Podcast Episode 35
Lij Iyasu
with Dr. Wolbert Smidt & host Nick Walters
This week’s episode of This Week in Christian History features another wide-ranging conversation linking world events, major Christian figures, and turning points that continue to shape the global church. Each episode brings together three components that form the core identity of the program: an interview with Nick Walters, founder of the Center for Christian History at Mississippi College; a Deep Dive segment with a subject-matter expert; and two historical highlights drawn from the same week across the centuries. The structure remains the same, but the stories change every time, making each episode a fresh look at how Christian history unfolds across different cultures, eras, and traditions.
The Deep Dive focuses on an important and often misunderstood figure in modern Ethiopian history: Lij Iyasu, the designated but ultimately un-crowned successor to Emperor Menelik II. His life and death continue to generate debate among historians, political scholars, theologians, and those who study the intersection of Christianity, Islam, and state power in the Horn of Africa. The estimated date of Iyasu’s murder, October 15, 1935, remains one of the darker and more contested episodes in Ethiopia’s modern narrative. Dr. Wolbert Smidt of Jena University serves as this week’s expert, providing deep historical context and drawing on years of scholarship related to Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa, and the complex identity of Iyasu himself. His contribution offers valuable insight into how political succession, religious identity, and colonial pressures converged during a pivotal moment in East African history.
Alongside the Deep Dive, the episode highlights two major events from this same week in Christian history. On October 14, 1066, William the Conqueror of Normandy defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings, a turning point that reshaped England politically, culturally, and religiously. William’s strong loyalty to the church and determination to eliminate lingering pagan practices played a crucial role in defining the religious character of post-Conquest England. His victory set the stage for long-term ecclesiastical reform, land redistribution to church institutions, architectural expansion, and the eventual integration of Norman and Anglo-Saxon Christian traditions.
The second highlight moves forward to October 13, 1605, marking the death of Theodore Beza in Geneva. Beza served as the immediate successor to John Calvin and ensured that the theological, pastoral, and academic work of the Genevan Reformation continued into the next generation. As a scholar, translator, and theologian, Beza influenced Protestant thought across Europe, and his leadership strengthened the intellectual foundations of what later became known as Reformed theology. Pictured at the Reformation Wall in Geneva are four major figures whose legacies shaped the movement: William Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox.
This week’s episode links medieval England, early modern Switzerland, and twentieth-century Ethiopia, underscoring how Christian history develops along varied paths across multiple continents. The combination of weekly highlights, expert analysis, and broader historical framing helps listeners better understand the diversity and global scope of Christian experience.
Image Citation: Lij Iyasu, public-domain photograph via Wikimedia Commons.
