Our Mission
At OCMS we are committed to advancing mission research in critical and often underrepresented areas through focused, collaborative efforts that deliver results. The Orthodox Project exemplifies this approach as a pioneering initiative.
The Orthodox Project in Ethiopia/Eritrea and Team
The OCMS Orthodox Project reflects the research collaboration that the emerging OCMS Research Institute for Mission and Innovation (ORIMI) aspires to foster—bringing together scholars and institutions to deepen understanding and strengthen the global mission of the Church. The OCMS Orthodox Project is run by two theologians with considerable expertise in research and teaching in Orthodox theology and practice.
Dr Ralph Lee
Associate Faculty for Orthodox Mission, OCMS
Rev Dr Calum Samuelson
Research Associate, OCMS
Ralph Lee’s research focusses on the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Täwaḥǝdo Churches, but also more broadly on the Oriental Churches. He has spent most of his working life in Ethiopia, first teaching engineering, and later teaching theology at the Holy Trinity Theological College in Addis Ababa. Ralph’s research focusses on the contemporary and historical literature, theology, traditions and religious practices of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. Full Profile
Calum Samuelson is a theological researcher, educator, and consultant. His PhD thesis, “Expressions of Theōsis in Selected Ethiopic Monastic Literature”, along with his work on multiple international Ethiopic research projects, enable him to study and explore the Täwaḥǝdo Tradition of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Currently, Samuelson focuses on symbolic and polysemous aspects of a traditional, oral poetic practice of the Täwaḥǝdo Tradition known as Qǝne. Full Profile
Why An Orthodox Project - Focusing on Ethiopia/Eritrea
The Ethiopian Orthodox Täwaḥedo Church and its sister Church in Eritrea (together EEOTC) has endured for 1700 years, on a unique trajectory using it’s own language, Gǝʿǝz. There is great value in simply understanding this tradition, which is poorly understood especially in the West, but we also believe that it can bless the church globally with its approach to theology and discipleship. Some things seem very far from our experience, and these web pages are aimed at helping bring that closer!
Inspired by the prophetic vision of Lesslie Newbigin and others, we seek to mediate the insights into Christian faith that Africa’s most enduring expression of Christianity has developed for the global Church.
Outside this Orthodox Christian tradition, leading figures in African Christianity, like Kwame Bediako, have acknowledged the significance of Ethiopian Christianity for contemporary discussions on African theology, especially the forming of African derived Christology.
We are inspired by the godly people (laity, monks, scholars) in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches who live a deeply embodied expression of Christian faith.
We are privileged to be working on this project in partnership with the Sankt Ignatios College in Södertälje, Sweden. Among its other distinctions, Sankt Ignatios runs the only Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Täwaḥǝdo seminaries outside Ethiopia and Eritrea. You can find out more about Sankt Ignatios College here.
What is Qǝne?
Qǝne, treasured for centuries in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches, is a genre of improvised poetry with metaphors, rhythm, and rhyme. The Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches (EEOTC) has one of the longest continuously running systems of traditional education in the world. EEOTC traditional schools serve as a cornerstone for the existence and furtherance of the Ge’ez language and its culture. Qǝne is one of the most original expressions of the Christian Ethiopian literature, being composed after long pondering on sacred texts.
This video gives a brief introduction to the fascinating world of qǝne, Ethiopian and Eritrean theological poetry.
Qǝne in Practice
The EEOTC has a tradition called qǝne – which might appear to be a rather esoteric form of poetry. These poems are composed extempore, but the name qǝne refers primarily to their intended purpose.
“Ethiopian Qǝne (traditional and living oral poetry) intertwines biblical interpretation with the observation of nature and critique of current events. It is always delivered as improvisation. It is performed in traditional schools, as well as at liturgical and social events. It contains metaphors, rhymes, and rhythm. It includes important values and is useful for theological studies and biblical hermeneutics.” (Abstract from Daniel Assefa and Tekletsadik Belachew, 2021).
The trajectory of the EEOTC has mostly been independent ways from the rest of Global Christianity for around 1700 years. Thus, they have been mostly untouched by Western ways of thinking about and viewing the world. One of the best examples of their unique approach to the Christian Faith is the practice of qǝne.
Qǝne requires both listeners and performers to be deeply reflective of and shaped by God’s Word. Indeed, although qǝne is often simply defined as “poetry”, its literal meaning is actually “submission” or “obedient divine service”, which is the intended outcome of its theologising.
Born in 1885 EC አድማሱ ጀንበሬ, Admasu Jänbäre was a distinguished traditional scholar in the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwaḥǝdo Church. He defines qǝne in terms of its purpose: qǝne uses new and concise ideas to stimulate the mind to praise and subjection to the Creator, or expressed another way it uses creative ideas to cause the body, intellect and emotions to be subject to a renewed mind.
Another scholar, ኪዳነ ወልድ ክፍሌ, Kidanä Wäld Kǝfle, chooses a long list of verbs to explain the tradition: to tune a musical instrument (and so harmonise); to cry out; to cause weeping; to express sorrow or grief contemplating tribulations; to mourn; to compose poetry through connecting ideas; to chant; to resound or sing loudly.
A Scholar's Story
In this video, Tsehay Adema, a doctoral candidate at Addis Ababa University composes a qǝne. The qǝne is translated and interpreted by Dr. Daniel Assefa, Professor of Theology at Addis Ababa University and a leading scholar in Ethiopian Christian literature from the Catholic tradition. They are joined by Calum Samuelson, a research associate at OCMS and Sankt Ignatios College, representing the Protestant tradition.
