OUR FAITH
​Holy Scriptures
The Holy Scriptures form one of the two great foundations of our faith. Here is what our Church holds and teaches regarding them:
The Word of God is not found solely in the Bible; it is also preserved in Sacred Tradition. The Sacred Scriptures are the written word of God, who is the author of the Old and New Testaments, containing nothing but perfect truth in faith and morals. There also exists the unwritten Word of God, handed down through apostolic tradition. We receive the former and the latter with equal veneration.
The canon of the Ethiopic Bible is unique among Christian traditions, differing in both the Old and New Testaments. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church recognizes a total of 81 canonical books:
46 books in the Old Testament
35 books in the New Testament
Click here for a complete list of all the books.
The Five Pillars of Mystery​
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has five pillars of Mystery through which it teaches and demonstrates its basic religious belief. They are called pillars of Mystery because they support and strengthen the faithful in religious teachings as a polar supports a roof. These mysteries have Biblical foundation (1Cor. 14:19). Accordingly, the five pillars of mystery are expressed in the creed, which is the confession of our faith.
The Seven Sacraments
A Church sacrament is a holy ordinance through which the believer receives an invisible grace under the form of an outward sign, visible or audible. It should be instituted by Christ Himself.
Our Church believes that there is a real efficacy in the sacraments themselves, and that they truly bring invisible graces to the believers.
For instance, it is said that the Holy Communion brings true life in this world: ”Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.”(John 6:53), and brings eternal life: “Who eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. He that eateth of this bread shall live forever. ”John 6:54-58)
The same can be said of the other sacraments.
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