"A conversation with Aaron Butts on the conversion to Christianity of Ezana, the fourth-century king of Aksum (in modern Ethiopia and Eritrea). "Conversion" is a conventional term, but what Ezana's inscriptions and coins reveals is a complicated process of appealing to different groups and the coexistence of religions in his realm and the royal monuments. Aaron Butts is a Professor at University of Hamburg, where he researches religions in the Eastern Mediterranean."
"See also his website BeInf - Beyond Influence: The Connected Histories of Ethiopic and Syriac Christianity. The conversation is based on Aaron's forthcoming paper 'Ezana of Aksum: The First Christian African King,' Aethiopica 28 (2025). Byzantium & Friends is hosted by Anthony Kaldellis, a Professor at the University of Chicago. You can follow him on his personal website. You can listen to more episodes of Byzantium & Friends through Podbean, Spotify or Apple Podcasts."
Ezana, fourth-century king of Aksum in modern Ethiopia and Eritrea, undertook a complex, gradual shift toward Christianity that blended political strategy with religious expression. Inscriptions and coinage show deliberate appeals to diverse constituencies and retention of older symbols. Royal monuments and epigraphic evidence reveal coexistence and negotiation among Christian, pagan, and other religious practices rather than abrupt replacement. The term 'conversion' simplifies multifaceted processes of identity, diplomacy, and worship. Material culture and texts together indicate layered affiliations and contested meanings across the kingdom during Ezana’s reign.
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