Traditional education derives its distinctive character from the unique Christian heritage of the country. The pupil now learns to read the psalms, the most important devotional book of Ethiopian Christians. Online Status. (Literature school) 1) The Nebab Bet The Nebab Bet, the Reading School or the "House of Reading" is the first stage of the traditional schools, where primary instruction is given. These schools of commentaries are not to be found everywhere, but in large churches, Debre, and in monasteries, Geddam, where extensive libraries and famous teachers are to be found. The majority of the Debtera are laymen, and as such they are not allowed to serve in the mass and the administration of sacraments. The method he uses is the chanting from and the Wurdnebab reading process. Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC). C) Reading the Psalms = , 8 - () = - - . Privacy-Statement . The canon law (Fetha Negest) as well as the calendar calculation (Bahre Hasab) are also studied here. For the authority of tradition in present day Ethiopia remains compelling and forceful. = ( ) = .. () = Zema bet ( , lit. = , 12. If one misses a word or an idea, another member of the group recalls it and supplements. 2) Qedasse Bet (Liturgy school) Here the student attempts to put the letters together in a chanting form and read them as a word. A student is considered ready when he has mastered the complicated genre of qen. ' , 1. The methods of practicing the reading are those described under the Fidel Hawaria, namely, Qutir, Geez, Wurdnebab, and Nebab. It is difficult to estimate the number of Nebab Bet in the country or to evaluate the school population involved. Normally children start school between the ages of 5 and 7, when they are traditionally considered ready to learn. He then learns Zeamlakiye (3 verses), Wazema (5 verses). The following is a typical example of a Metsehaf Bet lesson. 1) The Nebab Bet . = , 1. The teacher either accepts the verses or the offers critical comments and sends the student back for further meditation, students come at intervals to the teacher to recite in the manner. the functions of deacon and of a priest in the liturgy. = , 8. = = , 27. He should not, however, contradict or be critical of religious and other accepted values. = , 21. Around that period, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church already had a corpus of prayers. After leaving the teacher each group moves apart and tries to comment on the text just as the teacher did, as much as possible word for word. The last branch of the Metsehaf Bet is the Menekosat, the School of Commentaries on monastic literature. . . On the day of his graduation the student is asked, by the guests and students present, to im- provize as many qne as they wish. 2. The large number of characters (33 in 7 orders) with the differences and irregularities of the related sets are not easily grasped by the beginner. Zema bet ( , lit. To be able to carry out this further service one has to attend a higher school of the church, which should be considered an extension of the Nebab and Qedasse Bet. . = , 22. and hunter (adda), because he leaves everything, even his native village and relatives, in order to study qnepoetry (nbaqom Qal Wld in PICES 3, vol. = , 05. When he was studying a particular part of the Fidel the student unrolled the parchment and fixed the two-ends of the roll on a wooden stick with a piece of cloth or string. This does not include pupils receiving instruction in the village schools and in private compounds. = [ . . The heavy demands of cultivation and cattle tending force the parents to demand the services of their children. Each group sings from a single text, or one of the groups sings and the rest observe him. However, in rural districts, parents generally discouraged the education of girls, since their function is to be housewives, and for this role no formal education is felt to be necessary. In practice however, few fall into this category, and these few are not usually known as Debtera. (..). The final stage known as Qum Nebab is simple, if the above stage are well-mastered. ( ) = , 13. This hope is perhaps one of the motives that encourages the student to spend more that half of his life at such a school. . It is accessible to students who have completed the nbab bet and, as a rule, the qddase bet. . = , 06. . ], 2. Therefore, the Nebab bet and the church schools as a whole can not be considered to serve the entire population, but only members of the Orthodox Christian Church. = , 6. . The teacher is usually engaged in some individual work such as reading, copying a manuscript, or even doing some handwork. The first type is known as Beluy. 3) higher schools, namely He may be called upon to read and write letters. Some of the pupils who complete the Nebab Bet join a Qedasse School, one of the schools are the liturgy. At certain ceremonies he may recite prayers, if no priest is available. Zema-Bet education in the three selected Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido churches found in Bahir Dar city. [4], By the beginning of the sixth century, in Yared's lifetime, Ethiopia had been Christianized. house of zema [chant]) is a part of the system of traditional church education. The following illustration may make this clear. With this stage the pupil is introduction to the art of reading Geez, and his Fidel lessons are therefore completed. . ( = ), 001. When the teacher is convinced from his daily observations that his pupil had mastered the reading exercises, he lets him start to learn the reading of the Psalms. The student learns Qene with more interest and motivation than the other disciplines, such as Zema. The number and the kind of books the student has to read at this stage is not standardized. Such schools may perhaps play a wider role within the context of the national campaign for literacy and provide more instruction for adults as well as young pupils. BEALTI XELOT ( ) : https://youtu.be/yyz8lAfwMFY6. Traditionally, teachers in different areas select any text for reading. 1) Nebab Bet (Reading school) The teacher of the Qne bet is called mggabe miir, the teacher/administrator of mystery/secret/sacrament). The rest, including the teaching the traditions and service of the Church, is learned through daily experience in the parish itself. . .hide-if-no-js { This way the group can compare its progress to know how far it had grasped the interpretation of the previous time. Aside from the Authoritarian tradition there is another consideration; the student is not allowed to have a critical opinion about any text to be commented upon, since it is believed that God revealed the content to the Fathers through the Holy Sprit. a) Fidel Instruction The work of the day is first reviewed, in which a lively discussion is usually generated. The leading teachers and scholars of the church, who are known as Debtera, are trained in the higher school. Children master the 231 letters of the Geez syllabary, and are drilled in the art of good reading. KEYARI TARIKEY ( ): https://youtu.be/3bpkpnH9qqUiTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id14481Apple Music : http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/14483. We find the Nebab Bet in practically all churches and monasteries, in a number of villages and in the compounds of well-to-do landlords. A Debtera is a general term given to all those who have completed one of the higher schools of the church. [ . ], 30. = , 28. () = , 1. The emigrants brought their secular and liturgical music traditions with them. Zema means a pleasing sound, a song or a melody in Ge'ez,[1][3] the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. This role is encouraged by the shortage of places in government schools and the consequent preference given to children who can already read and write. [ . ], 4. The student has to learn each sentence of the commentary by heart. = , 9. There are several reasons for this. ( ) 1 - () = : 19 = . In the just completed Ethiopian year, it managed to get all its 8, 10, and 12 graders pass school leaving examinations.The School ranked 1st out of private schools in Addis Ababa and was awarded three cups as well as one big cup for being a general winner. = [ ], 3 - ( ) = , 4 - = , 5 - = , 7 - = , 8 - = , 9 - . Through observation or day-to-day practice and instruction by his priest-master, the boy learns the Church activities and functions of a deacon and of a priest. The higher schools of the church b) Drill in the reading of various religious texts Thus relatively little education is expected from a young man to be ordained an altar priest. display: none !important; The training challenges the memory of the child rather than leading him to think. A member of the Oriental Orthodox family of Churches, the Church of Ethiopia shares with them in essence a common faith. In the Zema bet, the following major discipline blocks are taught: (1) the Dggwa, (2) the Zmmare/Mwat, (3) Mzgb qddase/ Satat (not required for those who want to be ordained deacon and priest) and (4) Aqqwaqwam. = Children of the clergy, who use church lands usually enter such schools in order to become deacon or priests in a church (and thus keep their church land in the hands of the family). . Since the pupils do not understand the texts, the memorization drills are very exacting in energy and time. The Qene lessons usually start in the afternoon or in some places early in the evening. Contact-us The child, who is led by his teacher or a monitor, touches with a straw each letter from left to right of the table and names the letter in a loud voice. [12], Since the mid-1970s, large-scale emigration of Ethiopians has created a diaspora in the United States. [10], Ethiopian Orthodox Christians form approximately 43.5% of the population of modern day Ethiopia. = , 22. ADE EYESUS ( ) : https://youtu.be/Kg9KflxOW5M8. = , 5. However, in the urban centers and roadside towns the elementary church school, the Nebab Bet is flourishing as an institution to prepare pupils for Government schools, teaching young children literacy in Amharic. = , 4. It is estimated that the introduction of Christianity took place in Ethiopia around 300 A.D. We find the Nebab Bet in practically all churches and monasteries, in a number of villages and in the compounds of well-to-do landlords. [8] Wandering students usually come from farming and clerical families very few are from the higher classes. Instruction in the Nebab bet consists almost exclusively of reading. The commentaries of these teachings do not proceed under systematic theological or historical categories, but when each sentence or phrase of a text is interpreted, depending on the content, theological, moral and historical questions are raised, discussed, and developed. () = , 3. The priests and Church scholars who are the bearers and propagators of traditional learning have themselves been formed in the church school system that we propose to examine in some detail. In doing so, a mixed-method research approach with the convergent parallel design was employed. [8], Ethiopian liturgical chants are based on both written and oral sources,[9] but the isolation of Ethiopia and the lack of source material make it difficult to reconstruct the exact history of Ethiopian church music. We have seen that the Qedasse bet trains mainly the altar priests, who are known as the semonegna (those who serve weekly). When he has composed his Qene verse after the model assigned to him by the teacher, he then approaches the teacher, who sits for the most part of the day at a place known to all. Some students try to attend more than one master in more than one school, in order to reach a higher level of mastering qne. memorization. The usually strict demands of the teachers are accepted with out hesitation, because the wandering student has come to the school of his own free will and has willingly submitted himself to the authority of the teacher. 6 [5] Yared, who lived in the sixth century, represents the first known case of indigenous Ethiopian musical notation and religious music. There are different Qne bet the main centres of learning are in Wadla (Wllo), Gong (Goggam), Wara (Damot, Goggam); Gondr (s. Admasu Gmbre 1971/72: 10). Traditionally a boy can receive only the Nebab Bet instruction while he is at home. THE CHURCH OF ETHIOPIA A PANORAMA OF HISTORY AND SPIRITUAL LIFE = [ ]. The child uses four methods to practice reading this text known as Fidel Hawaria or the first Epistle of St. john, first he pronounces every letter of the word pointing at each letter with a straw (Qutir-method). (Literature school). This is the general term for the School of Commentaries composed of four branches. The Qne bet takes from three to five years. = , 28 - = . From that time to the present the church schools have undergone little change. GUNDI WEYNI ( ) : https://youtu.be/8rKoXPaauI47. The main interest and purpose of the school is, however, not to develop poetic and other aesthetic interests in the child or youth, but to enable him to carry out the Church rituals. Last updated 14 Jan. 2023 video This process is known as Qutir, i.e. Debesey/Exesabeque#Eritrea #Ethiopia #TigraiWay Zema/ : Dn Filmon Yebyo: Orthodox Tewahdo Mezmur 2021https://youtu.be/oEOuYUPqFi4Zemari Filmo Yebyo Zema. In spite of the monotony of the learning and teaching methods and the exacting length of time, the students show surprisingly high morale. He must also profoundly study traditional cultural, social, intellectual and educational values (Alemayyehu Moges 1973: 92). Education takes place in liturgical dance schools called aqwaqwam bt and includes, in addition to singing and dancing, training in traditional instruments such as the kebero, drums, tsanatsel, sistrum, and mequamia. He repeats this pronunciation exercise on the same text several times. = , 8 . a) Zema Bet (Music school) Zm has usually been identified as the music of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, an institution dating from the Ethiopian court's acceptance of Christianity in the fourth century. = , 25. . ( . ) . The church school system has been the instrument that has preserved the traditional learning of Ethiopia and conveyed it faithfully to succeeding generations. This limitation of the enrolment is mainly due to the large number applicants and to an insufficient number of schools, so parents, especially those who do not need the labour of their children, are obliged to send their children to the Nebab bet as a first step to enrolment in a modern government school. The same process is repeated for several days or even months. A new comer must ask him for permission to attend his classes. = , 3. Through history, the Ethiopian liturgical chants have undergone an evolution similar to that of European liturgical chants. There are also other Qene types which are however not as widespread as the Samenna Worq. = , 08. Ethiopian liturgical chant, or Zema, is a form of Christian liturgical chant practiced by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. When he is convinced that the pupil has reached the level of knowledge traditionally required at this stage of learning, he indicated that the time has come when he may leave the Nebab Bet. [ . The Journal of Ethiopian Church Studies (JECS) is a high-quality peer-reviewed research journal that is published under the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church Research Institute (EOTCRI) once a year. If he is not satisfied, he can leave the school and look for another one. It is a one-teacher school, with instruction given by a priest or layman with church education. The habit of memorization and the uncritical acceptance of the commentary condition the mode of thinking of the student. The following texts are known to have been used in different areas: Gabata Hawaria, i.e. Theoretically, priests and monks can also be characterized as Debtera, if they have completed studies in one of the higher schools. The Qne bet ( 'house of the qne') is a stage of the traditional church education in the Ethiopian Orthodox Twahdo Church.It follows upon the nbab bet, the zema bet, the qddase bet and precedes the mshaf bet.In the Qne bet the students focus on the theory and practice of the composition of qne.The Qne bet student is frequently compared the hermit (mnna, from . These are most widespread but there are other forms, e.g. This is particularly important for those students who plan to continue on the higher learning, since passages from the Psalms are used frequently in the hymns and poems of the church. In the Nebab Bet in the compounds of well-to-do landlords, namely, Qutir,.! Compounds of well-to-do landlords drilled in the afternoon or in some individual work such as reading, copying a,... Social, intellectual and educational values ( Alemayyehu Moges 1973: 92.. 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