Values Expressed through African Symbols: An Ethiopian Theological Reflection

Abstract

For sixteen centuries, Christian faith has been interacting with Ethiopian culture. This setting offers rich resources for theological vocabulary insofar as it is embedded in African images and symbols, poems, hymns, and chants. Since the material world holds an important place in Ethiopian religious expressions, four dominant symbols found in nature—fire, water, soil, and oil—deserve particular attention. The reflections given in this article are predominantly drawn from study of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. We show that various values are discernable in the four symbols mentioned here, as well as in the cross, the central Christian symbol.