Eclipse in Ethiopia and its Corona Glory

According to the publisher’s summary on the inside front cover, this book…

Tells of the experiences of missionaries of the Sudan Interior Mission during the Italo-Ethiopian war, and is a record of miraculous protection and provision. When war broke out the Society had fifteen stations staffed by seventy-five missionaries, and they all refused to abandon the people in their hour of need.

They offered submission and their services to the new Government, hoping that they would be able to continue under the Italian flag, but disillusionment soon followed, and events made it impossible for the missionaries to continue to respect the Italian Government. Italy is now squeezing out the last of the missionaries. The closing chapter contains moving stories of the native converts left to carry on a Christian witness whilst the missionaries seek other spheres of labour on the outskirts of Ethiopia.

I was able to trace the copyright holder of this book, thanks to the assistance of Tim Allen of Serving in Mission (SIM UK). My thanks to Edward Uren for his kind permission to upload this title, which covers a rarely discussed period in the history of the church in Ethiopia.

Esmé Ritchie Rice, ed., Eclipse in Ethiopia and its Corona Glory, 2nd edn. London: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, Ltd., 1938. Pbk. pp.125. {Click to download in PDF]

Contents

1. First Dawnings
2. Gleams in the North
3. War Clouds
4. The Lighthouse of Lalibella
5. The Men of the Lamp
6. Preservation Amidst Destruction
7. The Way Of Escape
8. The Shadow of Death
9. The Evacuation of Gamo
10. Homeless Wanderers
11. Inexhaustible Supplies
12. The Shutters of Rome
13. Lightbearers of the Future

Foreword

The greater part of this book tells of the experiences of our missionaries during the ltalo-Ethiopian war, and is a record of miraculous protection and provision.

As we write these lines, Italy is squeezing out the last of our missionaries from Ethiopia, and we should be unfaithful if we did not give testimony as ministers of righteousness as well as of the Gospel.

During the seven years that our Mission was operating under the regime of Ras Tafari as Regent, and later as the Emperor Haile Selassie, we had every reason to believe that he was sympathetic to all efforts made for the social and spiritual enlightenment of his people. When the Mission proposed to establish a Leprosarium, His Majesty not only gave a beautiful site of five hundred acres just outside the capital, but contributed a substantial sum of money, laid the foundation stone, and was present later at the official opening. [Click to continue reading]