 Saint Takla Haymanot the Ethiopian Saint Takla Haymanot the Ethiopian (also known as St. Tekle Himanot) was a 7th century Ethiopian saint.
Haymanot's family In the 7th century, a Christian family lived in Silalish, Zorare, in what is today the Bulga district of Ethiopia. The husband, who was a priest of the Coptic Church and devout follower of Jesus, was named "Sagaz Ab" (Ethiopian for "the gift of faith"). His wife, known for her altruism towards the poor, was named "Sarah", but also called "Agzaharia" ("the choice of God"). Sarah was sterile, but desired a child and prayed to God for one. She spent her time in church reading the Bible and the Psalms.
Their patron saint was the Archangel Michael, and they used to make a feast for him on the 12th of every Coptic month by holding a Mass and banquet for the poor.
One day, Sarah thought of giving their money to the poor and liberating their slaves, and persuaded Sagaz Ab to do so.
Visit from Archangel Michael A pagan named Montemely eventually became ruler of much of Ethiopia. He closed many Christian churches, attempting to enforce the worship of his gods.
One day, Talanece, the place where Sagaz Ab and Sarah lived, was attacked by Motmely's troops. When the soldiers entered the country, Sarah was frightened and the people ran away from place to another.
Sagaz Ab fled and hid, but was followed by a soldier. Upon reaching a nearby lake, Sagaz Ab threw himself in the lake to hide from the soldier, asking the Archangel Michael to help him through this. According to Sagaz, he felt the water close over him like a tent sheltering him, and saw Michael appear in order to strengthen him. The soldier thought Sagaz had drowned and left him alone.
Michael told Sagaz Ab that the soldier went away, and hence he got out of the lake. At that time the Archangel Michael told Sagaz Ab that he was saved because of his child to be. He told him of great secrets about the child and carried him back to the town on 12th of Baramhat.
When the priest went back, he found that all the houses had been ransacked. His wife, Sarah, was kidnapped by the soldiers, who intended to give her as a present to Montemely.
Michael appears to Sarah On the 22nd of Baramhat, Sagaz Ab held a Mass. While the congregation prayed for his wife's safety, Sagaz noticed a woman in precious clothes praying in great fear and awe to God.
When he finished he went to talk to all the new faces that came to the church, and among them this woman. He asked her where she was from, she told him that she had heard of a man called Sagaz Ab whose wife was taken and kidnapped, and that she came to be his wife! Sagaz replied that priests do not remarry, and that God would protect his wife and would return her safely to him.
Sarah smiled happily and revealed that she was his wife. She told him that Michael had saved her and taken her to the church, telling her that she had been saved for her son's sake.
That night, Sagaz Ab, claimed to have had a dream where he saw the sun and many of stars in his bedroom. The next day, Michael told them of the coming of their son.
His Birth On the 24th of Kiahk, Sarah gave birth to a son and called him "The happiness of Sehioun", or, "The happiness of the churches". There were many miracles attributed to him; for exampe, it was claimed that he talked at only 3 days of age. He was baptized on his 40th day.
After a year and a half, there was such a terrible famine that his parents could not hold the month's feast for Michael the Archangel. One day, the mother was praying to God to provide for the feast. While she was carrying her baby, he wiped her tears and pointed to the kitchen where some flour in a plate was present. According to the mother, Takla put his hands in the flour and it poured endlessly.
Takla was also gifted in the study of the Psalms and the Holy Bible.
Consecration One night Michael, the Archangel allegedly appeared to Bishop Qerilos in a dream, and told him that the next day a dark colored man would go to him, and would kneel before him. "That man has a blessed son, and he was chosen for heaven and he is great before God...Consecrate him as a Deacon, then leave him go peacefully," he said.
Priesthood Then he became a priest and his prayers and fasting increased. He stayed with his father until his mother passed away on the 12th of Mesra. His father soon passed away as well.
One day while he was practicing his hobby of hunting in the woods, God appeared to him held on the wings of angels saying, "I am your God who protected you since your childhood. Now you hunt people instead of animals. From now your name will be 'Takla Hemanoat'." Then the heavenly vision disappeared.
Miracles Takla heard that in the town of Ketana, the people worshiped a tree allegedly haunted by a devil which they feared. He went there and cast the demon out. He then began preaching to the people, and over 111,500 converted to Christianity. They constructed a church and took Eucharist. Saint Takla reportedly also resurrected numerous people.
While praying and fasting in the desert, Takla heard a voice telling him to go to Damout because many people there needed preaching. Saint Takla was asked to build a church under the name of Mary there.
Arriving at Damout, Takla began breaking all the statues that the people worshiped. The saint also cast out demons and converted people including the city's prince, son of Montemly.
When King Montemly heard that Saint Takla baptized his son, he was very sad and sent his soldiers to the prince to extradite Saint Takla, but the prince refused to surrender him.
When they reached the king, they were tortured a lot, but God's angel cured them. Then they were thrown in a cave full of monsters, but again God's angel got them out safely. Then the king himself tried to throw a spear at Saint Takla, but his hand was paralyzed and he cried of pain. The king then ordered the two men to be hanged on two trees. But when the saint was hanged by the neck in the tree, it bent till the saint's feet reached the ground, and there were holy lights from heaven and people saw angels. All this happened till the king at last believed in God and was baptized.
Monasticism One day, Jesus Christ appeared to the saint and told him to go to the land of Amhara and stay in its monastery until he spoke to him again, telling him that Michael the Archangel would be with him.
On his way to the land of Amhara, Saint Takla met a monk. They claimed to have gone at the monastery on a holy cloud prepared by God.
When Takla was well-known, he asked God to protect him from pride, so Michael the Archangel appeared to him and told him to go to the monastery of Saint Stephans. On the way he saw a deep river that he couldn't cross, so an angel appeared to him and asked him to follow him on the surface of the water. The angel disappeared and the saint appeared as if he was walking on land, until he reached the other side. He lived there in great awe; always praying and fasting.
One night God showed him the happiness and the glory of the saints in heaven and he became very happy; specially that he always remembered and imagined the souls of the saints.
From there Saint Takla Hemanoat got out to the land of the Fakharany with the guidance of the angel. He went there to a saint monk called John and remained there under his guidance for 12 years in the monastery of Adgway.
The angel appeared to the saint and asked him to go to a cave down the valley. The saint said goodbye to the head monk of the monastery and all the monks went out to see him off. The monks were used to tying whoever gets down with a rope (since the monastery was on top of a hill). While Saint Takla was going down, the rope was cut and the monks were terrified, but they saw six wings getting out from his sides, and carried him until he reached the ground. The monks got back glorifying God for his greatness and for protecting his people.
Expanision Takla got down to a big desert, and he found there many saints who were used to fasting for five days and did not eat any food, but were used to eating from the desert plants and drinking from the dew drops on Saturdays and Sundays. He visited many monasteries and churches and was very keen on visiting Jerusalem, so he went there and saw where Jesus was baptized.
Then the angel of God appeared to Saint Takla telling him to go to the land of El-Sofan, where his grave would be, and there he should build a church bearing his name.
Last Days He last settled in the land of Shawiry where he built his well-known monastery, Elbianos. Many people followed him and became monks. He exerted a lot of effort in praying and fasting and kneeling before God. He even prayed standing on one foot until his leg was broken .
Departure When Saint Takla's days came to an end, God appeared to him and told him that he would die of bubonic plague, and that he would go to heaven with three of his followers.
When it was time for him to die, he contracted the plague, as did three other monks. According to others at his bedside, he saw God, Virgin Mary, and many angels headed by the Archangel Michael. His cave was lit with heavenly light, and it was full of a nice scent. He died on the 24th of Mesra at the age of 99 years and 8 months.
His followers took his body and mummified it, and he was buried in his cave. He remained there outside the monastery for 56 years. In the 57th year, Saint Takla Hemanoat appeared to Bishop Hezkial, who had been his follower, and told him to move his body to the monastery, and he did.
There was a great celebration, and the saint told them that after they carried his body around the altar three times, the lamp would light by its own. While the people were carrying the body of the saint, a man was trampled by the crowd. His leg was broken; but once he touched the body of the saint, his injury appeared to heal. Saint Takla's body was buried under the altar in the church that bears his name in the monastery of Libanous in Shawa.
Adapted from [1] (http://st-takla.org/Story-index.html) by permission of webmaster/copyright holder.
See also
External links - Saint Takla Haymanot the Ethiopian Coptic Orthodox Church - Alexandria - Egypt (http://St-Takla.org)
- The official website for the Coptic Orthodox Church (http://www.coptic.org)
- Entry from the Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions (http://www.gospelcom.net/dacb/stories/ethiopia/takla1_haymanot.html)
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