We are just going through one of the most sacred if not the most important holiday on the calendar of the Ethiopian Orthodox church, namely Fassika or the end of the holy month of Lent culminating with the religious rituals attached to the last days of Jesus on earth before his crucifixion, death and resurrection. This event is not only important in the calendar of the orthodox church but also a defining historical event that shaped the faith of millions of Ethiopians an made Ethiopia one of the first countries in Africa to accept Christianity as a national faith, before the onset of secularism and republicanism in the 20th century.
It would not be out place here to say a few words about the history of the Crucifixion and its place not only in the life of Christians but also in the collective psyche of many Ethiopians. This is not however by any means an attempt to glorify one religion and ignore another but the role the event played in the spiritual life of the nation as a whole. The same can be said about Islam for instance that has equally shaped the political and social fabric of Ethiopia and continues to do so as we write these lines.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as a faith has dominated all aspects of Ethiopian life since the 4th century. According to Wikipedia, “The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest Oriental Orthodox church. One of the few Christian churches in sub-Saharan Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates back centuries, and has a current membership of about 36 million people, the majority of whom live in Ethiopia.” The church has also been playing a defining role in the political, economic, cultural and social life of the country and in the day-to-day life of tens of millions of Orthodox Christians.
The church has also defined the nature and influence of Ethiopian arts such as music, painting, religious dance, and many other aspects of artistic expression. The church has also produced some of the most notable artists of the country who may be secular, modernist but found expression in church art tradition. Ethiopian church music was invented and developed by none other than Saint Yared, “who was an Aksumite composer in the 6th century. Often credited with the forerunner of traditional music of Ethiopia and Eritrea, he developed the religious music of Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Eritrean Orthodox Church, and the use I liturgical, as well as the Ethiopian musical notation system. Additionally, he composed Zema, or the chant tradition of Ethiopia, particularly the chants of the Ethiopian-Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches, which are still performed today.”
This was also the case in medieval Europe where the Catholic church was the mainstay or artistic and cultural expression when the church, together with the monarchy, shaped not only the thinking but also the artistic expression of the common people for many centuries until the time the Renaissance, “when church paintings had the upper hand in arts development and the themes for so many paintings were mostly taken from Biblical stories and mainly from the life of Jesus Christ culminating in his crucifixion.
Ethiopian traditional art is sometimes defined as paintings “on walls, in books, and in icons, that is highly distinctive, though the style and iconography are closely related to the simplified Coptic version of Late Antique and Byzantine Christian art. It is typified by simplistic, almost cartoonish, figures with large, almond-shaped, eyes.”
According to the above definition, Ethiopian traditional art was and still is basically church art whereby the subjects of paintings by church artists were and still are Biblical stories of saints and events that took place during Christ lifetime on earth, before his death and crucifixion. Even modern Ethiopian art borrows a great deal from traditional sources of inspiration and the life and death of Jesus Christ occupies a central place in Christian paintings not only in Ethiopia but also throughout what was known as Christian world.
Ethiopian traditional art is also rich in forms and contents that continue to baffle and surprise casual viewers as well as experts. Writing about what she calls “Ethiopian Dream in Art Conservation” art blogger Naomi Meulemans, says the following about Ethiopia’s art legacy, “Not only does Ethiopia have an unparalleled wealth of historical sites that are part of humanity’s anthropological history, but the overwhelming amount of on-going art and cultural experiences is impossible to map. Ethiopian art is inextricably linked to daily and ceremonial life. From childhood one comes into contact with centuries-old traditions which carry liturgical and philosophical meanings. The traditions are recorded in everything, from art objects to utensils and in educational and decorative depictions.”
Among the myriads of ancient church paintings in Ethiopia that dealt with spiritual as well mundane themes of daily life, there is no work of art that is widely available, emotionally moving or religiously sacred as the painting of Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion. The Crucifixion theme in Jesus’ life has been attraction the attention of most painters from ancient times to the present. As one art commentator noted, “The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is for many, “The crucifixion of Christ between two thieves is recorded in the New Testament by all four evangelists (see Matthew 27:33-44; Mark 15:22-32; Luke 23:33-43; John 19:17-30). The significance of the crucifixion has been a subject for theological discussion throughout church history.”
A detail from the Crucifixion of Jesus as portrayed by an Ethiopian artist in a painting deposited at the British Museum gives us the following description, “What is remarkable is the overall painting program. In the centre, as befits a ‘Crucifixion’, is Christ on the cross, with the usual scenes of the soldier Longinus piercing Christ’s side, the two thieves in the background, the group of mourning followers of Christ at the base of the cross, with tears running down their faces, among them Mary, the mother of Christ, supported by St. John, the Evangelist, and Mary Magdalene embracing Christ’s feet, and angels collecting Christ’s blood from his hands in their cups and blood flowing from Christ’s feet into the skull of Adam, a motif of salvation.”
Why the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is such as popular and iconic figure among Christians is clear from the above quotation. The Crucifixion not only represents the last hours of Jesus on earth but is also symbolic in many ways. Death for Jesus was the highest price he had to pay in order to show his love for humanity and his resurrection from the dead depicts the resurrection of mankind from eternal death and final salvation as almost all Christians agree. “The climactic moment of the Passion story is the Crucifixion itself. Paintings of the subject were usually intended to foster meditation on Christ’s self-sacrifice, and they thus indicate his suffering by showing him hanging heavily with bowed head and bleeding wounds.”
The cross is of course the most powerful symbol of Christian faith and Christian sacrifice. The cross is the principal symbol of the Christian religion, recalling the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redeeming benefits of his Passion and death. The cross is thus a sign both of Christ himself and of the faith of Christians. In Christian art, the cross is represented or painted in different forms at different times depending on the imagination of the artists and artistic methods and means available at specific times.
Many paintings of Crucifixion have thus “appeared in the arts and popular culture from before the era of the pagan Roman Empire. The crucifixion of Jesus has been depicted in religious art since the 4th century CE. In more modern times, crucifixion has appeared in film and television as well as in fine art, and depictions of other historical crucifixions have appeared as well as the crucifixion of Christ.”
However what makes the Crucifixion of Christ so immortal and so impressive was not and is not the artistic qualities of the paintings but the message of the act of Crucifixion itself. In Ethiopian church art the Crucifixion is portrayed in many ways. In traditional church paintings of the Crucifixion, no two pictures look alike. The other feature of the depiction of the crucifixion in Ethiopian church paintings is the attempt to sort of “Ethiopianize” the very physical features of Jesus Christ which, in European paintings is depicted as a white man.
The point here is not whether Jesus is black or white or whether there is a “black Jesus” as some people argue. Christianity as Islam and other religious denomination may portray god or his son in certain colors but the main thing is that god has no definable features and is the creator who created and cares for all of humanity. The depiction of Christ as an Ethiopian can only demonstrate how near and dear to the hearts of Ethiopian Christians.
In fact there were times when the Crucifixion was depicted in a different way, according to Dorothea McEwan, who in an article entitled, “An Ethiopian Crucifixion” writes that “In fact, the earliest known representations of the Crucifixion, dating from the late fourth or early fifth century, depict Christ alive and untouched by earthly suffering.” It is however interesting to note that neither the colors nor the shapes of the painting have changed the significance of those iconic figures and Jesus remains for many Christians, the savior who was sent to announce the defeat of Satan and the resurrection of humanity as a whole.
The Crucifixion holds special significance for the world at this particular tie when human suffering everywhere in the world has reached one of the most tragic dimensions in history. The Crucifixion of Jesus on the cross should be remembered as the highest point of sacrifice for the resurrection of humanity, a lesson that remains unchanged any time in the future too.
BY MULUGETA GUDETA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 29 APRIL 2022
