9789180279512

BENGT HJORT

JOI NT ENDEAVOU R I N T HE WOR K FOR T HE GOS P E L The Background, Formation, and Development of the Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church Part 2. During War and Occupation 1935–1941

Joint Endeavour In the Work For the Gospel

J OI NT E NDE AVO U R I N T HE WOR K FOR T HE G O S PEL The Background, Formation, and Development of the Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church Part 2. During War and Occupation 1935–1941 BENGT HJORT

© 2023 Bengt Hjort Editor: Bengt Hjort Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand, Stockholm, Sweden Print: BoD – Books on Demand, Norderstedt, Germany Cover and Graphic Design: Isak Engström, Design för Livet ISBN: 978-91-8027-951-2

C ONT E NTS Preface

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1.

1.1

7

1.2 1.3 1.4

Introduction Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church – history, identity, and historiography The history-writing project Sources and source criticism Instructions to the reader

7 8 9 11

2.

2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4

Ethiopia 1935–1941: Attacked, Occupied, Liberated Introduction A brutal war of aggression A brutal occupation The liberation of Ethiopia

15 15 15 26 38

3.

3.1

Mission Work During War; 1935–1936 Trials and tribulations in Addis Ababa and the Arsi region; October 1935–May 1936 In close contact with the war; work in Harar and the surrounding area October 1935–September 1936

41

4.

4.1 4.2 4.3

Mission Work During Occupation; 1936–1941 Introduction In the midst of events - the work in Addis Ababa and Arsi Continued work in Harar and the surrounding area

73 73 74 97

5.

5.1

A Journey With Two Main Purposes Introduction

123 123

3.2

41 55

5.2 With a view to negotiations in Addis Ababa 5.3 With a view to new mission opportunities outside Ethiopia and Eritrea 6.

6.1 6.2 6.3

Mission Work Among Ethiopian Refugees in Kenya Introduction A refugee problem and its solution Anton Jönsson as a missionary among refugees: lonely, isolated, significant

Notes

123 134 143 143 143

150 155

Appendix 1. Personal Data Register: People Related to SMBV’s Work in Ethiopia and Kenya 1935–1941 175 Appendix 2. Personal Data Register: Other Persons

179

Appendix 3. Geographic Information.

183

References

187

Index

191

P R EFAC E But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; Isaiah 43:1–3 There are periods and stages in life during which these words take on a very special relevance. The period October 1935–May 1941 was one such period for the inhabitants of Ethiopia, not least for the Christians. This also applied to people in the country who had come into contact with the Gospel about Jesus Christ through the work of the mission society Bibeltrogna Vänner (SMBV) and who belonged to the congregations in which the work resulted.

This book is the second part of the historiography of the Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Chuch (EELC). This writing of which has been ongoing for about five years and was started on the initiative of the Executive Committee of the EELC. The book attempts to treat the difficult and trying period above all from an Ethiopian perspective.

Work on this part has been carried out by the following working group members: • Rev. Mussie Alazar, President of the EELC. • Rev. Mekonnen Gerremew, Principal of the Lutheran Theological Seminary.

• Bengt Hjort, Senior Lecturer and former missionary in Ethiopia.

The working group has been assisted by the following reference group: • Professor Finn Aasebø Rønne, Professor of Church and Mission History at the Danish Bible Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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• Dr. Rune Imberg, Doctor of Theology in Church History, previously working at the Lutheran School of Theology, Gothenburg, Sweden.

• Medical Doctor Erik J Andersson, PhD in Mission History, affiliated with Turku Academy, Turku, Finland.

The project has received financial support from the following organizations: • Evangelisk Luthersk Mission – Bibeltrogna Vänner, Sweden.

• Evangelisk Luthersk Mission, Denmark.

• Lunds Missionssällskap, Sweden.

• Samfundet Pro Fide et Christianismo, Sweden.

• Evangelisk Litteraturmission Scriptura, Sweden.

• Svenska Lutherska Evangelieföreningen i Finland, Finland.

A warm thank you is expressed to those who have been involved in this work so far. A warm thank you also goes to the above-mentioned organizations for the support they have given to the work of writing the history of the EELC. Rev. Mussie Alazar, President of the EELC

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1. I NT R O DUCT ION

1.1 Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church – history, identity, and historiography The Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) was constituted in 1960.

At the time, it was based on congregations that had emerged as a fruit of the work of the Swedish Mission Bibeltrogna Vänner (SMBV) in middle, eastern, and southern Ethiopia.1 When the church was formed, the number of members was very limited, an estimated 500. Over time, however, the church has grown, which is why the number of members is currently estimated at about 25,000. Growth has taken place in several of the original congregations, but above all through the expansion of the church’s activities to include new areas in southern Ethiopia.

From the very beginning, EELC was strongly influenced by SMBV’s previous and ongoing work in Ethiopia. This concerned the “outside” of the work with school activities, healthcare work, church work and administration, but also the “inside” of the work with theological profiling and theological values.

In 1975, the Church took over responsibility for the work that SMBV had previously started and conducted. The so-called integration was carried out during a turbulent time. When the Church was formed in 1960, Emperor Haile Selassie was the country’s leader. Although his position had begun to be questioned somewhat, he was the autocratic ruler. Now, at the time of integration, the Marxist-Leninist revolution was in full swing. It was a difficult time for the country’s Christians facing persecution and denunciation. The EELC also felt this and the challenge for the Church during this time was, within the limits set by the authorities, to carry out the spiritual work.

In 1991, the Marxist-Leninist regime fell and was replaced by a regime that was liberal in several respects. This was the case, among other things, in the 9

religious area where religious freedom was proclaimed and where various churches were given great opportunities to conduct outreach activities, something that had often been severely limited in the past. For EELC, the challenge now was to use the opportunities to reach out with the Gospel in new areas and in new places. Other challenges for the Church were that Islam advanced its positions.

In recent decades, new challenges have emerged, as new currents with Christian labels are making themselves felt in the country. It is partly a consequence of religious influence from abroad through the internet and various media. Young people in particular, perhaps especially in urban environments, are affected by this.

It is in this environment and with these conditions that the EELC operates and faces the challenge of preserving its Evangelical Lutheran identity.

Some of this identity is expressed by the history of the Church. The EELC leadership is well aware of this and has therefore long wanted the Church’s history to be put on paper.

Another aspect that underlines the need for historiography can be highlighted. Ethiopia currently has about 115 million inhabitants. Almost 60% of these have an age of less than 25.2 This age structure is, of course, also reflected among EELC members. The majority are young people with rather vague notions of the background and history of the Church. It is quite natural that these young people sometimes ask questions aimed at gaining more knowledge and insight into the EELC’s background, origins, and development. The availability of a comprehensive history would meet these wishes.

Against this background, a work was started about five years ago to produce such a historiography. It is described in more detail in the next section.

1.2 The history-writing project In 2017, the Executive Committee of EELC appointed a working group whose task was to write the history of the EELC. The working group, which was basically given a free hand when it came to how it should approach the mission, saw its task as presenting the roots, the formation and the development of the Church. It concluded early on that historiography should deal with the period 1921 to 2003. The former year is conditioned by the fact that then the 10

The Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) was founded in 1960. It consisted of congregations that had emerged as a fruit of the work of the Swedish mission society Bibeltrogna Vänner (SMBV) conducted in central, eastern, and southern Ethiopia.

When the EELC was founded, its members were few, estimated at around 500. Since then, the Church has grown to have nearly 30,000 members.

SMBV was founded in 1911 and almost immediately began mission work in Eritrea. However, the main goal was to reach the Oromo people of Ethiopia. In 1921, SMBV missionaries began work in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. From there, the work extended to the cities of Harar and Dire-Dawa in the east and to Arsi province in the south.

SMBV’s work, which had expanded rapidly, was greatly influenced by the attack of fascist Italy on Ethiopia in the autumn of 1935.

Due to the subsequent Italian occupation, all SMBV’s missionaries had to leave the country in 1936. To some extent, however, the work was able to continue during the occupation, despite the suffering and restrictions of the Ethiopian employees and parishioners.

This book is the second part of a series describing the EELC’s background, formation, and development. It covers the period 1935–1941, a dark and difficult one in the history of modern Ethiopia.

The author of this book, Bengt Hjort, was born and raised in Ethiopia. He served as a missionary within EELC from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1991.