# Yohannes I of Ethiopia

Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/yohannes-i-of-ethiopia — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-02)

Yohannes I was a ninth-century metropolitan of Ethiopia, appointed by Patriarch Jacob of Alexandria, whose episcopate included expulsion, restoration, and a dispute over circumcision.[^1][^2][^5]

## Appointment and historical sources

Yohannes I flourished in the second quarter of the ninth century and is the first metropolitan of Ethiopia whose name is recorded after Salama I (Frumentius), the evangelist of Ethiopia. The *History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria*, identified by the supplied account as the only source mentioning him, states that Patriarch Jacob (819–830) appointed him and that he served during the patriarchates of Simon II (830) and Yusab I (831–849).[^1]

## Expulsion and restoration

During Yusab I’s patriarchate, the Ethiopian queen expelled Yohannes while the king was away leading his troops in battle. Neither ruler is named in the Arabic version of the *History of the Patriarchs*. Yohannes returned to Egypt and withdrew to Dayr al-Baramus; another prelate was selected and appointed in Ethiopia, an appointment the account describes as contrary to canon law.[^2]

The narrative relates that disasters, epidemics, and military defeats subsequently prompted the king to renew his allegiance to Alexandria and request Yohannes’s return. Accompanied by several fellow clergymen, Yohannes returned to Ethiopia and resumed his episcopal office; the narrative associates his restoration with renewed prosperity.[^3][^4]

## Dispute over circumcision

In 838, certain Ethiopian factions claimed that Yohannes was uncircumcised and demanded that he undergo circumcision or return to exile in Egypt. An examination established that he was already circumcised, an outcome treated as miraculous in the *History of the Patriarchs*.[^5]

A possible historical explanation instead relates the episode to the spread of circumcision among Copts after the Arab conquest of Egypt and to its longstanding practice in Ethiopia. This is presented as an interpretation rather than an established explanation of the event.[^6]

## Succession

Yohannes’s immediate successor is unknown. The next recorded holder of the office is Abuna Petros I in the tenth century.[^7]

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 828)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 829)
[^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 829)
[^6]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 829)
[^7]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 3, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 829)