍተኛ አእምሮ ይኸውም የዓለሙ ፈጣሪና አቀናባሪ በሚኾን ኀይል ማመንም ከማናቸውም ከማቲሪያሊስቲክ ሐሳብ ሁሉ የበለጠ አጥጋቢነት ያለው ነው ብለዋል።

እንዲሁም ኬ.ሙሬ የተባለ ሊቅም ከዚህ የሚከተሉትን ቃላት ተናግሯል።

ዓለሙ ከአእምሮ ኀይል በላይ ነው። በዓለሙ ፊት አእምሮ ተሸንፎ የሚወድቅ ነው። ከዓለሙ ትልቅነትና ግርማም ፊት አእምሮ የራሱን ትንሽነት ስለሚገነዘብ ትሕትና ይሰማዋል።

ዶክተር ሮምበር ሚልካነ የተባለ አንድ ሌላም ሊቅ እንዲህ ሲል ተናግሯል።

በ፲፱ነኛው መቶ ዓመት ይደረግ እንደነበረው አንድ ፊዚስት የዓለሙን መሠረታዊ ነገር እንዳወቀ ዐይነት አድርጎ ያስብ የነበረበት ዘመን አልፚል። ዛሬ ሊቃውንት የሰው አእምሮ እንኳንስ እንዲህ ያለ ዕውቀት ሊያገኝ ይቅርና ጥቂት እንኳ እንዳልተራመደና እንደ እውነቱም ያለው መንገድ በመጀመር ላይ መሆኑን ተገንዝበዋል።

ሰር ጄስም ጂንስ የተባለ አንድ የከዋክብት ተመራማሪ ሊቅም የሰውን አእምሮ ደካማነት ሲጠቅስ የዓለሙን እውነተኛና ቀጥተኛ ባሕርይ እናገኛለን ብለን ምንጊዜም የዚህ ተስፋ ሊኖረን አይችልም ሲል ተናገሯል።

አሁን ይህን ሁሉ የጠቀስንበት ምክንያት ብዙ ሰዎች የአምላክንም መኖር ሆነ የሃይማኖትን እውነተኛነት በአእምሮ ወይም በስሜት አውታሮች በኩል እንደ ሌላው ሁሉ ነገር በግልጽ ለመረዳት ያስቡና ይህ ሳይሆንላቸው ሲቀር ወደ ክህደት የሚያደርጉትን ርምጃ ለመውቀስ ነው።

ዶክተሮች በምትሠሩት የሕክምና ሙያ ሥራና በምታክሙት ታማሚ እውነተኛው ሐኪም አምላክ መሆኑን በእናንት ምክንያት፣ በእናንተ ጥበብ እግዚአብሔር ገብቶበት ሰውን ያህል ትልቅ ፍጡር ታድኑበት ዘንድ በእምነትና በጸሎት ሥራችሁን ጀምሩት።

እንዲሁም መልካም ስነ ምግባርን በመጠበቅና በማስተላለፍ በኩል በሀገራችን ቅዱስ ባህል መሠረት ኢትዮጵያዊና ኢትዮጵያዊት መደሰት ባለባቸው ጊዜያት ሰብአዊ ክብራቸውን፤ ባህላቸውን፤ ሃይማኖታቸውን፤ ታማኝነታቸውን በጠበቀ መልኩ ይበላሉ ይጠጣሉ ይደሰታሉ እንጂ ከእንስሳት በአነሰ መልኩ የረከሰ ተግባር አይፈጽሙም፡፡ ስለዚህ የሀገር መሪዎችና የሃይማኖት አባቶችም ጥሩና ቅዱስ ባህላችን የማስከበርና ከመጥፎና ጐጂ ልማዶች ሕዝቡን የመጠበቅ ከእግዚአብሔርም ሆነ ከሰው ታላቅ አደራና ኃላፊነት አለብን፡፡ በቃልም የምናስተምረውንና የምንናገረውን በተግባር የማንገልፀው ከሆነ መልእክታችን ሙሉ በሙሉ ተቀባይነትን አያገኝም።

ለምሳሌ ያለፈው አንድ አራተኛ ክፍለ ዘመን ሳይንስ ብዙ ዕውቀትን አምርቷል፡፡ ከዚህ ክፍለ ዘመን በፊት ካለፉት በሙሉ ዐራቱ ክፍለ ዘመናት ይልቅ በጣም ጨለምተኛ የሆነው የቅርብ ጊዜ የታሪክ ንባብ ሁሉም አዳዲስ እውቀቶችን ለክፉ ነገር ዓላማ የተጠቀምንባቸው መሆኑ የግድ መታወቅ አለበት፡፡ ይህም ሲባል የእኛ የሆነው የተረበሸ ወይም በጫጫታ የተሞላ እና የተደባለቀ ስሜት እንዲሁም እዚህም እዚያም በጣም የተጨናነቀ ነው፡፡ ነገር ግን ምዕራባዊው ዓለም በሰላማዊ ሰልፍ ብቻ የተሻለ ዓለም ነው፡፡ በአጠቃላይ እኛ በታዋቂ አዳዲስ ንቃት ዕውቀት ወደ ከበሩ ሀብቶችና ውስጣዊ ምጣኔዎች እየተወስድን ነው፡፡ በእያንዳንዱ የሰው ልጅ ኅሊና የማይገመቱና ሊጠኑ የሚገባቸው፤ሊያድጉ የሚገባቸውና በምርምር ሊጣሩ የሚገባቸው አመራጮች አሉ፡፡

ማን ነው ይህን ሊል የሚችል? ሰንበር ያለበትን ሕፃን፤ ፊቱ በለቅሶ ቀይ ሆኖ ባየ ጊዜ ይህ ልጅ አንድ ቀን የታላቅ ሕንፃ ዲዛይን የሚያደርግ መሆኑን እንዲሁም የትልቁ ካቴድራልን ዲዛይን የሚያደርግ መሆኑን፣ በማርስ የመልክዓ ምድር ገጽታ ላይ እግሩን የማያሳርፍ መሆኑን ደፍሮ የሚናገር ማን ነው? ገዳይ ለሆነ በሽታስ መድኃኒት የማያገኝ መሆኑን፤ በብቸኛ ሁኔታ በጥበብ የተሞላ መጽሐፍ ትውልድን አስተማሪ የሆነ የማይጽፍ መሆኑንስ? ታላቅ ኃይል ያላትን ሀገር የማይመራ መሆኑን ወይም ብቸኛ የሆነች ነፍስን የማያድን መሆኑን ደፍሮ የሚይናገር ማን ነው?

ይህ ሁኔታ እኛ የእኛን ሰብእና ብቻችንን ሁነን እንድናሳድገው የተሰጠ አስተያየት አይደለም፡፡ የዚህ ተቃራኒው ግን ይሠራል፡፡ ከእኛ ውጭ በሆኑት ከሰዎች ጋርና ከክስተቶችም ጭምር ይህ የእኛ ሰብእና ጥልቅ የሚሆነውና የሚሰፋው በዚህ ትርጉም ባለው ግንኙነት ብቻ ነው፡፡ ማንም ሰው ብቸኛ ደሴት አይደለም፡፡ ይህ ተቀባይነት ያለው በዓለም ላይ ያለ እውነት ነው፡፡ የእኛ የራሳችን ተሞክሮዎች በመመሪያ የሚከናወኑ ሊሆኑ ይችላሉ፡፡ ነገር ግን እኛ በሌሎች ሰዎች ልምዶች በጉጉት በተቃራኒ ጊዜ የእኛ ስስ ስሜት ወይም መነቃቃትና አረዳድ በታላቅ ሁኔታ ከፍተኛ ነው፡፡ ይህም ሲባል ከሚሰቃዩት ጋር ለመሰቃየት ፤ከሚደሰቱት ጋር ለመደሰት፤ በሌሎች ሰዎች ሕመምና ጭንቀት ለመግባት በጎዳና የሚኖሩት ሁሉ የድረሱልን ጥሪ የሚጣሩትን ታላቅ ቦታ ግምት መስጠት ይገባል፡፡

እኛ የወጣቶችን አስደሳች የሆነ ሕይወት፤የታላላቆችን ቅን የሆነ ጥበብ ፤የወጣት ሥራ ፈጣሪዎችን በጉጉት መነሳሳት ለመጋራት በምንችለው መጠን፤ እንተባበር፡፡ የተለያዩ ወጣቶች የሱስ ሰለባዎች እንዳይሆኑ ለሕይወታቸው መበላሻት ምክንያት የሚሆኑትን የተስፋ ቢስነት ወይም ሙሉ በሙሉ ተስፋ በመቁረጥ በአልባሌ ቦታ የሚውሉና በሱሰኝነትና በሌብነት ሥራ የተጠመዱ ወገኖች እንዳይኖሩብን መጠንቀቅ ይገባናል፡፡

ለ. ስለ ሕክምና አገልግሎት የቤተ ክርስቲያን መልእክት

ሐኪምና ሕክምና (ሐከመ፡– አከመ ፈወሰ አዳነ) ከሚለው የግዕዝ ቋንቋ የወጣ ስያሜ ነው፡፡ በሌላም አገላለጽ ጠቢብ አቃቤ ሥራይ ተብሎ በብዙ መጻሕፍት ላይ ተመዝግቦ እናገኛለን፡፡ ጠቢብ አቃቤ ሥራይ ማለትም ጥበበኛ ፈዋሽ አዳኝ ባለ መድኃኒት የሚል ትርጉም ይሰጣል፡፡ ሕክምናን ጥንታዊ ወይም ባሕላዊ ሕክምና ዘመናዊ ወይም ሳይንሳዊ ሕክምና ብለን በ2 ምዕራፍ ልንከፍለው እንችላለን፡፡

ሕክምና ማለት በእግዚአብሔር ልግሥና በሰዎች ፍልስፍና የተገኘ እና የሚገኝ በሽተኛ ሰውን ወይም የታመመ እንስሳን የመፈወስ ጥበብና የማዳኛ ዘዴ ማለት ነው፡፡ የሕክምናውና የጥበቡ ባለቤትም ፈዋሴ ድውያን መንሥኤ ሞውታን የተባለው ሕሙማነ ሥጋን በተአምራት ሕሙማነ ነፍስን በትምህርት የሚፈውሰው ዶክተሩ ጠቢበ ጠቢባን እግዚአብሔር ነው፡፡

በመጽሐፈ ሰሎሞን መጽሐፈ ምሳሌ 9 ላይ የተጠቀሰውን ኃይለ ቃል (ጥበብሰ መድኃኒነ ውእቱ) ጥበብ ወይም ጠቢብ የተባለው በቅዱስ ሥጋው በክቡር ደሙ ያዳነን መድኅኒታችን እግዚአብሔር ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ነው በማለት ሊቁ እንደተረጐመው፡፡ (ቅዳሴ ኤጴፋንዮስ) የመጀመሪያውም ሐኪም ራሱ ባለቤቱ እግዚአብሔር ሲሆን በሽተኛውና ታካሚውም አባታችን አዳም ነው፡፡ ለሰው ልጅ ጤንነት መድኃኒት ምክንያት ሕይወት የሚሆኑትም ለምሳሌ ያህል የተጠቀሱትን ከቅዱስ መጽሐፍ እንዲህ እናነባለን፡፡ (እምኩሉ እፅ ዘውስተ ገነት ብላዕ ወእምእፅሰ ዘሀሎ በማዕከለ ገነት ዘያሌቡ ሠናየ ወእኩየ ኢትብላዕ እሞኔሁ) (መልአከ ሕይወት) ጌታ የሕይወት ባለቤት ጌታ በገነት መካከል ካለው አትክልት አዝርዕት ሁሉ ለጤንነትህ ይጠቅምሃልና ብላ ነገር ግን ለጤንነትህ የማይጠቅም ጐጂና መርዛማ የሆነውን ፍሬ ዕፅ ግን አትብላ ስንኳን መብላት ቅጠሉን ወይም ግንዱን በእጅህም አትንካው፡፡ ምክንያቱ ከዚያ መርዛማ ዕፅ ከበላህ ድውየ ሥጋ ድውየ ነፍስ ያደርግሃልና ሲል መርዛማውን ዕፅ ከነምክንያቱ በመግለጽ እንዳይበላው አስጠንቅቆታል፡፡ ከዚህም ኃይለ ቃል መርዛማና አደንዛዥ የሆኑ እፀዋት መጠቀም እንደሌለብን እንገነዘባለን፡፡ ይህን የመሰለውንም መርዛማ እና አደንዛዥ ለሰዎች ሕይወት ጠንቅ የሆነውን ዕፅ ይዞ የተገኘም ሰው በሕግ ፊት ተጠያቂ እንደሚሆን በዓለም አቀፉ ሕገ መንግሥት ተደንግጓል፡፡ ዘፍ.2 ÷17

ዳግመኛም በትርጓሜ መጽሐፈ ሲራክ ምዕራፍ 39÷ከቁ.26 ጀምሮ ለሕይወታችን ገንቢ ለጤንነታችን ጠቃሚ የሆኑትን እንደምሳሌ ሁነው ተጠቅሰው የምናገኛቸው እህልና ውኃ ወይንና ስንዴ ማርና ቅቤ እንዲሁም ጨው እና ነጭ ሽንኩርት የመሳሰሉት በዋናነት ይጠቀሳሉ፡፡ (ጥበበ ሲራክ ንባብና ትርጓሜው) ደዌ ሥጋው በጸናበት ቸነፈሩና ወረርሽኙ በተስፋፋበት ወቅትም ለቀደሙት ቅዱሳን አበው ለሄኖስ ለሄኖክና ለኖኀ ከላይ የተጠቀሱትንና ሌሎችንም በርካታ ፈዋሽ መድኃኒቶችን ነግሯቸዋል (አሳይቷቸዋል)፡፡ ከቀደሙት አበው ሲያያዝ በመጣውም አምላካዊ መመሪያ መሠረት በሊቀ ነቢያት ሙሴ አማካይነት ታላቁ ቅዱስ መጽሐፍ ከተጻፈበትም ጊዜ ጀምሮ አበው ነቢያት በቈጽለ ወይን፤ በፍሬወይን፤ በሐረገ ወይን፤ በቈጽለ በለስ፤ በፍሬ በለስ፤ በማየ ዮርዳኖስ ሕዝብንና አሕዛብን ሳይለዩ በእኩልነት በሽተኞች የሆኑትን የሰው ልጆች ሁሉ በእግዚአብሔር ስም ይፈውሷቸው እንደነበርና መርዛማውንና መራራውንም ውኃ በጨው ያጣፈጡት እንደነበር ከታላቁ ቅዱስ መጽሐፍ አንብበን መረዳት እንችላለን፡፡ መጽሐፈ ነገሥት ለምሳሌ፡– የእስራኤል ንጉሥ ሕዝቅያስ በታመመ ጊዜ የተላኩት አሽከሮች ለጌታቸው ደዌ መፍትሔ ሲጠይቁት ቅዱሱ ነቢይ ኢሳይያስ ቈጸለ ወይኑን ሐረገ ወይኑንና ፍሬ ወይኑን ቈርጦ በመስጠት (ሑሩ ቅብዕዎ ኀበ ሕበጡ ለእግዚእክሙ በስሙ ለእግዚአብሔር ጸባኦት አምላከ እስራኤል ወየሐዩ) ሂዳችሁ በአሸናፊው በእስራኤል አምላክ በእግዚአብሔር ስም የጌታችሁ የሕዝቅያስ አካሉን በዚህ ፍሬወይን ቈጽለ ወይን ቀቡት እርሱም ይድናል በማለት አሽከሮቹን እንደመከራቸውና ንጉሥ ሕዝቅያስም በዚሁ የፈውስ አገልግሎት እንደተፈወሰ እንረዳለን ( 2ነገሥ. ም. 20 ቁ. 1-7) በተመሳሳይ ሁኔታ ታላቁ ነቢይ ኤርምያስም በቈጽለ በለስ በፍሬ በለስ ምክንያት በሽተኞችን በመፈወስ ይረዳቸው እንደነበረ አንብበን መረዳት እንችላለን፡፡

በተለይ ጥበብ ሥጋዊ ጥበብ መንፈሳዊ የተገለጸለት ነቢዩ ንጉሠ እስራኤል ሰሎሞን የእያንዳንዳቸውን የዕፀዋት አገልግሎት ያውቅ ስለነበር በእፀዋቱ ምክንያት በእግዚአብሔር ስም ለሕሙማኑ የፈውስ አገልግሎት ይሰጥ ነበር፡፡ ከፈውሱ ተጠቃሚዎችም መካከል አንዷ የኢትዮጵያ ንግሥት ሳባ እንደሆነች በትርጓሜ መጻሕፍት ተገልጿል፡፡ (ትርጓሜ ወንጌል)

ጥበበኛው ሰሎሞንም ከእርሱ በፊት የነበሩት አባቶቹ እስራኤላውያን በግብጻውያን ላይ ከተከሰተው ቸነፈር በሲና በረሃም ሳሉ ከወረደባቸው ደዌ ሥጋና መቅሰፍተ ሥጋ የጸኑት በእርሱም በሰሎሞን ዘመን የነበሩዋት ወገኖቹ ድውያን እብራውያን የተፈወሱት ሕያው ማሕየዊ በሆነው በእግዚአብሔር ቅዱስ ስም እንደሆነ እና እፀዋቱና አፍላጋቱ ግን ምክንያተ ሕይወት መሆናቸውን እንዲህ በማለት አስረድቷል፡፡

አኮ ዘድኀነ በዘርዕየ አላ በእንቲከ ድኀነ ኦ መድኃኔ ኩሉ ትርጉም የሁሉ መድኃኒት ጌታ ሆይ ድውያነ ሥጋ እስራኤል አርዌ ብርቱን በማየት የጸኑ አይደሉም አንተን በማመን ጸኑ እንጂ ወዝንቱ ትእምርት ኮኖሙ መድኃኒተ ያዘክሮሙ ትዕዛዘ ቃልከ ይህ አርዌ ብርት አዘህ ያሠራኸውን ሕገ ሕይወት መጽሐፍ ያሳስባቸው ዘንድ ምክንያተ ሕይወት ሆናቸው እንጂ፡፡

ግዕዝ አኮ እፅ ዘይሰትይዎ ወኢሥራይ ዘይቀብእዎ ዘፈወሶሙ አላ ቃለ ዚአከ እግዚኦ ዘኩሎ ይፌውስ ፈውሶሙ እስመ ለሞት ወለሕይወት ሥልጣን ብከ፡፡

ትርጉም ሕሙማኑን ድውያኑን የሚጠጡት እንጨት የሚቀቡት አስማት ያዳናቸው አይደለም አቤቱ ሁሉን የሚያድን ቅዱስ ቃልህ አጸናቸው እንጂ ለሕይወትና ለሞት ሥልጣን አለህና በማለት ለፈውስ አገልግሎት የሚውሉት እፀዋቱ አዝርዕቱ፣ አትክልቱና ማያተ አብሕርቱ ምክንያተ ሕይወት ናቸው እንጂ ፈዋሹ እግዚአብሔር ስለሆነ በእግዚአብሔር ፈዋሽነት አምነን ቅዱስ ስሙን ጠርተን እፀዋቱን ወይም ክኒኑንና መርፌውን ብንጠቀም የፈውስ አገልግሎት ማግኘት የምንችል መሆኑን በጥንቃቄ አስረድቶናል፡፡ ትርጓሜ መጽሐፈ ጥበብ ም10 ከቁ. 29-36፡፡

በመቀጠል ጥበበኛው ሰሎሞን ፈዋሽ ከሆኑ ዕፀዋትም መካከል አንደኛውን እፀ ሕይወት ጠቆም አድርጐ አልፏል፡፡ ግዕዝ ሐረገወይን ዘእምሐሢሦን ይትገዘም ወበጐልጐታ ይተከል ኮነ መድኃኒትየ ትርጉም፡– ከገነት የተቈረጠው በጐልጐታ የተተከለው ሐረገወይን ጉንደ ወይን (ቅዱስ መስቀል) መድኃኒቴ ሆነኝ በማለት እርሱ ሰሎሞን ንግሥት ሳባና ሌሎችም ድውያን በጉንደ ወይን (በጉንደ መስቀል) ከደዌ ሥጋ ከደዌ ነፍስ የተፈወሱበት መሆኑን መስክሯል መሐልየ ሰሎሞን

በመጨረሻም ጥበበኛው ነቢይ ሰሎሞን ከደዌ ሥጋ ከደዌ ነፍስ የሚያድኑ መምህራን እንዲሁም የፈውሰ ሥጋ አገልግሎት የሚሰጡ ጠበብት ሐኪሞች በየኅብረተሰቡ መካከል በብዛት እየተገኙ ለዓለሙ ኅብረተሰብ አገልግሎት ቢሰጡ ጠቃሚ መሆናቸውን ሲገልጽ እስመ ብዝኃ ጥበብት መድኃኒተ ዓለም ውእቱ ትርጉም የጥበበኞች (የመምህራን የሐኪሞች) መብዛት የዓለም መድኃኒት ነው በማለት የባለሙያዎች እጥረት መኖር እንደሌለበት መልእክቱን አስተላልፏል፡፡ መጽ. ጥበብ 4÷25

ከደዌ ሥጋ የሚፈውስ ሐኪም (ወጌሻ) ከደዌ ሥጋና ከደዌ ነፍስ የሚያድን ካህን ለሰው ልጆች ሁሉ አስፈላጊ መሆኑንና አምላካችን እግዚአብሔርም በዚህ ዓለም ፈዋሽ መድኃኒትን (አንድም) ሥርየተ ኃጢአትን እንደፈጠረና እንደአዘጋጀ ተገልጋዩ ኅብረተሰብም ሐኪሙን ካህኑን አክብሮ መገልገል እንደአለበት እንዲህ በማለት ነቢየ እግዚአብሔር ሲራክ አባታዊ ምክሩን ይለግሰናል፡፡ ግዕዝ አክብሮ ለአቃቤ ሥራይ እስመ በከመ እዴሁ ከማሁ ክብሩ እስከ ሎቱኒ እግዚአብሔር ፈጠሮ

ትርጉም ባለመድኃኒቱን ሐኪሙን አክብረው በአገልግሎቱ መጠን መከበር ይገባዋልና እርሱንም እግዚአብሔር ለዚህ አገልግሎት ፈጥሮታልና አንድም ካህኑን አክብረው በመስቀሉ (በእጁ) ባርኮ በጸበሉ ረጭቶ (አጥምቆ) በቃሉ ናዝዞ ከደዌ ሥጋ ከደዌ ነፍስ በማዳኑ ሊከበር ይገባዋልና እርሱንም እግዚአብሔር ለዚህ ለክህነት አገልግሎት ሹሞታልና፡፡ ግዕዝ፡– እስመ እግዚአብሔር ፈጠረ ሥራየ እምነ ምድር ወብእሲ ጠቢብ ኢይሜንኖ ትርጉም እግዚአብሔር መድኃኒትን ከምድር ፈጥሯልና ብልህ ሰውም አይንቀውም (እግዚአብሔር ካህኑን ከሰው መርጦ ሹሞታልና) ብልህ ሰውም አይንቀውም ግዕዝ፡– አኮኑ በእፅ ጥዕመ ማይ ከመ ያዕምሩ ኃይሎ ትርጉም መድኃኒት መናቅ እንደሌለበት ይታወቅ ዘንድ መራራው ውኃ በእንጨት የጣፈጠ አይደለምን? ነቢዩ ሙሴ ዞጲ በሚባል እንጨት መራራውን ውኃ እንደ አጣፈጠው ዘፀዓት. 15÷25

ነቢዩ ኤልሳዕም መራራውንና መርዛማውን ውኃ በጨው አጣፍጦታል፡፡ እፀዋቱ በእግዚአብሔር ስም ከተጠቀሙባቸው ፈዋሽነት እንደአላቸው ለማጠየቅ ጌታ ለኖኅ ሺህ መድኃኒት ነግሮታል (አሳይቶታል)፡፡ ከሺሁ ሦስቱን መቶ ይህ ለዚህ ይበጃል ብሎ ቃል በቃል ነግሮታል፡፡ ሰባቱን መቶ (፯፻ን) ግን ከዕፀዋት ውጤቶች ከሆኑት ከማር እና ከቅቤ ታገኘዋለህ ብሎታል (ኩፋሌ 42÷8-10)

በመቀጠልም ነቢዩ ሲራክ ሐኪሙና እፀዋቱ ካህኑና ጥምቀቱ ለፈውሰ ሥጋና ለፈውሰ ነፍስ ምክንያቶች ናቸው እንጂ ሕይወተ ሥጋንና ሕይወተ ነፍስን የሚያድለው የሕይወት ባለቤት እግዚአብሔር ነውና ደዌህን ያርቅልህ ችግርህንም ያስወግድልህ ዘንድ ወደ እግዚአብሔር ጸልይ በማለት መልክቱን በማስተላለፍ መልእክቱን ይቋጫል፡፡

ግዕዝ፡– ወልድየ ኢትጸመም ሕማመከ ጸሊ ኀበ እግዚአብሔር ወውእቱ ይፌውሰከ

ትርጉም ልጄ ሕማምህን ቸል አትበል አድነኝ ብለህ ወደ እግዚአብሔር ጸልይ እርሱም ይፈውስሃል (ትርጓሜ መጽሐፈ ሲራክ ም. 38 ከቁጥር 1-15) ይመልከቱ፡፡

ታላቁ ሊቅ ቅዱስ ያሬድ በዚህ ዓለም ስለሚገኙት ፈዋሽ እፀዋት እንዲህ ሲል ተናግሯል፡፡ ወተከለ እግዚአብሔር ሠለስተ ዕፀወ ሕይወት በዲበ ምድር

ትርጉም እግዚአብሔር በምድር ላይ ሦስት የሕይወት እንጨቶችን ተከለ (አበቀለ) በማለት ከመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ከተነገረው ጋር አያይዞ ተናግሯል፡፡ ይህንንም ቅዱስ ኤፍሬም እንዲህ ሲል ተርጉሞታል፡፡ ግዕዝ፡– ከፈለነ ንብላዕ እምእፀ ሕይወት ዘውእቱ ሥጋሁ ቅዱስ ወደሙ ክቡር

ትርጉም ከእፀ ሕይወት እንበላ ዘንድ አደለን ይኸውም ቅዱስ ሥጋው ክቡር ደሙ ነው በማለት በከፊል ተርጉሞታል፡፡ ሠለስቱ እፀወ ሕይወት የተባሉት ሁለቱ ቅዱስ ኤፍሬም እንደተረጐመው እፀ ሥርናይና እፀ ወይን ሲሆኑ ሦስተኛው ለልጅነት ለሥርየተ ኃጢአት ምክንያት የሚሆነው እፀ ዘይት ወይም እፀ በለሳን ነው፡፡ በለሳነ ኮነ ሐፈ ሥጋሁ በቁሎ ሜሮን ቅብዕ ዘይቄድስ ኩሎ እንዳለው ደራሲ በመቀጠልም ሊቁ ቅዱስ ያሬድ ስለ እፀ ሕይወት ሲያብራራ ወላዲተ አምላክ ቅድስተ ቅዱሳን ማርያምን ባመሰገነበት አንቀጽ እንዲህ በማለት ዘምሯል፡፡ ግዕዝ፡– አንቲ ውእቱ እፅ ቡሩክ ዘኮንኪ እፀ ሕይወት በዲበ ምድር ህየንተ ዕፀ ሕይወት ዘውስተ ገነት

ትርጉም በገነት መካከል ስላለው እፀ ሕወት ፈንታ በምድር ላይ እፀ ሕይወት የሆንሽ የተባረክሽ እፅ አንቺ ድንግል ማርያም ነሽ በማለት እመቤታችንን በቃል ኪዳኗ ለሚማጸንባት በአማላጅነቷ ለሚተማመንባት ሁሉ ምክንያተ ሕይወት መሆኗን አስረድቷል፡፡ (ድጓ አንቀጸ ብርሃን) ጌታችን አምላካችንና መድኃኒታችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስም ሥጋችን ለብሶ ባሕርያችን ባሕርይ አድርጎ ሰዎችን በሚያስተምርበት ጊዜ አንድ አንዶችን ፈቀድኩ ንጻሕ በቃሉ ብቻ ያለምንም ምክንያት እኔ ፈቅጃለሁና ንጻ እያለ ድውያንን የፈወሰ ሲሆን በሌላ ጊዜ ደግሞ ለፈውሱ ምክንያት በመፈለግ የዓይነ ሥውሩን ዓይን በምራቁ ጭቃ ለውሶ በመቀባትና ሂደህ በሰሊሆም በፈሳሹ ወንዝ ውኃ ተጠመቅ በማለት ይፈውሳቸው እንደነበር በቅዱስ ወንጌል ተጠቅሷል፡፡ ዮሐ. 9÷1

ዳግመኛም መድኃኒታችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ የሕክምና አገልግሎት መጠቀም ተገቢ መሆኑን ጥንቁልና ወይም እንደ በደል የሚቆጠር አለመሆኑን እንዲህ ሲል በቅዱስ ወንጌል አስረድቷል፡፡ግዕዝ፡– ሕሙማን ይፈቅድዎ ለዐቃቤ ሥራይ

ትርጉም በሽተኞች ሐኪሙን ወይም ባለመድኃኒቱን ይሹታል በማለት ያስተማረ ሲሆን በሉቃስ ወንጌል እንደተመዘገበው ወንበዴዎች ደብድበው የጣሉትን ቁስለኛ ሰው ደጉ ሣምራዊ መጥቶ ለጊዜው ቁስሉን የሚያለዝብ ዘይትና የሚያደርቅለት ወይን ቀብቶ በአህያውም ላይ ጭኖ ወደተሻለ ሐኪም እንደወሰደውና እንደአሳከመው በምሳሌነት ጠቅሶ እንደአስተማረበትና ደጉ ሳምራዊም የነፍስ አድን ሥራ በመሥራቱ በሽተኛውን በወቅቱ ባለው ባሕላዊ ሕክምና በመርዳቱ እንደ አመሰገነው እንረዳለን፡፡ ሉቃስ 10÷30

ምንጭ፡ አቡነ ሳሙኤል

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እንቁጣጣሽ መልካም አዲስ ፪ሺ፲፩ ዓመት

እንቁጣጣሽ መልካም አዲስ ፪ሺ፲፩ ዓመት

ዘመነ ሉቃስ

ዘመን አልፎ ዘመን ሲተካ

ሳር ቅጠሉ ሁሉ ሲፈካ

ዝናም በሙቀት ሊተካ

ብርሃን ጨለማን ሲተካ

እንቁጣጣሽ፡ እንቁጣጣሽ!!

ደህና ጊዜን ይዘሽ ደግሞ ደግሞ ያምጣሽ።

እርቅ ነው ፍቅር ነው ለኛ አዲስ ዘመን፡

የሚታረቀውን እናቀናለን፡ አረሙን እንነቅላለን።

፪ሺ፲ የውዲቷ ኢትዮጵያ ጠላቶች የሚያፍሩበት፡

ልዩ ዘመን ሕዝባችን የሚነቃበት።

እንቁጣጣሽ በያመቱ ያምጣሽ!

መልካም አዲስ ፪ሺ፲፩  አመት!

Happy Ethiopian New 2011 Year!

መጭው የ ፪ሺ፲፩ አመት፡ የሰላም፣ የፍቅር፣

የጤና እና የደስታ ዘመን ይሁንልን !!!

“ኢትዮጵያ በእግዚአብሔር የመሰረተችና በቅዱሳን ቃል ኪዳን የተጠበቀች፤ ከሁል በላይ ደግሞ የእመቤታችን አስራት አገር ስለሆነች እንኳን በአገር ዉስጥ ለጥፋቷ የተሰለፉ አይደለም፤ እርሷን ለማጥፋት የተሰለፉ የዉጭ መንግሥታት በሙሉ በእግዚአብሔር ቁጣ ይጠፋሉ፤ ከምድር ይጠረጋሉ። እርሷ ግን በእግዚአብሔር መንግሥትነቷ እስከ ዓለም ፍጻሜ ድረስ ትቆያለች። ታዲያ አሁን ቢሆን “የአዲሲቷ ኢትዮጵያ መሪዎች ነን” እያሉ በኢትዮጵያና በኢትዮጵያዊነት ላይ የሚያላግጡ ሆኑ እርሷን ለማጥፋት የተሰለፉ የተለያዩ ቡድኖችና ድርጅቶች እንዲሁም መንግሥታትና ግለሰቦች ዛሬ ነገ ሳይሉ በእዉነተኛ ንስሐ ለእግዚአብሔር እጃቸዉን ቢሰጡና ወደማንነታቸዉ ወይንም ወደ ኢትዮጵያዊነታቸዉ ቢመለሱ የሚበጃቸዉ እንደሆነ በዚሁ አጋጣሚ መልእክቱን አቀርባለሁ።

ኢትዮጵያ እንኳን ዜጎቿን “ኢትዮጵያዉያን ነን” የሚሉትን ቀርቶ የዓለምን ሕዝብ ትመራለች ብንላችሁ “ኡ!ኡ!“ልትል ስለምትችህሉ የንስሐ እድሜ ካገኛችሁ ተፈጽሞ እንደምታዩ እንነግራችኋለን።”

ንቡረ እድ ኤርምያስ ከበደ ወልደ ኢየሱስ

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ገነትን ፍለጋ

(በዶ/ር ሐዲስ ትኩነህ)

መግብያ

የቀደሙ አባቶች ገዳማውያን ገነትን ፍለጋ የፍየል ሌጦ ለብሰው፣ ጤዛ ልሰው፣ድንጊያ ተንተርሰው በረሀ ለበረሀ ተንከራተዋል፡፡ ሰማዕታትም ገነትን ፍለጋ ተሰደዋል ፣ እንደእንጨት ተፈልጠው፣ እንደአትክልት ተከትፈው ደማቸውን አፍሰዋል፡፡ ከቀደሙ አባቶች መካከል እግዚአቤሔርን አገልግለው በሕይወተ ሥጋ ሳሉ ወደ ገነት ተነጥቀው በገነት የሚኖሩ አሉ (ኄኖክ ፣ ኤልያስና ዕዝራ) (መጽሐፈ ምሥጢር ገጽ 212 ፣ ዕብ 11፡5 ፣ ኄኖክ 4፡1፣16፤1)፡፡ አንዳዶቹ አባቶች ወደገነት ከተነጠቁ በኋላ የሀገሪቱን መልካምነት አይተው የተመለሱ ይገኙባቸዋል (2 ቆሮ 12፡4፣)፡፡ ከገነትም ከተመለሱ በኋላ በፊት ይሠሩት ከነበረው መልካም ሥራ ይበልጥ ለመሥራት ይነሣሳሉ፡፡ በመሆኑም ይራባሉ፣ ይጠማሉ፣ ዓለም ሊሸከመው የማይችለውን ከባድ ሸክም ሁሉ ይሽከማሉ፡፡ ከሞትም በኋላ በሕይወተ ሥጋ ሳሉ ወደአዩት ሀገር በክብር ይሄዳሉ፡፡ አንዳዶቹም አባቶች በሃማኖት ጸንተው የብዙ ገድል ባለቤቶች ይሆኑና በዕረፍታቸው ጊዜ ወደዚሁ ሀገር ይገባሉ፡፡

ገነት ማለት ምን ማለት ነው? ገነት ማለት የተክል ቦታ ፣ ብዙ ዛፍና ዕንጨት ያለበት ፣ ሽቱና ቅመማ ቅመም የሚበቅለበት ፣ ውሀ የሚገባበት የተከለለ ቦታ ማለት ነው (ኪዳነ ወልድ ክፍሌ መዝገበ ቃላት ገጽ 313)፡፡ ከዚህም ሌላ መጻሕፍት ስለገነት ብዙ ስያሜ ሰጥተዋት እናጋኛለን፡፡ ይህም ገነት ዕፁት (መሐ 4፡12) ፣ ገነተ አቅማሕ (መጽሐፈ ምሥጢር ገጽ 219) ፣ ገነት ርውይት (በውሀ የረካች) (ሲራ 24፡30)፣ ገነተ ጽጌ (አባ ገብረ ማርያም) ፣ ገነተ ተድላ (አክሲማሮስ ገጽ 156)፣ ገነተ ትፍሥሕት (አክሲማሮስ ገጽ 157)፣ ገነተ እግዚእ ((አሪ ዘፍ 13፡10) ፣ ገነተ ኅሩያን ደቂቅ (ደራሲ) ፣ ምድረ ገነት (ድጓ ገጽ 407 ፣ ዕዝ ሱቱ 4፡2) ፣ ኤዶም ገነት (ድርሳነ ማሕየዊ ገጽ 110) ፣ ሰማይ ሣልሲት (2 ቆሮ 12:2)፡፡ ገነት ኤዶም (መጽሐፈ ምሥጢር ገጽ 212)፡፡ የስሟ ትርጓሜ ይህ ይሁን እንጅ ገነት መልካም የሠሩ የሚኖሩባት ፣ ክፉ የሠሩ የሚከለከሉባት መንፈሳዊ ሀገር ናት፡፡

ገነት ዬትትገኛለች?

ገነት እንደመጽሐፈ ቀሌምንጦስ አገላለጽ ከቀራንዮ በላይ በአየር ላይ ትገኛለች፡፡ ገነት ከቀራንዮ በላይ ትገኛለች ስንል ከቀራንዮ ጋር የተያያዘች ሳትሆን በህዋ ላይ በመንሳፈፍ ያለችና መሬትነት ያላት ሀገር ናት (አክሲማሮስ ገጽ 73፣መጽሐፈ ቀሌምንጦስ)፡፡ ይህችም ገነት የመጀመሪያው ሰው አዳም በቀራንዮ በማእከለ ምድር ከተፈጠረና ለእንስሳት ሁሉ ስም ካወጣ በኋላ ሊኖርባት የተሰጠችው ቦታ ናት (ኩፋ 4፡9 ፣ ዕዝ ሱቱ 1፡6 መቃ ቀዳ 27፡14 ፣ አቡሻክር ፣ ጊዮርጊስ ወልደ ሐሚድ)፡፡ አዳም በምድር መካከል ተፈጠረ የሚለው ቃል የሚያስረዳው በዚህ በቀራንዮ ላይ አራቱ የዓለም ክፍሎች የሚገናኙ መሆኑን ነው፡፡ በዚህ ቦታ ላይ ብዙ ነገር ተከናውኖበታል፡፡ ይህም አዳም ወደገነት በሚገባበት ዕለት እንስሳትና መላእክት ተሰባስውበታል፡፡ የኖኅ ልጅ ሤም የአዳም አባታችንን ዐፅም ቀብሮበታል፡፡ መልከጼዴቅ የልዑል እግዚበሔር ካህን ሆኖ ተቀምጦበታል፡፡ አብርሃም አባታችን ይስሐቅ ልጁን ለአግዚአብሔር መሥዋዕት አድርጎ አቅርቦበታል፡፡ ጌታችንም ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ በዕለተ ዐርብ የሰው ዘርእ ለማዳን ተሰቅሎበታል (መዝ 73፡12)፡፡ ገነት አራት አቅጫዎችና ሦስት መንገዶች ያሏት ሀገር ናት፡፡ አንደኛው መንገድ በጎልጎታ፣ ሁለተኛው በደብረ ዘይት ፣ ሦሰተኛው በደብረ ሲና ላይ ነው፡፡ በገነት ክረምትና በጋ አይፈራረቁባትም፡፡ በውስጧም የሚገኙ እንጨቶች ያበራሉ (ኄኖክ 8፡21)፡፡ ከዚህ በተጨማሪ በዚህ ዓለም ያሉ ረኀብ ፣ ጥም ፣ ሕማም ፣ ሞት ፣ ማጣት ማግኘት የለባትም፡፡ ገነት የምስጋና ፣ የደስታ ፣ የእውነትና የቅድስና ቦታ ብቻ ናት (መጽሐፈ ቀሌምንጦስ)፡፡

ገነት በመጽሕፍ ቅዱስ

በመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ኤድን የሚለው ቃል ከ17 ጊዜ በላይ ተጠቅሶ ይገኛል፡፡ ከጥቅሶቹም ውስጥ አንዳዶቹ ኤድን ስለሚባል ሀገር የሚገልጹ ሲሆን አንዳዶቹ በኤድን ስለአለች የተክል ቦታ ይገልጻሉ፡፡ ኤድን የቃሉ ትርጉም ደስታ ፣ ለም ቦታ ፣ መልካም መዓዛ ያለበት አካባቢና ሰፊ ሜዳ ማለት ነው፡፡ በመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ገነት ያለችና የምትኖር ሀገር ናት፡፡ በመሆኑም መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ስለገነት ስም ፣በውስጧ ስለሚገኙ ዕፀዋትና ወንዞች ፣ አዳምና ሔዋን ፣ ገነትን ስለሚጠብቅ መልአክ (ኪሩብ/ሱራፊ) ይገልጻል፡፡ ይህም እንደሚከተለው ይገለጻል፣ አንቺ የገነት የሕይወት ውሃ ጉድጓድ ከሊባኖስ የሚፈስ ወንዝ ነሽ (መኃል 4፡15)፡፡ እግዚአብሔር አምላክም በምሥራቅ በኤድን ገነትን ተከለ፤ የፈጠረውንም ሰው ከዚያው አኖረው (ኦሪ ዘፍ 2፡8)፡፡ ወንዝም ገነትን ያጠጣ ዘንድ በኤድን ይወጣ ነበር፤ ከዚያም ከአራት ይከፈል ነበረ (ኦሪ ዘፍ 2፡10)፡፡ በእግዚአብሔር ገነት በኤድን ነበርህ የከበረ ዕንቍስ ሁሉ፥ ሰርድዮን፥ ቶጳዝዮን፥ አልማዝ፥ ቢረሌ፥ መረግድ፥ ኢያስጲድ፥ ሰንፔር፥ በሉር፥ የሚያብረቀርቅ ዕንቍ፥ ወርቅ፥ ልብስህ ነበረ፤ የከበሮህና የእንቢልታህ ሥራ በአንተ ዘንድ ነበረ፤ በተፈጠርህበት ቀን ተዘጋጅተው ነበር (ሕዝ 28፡13)። በክብርና በታላቅነት በኤድን ዛፎች መካከል ማንን መስለሃል? ነገር ግን ከኤድን ዛፎች ጋር ወደ ታችኛው ምድር ያወርዱሃል (ሕዝ 31፡18)፡፡ አዳምንም አስወጣው፤ ወደ ሕይወት ዛፍ የሚወስደውንም መንገድ ለመጠበቅ ኪሩቤልንና የምትገለባበጥ የነበልባል ሰይፍን በኤድን ገነት ምሥራቅ አስቀመጠ (ኦሪ ዘፍ 3፡24)። ኢየሱስም፦ “እውነት እልሃለሁ፥ ዛሬ ከእኔ ጋር በገነት ትሆናለህ” (ሉቃ 23፡43)፡፡

እነዚህ ሁሉ የመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ጥቅሶች የገነትን መኖርና የአዳምን ከገነት መሰደድ ይገልጻሉ፡፡ ሆኖም መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ገነት የምትገኝበትን ኤድን ዬት አካባቢ እንደሆነች በግልጽ አያመለክትም፡፡ ነገር ግን መጽሐፈ ኩፋሌ ለእግዚአብሔር ሦስት የተቀደሱ ቦታዎች እንዳሉት ይገልጻል (ኩፋ 5፡32)፡፡ እነዚህም ቦታዎች፣ አንደኛዋ ደብረ ሲና ፣ ሁለተኛዋ ደብረ ጽዮን ፣ ሦስተኛዋ ገነት እንደሆኑና ሦስቱንም አንጻራዊ አድርጎ ፈጥሯቸዋል ይላል (ኩፋ 9፡8)፡፡ አንጻራዊ አድርጎ ፈጥሯቸዋል የሚለውን ቃል ስንመለከት ደብረ ሲና በምዕራብ ፣ ደብረ ጽዮን በመካከል ፣ ገነት በምሥራቅ እንደሆኑ እንረዳለን፡፡ ይህ የመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ምልከታ እንደሚያሳየው ገነት ከደብረ ጽዮን በምሥራቅ በኩል ባለው አካባቢ ትገኛለች ማለት ነው፡፡ ገነት ከከነዓን ምድር በስተምሥራቅ ሁና ከደብር ቅዱስ ጋር ጎረቤት መሆኗ ነው፡፡

ደብር ቅዱስ

ደብር ቅዱስ (በአተ መዛግብት) (መጥርዮን) አዳምና ሔዋን ከገነት ከተሰደዱ በኋላ ይኖሩበት የነበረ ቦታ ነው (አቡሻክር)፡፡ ይህ ተራራ የገነት አጎራባች ሲሆን በዚህ ቦታ ይኖሩ የነበሩ አባቶች ሁሉ ገነትን አሻግረው ይመለከቷት ነበር፡፡ ይህም ማለት ገነት ለደብር ቅዱስ የቀረበች ቦታ ናት ማለት ነው፡፡ ደብር ቅዱስ በአሁኑ ጊዜ ኤርሞን (ሄርሞን) የሚባለው ተራራ ነው፡፡ ይህም ተራራ በ3ቱ ሀገሮች በእስራኤል ፣ በሶርያና በሊባኖስ መካከል የሚገኝ በበረዶ የተሸፈነ ተራራ ነው፡፡ ኤርሞን ወይም ሄርሞን ዋሻ የበዛበት ተራራ ሲሆን ትርጓሜው ደብረ መሐላ (የመሐላ ተራራ) ማለት ነው፡፡ የዚህም ተራራ ጫፍ ሰርዲን ይባላል፡፡ በዚህ በሰርዲን ጫፍ ላይ የሴት ልጆች እስከ ኖኅ ዘመን ድረስ ይኖሩበት ነበር (የመጽሐፈ ኅኖክ አንድምታ)፡፡ እነዚህም የሴት ልጆች ወደደብር ቅዱስ ተራራ ግርጌ ወደሚገኝ ምድረ ፋይድ ወደተባለ ቦታ ተጠቃለው ወርዋል (አቡሳክር ፣ ጊዮርጊስ ወልደ ሐሚድ)፡፡ ምድረ ፋይድ ማለት ምድረ ኀሣር ወመርገም ፣ ምድረ ድንፄ ወረዓድ ማለት ነው (የወንጌል አንድምታ ገጽ 19)፡፡ ይህም መከራ የሚፈራረቅበት ፣ ቀይና ጥቁር የሚወለድበት ፣ ሀብታምና ድሀ የሚኖርበት ቦታ ማለት ነው፡፡

የገነት ወንዞች

አራቱ የገነት ወንዞችን በተመለከተ የዘመናዊ ጸሐፊዎች የተለያየ ሐሳብ ሰጥተዋል፡፡ ከዚህም የሐሳብ መለያየት ያደረሳቸው የወንዞቹ ተራርቆ መገኘትና የፍሰት አቅጣጫቸው ነው፡፡ አንደኛው ኤፍራጥስ የተባለው ወንዝ ከቱርክ ተራራማ ሥፍራ ፈልቆ ከላይ የቱርክንና የሦርያን ደምበር ፣ ከታች የሦርያንና የኢራቅን ደምበር በማካለል ከጤግሮስ ወንዝ ጋር ተቀላቅሎ ወደፋርስ ባሕረ–ሰላጤ ይገባል፡፡ የጤግሮስም ወንዝ ከቱርክ ተራራማ ቦታ ፈልቆ በባቢሎን (ኢራቅ) አድርጎ በመጨረሻ ከኤፍራጥስ ወንዝ ጋር በመደባለቅ ወደባሕረ–ሰላጤው ይገባል፡፡ ኤፌሶን የታባለው ወንዝ በአሁኑ ጊዜ ውሀ ይዞ የሚፈስ ወንዝ ሆኖ አልተገኝም፡፡ ሆኖም በወንዙ ላይ ጥናት ያደረጉ ሰዎች እንደሚሉት ይህ ወንዝ ከመዲና አጠግብ ከሚገኝ ሂጃዝ ከሚባል ተራራ ተነሥቶ የዐረብያን ምድር አቋርጦ በኵየት ሰሜን ምሥራቅ አድርጎ ወደባሕረ–ሰላጤው ይገባ እንደነበር ያስረዳሉ፡፡ በአሁኑ ጊዜ ድሮ ይሄድበት የነበረውን ደረቅ ወንዝ በማጥናት መጽሐፍ ቅዱስ ኤፌሶን የኤውላጥን ምድር ይከባል ከሚለው ሐሳብ ጋር ለማጣጣም ጥረት አድርገዋል፡፡ ግዮን የተባለው ወንዝ የሀገራችን ትልቁ ወንዝ ነው፡፡ ይህም ወንዝ በመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ የኢዮትዮጵን ምድር ይከባል (ኦሪ ዘፍ 2፡13) እንደተባለው በርካታ የሀገራችንን አካባቢዎች በማዳረስ የሱዳንና የግብፅ ሀገሮች አቋርጦ ሚዲትራንያን ባሕር የሚገባ ነው፡፡

የኢትዮጵያ ሊቃውንት አራቱ ወንዞች በህልውናቸው እንዳሉና እያንዳደቸው ልዩ አገልግሎት እንደሚሰጡ ይጽፋሉ፡፡ ይህም መልካም ሥራ የሠሩ ምእመናን ወንዞችን በርስትነት እንደሚወርሷቸው ነው፡፡ አናደኛው ወንዝ ኤፌሶን ፈለገ ሐሊብ ነው፤ ርስትነቱም ለሕፃናት ነው፡፡ ሁለተኛው ወንዝ ግዮን ፈለገ ወይን ነው፤ ርስትነቱም መልካም ሥራ በመሥራት ሕይወታቸውን የሚያሳልፉ ሰዎች ርስት ነው (በጾም ፣ በምጽዋትና በጸሎት የሚኖሩ ምእመናን ይውርሱታል)፡፡ ሦስተኛው ወንዝ ጤግሮስ ፈለገ መዓር ነው፤ ርስትነቱም ነገርን የሚታገሡ ሰዎች ነው (የወንድማቸውን ጥላቻ ታግሠው ፣ ክፉውን ነገር በመልካም ነገር ለውጠው የሚኖሩ ሰዎች ይወርሱታል)፡፡ አራተኛው ወንዝ ኤፍራጥስ ፈለገ ዘይት ነው፤ ርሰትነቱም ደማቸውን ያፈሰሱ ሰማዕታተ ክርስቶስ ርስት ነው (ስለቤተ ክርስቲያን ደማቸውን ያፈሰሱ ሰማዕታት ይወርሱታል) (የወንጌል አንድምታ ትርጓሜ ገጽ 52)፡፡

ገነት በዘመናዊ ጸሐፊዎች

የዘመናዊ ጸሐፊዎች ገነትን በምድር የነበረችና በማየ አይኅ ጊዜ የጠፋች ሀገር ያደርጓታል (የመጽሐፍ ቅዱስ መዝገበ ቃላት ገጽ 241)፡፡ በአሁኑ ጊዜ ኤድን የሚባለው ሀገር የመሶፓታሚያና የአካባቢው አገሮችን (አሦር ፣ አካድ ፣ ባቢሎን (ኢራቅ)ና ፋርስ (ኢራን) ያጠቃልላል ይላሉ፡፡ አንዳዶቹ ኤድን ገነት በደቡብ መሶፓታሚያ ማለትም በደቡብ ኢራቅና ኢራን ደንበር የጤግሮስና የኤፍራጥስ ወንዞች ወደባሕረ–ሰላጤው ከሚገቡት ላይ ነበረች ይላሉ፡፡ አንዳንዶቹ ተመራማሪዎች ኤድንን በመካከል ያደርጉና በሰሜን አርመንን ፣ በሰሜን ምሥራቅ አዘርባይጃንን ፣ በሰሜን ምዕራብ ቱርክን ፣ በምሥራቅ የካስፒያን ባሕርን ፣ በምዕራብ ሦርያን፣ በደቡብ ምዕራብ ኢራቅን፣ በደቡብ ምሥራቅ ኢራንን አድርገው የኤድንን የድሮ ካርታ ያስቀምጣሉ፡፡ አንዳዶቹ ጸሐፊዎች ትክከለኛ የገነት ቦታ ሊባኖስ የሚባለው ሀገር ነው ይላሉ፡፡ ምክንያታቸውም ነቢዩ ሕዝቅኤል ስለጢሮስና ስለኤድን ገነት የተናገረው የትንቢት ቃል ነው (ሕዝ 28:11-19)፡፡ ከቤተ ክርስቲያን ጸሐፊዎችም ሁለት አይነት ገነቶች እንዳሉ ይገልጻሉ (አንዷ ምድራዊት ፣ ሁለተኛዋ ሰማይዊት)፡፡ ምድራዊቷ ገነት አዳምና ሔዋን የነበሩባት የዛሬዋ መሶፓታሚያ እንደሆነች ያምናሉ፡፡ ሰማያዊቷ ገነት የነፍሳት ማደሪያና ክርስቶስ እስኪመጣ ድረስ የነፍሳት መቆያ ሀገር እንደሆነች ጽፈዋል (ሐና ማርቆስ (1996 ገጽ 41-42)፡፡

የቤተ ክርስቲያን ምንጮችንና የዘመናዊ ምንጮችን ስንመለከት የተራራቀ ሐሳብ አላቸው፡፡ የቤተ ክርስቲያን ምንጮች እንደሚያስሩዱት ገነት ልዕልት ናት (ከፍ ያለች)፤ ምድርም ዝቅ ያለች ናት (ሕዝ 31፡18) ፣ ሥውርና የንጹሓን መኖሪያ ፣ የነፍሳት ማደሪያ ናት ይላሉ፡፡ በተጨማሪም በዚህ ዓለም ሰዎች ዐይን መታየት አትችልም የሚል ጠንካራ እምነት አላቸው፡፡ በውስጧ ስለሚገኙት ወንዞች ሲናገሩ ወንዞቹ የገነትን ዕፀዋት ካጠጡ በኋላ ወደዚህ ዓለም መጥጠው የዓለምን አካቢቢዎች ያጠጣሉ ይላሉ፡፡

ገነት በቅዱስ ያሬድ አስተምህሮት

በቅዱስ ያሬድ አስተምህሮ ገነት ያለችና የምትኖር ፣ የንጹሓን ማደሪያ ናት፡፡ ቅዱሳን ሰዎች በሩቅ ሁነው እንደሚመለከቷትና አገራቸው እንደሆነች እንደሚገነዘቡ ይገልጻል፡፡ ይህም፣እምርኁቅስ ርእይዋ ወተአምኅዋ ወአእመሩ ከመ ሀገሮሙ ይእቲ ገነት ይእቲ ነቅዐ ገነት አዘቅተ ማየ ሕይወት ማኅደር ለንጹሓን (ከሩቅ ሁነው አዩአት አይተውም ሰላም አሏት አገራቸውም እንደሆች አወቁ ገነት ናት የሕይወት ምንጭ ናት የንጹሓን ማደሪያ ናት) (ጾመ ድጓ ገጽ 110)፡፡ የገነት ምድር አፈጣጠርንም ሲያስረዳ ፣ እምሰማይ አውርደ ምድረ ገነት ዘሰይሰቅያ ለምድር በቃለ ሰላም (በፍቅር ምድርን የሚያጠጣት አምላክ የገነትን ምድር ከሰማይ አውረደ (ድጓ ገጽ 407)፡፡ አዳም በገነት ከኖረ በኀላ ከፈጣሪው ጋር በመጣላቱ ከገነት በተሰደደ ገዜ እንዳዘነ ፣ እንደተከዘና ንስሓ እንደገባና በኋላም ወደገነት እንደተመለሰ ሲገልጽ፣ ተማኅለለ አዳም ቀዳሜ ኵሉ ፍጥረት ወተነሢሖ ገብዐ ውስተ ገነት (የፍጥረት ሁሉ መጀመሪያ አዳም ምህላ ይዞ ንስሓም ገብቶ ወደ ገነት ተመለሰ) ብሏል (ድጓ ገጽ 420)፡፡

እግዚአብሔር ለወዳጆቹ በገነት መልካም ነገር እንደሚያደርጋለችው ሲጽፍ፣ ዘዐይን ኢርእየ ወእዝን ኢሰምዐ ዘአስተዳለወ ለእለ ያፈቅርዎ ኀበ አልቦ ደዌ ወአልቦ ሐማም ኀበ ኢመውቱ እምዝ ዳግመ ገነት ተርኅወ አክሊል ተደለወ ፍኖት ረትዐ ወፃማ ኀለፈ (እግዚአብሔር ለሚውዳቸው ያዘጋጀው ዐይን ያላየው ጀሮ ያልሰማው ነው ፣ ደዌ የሌለበት ሕማምም የሌለበት ነው ፣ ዳግመኛ የማይሞቱበት ነው ፣ ገነት ተከፈተ ፣ አክሊል ተዘጋጀ ፣ መንገድ ተጠረገ ፣ ድካምም አለፈ (ድጓ ገጽ 101) ብሏል፡፡ ገነት በዚህ ዓለም ከሚገኙ ተራሮች ከፍ አንደምትልና በርቀት የምትታይ መሆኗን ሲገልጽ፣እንተ ታስተርኢ እምአርስተ አድባር ርኁቅ ጻድቃን ኪያሃ አብደሩ እምወርቅ ሀገረ ክርስቶስ ሐዳስ ንድቅ ወበውስቴታ የኀድር ጽድቅ (ከታራሮች በላይ ከርቀት የምትታይ ጻድቃን ከወርቅ ይልቅ እሷን ወደዱ ፣ አዲስ ሕንፃ የክርስቶስ ሀገር ናት፤ በውስጧም እውነት ያድራል) ብሏል፡፡ ገነት በናግራን (ዐረብያ) አካባቢ እንደምትገኝ ሲገልጽ፣በሐኪ ኦ ዐባይ ሀገር ሀገረ ናግራን ሀገረ ነጐድጓድ ሀገረ እግዚአብሔር እንተ ተሰመይኪ ገነተ (አንች ትልቅ ሀገር የነጐድጓድ ሀገር ፣ የእግዚአሔር ሀገር ፣ ገነት ተብለሽ የተጠራሽ ናግራን (ናጅራን) ሆይ ሰላምታ ይገባሻል) ብሏል፡፡ ከዚህ ላይ እንተ ተሰመይኪ ገነተ የሚለው ሐረግ ገነት በናግራን አካባቢ መሆኗን ያመለክታል፡፡

ቅዱስ ያሬድ በገነት ስለሚገኙ አራቱ ወንዞች ሲጽፍ፣ሀገር ቅድስት ሀገሩ ለንጉሥ ዐቢይ አፍላገ ሕይወት በየማና ወአፍላገ ሕይወት በፀጋማ ይውኅዝ ሐሊብ ወመዓር ውሉደ ሰላም የዋሃን ይበውኡ ውስቴታ (የገናና ንጉሥ ሀገር ልዩ ናት ፣ የሕይወት ወንዞች በቀኟና በግራዋ ናቸው ፣ በውስጧም ወተትና መዓር ይፍሳል ፣ የሰላም ልጆች የዋሃን ከውስጧ ይገባሉ (ድጓ ገጽ 140) ብሏል፡፡ ገነት የዕረፍት ቦታና የቅዱሳን ነፍሳት ማረፊያ እንደሆነችም ሲገልጽ ፣እስመ ለክሙ ተርኅወ ገነት ወተተክለ ዕፀ ሕይወት ኀበ ማየ ዕረፍት ውስተ ገነተ ትፍሥሕት ህየ ይበውኡ ነፍሳቲሆሙ ለጻድቃን (ገነት ተከፈተላችሁ፣ የደስታ ቦታ ከምትሆን ከገነትም የሕይወት ዛፍ ተተከለላችሁ እኮ) (ድጓ ገጽ 109) ባሏል፡፡

የገነት መዘጋትና መከፈት

አዳም የእግዚአብሔርን ትእዛዝ ባለመጠበቁ ገነት ተዘግታ ስትኖር በጌታችን ሞትና ትንሣኤ መከፈቷ የሁሉም ክርስቲያን እምነት ነው፡፡ በመሆኑም የገነትን መዘጋትና መከፈት ፣ የአዳምን ወደቀደመ ቦታው መመለስ የሚገልጹ ብዙ ድርሳናት ተጽፈዋል፡፡ ከእነዚህም ጥቂቶቹ እንደሚከተለው ቀርበዋል ፣ ፈቀደ እግዚእ ያግዕዞ ለአዳም ኅዙነ ወትኩዘ ልብ ወያግብኦ ኀበ ዘትካት መንበሩ (ጌታ ልቡ ያዘነና የተከዘ አዳምን ነጻ ያወጣው ዘንድና ወደቀድሞው ቦታው ይመልሰው ዘንድ ወደደ)፡፡ ተፈሥሒ ኦ ቤተ ልሔም ሀገሮሙ ለነቢያት እስመ በኀቤኪ ተወልደ ክርስቶስ ዳግማይ አዳም ከመ ያግብኦ ለአዳም ቀዳሚ ብእሲ እምድር ውስተ ገነት (የነቢያት አገራቸው ቤተ ልሔም ሆይ ደስ ይበልሽ ሁለተኛው አዳም ክርስቶስ ከአንች ዘንድ ተወልዷልና የመጀመሪያው ሰው አዳምን ከምድር ወደገነት ይምልሰው ዘንድ)፡፡ በእንተ ሔዋን ተዐፅወ ኆኅተ ገነት ወበእንተ ማርያም ድንግል ተርኅወ ለነ (በሔዋን ምክንያት የገነት ደጅ ተዘጋ ዳግመኛ በድንግል ማርያም ተከፈተልን)፡፡ ወገብረ ሰላመ ማእከሌነ በመስቀሉ ወበትንሣኤሁ ቅድስት አግብኦ ለብእሰ ዳግመ ውስተ ገነት (ለእኛም እርግማን አጠፋልን፤ በመካከላችንም ሁኖ በመስቀሉ አስታረቀን፤ በልዩ ትንሣኤውም ሰውን ዳግመኛ ወደ ገነት መለሰው) (ቅዱስ ኤፍሬም)፡፡ ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ አመ ተለዐልከ እምድኅረ ፄዋ ለገነተ ጽድቅ ዘእደ ሱራፊ ዐፀዋ ቤዛ ኀጥኣን ኲሎሙ ደምከ አርኀዋ (ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ከምርኮ በኋላ ወደላይ ከፍ ከፍ ባልህ ጊዜ የኀጥኣን ሁሉ መድኃኒት ደምህ የሱራፊ እጅ የዘጋትን ገነት ከፈታት) (አባ ዘሐዋርያት)፡፡ወበውእቱ ደመ ርግዘቱ አርኀወ አናቅጸ ገነት ፫ተ ዘተዐፅዉ በእደ ኪሩቤል ወሱራፌል ዘቦሙ ሰይፈ እሳት ወኲይናተ እሳት ወበትረ እሳት (በዚህም በመወጋቱ በፈሰሰው ደም የእሳት ጦርና የእሳት ሰይፍ በያዙ በኪሩቤልና በሱራፌል እጅ የተዘጉ ሦስቱን የገነት በሮች ከፈተልን (ድርሳነ ማኅየዊ ገጽ 110 ፣ ሃይ አበ ሳዊሮስ ገጽ 339)፡፡ በመስቀሉ አርኀወ ገነተ (በመስቀሉ ገነትን ከፈተ) (ጾመ ድጓ ገጽ 73)፡፡

ሁሉም የቀረቡት ማስረጃዎች የሚያሳዩት ገነት በአዳም ጥፋት ምክንያት ተዘግታ ከኖረች በኋላ በክርስቶስ መስቀል ዳግመኛ መከፈቷን ነው፡፡

ማጠቃለያ

ገነት ዬት ትገኛለች የሚለውን ጥያቄ ለመመለስ የዚህ ጽሑፍ አዘጋጅ በዙ ምንጮችን ለማየት ሞክሯል፡፡ ከምንጮችም ስለገነት አራት አይነት ሐሳቦች እንዳሉ ተመልክቷል፡፡ አንደኛው አይነት ሐሳብ ገነት ከመሬት በላይ በአየር ላይ ያለች ሀገር ሁና ከመሬት በጣም የራቀች እንደሆነች ይገልጻል፡፡ ሁለተኛው ሐሳብ ገነት በመሬት ላይ ነበረች ነገር ግን በማየ አይ ጊዜ እግዚአብሔር ወደ ሰማይ አሳርጓታል የሚል ነው፡፡ ሦስተኛው ሐሳብ ገነት በማየ አይኅ ጊዜ እንደጠፋችና የነበረችበትም አካባቢ በመሶፓታሚያ አንደነበረና በአሁን ጊዜ ሀገሩ በሌላ ስም እንደሚጠራ የሚስረዳ ነው፡፡ አራተኛው ገነት ከመሬት ሁና ነገር ግን ከፍ ካለ አካባቢ ትገኛለች፡፡ ከፍ ባለ ቦታም በመገኘቷ ሰማይ ትባላለች የሚል ሆኖ ይገኛል፡፡ ገነት በሰማይ ናት ለሚለው ጥያቄ አባ ጊዮርጊስ ዘጋስጫ ሲመልስ ገነት በሰማይ ያለች ብትሆን ኖሮ መልአኩ ለጥበቃ ባልተሾመ ነበር ብሏል፡፡ ምክያቱም ሰው ወደሰማይ መውጣት ባለመቻሉ ነው(መጽሐፈ ምሥጢር)፡፡ የቅዱስ ያሬድም ድርሰት ገነት ከተራሮች በላይ በርቀት እንደምትታይና ጻድቃን እርሷን ለማግኘት ጥረት እንደሚያደርጉ ይገልጻል፡፡ ኄኖክም የገነትን አቅጣጫ ሲያመለክት፣ ወደኤርትራ ባሕር ሄድሁ፤ ከዚያም የራቅሁ ሆንሁ፤ ዙጡኤል በሚባል መልአክ በላይ አልፌ ሄድሁ፤ በቸርነቱም ወደምትወረስ ገነት መጣሁ ብሏል(ኄኖ 8፡19-22)፡፡

የገነት መገኛ ግልጽ ባይሆንም በርካታ ማስረጃዎች እንደሚያመለክቱት ገነት ከሰማይ ሳትሆን ክምድር ላይ ናት የሚለውን ሐሳብ ያጠናክራል፡፡ የጌታችን ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ሞትና ትንሣኤም አላማ የተዘጋች ገነትን ለመከፈትና አዳምን ወደቀደመ ቦታው ለመመለስ በመሆኑ ገነት በማየ አይኅ ጠፍታለች የሚለው ሐሳብ ተቀባይነት አይኖረውም፡፡ ሰለዚህ ስለገነት መመራመር የሚፈልግ ሁሉ ገነት እግዚአብሔር በሥዉር ያስቀመጣትና ከመታየት የሠወራት ሀገር መሆኗን ተቀብሎ እንደቅዱሳን ሰዎች መልካም ሥራ በመሥራትና ከክፉ ነገር በመራቅ ገነትን መውረስ እንደሚቻል ማመኑ የተሻለ ይሆናል፡፡

ምንጭ

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Okra Water Controls Diabetes, Asthma, Cholesterol; How To Make Okra Water

Okra is a nutritional powerhouse used throughout history for both medicinal and culinary purposes. Okra, also known as “lady’s fingers” and “gumbo,” is a green flowering plant. Okra belongs to the same plant family as hibiscus and cotton. It is indigenous to regions around the Nile in North Africa and the Middle East for it was discovered dating as far as 3500 years ago in Ethiopia.

Okra Nutrition Value

Okra contains vitamins A and C and is a good source of iron and calcium. It also contains starch, fat, ash, thiamine and riboflavin. It also contains vitamins, minerals and the antioxidants epicatechin, catechin, rutin, procyanidin B1 and B2 and quercetin. These antioxidants are capable of preventing damage to cells caused by environmental factors and stress.

How To Make Okra Water?

Drinking “okra water” is a popular new method of using okra. Cut 2-3 pieces of fresh okra after removing the head and tail part. Put it in a glass of water and let it stand overnight. Drink it about 30 minutes before breakfast.
This recipe is known to control blood sugar levels, cure asthma, cholesterol and good for kidney to keep it healthy.

Some people prefer to cut the okra into thin slices instead of soaking the pods whole. If you are going to prepare okra water this way, be prepared for a drink that is slightly bitter.

More Health Benefits of Eating Okra

• Okra is good for asthma. Okra’s vitamin C is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which curtail the development of asthma symptoms.
• The fiber of okra has many superior qualities in maintaining the health of the gastro-intestinal tract.
• Okra is good for preventing diabetes.
• It helps reabsorb water and traps excess cholesterol, metabolic toxins and surplus bile in its mucilage and slips it out through the stool. Due to greater percentage of water in the bulk it thereby prevents constipation, gas and bloating in the abdomen.
• Okra’s mucilage binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver.

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Ethiopia: A Regional Power in the Making?

When we think of countries competing for power and influence in the Horn of Africa, a short list of candidates comes to mind: the U.S., Iran, China, Russia, Turkey and various European powers. Notably absent from this list are countries from within the region itself. But this may be about to change. Ethiopia has recently launched a number of political, economic and foreign policy reforms aimed at redefining the country internally and externally. These moves are a sign that Addis Ababa wants to increase its influence in the region and might be laying the groundwork to emerge as a regional power.

Ethiopia is uniquely positioned to take on this role. It has a history of resisting foreign intervention and remaining, for the most part, free of external domination in a region that was widely colonized by European powers. Now, as the presence of foreign powers grows, Ethiopia will need to become more assertive if it wants to compete for influence with these outside forces. But it has a number of challenges with which it must contend if it is to project power beyond its borders. This Deep Dive will examine the country’s history that has led it to this unique point in time and the conditions it must meet before it will be able to wield more influence in the region.

Ethiopia’s Glory Days

At first glance Ethiopia may appear weak relative to the foreign powers with a growing interest in the area, but history shows that the country has the potential to be much more powerful than it is today. Two empires predating modern Ethiopia – the Aksum Empire (A.D. 100-940) and the Ethiopian Empire (1270-1974) – amassed enough power to define at various points the course of events on the Horn of Africa.

During its heyday, the Aksum Empire controlled approximately 500,000 square miles (1.25 million square kilometers) of territory in what is now northern Ethiopia, Eritrea, northern Sudan, southern Egypt, Djibouti and western Yemen. The empire prospered because of its position at the intersection of Africa, Arabia and the Greco-Roman world and its access to major maritime trade routes. A strong navy helped control sea lanes, while a sizable army ensured control over land. Much like Ethiopia today, the empire ruled over a multitude of diverse ethnic groups. According to some historians, the monarch maintained control over his subjects by dividing his forces into small groups and assigning them to a specific geographic area.

The territory controlled by the Ethiopian Empire was more limited, but the empire’s power was reflected in its ability to continuously repel foreign invasion. During the Abyssinian-Adal and Ethiopian-Egyptian wars, it faced aggressors that had the backing of the Ottoman Empire. The Egyptians were repulsed after two years of fighting, while the Adal Sultanate occupied Ethiopia for 14 years before being pushed out by domestic forces with support from the Portuguese. At the 1885 Berlin Conference, where European powers partitioned countries as part of the Scramble for Africa, Ethiopia was one of only two countries (the other being Liberia) that was not divided. A decade later, Italy tried to colonize Ethiopia but was defeated. Italy’s second invasion of Ethiopia in the mid-1930s was more successful, but its success was short-lived – Italy was uprooted during World War II. So with the exception of two brief occupations, the country managed to maintain its independence, preventing any major foreign power from completely monopolizing the Horn of Africa.

Federalism Takes Hold

It may be hard to believe that Ethiopia once had the power possessed by these empires, but that history has helped shape the country into what it is today. The area is one of the longest continuously inhabited parts of the world, with Egyptian historical references to Ethiopia going as far back as 980 B.C. Though Ethiopia’s borders have changed over the centuries, its current borders fall within those of previous empires, and many of the same ethnic groups are still present there. Because Ethiopia has, for the most part, maintained its independence, it has been able to preserve the cultures that developed there over centuries.

Ethiopia has a population of over 100 million people and is dominated by two religions, Islam and Christianity. According to the United Nations, more than 80 ethnic groups reside in the country. The largest is the Oromo, which accounts for 32 percent of the population. The Amhara are the second-largest, making up 28 percent of the population. The Tigrayans and Somalis each represent another 6.5 percent of the population. Another nine ethnic groups have 1 million or more members. Both the Aksum and Ethiopian empires managed these differences by centralizing power and preventing rebellion by force. When the Ethiopian Empire fell in 1974, a military dictatorship took power – and it, too, used force to keep the population in line.

But when the military regime was abolished in 1987, an ethnic-based federalist system of government was established. In 1994, a new constitution was adopted, and the country was divided into nine regions and two autonomous cities based on the ethnolinguistic makeup of the local population. It was thought that giving the different ethnic groups greater autonomy would make it easier for the central government to manage the country’s differences while keeping it united.

But there have been some bumps in the road. In 2016, there were widespread protests against the central government. The unrest started when members of the Oromo community rejected government development plans for Oromo-majority areas and then demanded more representation in the federal government, which had been dominated by members of the Tigray ethnic group since the country held its first elections as a republic in 1995. Other ethnic groups across the country, including the Amhara, soon joined the protests. Some analysts have argued that the federalist system has been ineffective and that the ethnic groups should break away from Ethiopia and form their own states, similar to what happened in Yugoslavia.

But supporters of the federalist approach say it is the best system available, even if its execution has been flawed. One of the flaws has been that people who don’t belong to the dominant ethnic group have been left out of decision-making, particularly at the regional level. Another is that the central government never really represented multiple ethnic groups as it was designed to. After multiple groups united to oust the military regime, the Tigrayans monopolized power and used force to keep the other groups in line. Ultimately, the 2016 protests forced the prime minister to resign and jump-started renewed efforts to form a strong but inclusive central government.

The new government, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, took office in early April and now finds itself in a decisive moment in the country’s history. The Horn of Africa has always been valuable geopolitical real estate, given the trade routes that pass by its shores. But the region has also been fraught with challenges, including the spread of extremist violence and spillover effects from conflicts in the Middle East. Foreign powers are increasingly trying to gain a foothold in places like Djibouti and, to a lesser extent, Somalia and Sudan, particularly through cooperation on military matters. Ethiopia has always been wary of foreign interference in the region, but it is even more so now after the 2016 protests left it vulnerable to intervention. Now that it’s stabilized, it can either stay out of the affairs of other countries in the region or assert itself as a leader. Recent government moves – and Abiy’s statement that “Ethiopia will get back its lost glory” at a political rally in the capital in June – indicate that Addis Ababa has chosen the latter.

Conditions for Asserting Power

But before it can restore even some of its past glory, it needs to make some changes. To project power in the region, the Ethiopian government must achieve three main objectives: maintain control over the domestic population, secure its borders and diversify its sea access. The rise of the Aksum and Ethiopian empires was possible only with these three conditions in place. And indeed, there are signs that the country is already moving in this direction.

Domestic Stability

Before adopting a more assertive foreign policy, a country needs to have its own affairs in order. This includes maintaining stability and peace at home. In the wake of the 2016 unrest, the government is trying to re-establish domestic stability in three ways. First, it is making changes on the political front. Abiy is the first prime minister from the Oromo ethnic group, and under his leadership, Ethiopia seems prepared to develop an authentic federalist system that will be more representative of the general population than it had been in the past. He also has both a Muslim and Christian background. He has already replaced the heads of various security forces in the country and criticized the use of brutal force by past governments. He invited exiled opposition groups like Ginbot 7 back into the country and called on local leaders in conflict-ridden areas to resign. So far, the response has been positive: Multiple opposition groups unilaterally suspended the use of arms in all self-defense activities, and the chairman of the Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement, the ruling party in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region, resigned after ethnic clashes in the region.

Ethiopia is also trying to build a sense of unity and shared identity that supersedes ethnic affiliations, a concept popularly referred to as Ethiopiawinet. With a unified population, it will be better able to resist intrusion by outside powers and work toward common goals. The central government would also be empowered to act more decisively and independently in international affairs with the support of Ethiopians from all ethnic and religious groups. This wouldn’t require an overhaul of the federalist structure and would allow ethnic groups to maintain some autonomy. The government has made some efforts toward building a sense of unity by reminding Ethiopians of the country’s history of resisting Egyptian, Ottoman and Italian invasions, a point in which the people of Ethiopia take great pride. The government can use this shared history as a way to motivate the population to restore the country’s past glory or, at least, resist attempts at foreign interference.

On the economic front, the government wants to bring back the strong growth rates the country experienced just a few years ago. The recent bouts of domestic unrest resulted in temporary factory closures, road blockades, restricted internet access and slumping investor confidence. Poor financial management, drought and famine have also taken a toll on the economy. The country is now facing a declining currency and liquidity problems, a heavy dependence on imports and growing debt. The government’s plan to address these problems involves full or partial privatization of public enterprises, including major companies like Ethio Telecom, Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopian Electric Power, and Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Services Enterprise, as well as sugar industries, railway projects and industrial parks. There are also plans to develop partnerships between local and foreign private sector firms. Finally, the government is looking for ways to increase exports to stimulate growth and bring in more foreign exchange.

Secure Borders

Ethiopia has tried to secure its borders by improving relations with its neighbors, in the hopes that it can eventually allocate resources to other areas and provide a secure environment for economic development. But in a region plagued by instability, that hasn’t been easy. Ethiopia has fought multiple conflicts with Somalia and Eritrea over border disputes, and Somalia and South Sudan have been engaged in civil wars for years, with some of the violence spilling over into Ethiopian territory. In each of these cases, Ethiopia is now trying to resolve the conflicts or, at the very least, reduce their impact.

In June, Ethiopia said it would implement the 2000 Algiers Agreement, which ended the most recent war with Eritrea, without any preconditions – a rare sign of conciliation in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea’s president responded by meeting with his Ethiopian counterpart in Addis Ababa. Mending ties with Eritrea benefits Ethiopia on multiple fronts. First, it reduces a long-standing security risk, thus freeing up military resources to be used elsewhere. It will also help improve investor confidence in the country. And it may give Ethiopia access to Eritrea’s ports. Relations between the two countries have been tense in the past because the Tigray have been among the most antagonistic groups toward Eritrea, which borders the Tigray region in Ethiopia. In fact, the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front, a party in Ethiopia’s ruling coalition, initially opposed reconciliation with Eritrea and was the last major group to support the government on the issue.

Ethiopia has an equally complicated past with Somalia. Fighting between the two countries has broken out five times since the early 20th century. But relations have been more cordial of late. The leaders of both countries have expressed strong interest in economic integration and agreed to further enhance security cooperation. Ethiopian troops have played a key role in African Union counterterrorism missions in Somalia, which are set to wind down in the next couple of years. Once that happens, Somalia will still need security support, which Ethiopia could provide.

In June, Ethiopia announced that it will start its first crude oil production tests in the Ogaden region – officially, and confusingly, called the Somali region – which borders Somalia. There are plans to build a pipeline that will eventually export hydrocarbons from the Somali region via Djibouti. This could be a very lucrative project for Ethiopia, and building up security along the Ethiopian-Somali border will help ensure it is executed effectively, especially because these types of projects have been targets for militants in other countries.

In South Sudan, Ethiopia recently helped broker a cease-fire deal in a five-year civil war. In 2013, at the beginning of the conflict, Ethiopia tried to contain the fighting, but it nonetheless resulted in a flood of refugees – and occasional casualties – on Ethiopia’s side of the border. According to estimates, there are now 400,000-500,000 South Sudanese in Ethiopia’s Gambella region. Ethiopia thus has an interest in ensuring that the cease-fire turns into a lasting peace.

Port Access

As a landlocked country, Ethiopia needs to find a way to access ports if it wants to engage in global trade. Addis Ababa lost direct access to the sea when Eritrea gained independence in 1991. This was a huge blow to Ethiopia’s geostrategic standing in the region. The country suddenly became much more dependent on neighboring states to send its exports to global markets. Sea access would also be necessary if Ethiopia wanted to defend its interests in the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden. Though the idea of an Ethiopian navy sounds far-fetched at this point, the prime minister has reportedly said the country should consider developing some sort of navy in the future. In fact, the Aksum Empire had a formidable navy of its own.

For now, however, Ethiopia’s focus remains primarily on its economic interests. Some 90-95 percent of Ethiopia’s exports are delivered by sea, and most of them pass through Djibouti, which has one of Africa’s few deep-water container port terminals. Depending so heavily on such a small country for virtually all of its exports is a huge vulnerability, and Addis Ababa is growing increasingly concerned about the presence of foreign naval forces in Djibouti. Right now, Djibouti and Ethiopia have a strong relationship, and any actor that could alter that dynamic is perceived as a direct threat. There is already some evidence that Djibouti is under pressure from foreign countries that have interests there. In February, it seized a container terminal operated by United Arab Emirates-based DP World, saying the contract between the two parties was infringing on Djibouti’s sovereignty. The government had previously said the port would remain “in the hands of our country” until it found new investors.

To mitigate this vulnerability, Ethiopia is now trying to gain control of, rather than mere access to, ports along the coast of the Horn of Africa. In April, Djibouti and Ethiopia brokered a deal to jointly develop and operate the Port of Djibouti. The government of Djibouti has approved Ethiopia’s proposal to acquire a share of the port, though they have yet to agree on the details. In return, Djibouti will get shares in state-owned Ethiopian companies. In addition, Ethiopia recently acquired a 19 percent stake in Somaliland’s Berbera port. (DP World owns 51 percent of the port and Somaliland has 30 percent.) Under the deal, Ethiopia has committed to construct the 480-mile (780-kilometer) road between the port and the Ethiopian border town of Togochale. Addis Ababa is looking into other port projects, including a deal with Kenya that would allow Ethiopia to acquire land on the island of Lamu as part of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport project, as well as joint investment projects on four potential ports in Somalia. Ultimately, Ethiopia needs guaranteed port access through a partner it can either control or rely on with confidence.

On the surface, all these moves could be seen as motivated not by aspirations for regional leadership but by a desire to grow the economy. But considering the rising presence of foreign forces in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia’s historical resistance to foreign powers in the region and Abiy’s recent statements, it appears that Ethiopia is laying the groundwork to assert itself and compete against outside powers that are increasingly active there. This may take many years if not decades to achieve, if it is achieved at all. But at the moment, the region is without a leader – a country that can help resolve some of the conflicts that have plagued it and prevent foreign forces from amassing too much influence there. Ethiopia has proved in the past and, to an extent, is proving today that it is willing and able to do both.

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