How did Christianity first spread to Ethiopia?

Tradition holds that Ethiopia was first evangelized in the 1st century CE by St. Matthew and St. Bartholomew, with the first convert traditionally identified as the eunuch mentioned in The Acts of the Apostles.1

However, the formal establishment of Christianity as the state religion occurred in the 4th century CE through the efforts of St. Frumentius and his colleague Aedesius. Captured and brought to the court of the Aksumite kingdom, the two men gained the confidence of the monarch and were permitted to evangelize. Frumentius later served as a tutor to the crown prince, Ezana.21

After being ordained as the first bishop of Ethiopia by St. Athanasius of Alexandria, Frumentius returned to baptize King Ezana, officially establishing Christianity in the kingdom. This conversion strengthened political ties with the Byzantine Empire. By the end of the 5th century, Syrian monks further influenced the church by introducing monasticism and encouraging the translation of scriptures into the Ge'ez language.2134