Minas (or Menas) was an early bishop of Aksum, probably in the sixth century. According to traditional

Ethiopian historiography Ethiopian historiography includes the ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern disciplines of recording the history of Ethiopia, including both native and foreign sources. The roots of Ethiopian historical writing can be traced back to the a ...

, he was the second ''abun'' after

Frumentius Frumentius ( gez, ፍሬምናጦስ; died c. 383) was a Phoenician Christian missionary and the first bishop of Axum who brought Christianity to the Kingdom of Aksum. He is sometimes known by other names, such as Abuna ("Our Father") and ...

(Salama I) and took the name Salama II. The Ethiopian sources, however, place the episcopate of Frumentius in the reign of King

Ezana Ezana ( gez, ዔዛና ''‘Ezana'', unvocalized ዐዘነ ''‘zn''; also spelled Aezana or Aizan) was ruler of the Kingdom of Axum, an ancient kingdom located in what is now Eritrea and Ethiopia. (320s – c. 360 AD). He himself employed the ...

(c. 320–360) and that of Minas in the reign of Anbasa Wedem, twenty-six kings later, yet before the

Arab conquest of Egypt The Muslim conquest of Egypt, led by the army of 'Amr ibn al-'As, took place between 639 and 646 AD and was overseen by the Rashidun Caliphate. It ended the seven-century-long period of Roman reign over Egypt that began in 30 BC. Byzantine ru ...

(c. 640). This may indicate a long gap in the episcopal succession. Alternatively, it may indicate "a fresh start of vigorous Christian activities" under Minas. This would also explain why he was considered by later Ethiopians to be a second Salama.Getachew Haile
"Ethiopian Prelates (c.300–fl. second half of eleventh century): Minas (fl. sixth century)"
in ''

The Coptic Encyclopedia The ''Coptic Encyclopedia'' is an eight-volume work covering the history, theology, language, art, architecture, archeology and hagiography of Coptic Egypt. The encyclopedia was written by over 250 Western and Egyptian contributing experts in th ...

'' (Macmillan, 1991), Volume 3, pp. 999a–1003b. Retrieved from Claremont Colleges Digital Library on 13 October 2019. According to the '' Gadla Afse'', Minas was bishop when the

Nine Saints The Nine Saints were a group of missionaries who were important in the initial growth of Christianity in what is now Ethiopia during the late 5th century. Their names were Abba Aftse, Abba Alef, Abba Aragawi, Abba Garima (Isaac, or Yeshaq), Abba ...

came to Ethiopia between the late 4th and 6th centuries. Although there is no information on Minas' origins, modern scholars have been quick to assume he was an

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

. This would make him the first Egyptian ''abun'' in a continuous line down to the 20th century. His name was common in Egypt.Stuart C. Munro-Hay, ''Ethiopia and Alexandria: The Metropolitan Episcopacy of Ethiopia'' (Warsaw, 1997), pp. 68–69. Minas is credited with several works of

Ethiopian literature Ethiopian literature dates from Ancient Ethiopian literature (around 300 AD) up until modern Ethiopian literature. Ancient Ethiopian literature starts with Axumite texts written in the Geʽez language using the Geʽez script, indigenous to both Eth ...

. He wrote sermons, six of which are still part of the liturgy of Ethiopian monasteries, read at designated times of the year. These six cover the

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

, the

Seventy Disciples The seventy disciples or seventy-two disciples, known in the Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles or seventy-two apostles, were early emissaries of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. The correct Greek terminology is evdomikont ...

, the

Dormition of the Virgin The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of ...

, the

Feast of the Cross In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. Unlike Good Friday, which is dedicated to the passion of Christ and the crucifixion, the ...

, the 318 attendees of the

First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea (; grc, Νίκαια ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. This ecumenical council was the first effort ...

and the season of spring. Tradition also ascribes to him the translation of the ''

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...

'' into

Geʽez Geez (; ' , and sometimes referred to in scholarly literature as Classical Ethiopic) is an ancient Ethiopian Semitic language. The language originates from what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea. Today, Geez is used as the main liturgi ...

. The translation of the Geʽez text ''The Story of How the Interiors of Ethiopia Came to Christianity'', an extract from

Tyrannius Rufinus Tyrannius Rufinus, also called Rufinus of Aquileia (''Rufinus Aquileiensis'') or Rufinus of Concordia (344/345–411), anglicized as Tyrann Rufine, was a monk, historian, and theologian. He is best known as a translator of Greek patristic materia ...

on the mission of Frumentius, may also be the work of Minas.

Works

*An English translation of Minas' homily on the cross is found in Getatchew Haile, ''The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's Tradition on the Holy Cross'' (Leiden: Brill, 2018), pp. 112–125.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minas 6th-century bishops Aksumite Empire people Bishops of Axum