A Christian state is a country that recognizes a form of Christianity as its official religion and often has a state church (also called an established church ), which is a Christian denomination that supports the government and is supported by the government.
186-1140: Historically, the nations of Aksum , Armenia , Makuria , and the Holy Roman Empire have declared themselves as Christian states, as well as the Roman Empire and its continuation the Byzantine Empire , the Russian Empire , the Spanish Empire , the British Empire , the Portuguese Empire , and the Frankish Empire , the Belgian colonial empire , the French empire . Today, several nations officially identify themselves as Christian states or have state churches. These countries include Argentina , Armenia , Costa Rica , El Salvador , Denmark (incl. Greenland and
372-576: A Jewish ethnicity or was from a southern region. According to one traditional account, she reigned for forty years and her dynasty lasted until 1137 AD, when it was overthrown by Mara Takla Haymanot , resulting in the inception of the Agaw -led Zagwe dynasty . According to an oral tradition, Gudit rose to power after she killed the Beta Israel king and then reigned for 40 years. She brought her Jewish army from Semien Mountains and Lake Tana to orchestrate
558-464: A Nubian Greek ruler, King Moses Georgios , but remained unanswered. She was said to have been succeeded by Dagna-Jan, whose throne name was Anbasa Wudem. Her reign was marked by the displacement of the Aksumite population into the south. According to one Ethiopian traditional account, she reigned for forty years and her dynasty was eventually overthrown by Mara Tekla Haymanot in 1137 AD, who ushered in
744-482: A national church which is not established (as the official religion of the nation), but is nonetheless recognised under civil law as being the country's acknowledged religious denomination. Whilst these are not Christian states, the official Christian national church is likely to have certain residual state functions in relation to state occasions and ceremonial. Examples include Scotland ( Church of Scotland ) and Sweden ( Church of Sweden ). A national church typically has
930-477: A revival of religion and piety . The blending of these three traditions would produce an evangelical Protestantism that placed greater importance "on seasons of revival, or outpourings of the Holy Spirit , and on converted sinners experiencing God's love personally." In the 1710s and 1720s, revivals became more frequent among New England Congregationalists. These early revivals remained local affairs due to
1116-404: A secular state with guaranteed religious freedom . However, Orthodox Christians with 6,079,396 adherents comprise 84.5% of the country's population. The Serbian Orthodox Church is the largest traditional church of the country, adherents of which are overwhelmingly Serbs . The SOC directly or indirectly has cultural influence on both the decisions and positions of the state . Tonga became
1302-638: A Christian state under George Tupou I in the 19th century, with the Free Wesleyan Church , a member of the World Methodist Council , being established as the country's state Church. Under the rule of George Tupou I, there was established a "rigorous constitutional clause regulating observation of the Sabbath ". The Church of Tuvalu , a Calvinist church in the Congregationalist tradition,
1488-650: A Christian state. In the Middle Ages , efforts were made in order to establish a Pan-Christianity state by uniting the countries within Christendom . Christian nationalism played a role in this era in which Christians felt the impulse to also recover those territories in which Christianity historically flourished, such as the Holy Land and North Africa. The First Great Awakening , American Revolution , and Second Great Awakening caused two rounds of disestablishment among
1674-438: A Jewish Queen named Yodit (Judith) or " Gudit " defeated the empire and burned its churches and literature. While there is evidence of churches being burned and an invasion around this time, her existence has been questioned by some western authors. Gudit sacked Aksum by destroying churches and buildings, persecuted Christians and committed Christian iconoclasm . Her origin has been debated among scholars. Some argued that she had
1860-712: A Moravian small group called the Fetter Lane Society . In May 1738, Wesley attended a Moravian meeting on Aldersgate Street, where he felt spiritually transformed during a reading of Martin Luther 's preface to the Epistle to the Romans . Wesley recounted that "I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine , and saved me from
2046-644: A broadly Christian character" that is widely flouted. The Church of the Faroe Islands is the state church of Faroe Islands . Georgia is one of the oldest Christian states. Article 8 of Georgian Constitution and the Concordat of 2002 grants the Georgian Orthodox Church special privileges, which include legal immunity to the Patriarch of Georgia . The Orthodox Church is the most trusted institution in
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#17328453872572232-451: A cautious approach to this issue, neither encouraging nor discouraging these responses, but they recognized that people might express their conviction in different ways. The conviction stage lasted so long because potential converts were waiting to find evidence of regeneration in their lives. The revivalists believed regeneration, or the new birth, was not simply an outward profession of faith or conformity to Christianity. They believed it
2418-517: A considerable impact." and that "their influence was diffused throughout Ethiopian culture in its formative period. By the time Christianity took hold in the fourth century, many of the originally Hebraic-Jewish elements had been adopted by much of the indigenous population and were no longer viewed as foreign characteristics. Nor were they perceived as in conflict with the acceptance of Christianity." Before converting to Christianity, King Ezana II's coins and inscriptions show that he might have worshiped
2604-541: A crucial role in sustaining both urban and rural populations. Aksumite farmers cultivated a variety of cereal crops with origins from both Africa and the Near East. These crops included teff , finger millet , sorghum , emmer wheat, bread wheat, hulled barley, and oats. In addition to cereal crops, Aksumite farmers also grew linseed, cotton, grapes, and legumes of Near Eastern origin such as lentils, fava beans, chickpeas, common peas, and grass peas. Other important crops included
2790-628: A decree went out in 1739 ordering that "Elementary schooling for all Norwegian children became mandatory, so that all Norwegians should be able to read the Bible and the Lutheran Catechism firsthand." The modern Constitution of Norway stipulates that " The Church of Norway , an Evangelical-Lutheran church, will remain the Established Church of Norway and will as such be supported by the State." As such,
2976-475: A distinctive architectural style. Aksumite architecture featured massive dressed granite blocks, smaller uncut stones for walling, mud mortar, bricks for vaulting and arches, and a visible wooden framework, known as "monkey-heads" or square corner extrusions. Walls inclined inwards and incorporated several recessed bays for added strength. Aksum and other cities, such as Adulis and Matara , boasted substantial "palace" buildings employing this architectural style. In
3162-831: A great power, with an overall weakening of Aksumite authority and over-expenditure in money and manpower. Aksumite trade in the Red Sea likely suffered due to the Persian conquests in Egypt and Syria, followed by the defeats in Yemen. However, a more enduring impact occurred with the rise of Islam in the early 7th century and the expansion of the Rashidun Caliphate . Axum initially had good relations with its Islamic neighbours. In 615 AD for example, early Muslims from Mecca fleeing Qurayshi persecution traveled to Axum and were given refuge; this journey
3348-616: A greater belief in God's glory than in self-glorification. Similar experiences would appear in most of the major revivals of the 18th century. Edwards wrote an account of the Northampton revival, A Faithful Narrative , which was published in England through the efforts of prominent evangelicals John Guyse and Isaac Watts . The publication of his account made Edwards a celebrity in Britain and influenced
3534-838: A large outdoor crowd from the courthouse steps. He then preached in many Presbyterian churches. From Philadelphia, Whitefield traveled to New York and then to the South. In the Middle Colonies, he was popular in the Dutch and German communities as well as among the British. Lutheran pastor Henry Muhlenberg told of a German woman who heard Whitefield preach and, though she spoke no English, later said she had never before been so edified. In 1740, Whitefield began touring New England. He landed in Newport, Rhode Island, on September 14, 1740, and preached several times in
3720-490: A leading role in American evangelicalism for the next century. Christianity • Protestantism The Great Awakening was not the first time that Protestant churches had experienced revival; however, it was the first time a common evangelical identity had emerged based on a fairly uniform understanding of salvation , preaching the gospel , and conversion . Revival theology focused on the way of salvation —the stages by which
3906-462: A modest regional center to a significant power, remain largely obscure. Stone Age artifacts have been unearthed at Gobedra , two kilometers west of Aksum . Excavations on Beta Giyorgis, a hill to the northwest of Aksum, validate the pre-Aksumite roots of a settlement in the vicinity of Aksum, dating back to approximately the 7th to 4th centuries BC. Further evidence from excavations in the Stele Park at
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#17328453872574092-608: A monopoly on official state recognition, although unusually Finland has two national churches (the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Finnish Orthodox Church ), both recognised under civil law as joint official churches of the nation. Kingdom of Aksum The Kingdom of Aksum ( Ge'ez : አክሱም , romanized: ʾÄksum ; Sabaean : 𐩱𐩫𐩪𐩣 , ʾkšm ; Ancient Greek : Ἀξωμίτης , romanized : Axōmítēs ) also known as
4278-612: A new standard of personal morality. Revival theology stressed that religious conversion was not only intellectual assent to correct Christian doctrine but had to be a " new birth " experienced in the heart. Revivalists also taught that receiving assurance of salvation was a normal expectation in the Christian life. While the Evangelical Revival united evangelicals across various denominations around shared beliefs, it also led to division in existing churches between those who supported
4464-515: A organized military. Around 200 AD, Aksumite ambitions had expanded to Southern Arabia, where Aksum appears to have established itself in Al-Maafer and engaged in conflicts with Saba and Himyar at various points, forming different alliances with chief kingdoms and tribes. During the early part of the 3rd century, the kings GDRT and ʽDBH dispatched military expeditions to the region. Inscriptions from local Arabian dynasties refer to these rulers with
4650-604: A parapet and water spout on the roof. Both were found in Hawelti . Another depicts a square house with what appear to be layers of pitched thatch forming the roof. The stelae are perhaps the most identifiable part of the Aksumite architectural legacy. These stone towers served to mark graves and represent a magnificent multi-storied palace. They are decorated with false doors and windows in typical Aksumite design. The largest of these towering obelisks would measure 33 meters high had it not fractured. The stelae have most of their mass out of
4836-575: A person receives Christian faith and then expresses that faith in the way they live. The major figures of the Great Awakening, such as George Whitefield , Jonathan Edwards , Gilbert Tennent , Jonathan Dickinson , and Samuel Davies , were moderate evangelicals who preached a pietistic form of Calvinism heavily influenced by the Puritan tradition, which held that religion was not only an intellectual exercise but also had to be felt and experienced in
5022-556: A seminary called the Log College , where he trained nearly 20 Presbyterian revivalists for the ministry, including his three sons and Samuel Blair . While pastoring a church in New Jersey, Gilbert Tennent became acquainted with Dutch Reformed minister Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen . Historian Sydney Ahlstrom described Frelinghuysen as "an important herald, if not the father of the Great Awakening". A pietist, Frelinghuysen believed in
5208-683: A short period of time and inheriting from it the Greek exonym "Ethiopia". Aksumite dominance in the Red Sea culminated during the reign of Kaleb of Axum (514–542), who, at the behest of the Byzantine Emperor Justin I , invaded the Himyarite Kingdom in Yemen in order to end the persecution of Christians perpetrated by the Jewish king Dhu Nuwas . With the annexation of Himyar, the Kingdom of Aksum
5394-458: A significant portion of the highlands in the northern Horn of Africa, with the majority located in northeastern Tigray , Ethiopia, as well as the Akele Guzai and Seraye regions of Eritrea. Despite the concentration in these areas, some Aksumite settlements such as Tchika Beret are located as far as South Wollo . In addition to the highlands, sites from the Aksumite period were discovered along
5580-476: A state during this time, agricultural products. The land was much more fertile during the time of the Aksumites than now, and their principal crops were grains such as wheat, barley and teff . The people of Aksum also raised cattle , sheep, and camels. Wild animals were also hunted for things such as ivory and rhinoceros horns. They traded with Roman traders as well as with Egyptian and Persian merchants. The empire
5766-445: A strong impulse towards interdenominational unity among the various Protestant denominations. Evangelicals considered the new birth to be "a bond of fellowship that transcended disagreements on fine points of doctrine and polity", allowing Anglicans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and others to cooperate across denominational lines. While divisions between the Old and New Lights remained,
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5952-442: A theology of revival and salvation that transcended denominational boundaries and helped forge a common evangelical identity. Revivalists added to the doctrinal imperatives of Reformation Protestantism an emphasis on providential outpourings of the Holy Spirit . Extemporaneous preaching gave listeners a sense of deep personal conviction about their need for salvation by Jesus Christ and fostered introspection and commitment to
6138-437: A time when Enlightenment rationalism and Arminian theology were popular among some Congregational clergy, Edwards held to traditional Calvinist doctrine. He understood conversion to be the experience of moving from spiritual deadness to joy in the knowledge of one's election (that one had been chosen by God for salvation). While a Christian might have several conversion moments as part of this process, Edwards believed there
6324-594: A tribute arrangement with the king of Aksum. After Abraha 's death, his son Masruq Abraha continued the Aksumite vice-royalty in Yemen, resuming payment of tribute to Aksum. However, his half-brother Ma'd-Karib revolted. Ma'd-Karib first sought help from the Roman Emperor Justinian the Great , but having been denied, he decided to ally with the Sassanid Persian Emperor Khosrow I , triggering
6510-514: A viceroy in the region and troops to defend it until 570 AD when the Sassanids invaded. The Kingdom of Aksum was ideally located to take advantage of the new trading situation. Adulis soon became the main port for the export of African goods, such as ivory, incense, gold, slaves, and exotic animals. In order to supply such goods the kings of Aksum worked to develop and expand an inland trading network. A rival, and much older trading network that tapped
6696-480: Is a department of the state. Church affairs are governed by a central government ministry, while clergy are government employees. The registration of births, deaths and marriages falls under this ministry of church affairs, and normally speaking the local Lutheran pastor is also the official registrar. Over 82% of the population of Denmark are members of the Lutheran Church of Denmark, which is "officially headed by
6882-572: Is believed that at some point staged the conversion of the empire. We know that the Aksumites converted to Christianity because in their coins they replaced the disc and crescent with the cross. Frumentius was in contact with the Church of Alexandria , and was appointed Bishop of Ethiopia around the year 330. The Church of Alexandria never closely managed the affairs of the churches in Aksum, allowing them to develop their own unique form of Christianity. However,
7068-663: Is estimated in New England that in the churches there were about one-third each of New Lights, Old Lights, and those who saw both sides as valid. The Awakening aroused a wave of separatist feeling within the Congregational churches of New England. Around 100 Separatist congregations were organized throughout the region by Strict Congregationalists . Objecting to the Halfway Covenant , Strict Congregationalists required evidence of conversion for church membership and also objected to
7254-719: Is known in Islamic history as the First Hijrah . In 630, Muhammad sent a naval expedition against suspected Abyssinian pirates, the Expedition of Alqammah bin Mujazziz . Trade with the Roman/Byzantine world came to a halt as the Arabs seized the eastern Roman provinces. Consequently, Aksum experienced a decline in prosperity due to increased isolation and eventually ceased production of coins in
7440-712: Is much lower, standing at 65% of the population in 2021. Samoa became a Christian state in 2017. Article 1 of the Samoan Constitution states that “Samoa is a Christian nation founded of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Serbia as a territory became a Christian state during the time of Constantine the Great in Christianization of Eastern Roman Empire , according to the research and discoveries of artifacts left by
7626-651: Is notable for a number of achievements, such as its own alphabet, the Geʽez script , which was eventually modified to include vowels , becoming an abugida . Furthermore, in the early times of the empire, around 1700 years ago, giant obelisks to mark emperors' (and nobles') tombs (underground grave chambers) were constructed, the most famous of which is the Obelisk of Aksum . Under Emperor Ezana , Aksum adopted Coptic Christianity in place of its former polytheistic and Judaic religions around 325. The Axumite Coptic Church gave rise to
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7812-572: Is quite possible that at the death of a King-of-Kings, a new one would be selected from among all the kings in the confederacy, rather than through some principle of primogeniture." The first historical mention of Axum comes from the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea , a trading guide which likely dates to the mid-1st century AD. Axum is mentioned alongside Adulis and Ptolemais of the Hunts as lying within
7998-488: Is the Ta'akha Maryam, which measured 120 × 80m, though as its pavilion was smaller than others discovered it is likely that others were even larger. Some clay models of houses survive to give us an idea of what smaller dwellings were like. One depicts a round hut with a conical roof thatched in layers, while another depicts a rectangular house with rectangular doors and windows, a roof supported by beams that end in 'monkey heads', and
8184-603: Is the state church of Tuvalu and was established as such in 1991. The Constitution of Tuvalu identifies Tuvalu as "an independent State based on Christian principles". Vatican City is a Christian state, in which the " Pope is ex officio simultaneously leader of the Catholic Church as well as Head of State and Head of the Government of the State of the Vatican City; he also possesses ( de jure ) absolute authority over
8370-659: The Aksumite–Persian wars . Khosrow I sent a small fleet and army under commander Vahrez to depose the king of Yemen. The war culminated with the Siege of Sana'a , capital of Aksumite Yemen. After its fall in 570, and Masruq's death, Ma'd-Karib's son, Saif, was put on the throne. In 575, the war resumed again, after Saif was killed by Aksumites. The Persian general Vahrez led another army of 8000, ending Axum rule in Yemen and becoming hereditary governor of Yemen. According to Stuart Munro-Hay , these wars may have been Aksum's swan-song as
8556-411: The Byzantine Empire , which regarded itself as the protector of Christendom . Three inscriptions on the Ezana Stone documents the conversion of King Ezana to Christianity and two of his military expeditions against neighboring areas, one inscribed in Greek and the other in Geez. The two expeditions refers to two distinct campaigns, one against the " Noba ", and the other against the Beja . According to
8742-472: The Eritrean highlands as the Aksum could no longer maintain its sovereignty over the frontier. As a result the connection to the Red Sea ports was lost. Around this same time, the Aksumite population was forced to go farther inland to the highlands for protection, abandoning Aksum as the capital. Arab writers of the time continued to describe Ethiopia (no longer referred to as Aksum) as an extensive and powerful state, though they had lost control of most of
8928-410: The Faroes ), England , Georgia , Greece , Hungary , Iceland , Liechtenstein , Malta , Monaco , Norway , Samoa , Serbia , Tonga , Tuvalu , Vatican City , and Zambia . A Christian state stands in contrast to a secular state , an atheist state , or another religious state, such as a Jewish state , or an Islamic state . The Armenian Apostolic Church church puts its founding at 301, with
9114-411: The House of Lords . In characteristically British fashion, where the state is representative of civil society, it was Parliament that determined, in the Act of Establishment, that the monarch had to be Anglican . Christian religious education is taught to children in primary and secondary schools in the United Kingdom. English schools have a legal requirement for a daily act of collective worship "of
9300-498: The Hungarian Constitution of 2011 describes Hungary as "part of Christian Europe" and acknowledges "the role of Christianity in preserving nationhood", while Article VII provides that "the State shall cooperate with the Churches for community goals". However, the constitution also guarantees freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Around AD 1000, Iceland became a Christian state . The Encyclopedia of Protestantism states that: The majority of Icelanders are members of
9486-502: The Illyrians , Triballi and other kindred tribes. More research has since been made that perhaps prove the existence of Serbs living in the Balkans during Roman times in Ilyria . In the centuries that followed from the fourth- to the 12th-century, when Catholic Church was in a battleground between Serbia due the Eastern Orthodox Church , Serbia prevailed as Orthodox Christian state under his jurisdiction through Saint Sava . Serbia as modern state, defines in his constitution as
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#17328453872579672-445: The Kingdom of Axum , or the Aksumite Empire , was a kingdom in East Africa and South Arabia from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages , based in what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea , and spanning present-day Djibouti and Sudan . Emerging from the earlier Dʿmt civilization, the kingdom was founded in 1st century. The city of Axum served as the kingdom's capital for many centuries until it relocated to Kubar in
9858-422: The Kingdom of Denmark , the Church of Denmark is the established church of Greenland through the Constitution of Denmark : The Evangelical Lutheran Church shall be the Established Church of Denmark, and, as such, it shall be supported by the State. This applies to all of the Kingdom of Denmark, except for the Faroe Islands , as the Church of the Faroe Islands became independent in 2007. The preamble to
10044-462: The Lutheran and Reformed churches of continental Europe. Pietism emphasized heartfelt religious faith in reaction to an overly intellectual Protestant scholasticism perceived as spiritually dry. Significantly, the Pietists placed less emphasis on traditional doctrinal divisions between Protestant churches, focusing rather on religious experience and affections. Pietism prepared Europe for revival, and it usually occurred in areas where pietism
10230-426: The President of the Republic must be a Roman Catholic. In Armenia Christianity is the state religion and the Armenian Apostolic Church is the national church . Armenia is the first country who recognised Christianity as a state religion. The constitution of Costa Rica states that "The Catholic and Apostolic Religion is the religion of the State". As such, Catholic Christian holy days are recognized by
10416-445: The Sacrament long, yet I never knew what true religion was" until he read Scougal. From that point on, Whitefield sought a new birth. After a period of spiritual struggle, Whitefield experienced conversion during Lent in 1735. In 1736, he began preaching in Bristol and London . His preaching attracted large crowds who were drawn to his simple message of the necessity of the new birth as well as by his manner of delivery. His style
10602-436: The UNESCO sponsored General History of Africa French archaeologist Francis Anfray, suggests that the Aksumites worshipped Astar , his son, Mahrem , and Beher . Steve Kaplan argues that with Aksumite culture came a major change in religion, with only Astar remaining of the old gods, the others being replaced by what he calls a "triad of indigenous divinities, Mahrem, Beher and Medr." He also suggests that Aksum culture
10788-517: The Welsh Methodist revival . The origins of revivalism in Scotland stretch back to the 1620s. The attempts by the Stuart Kings to impose bishops on the Church of Scotland led to national protests in the form of the Covenanters . In addition, radical Presbyterian clergy held outdoor conventicles throughout southern and western Scotland, centered on the communion season . These revivals would also spread to Ulster and feature "marathon extemporaneous preaching and excessive popular enthusiasm." In
10974-406: The burning of books by religious authors such as John Flavel and Increase Mather . Following the intervention of two pro-revival " New Light " ministers, Davenport's mental state apparently improved, and he published a retraction of his earlier excesses. Whitefield, Tennent, and Davenport would be followed by a number of both clerical and lay itinerants. However, the Awakening in New England
11160-567: The creation of the world, God determined who would be saved (the elect) on the basis of his own choosing. The preaching of these doctrines resulted in the convicted feeling both guilty and totally helpless, since God was in complete control over whether they would be saved or not. Revivalists counseled those under conviction to apply the means of grace to their lives. These were spiritual disciplines such as prayer , Bible study, church attendance, and personal moral improvement. While no human action could produce saving faith, revivalists taught that
11346-400: The established religion , whereas in the religiously tolerant Middle Colonies , the Quakers , Dutch Reformed , Anglican , Presbyterian , Lutheran , Congregational , and Baptist churches all competed with each other on equal terms. In the Southern Colonies , the Anglican Church was officially established, though there were significant numbers of Baptists, Quakers, and Presbyterians. At
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#173284538725711532-506: The heart . This moderate revival theology consisted of a three-stage process. The first stage was conviction of sin , which was spiritual preparation for faith by God's law and the means of grace . The second stage was conversion, in which a person experienced spiritual illumination, repentance , and faith. The third stage was consolation , which was searching for and receiving assurance of salvation . This process generally takes place over an extended period of time. Conviction of sin
11718-492: The laity increased, especially among the town's young people. Edwards wrote to Boston minister Benjamin Colman that the town "never was so full of Love, nor so full of Joy, nor so full of distress as it has lately been. ... I never saw the Christian spirit in Love to Enemies so exemplified, in all my Life as I have seen it within this half-year." The revival ultimately spread to 25 communities in western Massachusetts and central Connecticut until it began to wane in 1737. At
11904-423: The " Carolingian Renaissance heightened appreciation within England of the role of king and church in a Christian state." As such, Since the 1701 Act of Establishment , England's official state church has been the Church of England , the monarch being its supreme governor and ' defender of the faith '. He , together with Parliament, has a say in appointing bishops , twenty-six of whom have ex officio seats in
12090-402: The "Norwegian constitution decrees that Lutheranism is the official religion of the State and that the King is the supreme temporal head of the Church." The administration of the Church "is shared between the Ministry for Church, Education and Research centrally and municipal authorities locally", and the Church of Norway "depends on state and local taxes". The Church of Norway is responsible for
12276-424: The "authorities of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church have the duty to teach which principles are right and which are wrong" and that "religious teaching of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Faith shall be provided in all State schools as part of compulsory education". Article 9 of the Constitution of Monaco describes " La religion catholique, apostolique et romaine [the catholic, apostolic and Roman religion]" as
12462-428: The "maintenance of church buildings and cemeteries". In the mid-20th century, the vast majority of Norwegians participated in the Lutheran Church. According to a 1957 description, "[o]ver 90 percent of the population are married by state church clergymen, have their children baptized and confirmed , and finally are buried with a church service." However, current membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway
12648-917: The 1750s and 1760s. The Great Awakening aggravated existing conflicts within the Protestant churches, often leading to schisms between supporters of revival, known as "New Lights", and opponents of revival, known as "Old Lights". The Old Lights saw the religious enthusiasm and itinerant preaching unleashed by the Awakening as disruptive to church order, preferring formal worship and a settled, university-educated ministry. They mocked revivalists as being ignorant, heterodox , or con artists . New Lights accused Old Lights of being more concerned with social status than with saving souls and even questioned whether some Old Light ministers were even converted. They also supported itinerant ministers who disregarded parish boundaries. Congregationalists in New England experienced 98 schisms, which in Connecticut also affected which group would be considered "official" for tax purposes. It
12834-427: The 18th century, the Evangelical Revival was led by ministers such as Ebenezer Erskine , William M'Culloch (the minister who presided over the Cambuslang Work of 1742), and James Robe (minister at Kilsyth ). A substantial number of Church of Scotland ministers held evangelical views. In the early 18th century, the Thirteen Colonies were religiously diverse. In New England , the Congregational churches were
13020-499: The 2nd century AD, Ptolemy 's geographer referred to Aksum as a powerful kingdom. Both archaeological findings and textual evidence suggest that during this period, a centralized regional polity had emerged in the Aksumite area, characterized by defined social stratification. By the beginning of the 4th century AD, the Aksumite state had become well-established, featuring urban centers, an official currency with coinage struck in gold, silver, and copper, an intensive agricultural system, and
13206-420: The 7th century at the reign of Ashama ibn-Abjar , when the first followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (also known as the Sahabah ) migrated from Arabia due to their persecution by the Quraysh , the ruling Arab tribal confederation of Mecca . The Quraysh appealed to the Ashama ibn-Abjar , arguing that the early Muslim migrants were rebels who had invented a new religion, the likes of which neither
13392-522: The 7th century's Muslim conquests in the Middle East and North Africa, which effectively isolated Axum from the Greco-Roman world, Geʿez replaced Greek entirely. Before its conversion to Christianity, the Aksumites practiced a polytheistic religion related to the religion practiced in southern Arabia. This included the use of the crescent-and-disc symbol used in southern Arabia and the northern horn. In
13578-469: The 9th century due to declining trade connections and recurring external invasions. The Kingdom of Aksum was considered one of the four great powers of the 3rd century by the Persian prophet Mani , alongside Persia , Rome , and China . Aksum continued to expand under the reign of Gedara ( c. 200–230 ), who was the first king to be involved in South Arabian affairs. His reign resulted in
13764-464: The African oil crop, Guizotia abyssinica , as well as gourds and cress. This diverse range of crops, combined with the herding of domesticated cattle, sheep, and goats, contributed to the creation of a highly productive indigenous agropastoral food-producing tradition. This tradition played an integral role in the development of the Aksumite economy and the consolidation of state power. The Empire of Aksum
13950-583: The Aksumites led by an anonymous king achieved significant territorial expansion in the Ethiopian Highlands and the Arabian Peninsula , with their influence extending as far as Lake Tana and the borders of Egypt. By the end of the 3rd century AD, Aksum had gained recognition by the prophet Mani in the Kephalaia , as one of the four great powers of the world alongside Rome, Persia, and China. As
14136-614: The American colonies, the Awakening caused the Congregational and Presbyterian churches to split, while strengthening both the Methodist and Baptist denominations. It had little immediate impact on most Lutherans , Quakers , and non-Protestants, but later gave rise to a schism among Quakers that persists to this day. Evangelical preachers "sought to include every person in conversion, regardless of gender, race, and status". Throughout
14322-740: The Anglican church. He then moved on to Boston, Massachusetts, where he spent a week. There were prayers at King's Chapel (at the time an Anglican church) and preaching at Brattle Street Church and South Church . On September 20, Whitefield preached at First Church and then outside of it to about 8,000 people who could not gain entrance. The next day, he preached outdoors again to about 15,000 people. On Tuesday, he preached at Second Church and on Wednesday at Harvard University . After traveling as far as Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he returned to Boston on October 12 to preach to 30,000 people before continuing his tour. Whitefield then traveled to Northampton at
14508-444: The Awakening. Samuel Blair described such responses to his preaching in 1740: "Several would be overcome and fainting ; others deeply sobbing, hardly able to contain, others crying in a most dolorous manner, many others more silently weeping. ... And sometimes the soul exercises of some, thought comparatively but very few, would so far affect their bodies, as to occasion some strange, unusual bodily motions." Moderate evangelicals took
14694-631: The Church of Alexandria probably did retain some influence considering that the churches of Aksum followed the Church of Alexandria into Oriental Orthodoxy by rejecting the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon . Aksum is also the alleged home of the holy relic the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark is said to have been placed in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion by Menelik I for safekeeping. Islam came in
14880-610: The Eritrean highlands. The concertation of these Aksumite ancient settlements suggests high population density in the highlands of Tigray and central Eritrea. According to Taddesse Tamrat , the integral regions of the Aksumite Kingdom included "much of the province of Tigre , the whole of the Eritrean plateau" and the regions of Wag , Lasta and Angot . A complex agricultural system in the Aksumite area, which involved irrigation, dam construction, terracing, and plough-farming, played
15066-460: The Hands of an Angry God " is an example of such preaching. As Calvinists, revivalists also preached the doctrines of original sin and unconditional election . Due to the fall of man , humans are naturally inclined to rebel against God and are unable to initiate or merit salvation, according to the doctrine of original sin. Unconditional election relates to the doctrine of predestination —that before
15252-549: The Late Middle Ages. Carlo Conti Rossini believed that the word Aksum derives from a Semitic root, and means 'a green and dense garden' or 'full of grass'. Before the establishment of Axum, the Tigray plateau of northern Ethiopia was home to a kingdom known as Dʿmt . Archaeological evidence shows that the kingdom was influenced by Sabaeans from modern-day Yemen; scholarly consensus had previously been that Sabaeans had been
15438-476: The Mai Hejja stelae field, where complex sedimentology of the land can be observed. The foundations for the monuments are around 8.5 m below the surface of the Mai Hejja stelae field. Sediments in this area have undergone a lot of weathering over the years, so the surface of this area has undergone a lot of changes. This is part of the reason for the complex stratigraphic history in this site, some previous layers under
15624-643: The Meccans nor the Aksumites had heard of. The king granted them an audience, but ultimately refused to hand over the migrants. A second migration consisting of 100 Muslim migrants occurred a few years later. Arabic inscriptions on the Dahlak Archipelago dated to the mid 9th century AD. confirm the existence of an early Muslim presence in Aksum. The Empire of Aksum was one of the first African polities to issue its own coins , which bore legends in Geʽez and Greek. From
15810-580: The Minister of Education. Liechtenstein 's constitution designates the Catholic Church as being the state Church of that country. In public schools, per article 16 of the Constitution of Liechtenstein , religious education is given by Church authorities. Section Two of the Constitution of Malta specifies the state's religion as being the Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion. It holds that
15996-685: The New Lights became less radical over time, and evangelicalism became more mainstream. By 1758, the Old Side–New Side split in the Presbyterian Church had been healed, and the two factions had reunited. In part, this was due to the growth of the New Side and the numerical decline of the Old Side. In 1741, the pro-revival party had around 22 ministers, but this number had increased to 73 by 1758. While
16182-630: The North American colonies, especially in the South , the revival movement increased the number of African slaves and free blacks who were exposed to (and subsequently converted to) Christianity. It also inspired the founding of new missionary societies, such as the Baptist Missionary Society in 1792. Historian Sydney E. Ahlstrom sees the Great Awakening as part of a "great international Protestant upheaval" that also created Pietism in
16368-791: The Reason why Congregations have been so dead, is because dead Men preach to them." Whitefield met Gilbert Tennent on Staten Island and asked him to preach in Boston to continue the revival there. Tennent accepted and, in December, began a three-month-long preaching tour throughout New England. Besides Boston, Tennent preached in towns throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Like Whitefield's, Tennent's preaching produced large crowds, many conversions, and much controversy. While antirevivalists such as Timothy Cutler heavily criticized Tennent's preaching, most of Boston's ministers were supportive. Tennent
16554-478: The Red Sea caused Aksum to suffer economically, and the population of the city of Axum shrank. Alongside environmental and internal factors, this has been suggested as the reason for its decline. Aksum's final three centuries are considered a dark age, and through uncertain circumstances, the kingdom collapsed around 960. Despite its position as one of the foremost empires of late antiquity, the Kingdom of Aksum fell into obscurity as Ethiopia remained isolated throughout
16740-451: The Red Sea coast of Eritrea, near the Gulf of Zula . Numerous Aksumite settlements were strategically positioned along an axis that traversed from Aksum to the Gulf of Zula , forming a route connecting the Aksumite capital in the highlands to the principal Aksumite port of Adulis on the Red Sea. Along this route, two of the largest Aksumite-era settlements, Matara and Qohaito , were situated in
16926-533: The Red Sea from Roman Egypt to the Arabian Sea and India. Although excavations have been limited, fourteen Roman coins dating to the 2nd and 3rd centuries have been discovered at Aksumite sites like Matara. This suggests that trade with the Roman Empire existed at least since this period. In 525 AD, the Aksumites attempted to take over the Yemen region to gain control over The Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb; one of
17112-464: The Soul of Man (the latter work was a favorite of Puritans ). Scougal wrote that many people mistakenly understood Christianity to be "Orthodox Notions and Opinions", "external Duties" or "rapturous Heats and extatic Devotion". Rather, Scougal wrote, "True Religion is an Union of the Soul with God ... It is Christ formed within us ." Whitefield wrote that "though I had fasted, watched and prayed, and received
17298-419: The aid of irrigation). Askum was also located on a plateau 2,000 m (6,600 ft) feet above sea level, making its soil fertile and the land good for agriculture. This appears to explain how one of the marginal agricultural environments of Ethiopia was able to support the demographic base that made this far flung commercial empire possible. It may also explain why no Aksumite rural settlement expansion into
17484-622: The anti-revival "Old Side" and the pro-revival "New Side". At issue was the place of revivalism in American Presbyterianism, specifically the "relation between doctrinal orthodoxy and experimental knowledge of Christ." The New Side, led by Gilbert Tennent and Jonathan Dickinson, believed that strict adherence to orthodoxy was meaningless if one lacked a personal religious experience, a sentiment expressed in Tennent's 1739 sermon "The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry". Whitefield's tour had helped
17670-516: The capital of Kush. During the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD the Kingdom of Aksum continued to expand their control of the southern Red Sea basin. A caravan route to Egypt was established which bypassed the Nile corridor entirely. Aksum succeeded in becoming the principal supplier of African goods to the Roman Empire, not least as a result of the transformed Indian Ocean trading system. Climate change and trade isolation have also been claimed as large reasons for
17856-405: The coast and their tributaries. While land was lost in the north, it was gained in the south; and, though Ethiopia was no longer an economic power, it still attracted Arab merchants. The capital was then moved south to a new location called Kubar . The Arab writer Ya'qubi was the first to describe the new Aksumite capital. The capital was probably located in southern Tigray or Angot ; however,
18042-569: The coastal plain and highland of Yemen, along with "all their Arabs", highlighting the extensive influence of Aksum across the Red Sea into Arabia. Dhu Nuwas was deposed and killed and Kaleb appointed an Arab viceroy named Esimiphaios ("Sumuafa Ashawa"), but his rule was short-lived as he was ousted in a coup led by an Aksumite named Abraha after five years. Kaleb sent two expeditions against Abraha, but both were decisively defeated. According to Procopius , following Aksum's unsuccessful attempts to remove him, Abraha continued to govern Yemen through
18228-435: The coin after the conversion of the empire to Christianity. The presence of coins also simplified trade, and was at once a useful instrument of propaganda and a source of profit to the empire. In general, elite Aksumite buildings such as palaces were constructed atop podia built of loose stones held together with mud-mortar, with carefully cut granite corner blocks which rebated back a few centimeters at regular intervals as
18414-507: The control of much of western Yemen , such as the Tihama , Najran , Al-Maʿafir , Ẓafar (until c. 230 ), and parts of Hashid territory around Hamir in the northern highlands until a joint Himyarite-Sabean alliance pushed them out. Aksum-Himyar conflicts persisted throughout the 3rd century. During the reign of Endubis (270–310), Aksum began minting coins that have been excavated as far away as Caesarea and southern India. As
18600-419: The conversion experience, which typically lasted several days or weeks under the guidance of a trained pastor. True conversion began when the mind opened to a new awareness and love of the gospel message. Following this illumination, converts placed their faith in Christ, depending on him alone for salvation. At the same time, a hatred of sin and a commitment to eliminate it from the heart would take hold, setting
18786-512: The conversion of Tiridates and declaration of Christianity as the official state religion, although the date is disputed. In 380, three Roman emperors issued the Edict of Thessalonica ( Cunctos populos ), making the Roman Empire a Christian state, and establishing Nicene Christianity , in the form of its State Church , as its official religion. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in
18972-710: The country and its head, Patriarch Ilia II , the most trusted person. Greece is a Christian state, with the Greek Orthodox Church playing "a dominant role in the life of the country". Mount Athos and most of the Athos peninsula are governed as an autonomous region in Greece by the monastic community of Mount Athos , which is ecclesiastically under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople . Being an autonomous constituent country within
19158-444: The decline of the culture. The local subsistence base was substantially augmented by a climatic shift during the 1st century AD that reinforced the spring rains, extended the rainy season from 3 1/2 to six or seven months, vastly improved the surface and subsurface water supply, doubled the length of the growing season, and created an environment comparable to that of modern central Ethiopia (where two crops can be grown per annum without
19344-482: The early 6th century, Cosmas Indicopleustes described his visit to Aksum, mentioning the four-towered palace of the Aksumite king, adorned with bronze statues of unicorns. Aksum also featured rows of monumental granite thrones, likely bearing metal statues dedicated to pre-Christian deities. These thrones incorporated large panels at the sides and back with inscriptions, attributed to Ousanas , Ezana , Kaleb , and his son Wazeba , serving as victory monuments documenting
19530-600: The early 8th century. The Islamic conquests were not solely responsible for the decline of Aksum. Another reason for the decline was the expansions of the Beja nomads. Due to the poverty of their country, many of them began to migrate into the northern Ethiopian plateau. At the end of the 7th century AD, a strong Beja tribe known as the Zanafaj entered the Eritrean plateau through the valley of Gash-Barka . They overran and pillaged much of
19716-487: The early period of the kingdom of Aksum, and here Stuart Munro-Hay concludes that; "Quite probably, the kingdom was a confederacy, one which was led by a district-level king who commanded the allegiance of other petty kings within the Axumite realm. The ruler of the Axumite kingdom was thus 'King-of-Kings' — a title often found in inscriptions of this period. There is no evidence that a single royal lineage has yet emerged, and it
19902-705: The emergence of Anglo-American evangelicalism as a trans-denominational movement within the Protestant churches. In the United States , the term Great Awakening is most often used, while in the United Kingdom, the movement is referred to as the Evangelical Revival . Building on the foundations of older traditions— Puritanism , Pietism , and Presbyterianism —major leaders of the revival such as George Whitefield , John Wesley , and Jonathan Edwards articulated
20088-487: The exact location of this city is currently unknown. Famine is noted in Ethiopia in the ninth century. The Coptic patriarchs James (819–830) and Joseph (830–849) of Alexandria attribute Ethiopia's condition to war, plague, and inadequate rains. Under the reign of Degna Djan , during the 9th century, the empire kept expanding south, undertaking missionary activities south of Angot . Local history holds that, around 960,
20274-680: The exchange of Ethiopian products for foreign imports. Both Pliny the Elder and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea make reference to this port, situated three days away from the initial ivory market at Coloe , itself five days distant from Aksum. This trade across the Red Sea, spanning from the Roman Empire in the north to India and Ceylon in the east, played a crucial role in Aksum's prosperity. The city thrived by exporting goods such as ivory, tortoiseshell, and rhinoceros horn. Pliny also mentioned additional items like hippopotamus hide, monkeys, and slaves. During
20460-485: The exterior and sometimes the interior. Both the podia and the walls above exhibited no long straight stretches but were indented at regular intervals so that any long walls consisted of a series of recesses and salients. This helped to strengthen the walls. Worked granite was used for architectural features including columns, bases, capitals, doors, windows, paving, water spouts (often shaped like lion heads) and so on, as well as enormous flights of stairs that often flanked
20646-695: The fervor of the Awakening would fade, the acceptance of revivalism and insistence on personal conversion would remain recurring features in 18th- and 19th-century Presbyterianism. The Great Awakening inspired the creation of evangelical educational institutions. In 1746, New Side Presbyterians founded what would become Princeton University . In 1754, the efforts of Eleazar Wheelock led to what would become Dartmouth College , originally established to train Native American boys for missionary work among their own people. While initially resistant, well-established Yale University came to embrace revivalism and played
20832-553: The formation of the Zagwe dynasty by bearing children with a descendant of the last Aksumite emperor, Dil Na'od. After a short Dark Age, the Aksumite Empire was succeeded by the Zagwe dynasty in the 11th or 12th century (most likely around 1137), although limited in size and scope. However, Yekuno Amlak , who killed the last Zagwe king and founded the modern Solomonic dynasty around 1270 traced his ancestry and his right to rule from
21018-408: The foundation for a life of repentance or turning away from sin. Revivalists distinguished true conversion (which was motivated by love of God and hatred of sin) from false conversion (which was motivated by fear of hell ). True conversion meant that a person was among the elect, but even a person with saving faith might doubt his election and salvation. Revivalists taught that assurance of salvation
21204-450: The founders of Semitic civilization in Ethiopia, though this has now been refuted, and their influence is considered to have been minor. The Sabaean presence likely lasted only for a matter of decades, but their influence on later Aksumite civilization included the adoption of Ancient South Arabian script , which developed into Geʽez script , and Ancient Semitic religion . The initial centuries of Aksum's development, transitioning from
21390-585: The gods Astar, Beher, Meder/Medr, and Mahrem. Another of Ezana's inscriptions is clearly Christian and refers to "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit". Around 324 AD the King Ezana II was converted to Christianity by his teacher Frumentius , who established the Axumite Coptic Church, which later became the modern Ethiopian Orthodox Church . Frumentius taught the emperor while he was young, and it
21576-406: The gospel promises to everyone in their audiences, without stressing that God redeems only those elected for salvation"—was contrary to these notions. While they preached indiscriminately, however, revivalists continued to affirm Calvinist doctrines of election and predestination. Another issue that had to be addressed was the intense physical and emotional reactions to conviction experienced during
21762-406: The gospel, and other Christian virtues . It was not enough, however, to simply reflect on past experiences. Revivalists taught that assurance could only be gained by actively seeking to grow in grace and holiness through mortification of sin and using the means of grace. In Religious Affections , the last sign addressed by Edwards was "Christian practice", and it was this sign to which he gave
21948-485: The government and "public schools provide religious education ", although parents are able to opt-out their children if they choose to do so. As early as the 11th century AD, "Denmark was considered to be a Christian state", with the Church of Denmark , a member of the Lutheran World Federation , being the state church. Prof. Wasif Shadid, of Leiden University , writes that: The Lutheran established church
22134-616: The ground, but are stabilized by massive underground counter-weights. The stone was often engraved with a pattern or emblem denoting the king's or the noble's rank. For important monuments built in the region, a particular type of granite is used called nepheline syenite . It is fine grained and has also been used in historic monuments like the Stelae. These monuments are used to celebrate key figures in Axum history, especially kings or priests. These Stelae's are also called "Obelisk's," they are located in
22320-524: The grounds that he was a religious enthusiast . In response, he began open-air field preaching in the mining community of Kingswood, near Bristol. Open-air preaching was common in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, but it was unheard of in England. Further, Whitefield violated protocol by preaching in another priest's parish without permission. Within a week, he was preaching to crowds of 10,000. By March, Whitefield had moved on to preach elsewhere. By May, he
22506-527: The group enjoyed a religious revival. Soon, the community became a refuge for other Protestants as well, including German Lutherans, Reformed Christians, and Anabaptists . The church began to grow, and Moravian societies would be established in England, where they would help foster the Evangelical Revival as well. Christianity • Protestantism While known as the Great Awakening in the United States,
22692-654: The growing revival movement in that nation. A Faithful Narrative would become a model on which other revivals would be conducted. George Whitefield first came to America in 1738 to serve at Christ Church in Savannah and found Bethesda Orphanage . Whitefield returned to the Colonies in November 1739. His first stop was in Philadelphia, where he initially preached at Christ Church , Philadelphia's Anglican Church, and then preached to
22878-474: The heart of Aksum corroborates continuous activity in the area from the outset of the common era. Two hills and two streams lie on the east and west expanses of the city of Aksum; perhaps providing the initial impetus for settling this area. Archeological evidence suggests that the Aksumite polity arose between 150 BC and 150 AD. Small scale district "kingdoms" denoted by very large nucleated communities with one or more elite residences appears to have existed in
23064-503: The history of the Church began when not just localised communities but nations became Christian. The stage is associated with the conversion of Constantine and the beginnings of a Christian Empire, but the Byzantine Emperor was not the first ruler to lead his people into Christianity, thus setting up the first Christian state. That honour traditionally goes to the church of Armenia. As a Christian state, Armenia "embraced Christianity as
23250-551: The inscription, the Noba were settled somewhere around the Nile and Atbara confluence, where they seemed to have taken over much of the Kingdom of Kush . Yet they did not drive the Kushites away from their heartland, since the inscription states that the Aksumites fought them at the junction of the two rivers. Also mentioned in the inscription are the mysterious "red Noba" against whom an expedition
23436-580: The invitation of Jonathan Edwards. He preached twice in the parish church, and Edwards was so moved that he wept. He then spent time in New Haven, Connecticut, where he preached at Yale University. From there, he traveled down the coast, reaching New York on October 29. Whitefield's assessment of New England's churches and clergy prior to his intervention was negative. "I am verily persuaded," he wrote, "the Generality of Preachers talk of an unknown, unfelt Christ. And
23622-582: The kingdom became a major power on the trade route between Rome and India and gained a monopoly of Indian Ocean trade , it entered the Greco-Roman cultural sphere . Due to its ties with the Greco-Roman world, Aksum adopted Christianity as the state religion in the mid-4th century, under Ezana (320s – c. 360 ). Following their Christianization, the Aksumites ceased construction of stelae . The kingdom continued to expand throughout late antiquity , conquering Kush under Ezana in 330 for
23808-469: The lack of coverage in print media . The first revival to receive widespread publicity was that precipitated by an earthquake in 1727. As they began to be publicized more widely, revivals transformed from merely local to regional and transatlantic events. In the 1720s and 1730s, an evangelical party took shape in the Presbyterian churches of the Middle Colonies, led by William Tennent , Sr. He established
23994-472: The language of Agʿazi , was spoken alongside Greek in the court of Aksum. Although during the early kingdom, Geʿez was a spoken language, it has attestations written in the Old South Arabian language Sabaic . In the 4th century, Ezana of Axum promoted the Geʽez script and made Geʽez an official state language alongside Greek; by the 6th century literary translations into Geʿez were common. After
24180-497: The last emperor of Aksum, Dil Na'od . It should be mentioned that the end of the Aksumite Empire didn't mean the end of Aksumite culture and traditions; for example, the architecture of the Zagwe dynasty at Lalibela and Yemrehana Krestos Church shows heavy Aksumite influence. The Aksumite population mainly consisted of Semitic -speaking groups, one of these groups were the Agʿazian or
24366-508: The last half of the 18th century. By 1804, there were over 300 Baptist churches in New England. This growth was primarily due to an influx of former New Light Congregationalists who became convinced of Baptist doctrines, such as believer's baptism . In some cases, entire Separatist congregations accepted Baptist beliefs. As revivalism spread through the Presbyterian churches, the Old Side–New Side Controversy broke out between
24552-590: The late 5th century, the Eastern Roman Empire under the emperor Justinian (reigned 527–565), became the world's predominant Christian state, based on Roman law, Greek culture, and the Greek language." In this Christian state, in which nearly all of its subjects upheld faith in Jesus, an "enormous amount of artistic talent was poured into the construction of churches, church ceremonies, and church decoration". John Binns describes this era, writing that: A new stage in
24738-670: The law of sin and death." Wesley understood his Aldersgate experience to be an evangelical conversion, and it provided him with the assurance he had been seeking. Afterwards, he traveled to Herrnhut and met Zinzendorf in person. John Wesley returned to England in September 1738. Both John and Charles preached in London churches. Whitefield stayed in Georgia for three months to establish Bethesda Orphanage before returning to England in December. While enjoying success, Whitefield's itinerant preaching
24924-437: The legislative, executive and judicial branches." Jeroen Temperman, a professor of international law at Erasmus University Rotterdam writes that: Zambia is officially a Christian state as well, though the legal ramifications clearly do not compare to the latter state. The Preamble of the Constitution of Zambia establishes Zambia as a Christian state without specifying "Christian" denominationally. It simply proclaims: "We,
25110-437: The means of grace might make conversion more likely. Revival preaching was controversial among Calvinists. Because Calvinists believed in election and predestination, some thought it inappropriate to preach to strangers that they could repent and receive salvation. For some, such preaching was only acceptable within their own churches and communities. The revivalists use of "indiscriminate" evangelism—the "practice of extending
25296-533: The moister, more fertile, and naturally productive lands of Begemder or Lasta can be verified during the heyday of Aksumite power. First Great Awakening The First Great Awakening , sometimes Great Awakening or the Evangelical Revival , was a series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its thirteen North American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. The revival movement permanently affected Protestantism as adherents strove to renew individual piety and religious devotion. The Great Awakening marked
25482-537: The most significant trading routes in the medieval world, connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Rulers were inclined to establish a spot of imperialism across the Red Sea in Yemen to completely control the trading vessels that ran down the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb. It is located in the maritime choke point between Yemen and Djibouti and Eritrea. Because of the ruler of Yemen's persecution of Christians in 523 AD, Kaleb I,
25668-516: The movement is referred to as the Evangelical Revival in Britain. In England, the major leaders of the Evangelical Revival were three Anglican priests: the brothers John and Charles Wesley and their friend George Whitefield . Together, they founded what would become Methodism . They had been members of a religious society at Oxford University called the Holy Club and "Methodists" due to their methodical piety and rigorous asceticism . This society
25854-501: The necessity of personal conversion and living a holy life. The revivals he led in the Raritan Valley were "forerunners" of the Great Awakening in the Middle Colonies. Under Frelinghuysen's influence, Tennent came to believe that a definite conversion experience followed by assurance of salvation was the key mark of a Christian. By 1729, Tennent was seeing signs of revival in the Presbyterian churches of New Brunswick and Staten Island. At
26040-404: The official and literary language of the Axumite state, coming from the influence of the significant Ethiopian Greek communities established in Axum , the port of Adulis , Ptolemais Theron , and other cities in the region during Ptolemaic times. Greek was used in the state's administration, international diplomacy, and trade; it can be widely seen in coinage and inscriptions. Geʿez ,
26226-628: The opportunity to recruit followers to the movement. Faced with growing evangelistic and pastoral responsibilities, Wesley and Whitefield appointed lay preachers and leaders. Methodist preachers focused particularly on evangelizing people who had been "neglected" by the established Church of England. Wesley and his assistant preachers organized the new converts into Methodist societies. These societies were divided into groups called classes —intimate meetings where individuals were encouraged to confess their sins to one another and to build each other up. They also took part in love feasts , which allowed for
26412-425: The peak of revivalism established him as the primary founder of the Methodist movement. By the time of Wesley's death in 1791, there were an estimated 71,668 Methodists in England and 43,265 in America. The Evangelical Revival first broke out in Wales. In 1735, Howell Harris and Daniel Rowland experienced a religious conversion and began preaching to large crowds throughout South Wales . Their preaching initiated
26598-476: The people of Zambia...declare the Republic a Christian nation..." As far as state practice is concerned, it may be pointed out that the Government maintains relations with the Zambian Council of Churches and requires Christianity to be taught in the public school curriculum. After "Zambia declared itself a Christian nation in 1991", "the nation's vice president urged citizens to 'have a Christian orientation in all fields, at all levels'." A number of countries have
26784-485: The pillage against Aksum and its countryside. She was determined to destroy all members of the Aksumite dynasty, palaces, churches and monuments in Tigray . Her notorious deeds are still recounted by peasants inhabiting northern Ethiopia. Large ruins, standing stones and stelae are found in the area. Gudit also killed the last emperor of Aksum, possibly Dil Na'od , while other accounts say Dil Na'od went into exile in Shewa , protected by Christians. He begged assistance from
26970-411: The political influence of Aksum expanded, so did the grandeur of its monuments. Excavations by archaeological expeditions revealed early use of stelae, evolving from plain and rough markers to some of the largest monuments in Africa. The granite stelae in the main cemetery, housing Aksumite royal tombs, transformed from plain to carefully dressed granite, eventually carved to resemble multi-storey towers in
27156-411: The present day Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (only granted autonomy from the Coptic Church in 1959) and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church (granted autonomy from the Ethiopian Orthodox church in 1993). Since the schism with Orthodoxy following the Council of Chalcedon (451), it has been an important Miaphysite church, and its scriptures and liturgy continue to be in Geʽez. Greek became
27342-431: The queen of Denmark". Furthermore, clergy "in the Church of Denmark are civil servants employed by the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs" and the "economic base of the Church of Denmark is state-collected church taxes combined with a direct state subsidiary (12%), which symbolically covers the expenses of the Church of Denmark to run the civil registration and the burial system for all citizens." Barbara Yorke writes that
27528-422: The realm of Zoskales . The area is described as a primarily producing ivory, as well as tortoise shells. King Zoskales had a Greek education, indicating that Greco-Roman influence was already present at this time. It is evident from the Periplus that, even at this early stage of its history, Axum played a role in the transcontinental trade route between Rome and India . The Aksumite control over Adulis enabled
27714-400: The reign of Endubis up to Armah (approximately 270 to 610), gold, silver and bronze coins were minted. Issuing coinage in ancient times was an act of great importance in itself, for it proclaimed that the Aksumite Empire considered itself equal to its neighbours. Many of the coins are used as signposts about what was happening when they were minted. An example being the addition of the cross to
27900-413: The religion of the King, the nobles, and the people". In 326, according to official tradition of the Georgian Orthodox Church, following the conversion of Mirian and Nana , the country of Georgia became a Christian state, the Emperor Constantine the Great sending clerics for baptising people. In the 4th century, in the Kingdom of Aksum , after Ezana 's conversion to the faith, this empire also became
28086-410: The religion of the state. Church and state were formally separated in 2017 after a change to the constitution in 2012. A timeline for the relationship between church and state is provided on the Norwegian Government's official website. Cole Durham and Tore Sam Lindholm, writing in 2013, stated that "For a period of one thousand years Norway has been a kingdom with a Christian state church " and that
28272-452: The revival party grow but only worsened the controversy. When the Presbyterian Synod of Philadelphia met in May 1741, the Old Side expelled the New Side, which then reorganized itself into the Synod of New York . Historian John Howard Smith noted that the Great Awakening made sectarianism an essential characteristic of American Christianity. While the Awakening divided many Protestant churches between Old and New Lights, it also unleashed
28458-400: The revivals and those who did not. Opponents accused the revivals of fostering disorder and fanaticism within the churches by enabling uneducated, itinerant preachers and encouraging religious enthusiasm . In England, evangelical Anglicans would grow into an important constituency within the Church of England , and Methodism would develop out of the ministries of Whitefield and Wesley. In
28644-399: The ruler of Aksum (a Christian region) at the time, responded to the persecutions by attacking the Himyarite king Yūsuf As'ar Yath'ar, known as Dhu Nuwas, a Jewish convert who was persecuting the Christian community of Najran,Yemen in 525 AD, with the help of the Byzantine empire, with whom had ties with his kingdom. Victoriously, the Aksum empire was able to claim the Yemen region, establishing
28830-415: The same interior region of Africa was that of the Kingdom of Kush , which had long supplied Egypt with African goods via the Nile corridor. By the 1st century AD, however, Aksum had gained control over territory previously Kushite. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea explicitly describes how ivory collected in Kushite territory was being exported through the port of Adulis instead of being taken to Meroë ,
29016-425: The same time, Gilbert's brothers, William and John, oversaw a revival in Freehold, New Jersey. The most influential evangelical revival was the Northampton revival of 1734–1735, under the leadership of Congregational minister Jonathan Edwards . In the fall of 1734, Edwards preached a sermon series on justification by faith alone , and the community's response was extraordinary. Signs of religious commitment among
29202-542: The same time, church membership was low because it had failed to keep up with population growth, and the influence of Enlightenment rationalism was leading many people to turn to atheism , Deism , Unitarianism , and Universalism . The churches in New England had fallen into a "staid and routine formalism in which experiential faith had been a reality to only a scattered few." In response to these trends, ministers influenced by New England Puritanism , Scots-Irish Presbyterianism , and European Pietism began calling for
29388-453: The semi-presbyterian Saybrook Platform , which they felt infringed on congregational autonomy. Because they threatened Congregationalist uniformity, the Separatists were persecuted, and in Connecticut they were denied the same legal toleration enjoyed by Baptists, Quakers, and Anglicans. The Baptists benefited the most from the Great Awakening. Although numerically small before the outbreak of revival, Baptist churches experienced growth during
29574-465: The sharing of testimony , a key feature of early Methodism. Growth in numbers and increasing hostility impressed upon the revival converts a deep sense of their corporate identity. Three teachings that Methodists saw as the foundation of Christian faith were: The evangelicals responded vigorously to opposition—both literary criticism and even mob violence —and thrived despite the attacks against them. John Wesley's organizational skills during and after
29760-406: The southern frontier of the Aksumite kingdom. Aksum also had a sizeable Ethiopian Greek population, which resided in the cities of Ptolemais Theron and Adulis . Nilotic groups also inhabited Aksum, as inscriptions from the time of Ezana note the "Barya", an animist tribe who lived in the western part of the empire, believed to be the Naras . Aksumite settlements were distributed across
29946-437: The speakers of Geʽez , the commenter of the Adulis inscription identifies them as the main inhabitants of Aksum and its surroundings. The Cushitic -speaking Agaw people were also known to have lived within the kingdom, as Cosmas Indicopleustes notes that a "governor of Agau", was entrusted by King Kaleb of Axum with the protection of the vital long-distance caravan routes from the south, suggesting that they lived within
30132-437: The state church. Almost all children are baptized as Lutheran and more than 90 percent are subsequently confirmed . The church conducts 75 percent of all marriages and 99 percent of all funerals. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Iceland is a member of the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches . All public schools have mandatory education in Christianity , although an exemption may be considered by
30318-419: The states of the new United States , from 1776 to 1833. Article 2 of the Constitution of Argentina explicitly states that "the Federal Government supports the Roman Catholic Apostolic Faith" and Article 14 guarantees freedom of religion . Although it enforces neither an official nor a state faith, it gives Catholic Christianity a preferential status. Before its 1994 amendment , the Constitution stated that
30504-566: The surface of the site. Covering parts of what is now northern Ethiopia and southern and eastern Eritrea , Aksum was deeply involved in the trade network between the Indian subcontinent and the Mediterranean ( Rome , later Byzantium ), exporting ivory , tortoise shell, gold and emeralds , and importing silk and spices. Aksum's access to both the Red Sea and the Upper Nile enabled its strong navy to profit in trade between various African ( Nubia ), Arabian ( Yemen ), and Indian states. The main exports of Aksum were, as would be expected of
30690-450: The title "nagasi of Aksum and Habashat," and a metal object discovered in eastern Tigray also mentions a certain "GDR negus of Aksum." Later in the century the mlky hhst dtwns wzqrns (kings of Habashat DTWNS and ZQRNS ) are also mentioned fighting in Arabia. According to a Greek inscription in Eritrea known as the Monumentum Adulitanum recorded by Cosmas Indicopleustes , in around the mid to late 3rd century (possibly c. 240–c. 260),
30876-413: The wall got higher, so the walls narrowed as they rose higher. These podia are often all that survive of Aksumite ruins. Above the podia, walls were generally built with alternating layers of loose stone (often whitewashed, like at Yemrehana Krestos Church ) and horizontal wooden beams, with smaller round wooden beams set in the stonework often projecting out of the walls (these are called 'monkey heads') on
31062-567: The walls of palace pavilions on several sides. Doors and windows were usually framed by stone or wooden cross-members, linked at the corners by square 'monkey heads', though simple lintels were also used. Many of these Aksumite features are seen carved into the famous stelae as well as in the later rock hewn churches of Tigray and Lalibela . Palaces usually consisted of a central pavilion surrounded by subsidiary structures pierced by doors and gates that provided some privacy (see Dungur for an example). The largest of these structures now known
31248-407: The wars of these kings. King Ezana became the first Christian ruler of Aksum in the 4th century. Ezana's coins and inscriptions make the change from pre-Christian imagery to Christian symbolism around 340 AD. The conversion to Christianity was one of the most revolutionary events in the history of Ethiopia as it gave Aksum a cultural link with the Mediterranean . Aksum gained a political link with
31434-412: Was a greater emphasis on prayer and devotional reading, and the Puritan ideal of converted church membership was revived. It is estimated that between 20,000 and 50,000 new members were admitted to New England's Congregational churches even as expectations for members increased. By 1745, the Awakening had begun to wane. Revivals would continue to spread to the southern backcountry and slave communities in
31620-427: Was a single point in time when God regenerated an individual, even if the exact moment could not be pinpointed. The Northampton revival featured instances of what critics called enthusiasm but what supporters believed were signs of the Holy Spirit. Services became more emotional, and some people had visions and mystical experiences. Edwards cautiously defended these experiences as long as they led individuals to
31806-460: Was also rich with gold and iron deposits. These metals were valuable to trade, but another mineral was also widely traded: salt . Salt was abundant in Aksum and was traded quite frequently. It benefited from a major transformation of the maritime trading system that linked the Roman Empire and India . This change took place around the start of the 1st century. The older trading system involved coastal sailing and many intermediary ports. The Red Sea
31992-458: Was an instantaneous, supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, providing someone with "a new awareness of the beauty of Christ, new desires to love God, and a firm commitment to follow God's holy law." The reality of regeneration was discerned through self-examination, and while it occurred instantly, a convert might only gradually realize it had occurred. Regeneration was always accompanied by saving faith, repentance, and love for God—all aspects of
32178-405: Was at its largest territorial extent, being around 2,500,000 km (970,000 sq mi). However, the territory was lost in the Aksumite–Persian wars . Aksum held on to Southern Arabia from 520 until 525 when Sumyafa Ashwa was deposed by Abraha . The kingdom's slow decline had begun by the 7th century, at which point currency ceased to be minted. The Persian (and later Muslim) presence in
32364-512: Was carried out. This people seems to be settled further north and may be identical with the "other Nobades" mentioned in the inscription of the Nubian king Silko carved on the wall of the Temple of Kalabsha . King Kaleb sent an expedition against the Jewish Himyarite King Dhu Nuwas , who was persecuting the Christian community in Yemen. Kaleb gained widespread acclaim in his era as the conqueror of Yemen. He expanded his royal title to include king of Hadramawt in southeastern Yemen, as well as
32550-492: Was controversial. Many pulpits were closed to him, and he had to struggle against Anglicans who opposed the Methodists and the "doctrine of the New Birth". Whitefield wrote of his opponents, "I am fully convinced there is a fundamental difference between us and them. They believe only an outward Christ, we further believe that He must be inwardly formed in our hearts also." In February 1739, parish priests in Bath and Bristol refused to allow Whitefield to preach in their churches on
32736-455: Was dramatic, and his preaching appealed to his audience's emotions. At times, he wept or impersonated Bible characters. By the time he left England for the colony of Georgia in December 1737, Whitefield had become a celebrity . John Wesley left for Georgia in October 1735 to become a missionary for the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge . Wesley made contact with members of the Moravian Church, led by August Gottlieb Spangenberg . Wesley
32922-677: Was followed in the summer of 1741 by itinerant minister James Davenport , who proved to be more controversial than either Tennent or Whitefield. His rants and attacks against "unconverted" ministers inspired much opposition, and he was arrested in Connecticut for violating a law against itinerant preaching. At his trial, he was found mentally ill and deported to Long Island. Soon after, he arrived in Boston and resumed his fanatical preaching, only to once again be declared insane and expelled. The last of Davenport's radical episodes took place in March 1743 in New London, when he ordered his followers to burn wigs, cloaks, rings, and other vanities. He also ordered
33108-420: Was impressed by their faith and piety, especially their belief that it was normal for a Christian to have assurance of faith. The failure of his mission and encounters with the Moravians led Wesley to question his own faith. He wrote in his journal, "I, who went to America to convert others, was never myself converted to God." Back in London, Wesley became friends with Moravian minister Peter Boehler and joined
33294-456: Was modeled on the collegia pietatis ( cell groups ) used by pietists for Bible study , prayer, and accountability. All three men experienced a spiritual crisis in which they sought true conversion and assurance of faith . George Whitefield joined the Holy Club in 1733 and, under the influence of Charles Wesley, read German pietist August Hermann Francke 's Against the Fear of Man and Scottish theologian Henry Scougal 's The Life of God in
33480-489: Was of secondary importance to the Persian Gulf and overland connections to the Levant . Starting around 1st century, a route from Egypt to India was established, making use of the Red Sea and using monsoon winds to cross the Arabian Sea directly to southern India . By about 100 AD, the volume of traffic being shipped on this route had eclipsed older routes. Roman demand for goods from southern India increased dramatically, resulting in greater number of large ships sailing down
33666-567: Was preaching to London crowds of 50,000. He left his followers in Bristol in the care of John Wesley. Whitefield's notoriety was increased through the use of newspaper advertisements to promote his revivals. Wesley was at first uneasy about preaching outdoors, as it was contrary to his high-church sense of decency. Eventually, however, Wesley changed his mind, claiming that "all the world [is] my parish". On April 2, 1739, Wesley preached to about 3,000 people near Bristol. From then on, he continued to preach wherever he could gather an assembly, taking
33852-469: Was primarily sustained by the efforts of parish ministers. Sometimes revival would be initiated by regular preaching or the customary pulpit exchanges between two ministers. Through their efforts, New England experienced a "great and general Awakening" between 1740 and 1743, characterized by a greater interest in religious experience, widespread emotional preaching, and intense emotional reactions accompanying conversion, including fainting and weeping. There
34038-439: Was significantly influenced by Judaism, saying that "The first carriers of Judaism reached Ethiopia between the reign of Queen of Sheba BC and conversion to Christianity of King Ezana in the fourth century AD." He believes that although Ethiopian tradition suggests that these were present in large numbers, that "A relatively small number of texts and individuals dwelling in the cultural, economic, and political center could have had
34224-409: Was strong. The most important leader of the Awakening in central Europe was Nicolaus Zinzendorf , a Saxon noble who studied under Pietist leader August Hermann Francke at Halle University . In 1722, Zinzendorf invited members of the Moravian Church to live and worship on his estates, establishing a community at Herrnhut . The Moravians came to Herrnhut as refugees, but under Zinzendorf's guidance,
34410-411: Was the product of Christian maturity and sanctification . Converts were encouraged to seek assurance through self-examination of their own spiritual progress. The treatise Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards was written to help converts examine themselves for the presence of genuine "religious affections" or spiritual desires, such as selfless love of God, certitude in the divine inspiration of
34596-437: Was the stage that prepared someone to receive salvation, and this stage often lasted weeks or months. When under conviction, nonbelievers realized they were guilty of sin and under divine condemnation and subsequently faced feelings of sorrow and anguish. When revivalists preached, they emphasized God's moral law to highlight the holiness of God and to spark conviction in the unconverted. Jonathan Edwards' sermon " Sinners in
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