Qerellos III (Cyril) was an
Abuna
Abuna (or Abune, which is the Construct state, status constructus form used when a name follows: Ge'ez alphabet, Ge'ez አቡነ ''abuna''/''abune'', 'our father'; Amharic language, Amharic and Tigrinya language, Tigrinya) is the honorific titl ...
, or head of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...
(1816 – 1828?). In the words of
Richard Pankhurst
Richard Marsden Pankhurst (1834 – 5 July 1898) was an English barrister and socialist who was a strong supporter of women's rights.
Early life
Richard Pankhurst was the son of Henry Francis Pankhurst (1806–1873) and Margaret Marsden (180 ...
, "A controversial figure, he is reputed to have been fanatical and rapacious."
Background
He came to
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
12 years after the death of the last effective Abuna,
Yosab III, due to the efforts of ''
Ras
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
''
Wolde Selassie
Wolde Selassie (; c.1736 - 28 May 1816) was Ras of the Tigray province between 1788-1816, and Regent of the Ethiopian Empire between 1797-1800. John J. Halls, in his ''Life and Correspondence of Henry Salt'', preserves a description of this power ...
in the last year of the life of the ''Ras''. No sooner had he left
Massawa than he sent forth a demand for a house in
Chalacot belonging to Nathaniel Pearce, an Englishman then residing in the country, because the Abuna had heard it was the finest one in the realm. When Pearce refused to give up his home, Qerellos forbade all priests of the Ethiopian Church from providing communion until Pearce changed his mind. Only the efforts of Pearce's wife at last led the Englishman to surrender his house and home to the prelate. Pearce reported that shortly thereafter, Qerellos proclaimed that "every man wanting to be confirmed a priest must first bring him four ''
amoleh
Salt, also referred to as table salt or by its chemical formula NaCl (sodium chloride), is an ionic compound made of sodium and chloride ions. All life depends on its chemical properties to survive. It has been used by humans for thousands of ...
s'', or pieces of salt. All new altars, that had been dedicated since the death of the last Abuna, as well as those that had never been consecrated by the Abuna, were to pay also four pieces of salt each; those who wished to become deacons two pieces of salt each; and all the population, with their young children, that had not been
confirmed
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
by former Abunas, were to pay one piece of salt each."
A few weeks later when Wolfe Selassie died, Chalacot was sacked by the other warlords of the
Zemene Mesafint
The Zemene Mesafint ( gez, ዘመነ መሳፍንት ''zamana masāfint'', modern: ''zemene mesāfint'', variously translated "Era of Judges," "Era of the Princes," "Age of Princes," etc.; named after the Book of Judges) was a period in Ethiop ...
. Both Pearce and Qerellos fled the town for safety elsewhere: Pearce for
Adwa
Adwa ( ti, ዓድዋ; amh, ዐድዋ; also spelled Aduwa) is a town and separate woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is best known as the community closest to the site of the 1896 Battle of Adwa, in which Ethiopian soldiers defeated Italian ...
, while the Abuna sought sanctuary at the court of ''
Dejazmach
Until the end of the Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Mesafint ( gez, መሳፍንት , modern , singular መስፍን , modern , "prince"), the hereditary nobility, ...
''
Sabagadis Woldu
Sabagadis Woldu (; horse name: Abba Garray; baptismal name: Za-Manfas Qedus; 1780 – 1831) was a governor of Tigray Province of the Ethiopian Empire from 1822 to 1831. Sabagadis gained some notoriety in the first decade of the 19th century for r ...
. In 1819, the Abuna went to
Gondar
Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on t ...
, where he tried to settle the
doctrinal
Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...
disputes that rent the Ethiopian Church; however, when he allegedly supported the Unctionist formula, Qerellos was forced to flee the city to
Tigray Province
Tigray Province (Amharic and ), also known as Tigre ( tigrē), was a historical province of northern Ethiopia that overlayed the present day Afar and Tigray regions. Akele Guzai borders with the Tigray province It was one It encompassed most o ...
. ''Dejazmach'' Sabagadis Woldu apparently extended him protection once again, but eventually came to despise the cleric. A letter he wrote to
Pope Peter VII of Alexandria
Pope Peter VII of Alexandria (Abba Boutros El-Gawly), 109th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. He was born in the village of El-Gawly in Upper Egypt, and known as Mankarius while a monk at the Monastery of Saint Anthony on ...
survives, dated to 1827, wherein he complains of the Abuna's behavior, sarcastically asking, "Was it because you hated Ethiopia that you sent him? Did you not know his conduct before,
ndso you sent him?"
Donald Crummey notes that "his fate, even the circumstances of his death, are mysterious." A contemporary account, the
Church Missionary Society
The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
's ''
Missionary Register for 1828'' writes that he is said to be living "in Tigré: he is said to be in a state of perpetual intoxication." Mordechai Abir writes that ''Ras''
Yimam banished him to the monastery in
Lake Tana
Lake Tana ( am, ጣና ሐይቅ, T’ana ḥāyik’i; previously Tsana) is the largest lake in Ethiopia and the source of the Blue Nile. Located in Amhara Region in the north-western Ethiopian Highlands, the lake is approximately long and wid ...
, where Qerellos remained until his death, although Abir also notes alternative accounts of Qerellos' death exist: "Another version ... claims that Kerilos was banished to Tigre where after meddling with politics he was killed by Seb'agadis in 1824, or was murdered as a result of a quarrel over some property with one of Seb'agadis's governors".
Richard Pankhurst
Richard Marsden Pankhurst (1834 – 5 July 1898) was an English barrister and socialist who was a strong supporter of women's rights.
Early life
Richard Pankhurst was the son of Henry Francis Pankhurst (1806–1873) and Margaret Marsden (180 ...
simply states that he died at some point between 1828 and 1830, "apparently murdered."
[Pankhurst's notes in Appleyard, ''Letters'', p. 51]
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qerellos 03
Year of birth unknown
1820s deaths
Archbishops of Ethiopia
19th-century Oriental Orthodox bishops
19th century in Ethiopia