Eastern Church Bishop’s Title Crossword

Eastern church bishop’s title crossword clue. A daily two speed crossword puzzle question in Daily Telegraph Sydney on Wednesday, 12 July 2017. 4 letters.

Answer: ABBA

Abba Pentelewon (c. 470–522) was a Christian monk who is traditionally credited with founding Pentalewon Monastery located on the top of Mai Qoho Hill northwest of Axum in northern Ethiopia. He is one of the members of the group known as the Nine Saints.

The bishop Afonso Mendes, who had been the Roman Catholic Patriarch of Ethiopia under Emperor Susenyos, cited the “Chronicle of Axum” as saying about the Nine Saints, “In the days of Amiamid [i.e., Ella Amida] many monks came from Rum, who fill’d all the Empire; Nine of them stay’d in Tigre, and each of them erected a Church of his own Name.” Bishop Mendez adds another tradition, which tells that when King Kaleb was asked to cross the Red Sea and overthrow the Jewish king Dhu Nuwas, who had slaughtered some 340 local Christians for their beliefs, his first step was to go to Pentelewon for his blessing on the adventure.