THREE MAJOR RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS--Christianity, Islam, and Juda- ism--are represented in Ethiopia, mingled with a pervasive base of local religions, generally termed pagan.
The Ethiopian Orthodox (Coptic) Church is the established church of the Empire. Its members, almost entirely Amhara- Tigrai peoples, believe themselves the "chosen people," in com- munion with God and the world of saints and spirits. It is the major base for their ethnic identity, and observance of its forms, which permeate every aspect of the daily life and thought of its adherents, gives unity to Amhara-Tigrai culture.
Islam, by contrast, does not supply the same kind of political and ethnic unity to its adherents in Ethiopia. The eastern areas of the country have in the past contained Moslem states with a mix- ture of Somalis, Dānākils, and recent Arabian immigrants, but religion alone was not a sufficiently unifying force to overcome ethnic diversification.
Introduced to the peoples of Ethiopia at different times and in different forms, Islam has exhibited much greater flexibility than Christianity vis-í-vis the earlier beliefs and customs of its adherents. The resultant syncretic tendency has given rise to doctrinal diversity and, in most cases, only superficial understanding of the major tenets of Islam.
The Falashas or so-called "Black Jews" of Ethiopia, today numbering about 25,000, were once more numerous and powerful but many have been killed, conquered, or gradually absorbed into Amhara-Tigrai culture and people.
Although an official Ethiopian publication claimed in 1958 that 67 percent of the population were Christian, impartial sources put the figure much lower. Religious affiliations in 1960 (com-
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