According to the fourth-century historian
Tyrannius Rufinus (x.9), who cites Frumentius' brother Edesius as his authority, as children (ca. 316) Frumentius and Edesius accompanied their uncle Meropius from their birthplace of
Tyre (now in
Lebanon) on a voyage to 'India'. When their ship stopped at one of the harbors of the
Red Sea on their return voyage, local people massacred the whole crew, sparing the two boys, who were
taken as slaves to the
King of Axum. Edesius was made a cupbearer and Frumentius, his secretary and treasurer. Shortly before his death, the king freed them. The
widowed queen, however, prevailed upon them to remain at the court and assist her in the education of the young heir,
Ezana, and in the administration of the kingdom during the prince's minority. They remained and (especially Frumentius) used their influence to spread Christianity. First they encouraged the Christian
merchants present in the country to practice their faith openly, and they helped them find places "where they could come together for prayer according to the Roman Rite"; later they converted some of the natives. traditionally in the year 328, or according to others, between 340 and 346. Frumentius returned to Ethiopia, where he erected his
episcopal see at
Axum, then converted and baptized King
Ezana, who built many churches and spread Christianity throughout Ethiopia. Frumentius established the first monastery of Ethiopia, called
Dabba Selama in
Dogu'a Tembien. The people called Frumentius
Kesate Birhan "Revealer of Light" and
Abba Salama "Father of Peace". He became the first
Abuna, a title given to the head of the
Oriental Orthodox Churches in Ethiopia. In about 356, the Byzantine emperor
Constantius II wrote to King Ezana and his brother
Saizana, requesting them to replace Frumentius as bishop with
Theophilos the Indian, who supported
Arianism, as did the emperor. Athanasius, a leading opponent of Arianism, had appointed Frumentius. The king refused the request. Ethiopian traditions credit him with the first
Geʽez translation of the
New Testament and being involved in the development of
Geʽez script from an
abjad (consonantal-only) into an
abugida (syllabic). ==Feast date==