Axumite Judaism is similar to the form of Judaism practiced by the Beta Israel IOTL.
So I've been thinking about this. If ITTL Axumite Judaism is similar to OTL Beta Israel ("Haymanot Judaism"), that means
they do not have the Mishnah or Talmud! Unlike Samaritan Judaism, which postdates those texts and is a rejection of the authoritative precedent that Rabbinic Judaism claims they have, the split between Haymanot Judaism and Rabbinic Judaism predates the development and/or codification of the Oral Torah.
Haymanot Judaism is more similar to the Sadducees than the Pharisees, in that the religious leaders are Kohanim, priests (
kahens/
qäsis), and they maintain a High Priest (
Liqa Kahanet). Their religious practice is more centralized than either Rabbinic or Samaritan Judaism is. Some of their holidays are different. Their kashrut rules are different. Their textual canon is (slightly) different!
They may, if they develop like OTL Ethiopian Christianity did, claim to have the Ark of the Covenant!
This has
absolutely insane implications for the development of Judaism in Africa. Haymanot Judaism will likely be centralized by the Negus of Axum and the Liqa Kahanet. They may build synagogues that look more like the Temples, even if they do not perform animal sacrifices. Due to the centralization of religious authority under the Liqa Kahanet and it's adoption by the Axumite Empire, it may claim that Axum is led by a Davidic dynast (compare to the OTL Solomonid dynasty). It will likely spread following the influence of the Axumite Empire; if Axum can dominate East Africa and spread it's soft power west and south, it will spread Haymanot along with it, but if it doesn't, it risks losing ground to various denominations of Christian missionaries from Egypt, Arabia, Persia, Persian South Africa, or elsewhere.
This is unlike how ITTL Rabbinical Judaism will likely develop, given the sanction (and support?) that Christian Persia may provide to the
Talmudic Academies (
Yeshivot). That Rabbinic Judaism will in all certainty maintain direct institutional continuity with those Yeshivot, unless a later Persian ruler decides to turn on Jews. This will mean that the polycentric decisionmaking of the
Geonic Period (OTL VI through XI centuries) will continue through the Medieval period and develop into something comparable to Islamic Madhabs: coequal, if differing, scholarly approaches to halacha that recognizes each others' legitimacy while disagreeing on the finer points of jurisprudence. This will allow it to spread organically along trade routes in areas outside the direct Persian sphere of influence. Expect to see thriving Jewish comminities in amenable Eurasian realms, which may develop their own Yeshivot alongside communities of Apostolic Christians (who are supported by e.g. proselytizing efforts of Persia) and perhaps also communities of Zoroastrians and Mandeans. (Compare this with OTL where Jewish communities in India and China appeared along trade routes and then severely diminished due to intermarriage, assimilation, and a lack of support from more established Jewish communities elsewhere.) Expect also for any Jewish communities in Europe to look to Rabbinic Judaism rather than Haymanot Judaism for support.
Regardless, the distinction (and likely relationship) between ITTL Haymanot and Rabbinic Judaism will be more similar to that of OTL Coptic and Catholic Christianity (theological differences leading to political differences) and a little less like OTL Sunni and Shia Islam (political differences leading to theological differences).
