The story of the Ethiopian Tabot

Introduction

A Tabot is a consecrated wooden altar slab, made of wood or stone, which symbolises the

Ark of the Covenant (containing the Ten Commandments) and represents the presence of

God in every Ethiopian church. It is the Tabot rather than the church building which is

consecrated. Removal of a Tabot is an act of sacrilege comparable to the removal of the

Reserved Sacrament in an Anglican or Roman Catholic church.

In the aftermath of the battle of Magdala in April 1868, a Tabot was acquired by Captain

William Arbuthnot (1838-1892) of the 14th Hussars. He was Aide de Camp and Military

Secretary to General Robert Napier, the leader of the expedition, created Lord Napier of

Magdala in July 1868. Arbuthnot was a grandson of Sir William Arbuthnot, a Lord Provost

of Edinburgh, who is buried in St John’s graveyard. On his return to Britain, recognising

the religious significance of the artefact, Arbuthnot presented the Tabot to St. John's Church

(1868).

It remained here, its true meaning apparently unrecognized until it was found in 2001 by the

Associate Rector, Rev’d John McLuckie, who realised what it was, having spent some time

in Ethiopia as a student.

History

Emperor Tewodros II, who ruled from 1855 – 1868, was, by any account, as remarkable

and significant a leader for Ethiopia as he was a complex one. He was a moderniser, as well

as a cultural champion. His ambition was to create a new church dedicated to Medhane

Alam (Saviour of the World) at his mountain retreat and capital of Maqdala. He intended

this church to be a great centre of learning and collected manuscripts and other artefacts

from all over the country, especially Gondar, the former capital. These items were kept in

store houses next to a temporary church, also dedicated to Medhane Alam.

In addition he was a successful military leader and, in his final act of resistance at

Maqdala, was seen as a courageous patriot. His vision encompassed the abolition of slave

trade, the building of a road network, literary renaissance and land reform. Not all of these

developments were favourably regarded by his compatriots. In a comprehensive series of

military reforms he sought to deal with demilitarisation, the problems of looting, irregular

payment of troops, indiscipline and new technologies.

This last area led to his eventual downfall. His suspicions of the Egyptians manoeuvring on

his northwest border led to his appeal to the British to supply him with technical support to

construct new artillery. When these requests were completely ignored, he imprisoned some

Western missionaries and diplomats, with whom he had previously enjoyed good

relationships, to strengthen his case for a hearing. The British response to the crisis was to

send an expeditionary force from India to secure the captives' release. This was achieved

and was made easier by the non-resistance of Tewodros' tribal enemies. The siege of

Magdala - the imperial mountain stronghold - occurred at a time when Tewodros' power-

base had dwindled significantly.

When Magdala fell and Tewodros committed suicide, (shooting himself with a revolver

given to him by Queen Victoria) the British soldiers engaged in an extensive looting spree.

400 manuscripts and books, crowns, chalices, crosses, icons and Tabots were taken. The

religious items could only have come from one of Magdala’s two churches or their store

houses. The majority of the items were collected to be auctioned to the force and the sum

raised was divided among the British as a reward for a successful campaign. A large

proportion of the loot found its way to the British Museum but some was retained in private

possession.

Appeals for the return of the Loot

The immediate political reaction to the looting was significant. Lord Napier petitioned

parliament for the temporary housing of the more significant items of the loot until they

could be returned to Ethiopia, a position supported by the Prime Minister, William

Gladstone. Napier said that Britain's argument had been with Tewodros, not the Ethiopian

people. William Arbuthnot, by now a Major, was present in the House of Commons. He

supported Napier’s statements and gave his own eye witness account of the events at

Magdala.

Since then there have been regular attempts to have the loot returned. For Ethiopians, it

represents a major part of the nation's cultural and religious history. It also represents a

living faith, which, in the sack of Magdala, suffered a humiliating desecration.

The Ethics of Repatriation

The repatriation of Magdala's looted treasures is an act of justice and solidarity. The

treasures were taken violently, even by the standards of the time, and the British campaign

could be said to have been a heavy-handed response to a crisis born out of a poor awareness

of Ethiopia's cultural mores and political needs. Today, Ethiopia is a nation that has had its

struggles with civil war made worse by famine, HIV and political reconstruction.

In the face of such realities, the nations of the world seek to express the common quest for a

more just global order built through partnerships, not domination. Acts of restitution and

reparation can accompany strategies for equitable trade and shared political solutions to

global problems. The repatriation of symbolic treasures taken in a very different era

represents a very small but emotionally significant kind of restitution and support.

The return of the Tabot, 27th

January 2002

For the community of St. John's, the repatriation of the Tabot was the chance for us to meet

Christians from another tradition. In this small act of friendship, we hope we can show

penitence for an act of desecration committed in the name of our nation 133 years ago.

From the Press statement of the Ethiopian Embassy, 6th December 2001

‘The Embassy expresses its appreciation to St John's Episcopal church for its exemplary

decision to return the Tabot to its native land. The Embassy congratulates our people for

this good news and it will ensure that the Tabot will be sent back to Ethiopia in a manner

consistent with the traditional and spiritual honour it rightfully deserves.’

Once the people of Ethiopia learned of the existence of the Tabot, they were keen to make

plans to collect it and return it to its rightful place. It was arranged for a delegation headed

by Archbishop Abune Isaias to come to Edinburgh and this culminated in a memorable

weekend of celebrations.

The Tabot was handed back to representatives of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church at a

special service. The official Ethiopian delegation included Archbishop Bitsu Abune Isaias

from Ethiopia, Archimandrite Nibure-id Abba of the London based Ethiopian Orthodox

Tewahido church and the Attaché d'Affaires of the Ethiopian embassy.

Archbishop Abune and his supporters arrive at Waverley Station

Following a civic reception on Saturday evening, a Eucharist according to the rites of the

Ethiopian Orthodox church was conducted from 6 – 9 am on Sunday 27th

January. This

provided the opportunity for baptism for the children of expatriates living in Edinburgh.

A joint Eucharist was then held, at the end of which the Holy Tabot was carried in, wrapped

up and covered by liturgical umbrellas. Speeches were made before it was handed over to

the Archbishop. Music, dancing and a riot of colour created spectacular scenes of joy within

the church

The Holy Tabot is carried into the chancel

A gift from Ethiopia is presented to St John’s

Archbishop Isaias, of Ethiopia, presents a gift to Rector John Armes, right, at the handover

of the Tabot. On the left is John McLuckie who found the Tabot. (Photograph: The Scotsman.)

After the ceremony lunch was shared and the visitors departed for London. The following

week a service of celebration for people in Europe was held at the Ethiopian church in

London.

The Tabot was then taken back to Ethiopia where people lined the streets from the airport

into Addis Ababa and a national holiday was declared.

Ethiopia hails return of sacred artefact.

From the BBC website, by the BBC's Nita Bhalla in Addis Ababa, 9th

February 2002

Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians have packed the streets of Addis Ababa to welcome

home an ancient Ethiopian relic looted by British troops more than 130 years ago.

‘We must be happy and celebrate today as a national holiday for what we lost in violence,

we have gained in peace’. Ethiopian church elder.

In a colourful celebration at Addis Ababa's Holy Trinity Cathedral, Ethiopians rejoiced at

the return of the tabot to its rightful home. Excitement and pride filled in the air as the plane

carrying the ancient Ethiopian artefact landed at Ethiopia's Bole International airport on

Saturday morning.

Celebration

Many Ethiopians gathered outside the airport to catch a glimpse of the tabot, held sacred to

the 25 million-strong Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Adorned in resplendent vestments made of bright velvet and gold and carrying silver and

gold processional crosses, thousands of priests and religious elders from Addis Ababa's 106

Orthodox churches led a procession from the airport to Addis Ababa's Holy Trinity

Cathedral, where the wooden relic will be stored.

Beating drums, they chanted in the ancient language of Ge'ez welcoming the tabot home.

Ethiopians sang and danced alongside the processional cortege as it made the four hour

journey along the 11 km (7 miles) route to the cathedral.

The tabot of St Michael, which can only be seen by priests, was covered in gold

embroidered velvets and silks and mounted on the head of a chosen priest in the true

tradition of the 2,000-year-old Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Ethiopians lined the streets to celebrate the tabot's return. Ethiopian ministers, diplomats,

heads of agencies and tourists joined the crowds at Trinity Cathedral to welcome the tabot,

which was looted from the Ethiopian fortress of Maqdala by British forces in the 19th

century.

Historic day

Teshome Toga, Ethiopia's Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture said it was a historic day

for all Ethiopians.

Ethiopians from all walks of life celebrated the tabot's return "We are all excited and we

think that it will be good start to bring back all our cultural heritages."

The Patriarch of the church, Abune Paulos, said it was impossible to describe how Ethiopia

was feeling on this historic day.

"You can sense the feeling of the people on the streets today, it is beyond all

explanation."

Ethiopians now say they hope that this may lead to the return of all other ancient Ethiopian

relics currently still on display in British museums.

In the footsteps of the Tabot

In January 2004 a group from St John’s visited Ethiopia to try to find out what had

happened to the Tabot on its return. We certainly learnt a lot but came back with as

many questions as answers.

We spent the first two days in Addis Ababa which is a relatively modern town, being

founded in the late nineteenth century. Although it has a few handsome buildings it is

largely a shanty town, as are most other Ethiopian towns.

The time in Addis was important because it allowed us to get some idea of the history

of the country through visits to the National Museum and the Ethnological Institute.

Four of us were invited to lunch by the Anglican Chaplain, Andrew Proud and his

wife, Janice, from whom we gathered an enormous amount of information about the

problems the country is facing and how it is trying to tackle them.

Most of the rest of our time in Ethiopia was spent in the high mountain area north of

Addis, starting on the banks of Lake Tana, a huge inland lake which, via the Blue

Nile, provides most of the water which fertilises Egypt. Then we followed the

‘historic route’, past Lake Tana and the source of the Blue Nile, to Gondar, Axum and

Lalibela.

Blue Nile Falls

As an introduction to the poverty level of this stunningly beautiful country, the drive

from Lake Tana to Gonder was a useful lesson. Driving past miles of stony fields, and

those in which the stubble suggested that there had been crops, however sparse, we

wondered how people could eke out a living. The people we saw looked relatively

healthy, and the children were not lacking in energy (or ambition to learn English!).

St Michael’s Day procession of the Tabot from St Michael’s Church.

From Gonder we went on (350km of unmade-up road, 12 hours in a rickety bus, heat,

dust and the stunning scenery of the Simien Mountains) to Axum ,the ancient capital

of Ethiopia. Here are not only huge monolithic stelae, about 2000 years old and

standing at up to 21 metres high, but also a somewhat insignificant building which is

said to house the original Ark of the Covenant.

Simien Mountains

After Axum we flew to Lalibela, a village which was entirely without means of

access, apart from mule tracks, until the early 1990s, when the tiny airport was

constructed. Even so, flying over the patchwork of fields, it was immediately evident

to us that there were few paths and only one road which would make transport of

grain to other areas a realistic possibility.

The key features of Lalibela are the great 12th century rock churches, not constructed

but cut out of the solid rock, so that their roofs, also solid rock, are at ground level.

Unsurprisingly, they are not delicate but massive, dark, and mystical.

St Giyorgis Church, Lalibela

Back in Addis, we had an audience with Abune Paulos and some of his bishops. We

presented greetings from Bishop Brian Smith of Edinburgh and from St John’s and

talked about our trip and the possibilities for future return of other artefacts to

Ethiopia. This conversation was of necessity brief, as we had to get to the airport for

our return flight!

It was nevertheless a delightful, informal and moving occasion, which rounded off a

visit in a most appropriate manner.

Presentation of letters and gifts to Abune Paulos