ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

A HISTORICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND PHILOLOGICAL

PERSPECTIVE ON GADLA EL8 yAS AND A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

November 2008
Addis Ababa
 A HISTORICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND PHILOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE ON GADLA ELaYAS AND A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Addis Ababa

University

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master

of Arts in Philology

By
DEREJE SAHILE WOLDEMARIAM

November 2008
Addis Ababa
 Addis Ababa lJniversity
School of Graduate Studies

A Historical, Theological, And Philological Perspectives

/

on GtidHi EIJyas and A Textual Analysis

By

DEREJE SAHILE WOLDEMARIAM

Institute of Language Studies Approved by the Examining Board

Signature

Chairperson, Department of
Graduate committee

Professor Paolo Marrassini

Professor Baye Yimam

~er

~er
Dr. Mulugeta Seyum
 Dedication
1. To the Memory of my Father, Miirigeta Sahile
Woldemariam (1920 - February 1989).

2. To the Memory of my Mother, Wiiyziiro Bezu-Alem Berhanu

(1921 - March 2008).
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, my special thanks to my advisor Professor
Paolo . MWTassini, one of the Pioneer and the Pillar of
Ethiopian Philology Studies at Addis Ababa University . For
his trust, encouragement and discuss problems 111 my
study. He has encouraged me to undertake this study,
,
thoroughly read drafts, and made thoughtful comme nts. It
has been a pleasure for me to work with him.

I would like to thank my Postgraduate instructors, the staff

members of the Department of Linguistics & Philology, and
the Holy Trinity Cathedral, who all supported and
encouraged me in my academic undertakings.

Last, but certainly not least, my paramount gratitude also

goes to my family for their support throughout my study,
for their moral and material support 'throughout my train
academic life. They have usually been acting as the
driving force behind my academic;: endeavors, as well as
my friends for copying the materials and for typing the
manuscripts which I provided.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
~<:J<]\/()~I_~l)(J~lv1~~1l~---------------------------- --------
---- ------------------------------------------i
I_I~ll ()F II~BI_~S--------------------------------------------------- ----------------
------ ------------------vi
~~ll~<:ll------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------- --- ------vii
~BREVI~ n()~ ~~l) ll~~Ull~~ n()~----------
----------------------------------- -----viii -x
CHAP TER I
I~llR()])lJ<:llI()~------ --------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------1
1.1.Background ofthe ~tudy and ~tatement of the Problem--------------------------------------------I
1.2. () bj ective of the ~tudy-- --------------------------------------------------------
---------------- --------- 2
1.2. 1.(Jeneral () bj ecti ves------------------------;--- -,-----------------------------
---------------- ----------2
1.2 .2. ~ pec ifi c () bj ecti ves----- -------- ------------------------ ----------------
------- -------- -----------------2
I.3 ~ ignificance 0 f the ~tudy ---------------------------------------- --------
-------------------------------- 3
1.4 ~cope and I_imitation of the ~tudy- ------------ ------------------------
------------------------------- 3
1.5.lv1 e thodo logy---------------- -------------------------------- -----------'---------
------------------------ --4
I. 6 l)e fini ti 0 n 0 f IIerms-- -------- -------- ---------------- ---------------- --------
---------------- ------------4
CHAP TER IT
2. Cultural Heritage, Pioneers of Philological Studies and Descriptions
--------------------------------6
2.1 Manuscript Documents and Collections in Ethiopi a----------------------
--------------------------------6
2.2 From Mythology to ~thiopian Philology-------------------------------------
-----------------------------6
2.2. 1 Hagiol ogy, Bo lIandists and ~th iop icists------------------ ------- ------------------------
----------------8
2.3 GAI>LA EL8YAs MANlJSCRIPT ANI) OTHER RELATED TEXTS
-------- ---------------- --------9
2.3.1 G~NERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE MANUSCRIPT TEXT --------
------- ------------------------ -10
2.3.1.1. <:atalogue of the Gadlti E[oyas lv1anuscript-------------------------
----------------------------10
2.3 .1.2 The Manuscript Texts in Two Monastic Centers-----------------------
-------------------------·----11
2.3 .1.3 Columns and Measurments of Gadla Elayiis Manuscript ----------------
---------------------------12
2.3.1.4 Giidlii Eloyiis and Other llexts in the Manuscript-------------------
---------------- ----------------12
A) Q~d~st S~llase Cathedral (QSC) ---------------- --------------------------------
--------------------12
B) MiinagiiSa Amba Marnyam Monastery (MAM) --------------------------------
--------------------13
2.3.2 PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION OF GA.DLA EL8YAS MANlJSCRI
PT TEXT-------------------14
2.3.3 llhe Owner s and the Scribers of the Manuscript---------------------------
----------------------------15
2.3 .4 E I~yas ' s Name in Other Ms Sources and Varia Texts-----------------
------------------------------- I 6

II
C HAPTER III
3. l-listol"ica l l3aci<grou ll d and Review of Related Litcraturc-------------------------------------------- 18

3. 1. Ea rl y Chri stianity Schi sms, Monast icism and the Patristi c Agc- ---------- -- --------------- ------------ I 8

3. I. I. Gnost ic ism and the Ri s ing of Heretica l Teachings---------------------------------------------------- I 9

3. I .2. Eeumen ica l Coune iIs of Churches and Con dem nat ions----------------------------------------------20

3. I .3. Ori gin 0 f Monast icism and Patrist ic Age----------------------------------------------------------- ---22

3.2. Juda ism. the Emergence orCh ristiani ty and Monasti cism in Ethiopi a---------------------------------24
3.2.1. The Pionee rs of Mona stic Life in Et hiop ia-------------------- ----------------------------------------26

3.2.2. T he Re viva l o f Monas ti cism in the Middle and Med ieva l Centuri es---------------------------------28

3.2.2. 1. Expa nsio n of Monast ic ism in Cen tra l Ethio pia------------------------------------------------------29

3.2.2. 1. 1. Monastic Life by th e Royal Fam ili es and No bel Me n--------------------------------------------30

3.2 .2. 1. 2 Persecut ion of Monks by Ki ngs------------------------------------------ -- ---- -------------------33

3.2.3 Monastic Gemo logy and the Existence 0 (' Movcme nt s------------------------------------------------34

A) The two Ho uses Thoughts and Empcror Ziir'a VO'oqob and Rel igious Nati ona lism--------------35
13) The Ddqiqti OS!ijiJnos Mo vement a nd T he C au se o f Co ntro ve rsy-------------- -------------37
i) rhe diJference in MOllaSI ic Cap--------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- 39

ii) Observallce a/Jewish SaiJbai h---- ---- -- -- -- ---------- ----------- ----------------- ------------- --- ------- -- 39

iii) Pursuallce of SO'icl Chrislian Moralily and Ascelic LiJe---------------- --------------------------------_40

i v) Doc I I' inal COlli rove r.ly------------------- ------------------------- --- ----------------------------- ------ -- -_4 I

A) Mariology alld Ihe Slepheniles Case----------- ---------------------- -------------- ------------------_44

I. Refusal of Proslralion before Ihe Icoll ofSI. MOl)' and Ihe Holy Cross-------- ---------------44
a) Coincidence of Ihe IIISI ilill ionalizal ion of Ihe Cull------- ------------------------------------------- -----_4 5

b) Icons are Ihe Works of Person 's Hand and Non-Scriplural----------------------------------------------45

c) ilesislance 10 Royal DOlllinalion onlhe Church-------------- ---------------------------------------- -----46

eI) 1'1'0.111'01ion is 11'ors h ip----- -------- ------- ---------------- ---- ------ ---------- ---- ------------------------_46
2. Refusal <1' ProS/l'w ion before of Ihe K ing ------------------------------------ ------------- -- ----4 7

3.3 Overv iew of the Il istoriea i Backgrou nd o f CdC/hi 'Ahba 1~"'ytis---------------------------- - ----48
3 .3. I. T he Establi shment of A.fkb!/a Monas te ry and Abba tlayas --------- -----------------------_4 8

3.3.2 Th e Cause 0 f I he DCibrti iJ;)rhiill Cou nc i1-------------------------------------- ------------------------ 5 2

3.3.3. La nd Charlers (G ult) for Monas teries-------- ----------------------------------------------------------53

iii
3.3.4 1-1 is Th ought on Defend ing Orthodoxy, Ru les and Regu lat ions--------------------------------------- 5 3
3.3.4. I C lerg ies 0 I' Aj am in----------------------------------------------------------------------- -- ---------54
3 A. Med iaeva l Period Li terat me-------- ------------------------------------------- ----------------------- -54
3.5. Titl e, Persona l, and Place Na mes in th e Text ---- --------- --------------------------------------- -------------5 6
3.5. I Overy iew T itl e N ames and Mate ria 15------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 7
3.5.2. Ove rview 0 r t he Persona l Na mes------------------------------------------------ ---------------------- 59
3.5.3 Ove rview of Place Names--- --------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ 70

C hapter IV

4. T RA N S LAT IO N----- ---- ------------- --- -------- -- ---- ------- -------------- -- --- ------------- -------------7 3
4.1. THE L I FE OF ABBA ELay AS AND THE C HURCH OF ETHIO PIA -------------- ------73
(Pal-t I: Tra nslation of the GiJ'az Text of th e Manuscript of Giidlii A bba Elayas) --------------7 3
a
4. 1. 1. A bba [ b yas, the Church Fathers, and Emperor Za- D~ng;)1 [jf 24v - 27vbJ ------------------73
4.1.2. Hi s A ncestors a nd O rigins [jf 27ro - 2811b 'l ------------------------------------------------------75
4. 1.2. 1. The Birth of Abba [ Idyas and Hi s Fami ly l/f 2811b - 28rbJ--------------------- --------- -----76
4.1.3. T he Co unc il of Da iJra B:Jrhan and the Role of Abba I~ b yas [If 29 110 - 29rciJ -----------------76
4.1. 3. 1.'I"he Doc tri ne o rthe C hurch , and the Del'c nse o rth e Faith at the Co uncil lif 291' - 29rbl--77
4.1.4. Hi s A ppointm ent as C hu rch Leader, Emperor Zar'a Ya ' '''qob, and Beginnin g of hi s
Monast ie Li fe lfJ 3 Ova - 3 O/'{/] ---------------------------------------- -----------------------------78
4. 1.4. 1. Hi s Dialogue with the Emperor Zar'a Ya '~q ob and the Angel orGod [If 30rb- 3-1vb ]-----78
4.1.5. The Sending of Abba [ b yas to A~e Ba ':Jcla M a r~ya m and Hi s Miracle [ff 34/'{/- 35I1a]----80
4. 1. 5. 1. The Re-Bu ilclin g or the Ch urc hes or Ma!,\ula Ma r:Jyam and Alrono sii Mar:Jya m
liT 35 lib - 3 6rb1------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------81
4 . 1. 5.2 . Hi s Mirac le in the Ho ly of Holi es and the Dev il' s Tem ptati on [If 36rb - 37rb] --------------8 2
4. 1.5.3 . The M irac les o f St. Mary, Ange l Ragu'c l, Abba EI:Jyas and Sar~a Pep'osllT 38va-42va]-8 3
4.1.6. The Monks Persecution and Exil e III -I2vb - 42raJ ----------------------------------------------- 85
4.1.6. 1. Kin g A~e Na' od , Gabra Masi'h the Governor and Abba Ebyas [If 42rb _ 45va] -----------85
4.1.6.2. King A~e Na'od 's Questions to the Monks abo ut Abba Ebyas [ff -I511b - -I6vb]----------- 87
4. 1.7. Rev iew ort he Scribe. and the Owner o f the Gadl l.lT -I6/'{/ - -I7va ] -------------------- -------87
4. 1.7. 1. Abba Eb yas and the Owner of the Gad l 1 /T 50va - 50rb 1----------- ---- ---------------------88
4. 1.7.2. Rev iew of Abba J', b yas's Birth, Hapti sm. and Monast ic Life [[/5/1'0 - 52ral -- --------- ----89

IV
(Part H: The Ga 'az Manu script Text Tran slation of GiidHi Abba Ebyas) ---------------------90

4 .1. 8. Reve lation, Astrology, Ex ile and Exodus l ff52 rb - 53rb ] ------------------------------------90
4 . 1.8. I . Th e Death o r Abba I:~ b y a s l/f.54va - 54rb1---------- -- ---- -----------------------------------90
4. 1.8 .2 . Dabra Libanos a nd the Stars w ith the Sign o r the C ross [jJ.54rb - 55vb] --------------- ---9 1
4. 1.9. Th e C hurch Fathe rs visit to Sawa [For the Co un cil o f Dabra BJ rhan?] lff.55 ra - 57ra]---92
4 . I . I 0 Som e Prophecies abo ut [the' S% monic Dynasty '] lfl5 7rb - 5 9vb J ---------------- ----- ---93
4. 1.11 . Adv ice on the Observance of Church Order, Rul es and Regu latio ns lfl59ra - 6 /ra]----9 5

CHAPT ER V
5.PHTLOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW AND TEXT ANALYSIS --------- --------------------- --------97

5. 1. Melhods of Investigalion and Presen lation of Rcsllits ---- --------- ---------------------------------------97

5.1.1. Se lecling Cddlii tliJyas Tex is in the Monasl ic Ccnt crs-------------------------------------------------- 98
5. I. . I . Com parati ve Measllrcment s 0 f Ihe I \VO Manllsc ripi Texts-- ------- --------------------------- --- --- ---99
5.2. Survey ofl he Text: Fin din g Errors Comparison, Analyze th e Rcsults------------------------------------ I 00
5.2.1 . Samp le Compari son from th e two Manu script Texts------------------- --------------------------------- 100
5.2.2 Text Ana lys is and Li ngll isli c Hypothes is of the lWO Man use ri pls-------------------------------------- I 07
5.2.2. I . Ol1hograph ical Varial ion---------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- - 107
5.2.2.2. Phonologica I and Mo rpho log ica I Variat ions and Changes-------------------------------------------- I 08
5.2.2.2.1. Pro per NO lln s and Pl acc Nam es -- ------------------------------ --------------------------------------1 11

5.2.3 Samp le Survey of Text Ana lys is, I"in gui stie Hypothes is and Semanli c Fe31Il res----------------------- 11 2
5.2.3. I . Sample 'rexts and Presentation 0 f the Result-------------------------------- --------------------------- 11 2
5.2.4. Survey of Questi onnaire on Abba EI"yas------------------------------------- ---------------------------118
5 .2.4. I. Meth od of Data Ana Iys is---------- ---------------------------- ------------------------------------------1 19
5.2.4.2 . Data Presentati on and Interpretali on----------------------- -------------- -- -------------- -- -------- -----1 20

CHAPTER VI
6. CONCLUSION , RECOMMENDATIO N AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
6. I Conc Iu si on -------- --- ------- ------ ---------- ------------------------------ ----------------- -------- -- ---- 122
[l ib Ii ogra ph y ------------------------ --- ------- --- ---- ---------- ------ ------- ------------- ---- -------- ---- -- 124

Append i ccs ------------ --- ------------------------------ -- -- ------ ---------- ----------------------- ---------- 130

v
List of Chart, Figures, Maps and Tables

Tab le 1: Letter s fo r Co lumns, Grammar and Others---------------------------------------ix

Tab le 2 : Sy mbol s w ith their Consonants ---------------------------------------------x
Tab le 3 : The Seven ord ers of Vowe ls -- ------------------------------ --- -------------- --x
Ch art 1: Th e Place wh ich found Gadla E/;)yas Ma nu sc ripts ---------------------- 10
Tab le 4: Th e two Ms Texts in two Monastic Centers -------------- ---- ------------- 11
Fig. 1: (A) QSC Ms Column and measurement ----------------------------------------------- 12
Fig. 2: (8) MAM Ms Column and measurement-----------------------------------------------12
Map 1: The Expans ion of Mon a s ticism in Ce n tral a nd Sou th e rn Eth iop ia -----29
Ch a rt 2 : Abba E/;)yas' Ancestors a nd Families----------------------------------------------S I
Table 5 : Some 'He retical' teachin gs , and the Churc h-------------------------------------52
Map 2: Ethiopia on the Eve of thc wa rs o f 'A h cmad Graful-- ---------------------------S6
Tab lc 6: Compa rative Measurements of the Manuscript---------------------------------99
Ta ble 7 : Sample text Comparative a nd findin g Errors----------------------------------I 00
Ta ble 8: Orth ographical Variation from the two manuscripts--------------------I 07-08
Tab le 9 : Phonological and Morphological Variations and Changes---- ----- l09 - 10
Tab le 10: The Variation of Prope r Nouns and Placc Nam es ----------------- III

Tab le 11: Sample Questionnaire a nd Intervi ew in the two Mon aste ri es---------- 119
Ch art 3: Th e Resu lts o f Questionna ire and Inte rvi ew------- ---------------------- I 19
Tab le 12:The Teac hin g of 'Doctri n a l Case' du rin g Elayas time ----------- ------ - 120

VI
 ABSTRACT
and philol ogica l
This study was deals with explo ring the historical, theological,
ical and
text analy sis w ith focus on how is Gadl Elay¢1s as the hagio graph
study of the
histo rical tradit ion are consid ered as an impor tant sou rce for the
ine and
histor y of the Ethio pic litera ture and for the histor y of the doctr
instit ution s of the Ethio pian Churc h.
e rs. First, I s hall
In this thesi s I attem pt to organ ized and discu ss in seven chapt
discu ss on the probl em and justif icatio n of the resea rch.

with its
Secon dly, I shall ask why on the pione ers ofEth iqpia n philology
sourc es, and
devel opme nt; and the catalo gued manu script s of the Gadl in other
the descr iption of the two manu scrip t texts of Gadla Elaya s.

tianit y: it show s
Third ly, on the litera ture review schis m betwe en Early Chris
h invol veme nt and
some ecum enism conce rn for Ortho doxy, the Ortho dox Churc
which occur red
partic ipatio n in Ecum enica l counc ils: i.e. schis m and Ecum enism
Chu rch and its
betw een the churc hes, the eme rgence of mona s ticism in the
s '.
move ment, focus ing on two histor ic and theolo gical 'divid ing issue

s, with comp aring

Fourt hly and fifthly , I shall trans late the full text of Gadl E/::iya
ss on makin g text
from the partic ular selec ted manu script text. I s ha,ll also discu
nal part of
analy sis from philol ogica l and lingui stic persp ective . On the exter
of the letter s, the
surve y of the text which depe nds on the probl em a nd the forms
scrip ts copy
marg ins, the size, volum es and, in the two centu ries of these manu
and inves tigate the.
perio d. And also the intern al part of the study also conce rned
co mpar ison with ch anges of synta x and ortho graph y.

usion . I shall end

The Sixth ahd the final Chap ter gives the summ ery and concl
includ ed re latpd
by say ing what, in my con clusio n, recom me ndati ons which
refere nce with biblio graph y and appe ndice s .

V II
ABB REVIA TION S

i) Man uscr ipt Colle ction s:

EHNK M i3ntofto f'famara No 'ah Kidan a Mohrtit Mona stery

EMML Ethiop ian Manu script and Microfilm'Library
GE Gadld E/;ayas
HMML Hill Mona stic Microfilm Librar y
MAM Mana gasa Amba Maroy am Mona stery
Ms (s) Manu script (s)
QSC Qodost &llas e Cathe dral

ii) Ency clop edia and J ourn als:

AE A nnale s d'Ethi opie

CE Catholic Encyc loped ia

CSCO Corpu s Script orum Chris tanoru m C!rientalium

EA Encyc loped ia Aethio pica

EB Encyc loped ia Britan nica

GSAI Giornale della Societ a Asiatc al Italian a

JES Journ al of Ethiop ia Studie s

JSS Journ al of Semiti c Studie s

MRAL Memo ries della Reale Accad emia dei Lir-cei

OM Orien te Moder no

ROC Revue de l'Orie nt Chret ien

RRAL Rendi conti della Reale Accad emia dei Lincei;

RS Revue Semit iique

RSE Rasse gna di Studi Etiopici

RSO Rivista degli Studi Orien tali

VIII
iii) Letters for Columns, Grammar and Others:

accu. Accusative p,pp Page (s)

adj. Adjective [ J illegible places and

adv. Adverb the parenthesis.

( ) letter that calligraph ist perf. Perfect

(copyist) forgot to write. perf pro. Personal Pronoun

caus. Causative plu. Plural

call. n. Collective Noun per. Person

can]. Conjunction prep. Preposition

fig. Figure pr. Project

f folio r Recto (right side)

ff folios ~, rb two columns in recto

imperf. Imperfect szn. Singular

mlSp. Misspelled s uq.jun. Subjunctive

nomln. Nominative v Vers o (left side)

n. Noun va, Vb two columns in verso

#, no. Number vol. Volume

Table 1 : Letters for Columns, Folios, Grammar and Symbols

IX
Tran sliter ation
s the combi nation of conson ants
T he transli teratio n was done u si ng the follow ing letters to expres
opic alp habe t.
and seven diffe rent vowel s, accord ing to the usage of the E thi

i) Sy lla b ary

l, :() ' a, ' a " na

(l ba l)J: r'l sa, sa
'/ ga Ii sa
!? dii (, ' ~, era
:~ gii "f lUi

U : d, :' ~ ha, tl a, xa 'I' qii

OJ W3 t. ra
/1 zii 'I' ta

1f za ;/~ ca
((l ta )\ : 0 ~a

\' yii 9. p'a

h kii 6. fa

Iii T pii
t'I
au 1113.

Table 2: Symbo ls w ith their Conso nants

ii) Vowel Sym bol

I" order ii 5th order

2 nd order 1I 6'" order a

3 1'd order T 71h o rde r o

41h order a

Tab le 3: The Seven orders of Yo we Is

x
 CHAPTER I
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study and Statement of the Problem

Ethiopic Literature is rich in Lives of num c ro us loca l Sail1ls , who were particul arl y ac ti ve in
evange li z in g the country and in fo undin g monasteri es. whi c h a re still nouri shing no w'. As
vario us writers have noted , the manusc ript s include hag iographi es, reli gious books. and
chronicl es of the Emperors of Ethiopia in differe nt ce nturi es.
However, we can not all ow any part o f thi s heritage to be affected or lost by any inimical agents
that m ay be man -made, ph ys ical , chemi ca l or biological. Ethiopia is a co untry that posses a great
number of anci ent and beautifull y illuminated manuscripts and literature. [n the hi story o f art
architecture. lit erature and music. the country has its own valuable pace.

Because of thi s fact, the monasteries and ch urc hes of the cou ntry are thc storehouse of
manuscripts, archi va l doc uments and so urce of knowledge; the librari es of ancient churches and
monasteri es located in the different regions of Ethiop ia. They contai n a large co ll ection of
important ol d manuscripts known by scho lars throughout the world. Most of them do not have
rep li cas (cop ies): a nd most of the literary heritage co llect ions are meant for permanent retention
because of their reli g ious: canon ica l. doctrinal. apocalyptic and aesthetic va lue. Many scho lars
who ha ve devoted their li ves to the study 01' !eth iop ia have cmp hasi7.ed the imporlanec of the
preservation of these contents o r early li terature an d manu scripts.
In the earl y tim es, our ancestors had made e ffort s to preserve and save the documents. As it

mentioned on ('1.1':1'1 : ~bA.f'rt: : ]Gadlti EJayas, the kin g, Zti-D;mga l (I'. [ 603-1604) him se lf asked

thc elders about those priceless manu scri p t documents.: " Where are the Books of our Fathers
{the Kings/. which were kept in a secret place during the era persecution o{GraJ1fi? ,,1./ 2.fi.
The need to prescrve them is thus very obvio us; beca use they are vital sources of informati on for
the coming gene ration . The rcsearche r, as it obse rved in hi s area to fulfill ing the thes is. when
tried to find ou t the Ga 'az Ma nu sc ript Text of Gtidlti Elayas i,'om so me monaste ri es; it was

I Journa l of Ethiopian Studies (JES), 1975 :57.

2 Qa,bsl ,~"llase Cathedra l Ms (QSC,f 24v').

- I -
di rficult to get thi s primary documents. Durin g my trave ls to monasteri es for research in so me
monasti c centers; I saw a substantial number of unpubli shed Ethi opic texts. However. there is no
doubt that further sea rches in the monasti c 'oqa-be/ '-l ibraries throughout the co untry will reveal
numerous works, sti II unkno wn.
The '1.1':11: l"A.e{): : Gtidlti Eloyas is considered as an important source for the stud y of the
history of the Eth iopic literature and for the history of the doctrine and instituti ons of th e
Ethi opian Church. Thi s unpubli shed sou rce of Gtidhi l ldyas. whi ch writ1cn in Gd '<lZ have a
priceless val ues an alyzin g in hi stori ca l. thcologica l. pa leograp hi ca l. phi lological , and linguistic
fi cld of studies,

1.2 Objective of the study

Gtidlti Eloyas has two types of objecti ves: i.e. general and specific objectives.

1.2.1 Ge neral Objectives

" To givc a birds eyc view to Ethi opic hagiographic and lit erary tradition , manuscripts
collection on the acco unt of Ethiopian Philology, and to give value for Ethiopic Vita of
Gad la lbyas.

1.2.2 Specific objectives

" To observe and analyzc di ffe rent manuscripts in the field area.
r To cla riry the theologica l teaching or Orthod ox Christianity on the discipline of
Chri stology.
)..- To explore and give survey on the hi storical , theological. and philological tex tua l anal ys is
of the Gtidhi lldyas as the cu ltural heritage of the church, ecclesiastica l antiquity of the
church from disasters;
" To narrate the Combats and Miracles of El<lyas as ch urch father that performed.
" To suggest on the text anal ysis, surveyin g the differe nces from the two manuscripts.
>- To translate and ana lyze Gtidhi 1~'ldyas prescnt status as a literary document or Ethiopia in
general and the cu ltural heritage of the Church hagi ographic tradition , manuscripts and
literature ;

-2-
 ~ To explore and suggest about the text analysis and cri tici sm for ph il ological value to
translate, edit and to point out and eliminate the archetype to the copi ed one common
error.

r Finall y, to exp lore, id enti fy and suggest on the way of lingui sti c and styli sti c probl em.

1.3 Significance of the study

This resea rch will have the paramount role fo r hagiographical tradi tion of the Medi eva l hi story
and reli gious va lue to r th e Church and State. It co ntributes on how are the hi storica l, soc ial,
theo logica l facts and prob lems that arc so lved at the tim e.

Specifi ca ll y the signi fica nce is the foll owin g: -

~ Secular instituti ons benefit from thi s relic of Ph ilological works fo r the co ntex t of
hagiographi ca l trad ition of the country.
~ Religious insti tutions wi ll benefit in deve loping their theo log ica l teach in gs relati vely.
~ Hi stori cal benefits for the med ieval hi story of the Church & State that comparing with
chrono logy ot' the time.
~ The result of th e research wi II develop ing thi s new field, whi ch of unknown manuscript
tex ts, archaic literature and language of the co untry.

1.4 Scope and Limitation of the Study

The study has scope and so me limi tation s. The subj ects were taken from limited two or three
monasteri es manusc ri pt. In its context that it co uld not ful ly represent s all parts of Ethi opi c
hagiograph ic manuscript co ll ection cente rs. wh ich found in different areas and leve l.

The absence o f co-observers and the limited time meant fo r the observation sessions were also
pitfall in one area. Constraints of finance, tim e and capacit y have attributed to th ese limitati ons.

o
- J -
 1.5 Methodology
In the methodo logy part the rcscarcher uscs the foll ow in g meth odology consulti ng various
primary sources. It will conduct through the in vesti gation of the written manuscript tex ts and
doc ument s; mainl y on Ethi opian manu scripts whi ch written in Ca 'az language, and/or their
mi crofilm s. As well as secondary sources such as co ll ecti on of li brary so urces: books, peri odi cal
articles, Journals and other published and unpubli shed material s, int ern et archi ves and field
works are related or relevant importance to the research methods.
The study uses questi onnaire and interview with church scholars and fi eld profes sional s are the
most important meth odology of the stud y. This method wi ll be prese nting at the monasteri es the
sai nt who li ved and devoted hi s monasti c li fe. Bes ide thi s there is no doubt that a more careful
attcmpt to look lor them in the monasti c librari es through th e country will rc veal man y such
wo rks still unknown and not cxamined cl earl y.

1.6 Definition of Terms

Ethiopic writing system: It is a writing system created and deve loped in Ethiopia. The system is
the foundation of a vast Ethi opic, li terary, theo logical, hi storica l and aesthetic tradition. The
Ethi opi e writing system has at last li ve funct ions: Phil osophy, astro nomy, num erology, gramm ar
and aestheti cs or s;) ';mologl

Ha giography: -The name given to thc branch of learni ng that has th e Saints and the vencration
of them fo r its object. Greek wo rd ' l-!UYIOYPU<jllu '-saint-writings' relating to the venerate oj" th e
Saints may be devided into two catagori es (CE, vol. vi, 894):-(1 ) those that are the spont aneous
product of circumstance s or have been call ed into being by reli gious needs of one kind or
another, and these belong to what may be call ed practi ca l hagiograph / ; (2) writings devoted to
the scientilie stu dy of thi s materi al. and thcse constitute criti ca l hagiograph y5

Ethi opi c hag iographi e tradit ion inc ludes: - . CCidl '- Vilas or /I CIs, . r ti 'til11l11;)r '- Miracles, ' D"rscll1'
-Homilies . Medi aeval Ethi opian literature is pani eu larl y rich in hagiograghics; on the li ves of
well-known Saints (Ctidlal- 'lJ:·1 ·l-j.

3 A term co ined from th e Ga 'a~ wo rd [ p ' 1- ,. '"I7J. Aye le ( 1997).

·1 Dclcha yc. Ci nq tcCOtl S sLir la meth od hagiographiquc, Brussels, ( 1934: 894: eh. 3).
'; (Sec II 2.2. 1 Hagiolog). Boll andisls and Ethiopi cists) ,

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Historiograph y:- The term histori ogra ph y refers to the theory and hi story of hi stori cal writi ng.
Hi storiograp hy is writing of history; es pecially based on the criti ca l cxam ination of so urces, the
se lecti on of parti cu lars from the authenti c materials in those so urces.

Ma nusc ript Collections and Literary Heritage:- These materi als are not onl y val uab le for their
arti stic bea uty and ecclesiasti cal works; but also from hi storical eve nts, hagiographi c,
phil osop hi cal , theo log ica l, eth ica l. soc ial and cu ltural informati on of their tim e. The Church of
Ethi opi a have mas tered and possessed for cen turies the preparat ion of manusc ri pts with
beauti fu lly il lu minated drawings. The most unique fea tures of it is the system and style of
producing instru ments fo r writing such as the parchment of common ly known as 'branna " ink s
and bamboo or Ceather pens. We can say that manuscripts are va luabl e hi storica l records,
liturgica l and prayer book and so urce of informati on of our ancestors. These docum ents are
written on Gd 'dZ language. (see II 2. 1 Manusc ript Documents and Co llections in Ethiopia).

Philology:- is the stud y of the sc ience of wo rd s. The word de ri ved li·om a Greek word
'q> IA6J.oy6,- philologos ' a rigorous and correct ana lysi s of past texts and the word signi ri ed in
anti quity-a commentary on ancient tex ts. The sc ience or stud y of the deve lopment of lan guage or
of a part icu lar language and concerned with , among other thin gs, the preservati on of anc ient
tex ts. (see al so II 2.2 From Mythology to Eth iopian Phil ology).

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CHAPTER 11
2. Cultural Herita ge, Pioneers of Ph ilological Studies and Descriptions
On thi s topic I will discuss on the literary heritagc and Man uscript documentati ons in Ethiopia,
the cause of th e pio neers Phil olog ica l Stud ies in Europe, cata logue of Ctidlti I~'/;)yas and the
authorsh ip in comparative.

2.1 Manuscript Documents and Collections in Ethiopia

Literary trad ition is part of our cu ltural heritage. Man has used a variety of writing materi al s for
keeping diffcrent media. These include stone, parchment and ve llu m, tex til e, paper, etc ... These
documents generall y considered forming the central of skeleton of the literary herita ge of
hum anki nd .
Manuscripts and Literat ure have been the basic consti tuents of religious documentary, cu ltu ral
heritage and literary cu lture in Ethi opia. The cou ntry has anc icnt literary trad ition and possessed
its own alphabet and scripts. This literary tradition had been developed with the introduction of
Chri sti anity into the cou ntry about 41h century. Most of manuscripts are rel igious by nature-such
as: vitas, prayer books. litu rgical work s, sc holarl y essays etc ... and some are secu lar and covered
by sllch subjects. i. c. hi story law. mcdicine. philosophy and astronomy. In the last few years or so
both Ethi opian and loreign scho lars ha ve started to anal yze Ancient and IVledieval
6
I-Iagiographical traditions, but much matcrial remains to be studi ed It should be bourn in mind
that al though many o f the tcx ts mostly from the large collectio n of Ethi opi an Man usc ripts in
Europe have been edi ted and translated the resource of the monastic li braries in Ethiopia are
virt ually untouched.

2.2 Fl'Om Mythology to Ethiopian Philolob'1,7

The Church had long encouraged, in theory, the study of languages that might prove use ful in
converting unbelieve rs. But as late as the fifteenth century, it had amassed little expert ise. The
converted Jew Flavius Mithridat es impressed the pope and cardinals on Good Friday 1481
simply by hi s abilit y to pronounce long passages in Heb rew and Aramaic. In thc co urse or the

(, Journal of Ethiopian Stud ies (JES). Vo l. X III. no. 2, "Bib liograph y of Ihe Elh iopic I-I agiographical Trad ition" ,
Konafli-Rogb Zal laqa, Addis Ababa, July 1975.
7 The new fi eld, Ethi opian Phil ology in postgraduat e leve l begun on 2004105 in Add is Ababa University, Department
of Linguslics and Philology. (L ingllslic Department Journal. 20(5).

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 sixteenth ce nt ury, Rome became a center for the study of Near Eastern and other lilli e-known
languages. CIU'ist ian s (and a few non-C hristian prisoners) from the Slav ic wo rld, Armen ia,
Mesopotamia, Nort h Afri ca, and Eth iopia came to Rome, oft en on ecclesiastical business. They
found eager students who wanted to learn their languages, in ventive printers who co uld cut type
follo wing their scri pts, and papal support--especiall y for the pub li cati on of the Bible in Syri ac.
Ethiopic s, Arabic. and ot her languages. Meanwh il e the library amassed extraordinary holdings
from man y languages and li'om man y cult ures. The Church Co uncil of Ferrara-Florence (1438-
45) bro ught de legates to Ital y from man y ch urches and cultures. The books they brought wi th
them proved in stru me ntal to the growt h of the Vati ca n Li brary and of near-eastern studies in
Europe.

I-low thi s Ethiopic Psa lter ca me into the Vat ican Library in the late fifteenth century is st il l a
matter of uncertai nty. Accord ing to one hypothesis it was brought by the Ethi opian delegates at
the Council of Ferrara-Florence 9 , probab ly from the Ethi opi an convent in Jerusa lem, but
according to another it was donated by Giovanni Bal/ista Brocchi from Imola , who accompani ed
a Franc iscan mi ssion to Et hiopia in 1482. The first fo li o of the eodex shows the First Psa lm
between two strap work bands. The manuscript is widel y held to have inaugurated Ethiopie
studies in I~ u ropel o and to have been borrowed by Johannes Potken in 15 11 . It would thus have
prov ided the tex t on which he based hi s "Psalterium," pub lished two years later.

Th is Psa lter, probab ly based on the proceedin g manuscr ipt Wat. etiop. 20'1, was the fi rst book
ever to be printed in Ethi opic, the first book to be printed in Rome in any oriental language other
than Hebrew, and the fi rst Psalter to be printed in any language other than Hebrew, Greek, or
Latin. Il aving learned Ethiopie from Thomas Wdldd Samuel , an Ethiopian pil grim from
Jerusalem stayin g at Santo Ste/clI1o Maggiore in Rome, Johannes Potken had Ethi opi e types cut

11 Ethiopic (Go'oz) is an ancient literate language of Ethiopia assumed \0 cease to be spoken sometimes between the
IOlh and I t h centuries or before ; but it still serves in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It was used in fornler
governm ents as the only mediulll of wr itt en doc um ent s, slich as offic ial correspondence, in addi ti on to its use as a
1h
vehicle of historica l accounts, religious them es etc... , until th e middle of the 19 century; i.e. until the reign of
Empe ror TCwod ros II (Lcslau 1958a; Weninge r 1993 ; JES 200 1,Vol. xxxiv, No. 2,1'. 72).
9Zar'a Ya 'Jqob sent two monks n·olll the monastery al Jeru sa lem to th e COLlllci I of Florence ( 143 1AS) , under Pope
Eugene I V , and they convinced th e assemb ly tha t thei r reli gious dogmas co inci ded with th ose of tile Latin s \",ith th e
exception of those which concerned th e 'doubl e' (IWO) natures of Christ. Th e Ethiopian contended that ' His Divine
nature· that became incarnate (In : 1: I). whi le the Latin s held that He possessed two natures, the Di vine and th e
I-illimn (W. Budge. 1966: 3 11).
IU Renato Lefevre, "SI/WI cudice eliopico della '/"(fficana,' " _La 13ibliojilia_ 4 2( 1940):97 ~ J0 7. Val . el;op. 20/o/. I

reclU oriel1l05 .--111.06.

-7-
at hi s own expensc by thc print er Marcel/lis Silber from Regensburg . On hi s departure fi'om
Rome two yea rs aft cr the pub lication of the Psa lter, Polken took the fon ts with him to Germany.

POlken's editi on includes canticl es from the Song of Solomon and ends with an Ethi opi c
syl/abarium and a bricf comment on it. In the forward POlken descri bes how he learncd Ethi opic,
whi ch he insistentl y bu t erroneously ca ll s Cha ldean. He goes on to tell of hi s decision to publi sh
th e Psalter and to inform the read er abo ut the land of Presler John. Th e page on display shows
thc First Psa lm and the beginning of the Second Psalm und er a woodcut lacewo rk head piece ll .

2.2.1 Hagiology, Bollandists and Ethiopici sts

Hagiology, Hagiography or Vila is a branch 01' hi storical stud y dea ling with the li ves and the
venerati on of the sa ints and thi s speci al ized study was inspired by the specia l nat ure of
documents concerned acts of martyrs; bi og raphy of saintl y monks l2etc.
In Ethi op ia, in general we ca n found two kinds Hagiographi es. The firs t type is a translation
(mainly fro n Christi an Arabi c) into Et hiopi c literature. The second kind of hagiographica l
traditions of Ethiopian ch urch are the local hagiograp hi cs, whi ch have an immense va luable
3
account to kno w the hi storica l and religi ous fact s of the co untr/
It has different types o f texts: ' Giidl·· Vilas or IICIS, ' Tti 'tim mal' '. Miracles, ' DiJrsGn ' ·Homilies.
Hagiographi es in the case of Ethi opian studi es ha ve great importance for the medi eval Ethi opia
as S. Kaplan stated: "The il' value as a conlribUl ionfor Ihe reconslruclion oflhe polilicct/ and Ihe
ecclesiaslical hislOIY of Dhiopia is inversely proporlional 10 Ihe dislan ce, in lime of Ihe saini
HI I10m !
11ey . encI / 0 ceI ebrOle .. 1·1.
Int

On the hagiog ra phi c studi es cont ributi on. geography shou ld be the tremendous achi evements of
the Bol/andisls for Ethiopian studi es. But we can avoid speaking at length on them not onl y
because the work of De leha/ 5 , Peeters, and others are too well known to need to repeated here,
but also because Boll andi st studi es and methodology do not seem to have left an y noti ceable mark
in Ethi opian hagiographi c stuclies. As P. Marrassini (198 2: 1) statecl: "This poinl lo a ceria in

" R.C. Bibbia IV 936/01. 21'ecl 0 0l'iel1l06 11 1-1. 0 7.

12 Cat ho li c Encyc lopcadia (CEl Vo l. VI, p. 894.
1.1Tadesse Tamrat: 1970: 3.
" Steve n Kap lan , 1982: I I.
15 P. Marrassini 1982: 1-3. On th e deve lopment of th e lege nd, one needs only to re member thc Dclehaye himse lf in
many passages o r"Les legendes hegiographi'll/es ", Brexc lles 1927 pp.1 0. 16,4 7, 50, 5 1. 56, 209.

·8·
distance between Ethiopian studies and currant methodologies already towards the end 0/ the
,h
19'1, centwy and inthe/irst decade o/the 20 ".

Nevert heless. at least th e most important met hodological principle or the Bo llandist School
passcd , more or less co nsc iou sly, into th e fi eld of Ethi opian studi es, namely the attenti on paid to
the hi storica l facts (to be understood, to be sure, in the simpl est sense of "histore
evenementie/le ", fact s to be singled out from that mass of use less and disturbing rubbi sh the
legend 16 Uncriticall y Ethi opi an data in a i3yzanti ne mould, but what is needed in at least a
compl ex serics of questi on to be asked to the tex ts, fa r beyo nd the simpl e tribes, chi efs,
topo nyms, and movements of populatio ns whi ch Conti Rossini was first interested on it ' 7
1\11 that we can get li'om hag iography in thi s way. howeve r, does not concern hag iography In
itse lf. as specific literary gcnre different li'o m th e other. As he suggested. ( 1982 :3): in fact. we
cou ld get from every kind of tex t, hagiographie or not, beca use it concerns the reality which lies
outside the text, and whi ch the author describes more of less carefull y acco rding to hi s interest in
it. To be sure, thi s "description" will always be affected by a strong ideo logical bias.
In the late 19th and earl y 20th centuri es scholars from European co untri es were proceeding with
the ed iting and translati on of all the important Ethi opian chroni cles, hagio graphi es, different
hi storical and religious tex ts. Some sc holars amon g thcm are James i3ruce, Hi ob Ludo lf, Ignazio
Gui di , August Dillmann, Co nti Rossini, Re ne Basset, D' Abbad ie, Eneri eo Cerrulli , Jules
Perruehon, W.E. Co nzelma n 's etc ... are un forgo table Ethiopi cists on the schol arl y ex pl orated and
analyzed the Ethiopi e manuscripts and litrary tradition.

2.3 GADLA EL3V AS MANUSCRIPT AN D OTHER RELATED TEXTS

On thi s part a researcher tryin g to di sc uss about the 'Gddl ' catalogues and related tex ts whi ch
mention ed the name t.ldyas. It is un dcrstandab lc that the va lue o f different acts of sai nts as so urce -
materi al vari es greatl y from one to another and each one should be considered on its won merits
whi ch depend 0 11 the date of the com position, the relat ion of the sai nt to the monasti c center, which
he found ed and preac hed on it.

to Ibid
17 Ibid ; RSO 17, 103 7-3 8, pp. 409-410; Alii dei Rale Ist ituto Veneto di Scienzo, LOllere ed Arti , 96, 1936-37, pA1 2.
18 Pa ssiUlll.

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2.3.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE MANUSCR IPT TEXT

On thi s part I shall discuss on the Gddld Eloyas where it is fou nd and related texts catalogue, general
and specific descrptions, measurement and related thi ngs.

,
Gadla EliJ.yiis
I
(A) QSC (B)MAM (C) aHNKM
EMML #1126 EMML # 6337 HMML

Chart J: The Place & Number which found Gtidhi Eloyas Manuscripts

2.3.1.1 Catalogue of the Giidlii EliJY{/s Manuscript

The two Ill anusc ript s : i. e . Ms (A) QSC & Ms (C) CJIINKM are the saille by co luilln and
Illeasureill ent. However, I chose (A) QSC Ms to comapa rin g the difference with (8 ) MAM.
A) Qodost Sol/asli Cathedra l (QSC) EMl'vlL Project II 11 26: pp. or Ms (C) Dn(o!!o rJamdrti
No 'ax Kidanti Mahrdt Monastery (Ol-INKM)(I-IMML) ,
B) MdnagdsCi Amba Marayam Monast ery (MAM), EMML, Proj ect II 6337.

Catalog ue of Manu script s Microfilmed Eth iopian Monaster ics, Ministry of Education and Fine
Arts, by UNESCO Mobi le Microfi lill Uni t, Addi s Ababa & Gojjam pro vince: AA 20 Feb. 1970.
Seri es 5, 6, II 15 (M ss, The I-I oly Trin ity Cathedral , Addi s Ababa) , # 36. (a) "Th e /-fistOlY a/ Mar
Jacob and Gra,?,? Mohammad ", Manuscri pt in Ge 'ez. Ms. On parchclllent, bound with leather on
wood. 16.5 x 14 CIll S. 230 pages.

Encyclopedia Aethiopica. 2005. 'Elayas' I-Iarrassowit z Verl ag: Weisbaden. Vol. II. p. 267.

K;miWi-R~ g b ?:allaqa . .Iul y 1975. "Bibliography a/the Ethiopic lIagiographical hadition ". (In
JOllrnal 0/ t;thiopian Studies (.}ES). Vol. XIII. no. 2. (42), Addi s Ababa.

Sorgaw {-{abld-Sal/ase (ed. ). Bufletin 0./ Ethiopian Mss. Va!. IV. II 2. Trimester Pu bl ication of
EMML, April 1977. p. 3: Gddld {{ayas (the Ethi opian). {ES, Addis Ababa University. EMML, II
1975. Ms II 1302: As catalogued. "The ill S is wrinen on paper in 2 co lulllns in Ge'ez language in

- 10 -
the 20 '10 C. ·fhe writin gs are medium and fair. Its size is 21 x 19 cm . and has 64 + I v and I blank
fo lio wit h hard paper boards.

Sorgow /-Iablti-Sol/ase. 1981 /82 E.C.( 1988/90). Amharic Church Diclionary ['A marolli7a Vti-
belti-Kdroslian mcizgtibti qalalj. Add is Ababa/ Heidelberg. Unpubli shed draft , No.4, p. 160.
N07 , pp. 50-52. EMML 36; IFS 66 1.

2.3.1.2 The Manuscript Texts in Two Monastic Centers

A) QdridSf Sal/ilse Ca thedral B) Miillilgiisa Ambti Milroyill1l
(QSC) Monastery (MAM)
I) Titl e: Ctidlti itlo)las: (if 24va - 6lrb) I) Titl e: Ctidlti itl;)yas: iff I r - 431}
2) Language: Co 'oz & Amharic 2) Language: Co 'az & Amharic
3) Materi al: I'archement 3) Material : Parchement
4) Binding: Wooden boards 4) I>inding: Wooden boards with cloth
5) Date of Wr iti ng: 19 '10 Cen tury 5) Date of Writing: 20 '10 Century
6) Measuremcnt s: 16. 5 x 13.5 cms. 6) Meas ureme nts: 15.5 x 9.5 cms.
7) Property: Qddasl Sol Lase Cathedral. 7) Property: I\!/tinagtisa Amba Maroyall1
Addi s Ababa Diocesc. Monastery. West StilVa Diocese
8) Ordered l3y: Wti)lziiro Agti)la. 8) Ordered 8/ 9 : Wtiyztiro Agtiya ?
9) Il andwriting: fl old & neat 9) Handwriting: Bold & fai r
10)Stamps: .~ 10) Stamps: I I j 9v.
I I) Number of Folios IT j 16 + (3blankl II) Number of fo lios: (0 19r + (3 blankl
12) Column s: ---L 12) Col um ns: _ 1_.
13) Lines of Pages : 16 - 18 . 13) Lines of Pages: 16 - 20 .
14) Other texts included:- 14) Other texts inc1uded:-
i) AI/ar ' Va ';)qob. (fT 2ra - 23ra). i) Tarik zti-/Droll1o.1.· ([f 4-1v - 9-1r)

ii)Mii,I-/1afCi Fc7rik Z(}-/Oroll107(fT6Irb-1 16vb} ii ) IW ·oyti Mar<Jyall1.· ([{95v - I 19v).

Table 4: Thc two Ms Tex ts in two Monastic Ce nt ers

19Thi s manuscript may be copied by the order of Wal da ,\;fticLYiJn MCi~'d!sci in 20 1h century as it slated on MAIv!
(EMML 11 6337),/ 119v: .. ... lii-gdbr-ki Wiildli Miidr, n MiiSiiSb "'ti-Iti-~tihaf-ihll Gtibrli Kidbl1 ... ". (see also # 2.3.3
The Ovmers and th e Sc ribcrs of the Manuscript).

- II -
2.3.1.3 Columns and Mcasnfmcnts of Giid/ii £liJY(IS Manuscript
As I ex plored the material whi ch I used and searched from the monasti c centers, both two
manuscripts are different in size. measurement an d columns. The manuscript of QSC (a J-fN KM) and
EMML pr. # 11 26 have 2 co lumn s (v ,,·h & r ,,·h), but the MAM ms.or EMML,pr. # 6337 have onl y I
co lu mn-i.e.v & r.

16 5 x 13 5 cms.. 15.5 x 9.5 cms

II
V Vb r II r" v r

Fig. I: (A) QSC (a IlNKM)Jf v "_ r" Fig. 2: (8 ) /v//1M,.lf v - r

2.3.1.4 Giid/Ii E/iJy{is a nd Othcr Texts in the Manuscript

A) QiJdiJst SiJ//rIse Cathedral (QSC)

Parchment, 16.5 x 13.5 cm,f{. 116 + 3 bl ank, 2 co lumns, 16 - 18 lines, 19 1h Century.

The property of thi s manuscri pt is The Holy Trinity Cathedral rQdc/;)S! Sd/lase Cathedral], Central
Qua rter Di ocese rMa ';)kalawi J-fogdrti Sabktil/ , the titl e of the manusc ript registered and given by
store kce pers in the Cat hedral as: ··Mar· Ya ·riqoh and th e Ili story of Cora1111" ( Mar Yo ·dqab dnna
y d-C"ral1l1 Tarikj. In thi s manu script there are three different texts includes in different titles.

The titl es are the fo ll owing: -

i) Th e Faith of Jam es of 8 aradeus [ J-faymanolu 10- Ya 'dqab z{;i- albtirtidTJ

ii ) Vila of Abba Elayas r CMlti Abba tlayas 1

iii ) The 8 00 k of Hi story of jOmllloj I Mti.)·ho/Ci Ttirik ca-jOmmo} I

- 12 -
I) Ff 21''' - 23rb : Thc Paith of .James Bamdeus [Haymonolu la-Yo'aqob zCi- 8lbeirCidT]

"bei-Sall1ei Ab wei-Wedd wei-Mtinftis Q<>dus .... naqeidam bei-rtida 'elti E.gzi 'abher wei-santi sar/1o-lu
Mph/ICi haymonol -II hi-qaddus morT Yo 'aqob zCi- OlbeirCidT P 'ap 'os-o mu ICi- Yo 'aqob-owayon ..
(\'ee- Conli Rossini, (Manuscrilli), p.63-1, LI'vIML PI'. Nos. 80'2, 1-1-/3).

/1) Ff 2-1 v" - 61r": Vila of Abba Elayas I Ceidlci Abbo Elayosj.

Elayos is a so n of' OllenT, sister of Emperor ZCir 'a YO 'iJqob (1'.1434 - 1968).

"bei-S;)}l1ei 'Ab wti-Wtdd wti-MCinfCis Qadus ... naqtidall1 M-rtida 'eiCi Egzi 'abher wti-bti-

sanei habl u ~iihi/d Zenah u hi-A bbo Elayas ... Zti-.ieirti.iei am-betti KahnCiI lVCi-MCingasl ... .,

As the manusc ri pl'!f.' 2-1va-vb conlirm cd th at it fo und and copied from the hi dden antono.

· ... reikeibku zeinlCi zana gCidlu wei-Iawladdei J7eigeiru lei-A bbo I~l<>yos sawwar waslCi

hagtirti En!o//o.

//1) If 61 rb 116vb: The Book of Hi story 01'(01'01/'/0/ and Ihe Vision of King bbnti D<JI1gal.

[Mti,I'ha/d Torik za-/Oromo/ wCi-Ra 'ayti Nagu.i LabnCi Dangal, and the In vas ion of Crol1l1; in
Amhari c with somc Gc·ez. (Sec: Strc lcyn. J' Accademia .... No. 25 . p.89).
"bti-SamCi Ab wCi-WCild \vCi-MCin(eis Qadlls .... I1d.)·/jafmtipha/d Torik za-/Oromo! wCi-Ro 'ayei
Naglls Labnti Dangal zti-ra 'ayei bei-aJ71Ci hagtiru keimCi lal-k"'einntin bCi-adCi ICinbolol wei- 'CirCimT".

B) Miillrtgiisa A mbrt MrIra),rtm Monastery (MAM)

Parc hmcnt. 15.5,9.5 cms . .!f.' 1191' I (3 blank) . 1 co lumn s. 16 - 20 lincs. 20 lh Ce ntury.
The titles of the tex ts are thc fo ll owi ng:
i) CiidlCi Abbo Elayos [Zeno Abba EJayoslJJ 11'- -131'.
ii) History of [Oromo) [Torik zti-[Oroll1o)..!! 44v - 941'.
iii ) Rfl 'ayei Morayom, Ro 'ayei Nagu.i Labnti D<>ngal and yei-Crol1l1 Torik [ The Vision
Mary and Kin g LabnCi Dangal and the Hi story of CrCi1111 ).JJ 95v - 119v.

- 13 -
2.3.2 PARTICULAR OESCRIJ>TION OF GAOLA ELavAs MANUSC RIPT TEXT
From these two manuscript texts of the two monastic centers (QSC & MAM), I will desc ribe and
give a bri ef anal yzing, whi ch I chose the "Gtidhi (Ze na) tJayas " tex ts as follows:

a) .If 2-111" - 27,.": The begi nning or Gadla EIJyas, hermitage place and the Advis ing or Mo nks
to King Za- DJng:J1 abo ut the Scribers (Hi storians) of hi s ti me.
b) .ff 27,." - 2S,.": Hi s ori gin . family and educati on of Ebyas.

c) .If 27,." - 28,.b The Co uncil of Dtibra S;)J-hiin and the part ic ipants.
i) ./ 2911,,·b. Theo logica l controve rsies with Stephanites and Nestorians.
ii ) ./ 30v,,-b. The Church Fathers dec ision to become Eb yas as the head of the Church.
iii) If301l" - 31I1b: Ilis hermitlire inthe monastery.
ill) If 31r" - 3311'" Emperor Lara Ya ' Jqob consultation and dialogue wi th Ebyas
II) .If 33i _ ,.b. The teac hing or Abba EI::Jyas.

d) If 3411" - -I2i: Miracles and renewed Churches.

i) If 3411" - ,.". The Angels' mi racle.
ii ) .ff 3-1,." - 3511": The Chu rch or J\ tron sa Mar:Jyam and King Ba':Jda Mar:Jyam.
iii ) If 3511" / '. The Tran sliguration and Mi racles or Ebyas , and the Church
or Miirtula Ma rJyam.
i v) .If 3611" - 37,.b The serpent in the Temple, the prayer of Abba Ebyas and the
Mirac le ors t. Mar:Jyam.
v) .If 3811" - ,.". 'fh e third Mirac le of St. Ma r:Jyam.
vi) .If 3S,." _39,.". The return of Ebyas to Martul a Mar:Jyam, and got Monk Sa r~a
Pep·os.
vi i) If 39,." -IO,.b. Abba Eb yas and Sar~a Pelros went to healing and ra ising the dead
Pr incess_the Granddau ghter or Ki ng 13a-:Jda Mar:Jyam.
viii ) If -1111" _ li b : The raising ort hc dead Princess.
ix) .If 41,." - -1211": The Mi rac les ofSt. Ragu'e l on the Ri ver Abbay.
e) .If 4211" - lib The Return of Eb yiiS to hi s Monastery .
.f) if 4211 b - 43 ,.b. The Excommunicat ion of ' He,.esies ' and their persecuti ons.

- 14 -
 a. .If 421''' - 43v": The persecuted monks migration to Askbll a Monastery JI1

Sawii.
b. ll43vb - rb. The Settlement of pcrsec uted mon ks in Sawa.
g) If 44va - 52ra.· Ab ba L~ bya s met with Gabara Masih, Govcrner of Wanda l, Goggam ;
to return back their the Gull of the persecuted monks. Till end of hi s
life he li ved in Askbl la la n\ono] or Managasa? Amba Mardyam and died.
h) .If 53rb - 61 rb : The death of Abba Ebyas mentioned by days and stars, Astrology &
Star sym bol s concern in g who became kin g of Eth iopia, the name of
the kings abbrev iated on it.

2.3.3 The Owners and the Scribers of the Manuscript

In these two manllsc ri pts text that fou nd the scriber and the owner menti oned on:-
(a) The Hi story of Abba I~ byas , and
(b) The Book of Hi story of rOromo/- MtiJha/a Tarlk zti-/Oromo!: to which the ti tle [Mti~·tina/a

Tarlk zti-Niigti.il- th e Book of the History oj' Kin gs! are give n whic h co mposed by the command
of Emperor Za- DJn gdl (r. 1603-1604) by Liq Zti-Mtiliikot , (EMML I' r. No. 6337, or MAM f. 8 1)
has I' Lewi Zti-Miilakot], Grandson of Marqorewos who was [Liqti Stiha/ij "Chief Scriber" and
rStihq/e T;) ';)ZGzj Imperial Sec retary of Emperor Zar'a Ya ' qob (MAM f. 11 3v).
(c) MAM.lf 113v - J 151': Hi story of the manuscript and its owner Wayzaro Agtiya )" ·,.r: [?'j
(MAM or EMML I'r. No. 6337,/ 821' has )','I,f': Agiiya) .
See al so EMML pr. No. 80: 2). shc is a grand-daughter of Emperor Za- DongJI who claims to
ha ve found the manu script in lJway. when she ned to the Island of l Jway .
... 'a-II1.)''' 'a-lla iJm-baljrti Z" way glze stidtid-;)l1'lI'-a 'artill1-awdyan .... ", I II-Iv .
... wti-zimlll /vlti.)'tina/'ti Tarlk zti- Wtiyziiro )" " Y: Agtiya wtiltilti l"tiliilu Jti-ZCi-D;)ng;)l. .

On the manu script text ofMAM (EMML, Pr. # 6337),/ 431' as it menti oned about the name of
the Owner: .. ...)"ii/Ol-I., wti-btiriiktil-ulii-Abba tl"yas yti-hal/u lI1"slti gtibru Wtildti ivliidx;)n
,\/dl-tii-a lrii-ll1"sici lI'ti-m"slii klll"l1-ti stima- ',,)'anJti- 'altill1ti aJtill1 AlI1el1 ".
Again on thi s manu sc ript the namc of the Owner and the Scri ber are stated: ... 0 Mar;)yam
;)qtib,,-nl wti- 'adx dl1 -"I1I;) '-miiktira s;)ga lI'ti-l1tibs Iti-gtibr-kl Wtildti lv/tidx;)11 Mtistisa lI'ti-Jti-
~tinaPhu Gtibrti Kldan " [MAM (EMML # 6337),/ 119v]

- IS -
 IES, 5: I 0; Ms # 36: A paper photo co py manuscript; it may correspo nd with EHN KM or QSC.
On thi s Manuscript it said that: "Last foli o of' Ze nii Abbii Elayiis' + first page of Tiirik zti-
[Oro mo] wa-Ra 'eya Negus Lebna Dengil ", Thi s part of the manuscript is similar to Caquol 's
Annales d 'Ethiopie- Va!. II " Tiirik zti-[Oro/l1o/" and "D"rsiinti IWgu 'til",
Zenii (Gtidlti) Abbii I~·tayiis I Paginati ons arc arbitrary, startin g from printed pages, and do not
correspond to the manuscripts],

2.3.4 Elayas's Name in Othel' Ms SOllrses and Varia Texts

Notice sur Les Manu scriti Ethi opi ens De la Co llecti on D 'Abbadie par C Co nli Rossini, 191 2-
1914. Pari s IIllpri1l1 ierie Nati onale , MD CCCCX IV. p. 184,11 174, Dcuxi eme parti e: III ,
I 7-1r" : the name EIayiis mcn ti oned.

QSC,f 11 2vb: .. .. . wa-Abba bayiis ya-mtilval .. "- and Abba bayiis will di e.
EMML Vol. II. PI'. 11 553 , p. 293: in varia part :/ I I': Ill egibl e note in Amh aric containing the
name Elayiis.

EMJ'oI/L vo!. iv, p. ix as stated: The Ilistory orAbbii tldyiis. son of l'rin cess Glh!ni, EMJ\lfL, PI', #
I 126 (2) has ncw materia ls on the era of Empcro r Ztir 'a Yii 'dqob and hi s im medi ate successors.
J-Ie was a descendent of Mtirqorewos, and mu st ha ve pl ayed th c important role of pres iding over
the co uncil s (o f Dtibrti Bdrhiin) summ oned by his uncle, Za r'a Ya ' dqo b, to co ndemn the views
held by sects such as . Dtiq iqti /JelU '.

IES , Ms # 373 : EMM L Vol. IV , PI'. II 1463. p. 556 : In 'varia' part th e name of Abba Elayiis
menti oned :-
a)I 7rb: A note in Amhari c on A bbii Cb yiiS who came from Sawa and was [Iak!] "establi shed"
here at the time of Em peror Ztir 'a Yii ·'Hlob.
b)/ 8va: A note in Amhari c on the fac t that the [Gabzannii - vicari (of thi s church) has always
been of rthe spi ri tual I Chil dren of Eld/Jlii / s .
e) f ..h ,· i\ list of the namcs (II of them) who co lon ized the highland fyti-dtigtil1l1ii 'aqaI11ij : i.e.
" Pioneers olSellter,l' ",

- 16 -
I,MM L Vol. VIII. l' r. 113469. p. 283./(, 20,' -26r: Miracles ofC)II'iaclIs: (a) Elayas, who saved the
Churc h o f Cy riaclls at lana / lana Qirqos / li'om an attack by Ftirti.vlI1ale, one of the Generals or
Griilll],/ 22v. (Ediled by Grebaul, 1935 . .. Un nouveau recueil des miracles de I 'enjiml Cyriaque,
Aelhiopica, fIol. III, pp. 8 7-88)..... . wti-hallo j mtintikos bti-Dtiselti $ana zti-yallti'ak lti-Iabolti Qadus
Qirqos zti-sa/l1u Elayas

EMML 4001-5000,Vol. X, Pr. 1I 4816, p. 324..11 3v -63r: Acts of Chil d Cyriacus [Qirqos Fla~an/

and hi s Mother Julitta. (3)./I 59v -63 v.· Mirac les ofCyri ac us: (a) /'}ayas, who saved the Ch urch of
Cyriac us at lana, /lana Qirqos/ from an attack by FtirtiJlI1ah! , one of the Generals of GrMul. EMML
3463,/ 2v, /62r.

Ham merschmidt, E. 1973. Alhiopische [jandschri/ien fIom rana See 23. We isbaden, p. 136, II , Ein
Ausspruch des Abba Elayas BI. 7va; T und ll : Arr P I 2 (N r. 4)= II I (N r. 4): Monches j~/ayas vom
rana Qirqos: 6 7 118

- 17 -
CHAPTER III
3. Historical Bacl{ground and Review of Related Literature
This sectio n is dc vo ted to what dirf'c:rent writ ers have said regard ing the Earl y Christ ianity.
theo logica l tho ught. and monasti cism in gc neral ; and it will di sc uss on re lated topic s or Vila or
'Otidlti ' EI;)yas in particu lar.
The researcher di scuss as preferred fro m different primary so urces: i. e. manuscripts, unp ublished
documc nts, and so me mi cro film man uscripts. Also I used as the seco ndary sources that I read
man y book s and other written materia ls which arc ava ilable in libraries and journa ls.
Thus, the organi zat ion of th is chapte r is bascd upon the fol lowing maj or topi cs: Hi stori cal
background of Ea rl y Chri stianity and the cause or schisms, ori gin or monastici sm, the monasti c
life in Ethi opi a, the flislorical Elhiopia at the bcgin ning of 13'h and 16'h centuri es, its innuence
on the case or Ih e Vila of Abba Eldyas and his monastic, theological , hi storica l, soc ial thought
and related co ntributi ons.

3.1. Early Christianity Schisms, Monasticism and th e Patristic Age

Chri sti anity aro sc so me 2000 years ago amo ng the Jewish communiti es in Palesline at a time
when Palesline was occ upi ed by the Roman Empire. Thc prcsence of the Roman Empirc on
.lewish so il represent ed yet another occ upation or the .J ewish homeland by a powerfu l foreign
empire 20 The sufferin gs of the .J ews at the hand s of fore ign oppresso rs were ass uaged by the
beli ef that a Mess iah, or Savior, wo uld ari se and restore the Jewish nation to the glori es it had
enj oyed under King David.
The persec ution of the Roman Christians represe nted the beginn in g of periods of persecut ion
against the church during which ti mes many Chri stians wo ul d bear witness to their faith tlu-ough
martyrdom. Thi s persecution came to an cnd with the conversion to Chri sti an ity of Co nstantine21 ,

:!O Ati ya. Azi z. 1968. A Ilis /vl) 1of Earl), Chris/iall ity. pp. 23-30.
21 Born in 280. Constantine be came on e o f th e four emperors of the emp ire after th e retirement of Dioc/e/ian . Thi s
scheme soon fell apart until th ere we re on ly three general s vying (or con trol: Constantine in Gaul , th e lea st populat ed
porti on or th l: emp ire. w hil e rul e in Rome was under the co ntro l of Maxentills, and the east und er the co ntrol of
Licinills. In 3 12, Constantine thrnv caution to th e wind and march ed on Maxel1lillS's forces, even th ough he was
vasl ly outnumbered. Th e IllOSt important baltic occurred at A-lilvian Bridge: he both won th e baltic and ki ll ed hi s
rival. making him empero r of Rome and Gaul and soon em peror of th e ca st as we ll. Constantin e clai med tha t his
victo ry \vas the re sult of hi s conve rsion to Christianity: he. accordin g to one biograph y, had bee n instru cted to carry
Ihe ban ner of Chri stianit y into battle, Since he won the battl e, he decided to become C hri stian. Even so, he was nol
bap ti zed until he wa s dyin g man y decades later ( Ibid).

- 18 -
 the ru ler of the western half of the empire, and the subseq uent official recogni tion of Chri stianity
as a Iega I re I··
Iglon-'2 .
The early Christi ans had to lerated the emperors and regarded them as 'a kind of necessary evi l'.
Constan tine, as a Christian Emperor, tho ugh demanded their obed ience bo th tempo rall y and in
tc rm s 0(' ('ai th. To this encl. he me rged the oflice of emperor with the Chri sti an 1 ~lith and assumed
au thority over doctr inal matt ers. J\d ded to th is eq uation was the di vinit y or partial divinity
normall y bestowed on the emperor. As long as the empe ror was a paga n, there was no quest ion or
the relat ionship between the church and the state. The church did its thing and th e state did its
sin ful th ing. The presence of Chri stian impe ri al authori ty, however, led to severe conflicts and
di srupti on. The question of the relationship between the church and a Christ ian government has
ye t to be reso lved in thc West.
Constanti ne had other prob lems as well. In ConS/Online's view, the Christian church was a
powerful too l fo r unifying the Empire socia ll y and po litically. If the church cou ld become
un ified, that wou ld provide a bul wark against the centrifuga l forces pul li ng the empi re apart. The
prob lem, though, was there was no establ is hed or uni fy ing doctrine. In fac t, there were as man y
forms of Ch ri stian ity as there were commu niti es or Christian s.

3. 1.1. Gnosticism and the Rising of Hcretical Teachings

The earliest of these. Gnosticisl1l ~3 is rep rese nt ed by a broken line to indicate. lirstl y. the
uncertaint y of the date o f its origins and . seco ndl y. that not all Gnostics identified them selves as
Christians24 The Marcioni/e movement, which emcrged in the middle of the second century, has
sometimes been described as Gnost ic25 However, its relat ive similari ty to mainstream
Christi anity and its pro mi nence in the ear ly church justi fy it bei ng located separately and treated
as a mo veme nt in its own right.

22 Ibid.

n Greek: YVWO"1<; gnus;s, know ledge, refers to a di ve rse. syncretis tic religious movement consisting of various belief
systems ge nerall y united in th e teaching Ihal humans are div ine souls trapped in a material wor ld created by an
imperfect god, th e dcmiurge. who is frequently identified with the Abrahomic God (Gollzellez, Justo L. 1970. II
H;SI OI )' a/Chris/ian Thought , Vol. I. Ab ingdon. pp. 132-3.)

' " Or""t , Robert M. (ed.). 1961. Gnuslicisl11: ... , pp ..?3,/O.20.

25 Blackman, E.C. 1948. A/arcion and I-li~i Injlllencl!, p. 5; Harnack, Adolf von. 1921 . AI/arcion: Das Evangelilllll 110m
FreJ/lden GOlf . .... p.-I5 .

- 19 -
 MOnlUni.l'111 and Donal is/II represe nt attempts to create a pure church untarn ished by compromise

with the wo rl d. I'v/onionisill arose in As ia Minor around the year A.D. 170 and was inspi red by the
belief that MonlClnus and hi s follo wers we re prophetic mouthpieces of the Hol y Spirit. DonCilism
was a sch ismat ic church that emerged in No rth Africa in the 4th century, defined by its refu sa l to
accept the ordination of bishops who had aband oned thei r faith dur ing the persecution of the
Church under Oi ocle ti an (r. 284-305 A.0.)26

Monorchioni.l'lI1 and liriCinism were theological movemcnts whi ch so ught to explai n the meani ng

or the doctrine of' the Trinit y. MOnCll'Chioni.I·I1I. which was at it s height during the 3rd cen tury. put
forward a vari ety or in terpretati ons that we re des igned to af'lirm the unity of the Godhead.
A rionis,, / 7 also so ught to preserve the unity of thc Godhead through the cl aim that the So n was a

creature rather than co-eq ual wi th the Father.

3.1.2. Ecu menical Co uncils of C hurches and Condemnations

The church was seve rel y di vided over fundamenta l question s: in particular, the speculations of
the easte rn ch urches on the nat urc of di vinity were considered grossly heretical by the Latin
ch urches. What would final ly ca ll Constantine into acti on to unify thc ch urch was the schi sm
between the Ariol1.\· and the AlhClnClsiCins.

Arius, like many or hi s eastern counterparts. was primaril y interested in defi ning the nature of the
Trinily- -God, Chris/. and the !-Ioly Ghosi- and insisted in hi s theology that there was an

abso lute division betwecn God and Christ. God the Fat her, he argued , was hiera rchi cally
differe ntiable fi'om God th e Son. 'fh e opposite pos iti on. ca ll ed I lihonosionislI'1. a ner th e bi shop
Athanasiu s who advocated it , was that God the Fat her and God the Son was one and the sa me

26 Frend W.I-I.C . 1952. 'f'l1e DonaliSI Ch urch: A J'v!ovell1el1f 0/ Prolesl in Roman North A/rica. pp. 7- /0.
27 The major sch ism between the churches in the Greek-speaking East and the Churches in the Wes t was founded on
the Eastern in sistence in engaging in philosophica l speculation on qllestions of doctrine ; th e western ch urches. by
contrast, largel y focll sed on admi ni strat ive rather than doctrinal problems. I r the ch urch was going to be un ified ,
however. the se two separate approaches had to be unified . The nash point came with the dispute over Arianism,
wh ich the we stern churches regarded as outright heresy (Ibid).

- 20 -
 th ing. Both the western church and the bishop of Constantin op le ca me down on the side of
AlhanasianislI-/8- thc Alexand rian church subsequcntly dug in its hee ls on the matter.

The establi shment o f these creedal formu las did not, however. bring peace to the church. During
the 5th century thc ch urch was shaken by d isp utes eonccrning how the relationship betwee n the
divine and human aspec ts of Christ was to be understood. At the ce nt re of the dispute was
Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople, who. accord ing to hi s oppo nents, held that there we re two
persons in Chri st29 • At the Co uncil of Ephes us of 431 Nestorius was condem ned and deposed.

As it stated on Gddld li'liJyas about the ' Nesto rians' , who ri se during Abba EliJyas time:
"The rMedieval Centuries] Church Fathers defended and became victorious by the strong
word: .. ,/" ,/., /I r : " (/I ,/.t'·, (l o,,' } /.. 11 ' ,MOld biis?lga, lI'tihayo bti-ll7tin!tis: He [Chrisl7 died by
llis /Jody and raised by His IJil'inil)' ",: The Church Fathers beca me victorious un der the
Nestorians heretical teachin gs and the sc hi sm leaders cal led Gamal:lyal Zii-Giorgis and
8 nbariiJ'iii wi th thei r taug ht : Chrisl has two Bodies and Iwo Nalures, The second heretical
teachin g of Alpqqa Mika'61' s taught. God has one Side (lac eio; the third groups al so
taught: Chrisl has one /Jody and 11110 Nalures. The taught of the heresies teach ing that
sa id : 'Chrisl is Iwo by /Jody and 111'0 by Nalure ', and also 'One /Jody and IWO Nalures'
.. J I
tau g I1t .

On these cause, the Oriental Orthodox/ 2 refers to the churches o r Eastern Chri stian tradition that
keep the faith of the first three Ecumenical Cou ncil s of the undivided Church: the First Co uncil

18Constanti ne's re ign co incided with the period of the Arian controversy. To resolve it Constantin e set lip a counci l
of bi shops at Nicaca in 325 A.D. The Cou ncil of Nicaca atTi rmcd the full divinity of the Son and condemned
I lr;anislJI . Th is was foll owed in 38 1by the Council of Constantinopl e which affirmed th e full divinity of the Holy
Spi rit , (Wil liams. Rowan. 198 7.Ar;lIs: H ere.,), and 7i·ac/ilion. London: Darton ).

Vine , Aubrey R. 193 7. Th e Nes /orian Ch urch es: A COl1cise Ilis/OI y oj Nes/orian C hris/iani/), in Asia ./i"OIll fh e
2')
Persian Schism fa /he Modern A.B)'r ian. pp. 6-12 .
30 See Qeddase Maryam. p, 427,
31Gddla [faYe/s, QSC, / 29va-,.a; L'MklL. 1/ 11 26. On tile Anaphora of St. Mary stated: C," IJ·: 'jt'tY" I' (11) . :
t\}",p. . lJ· Y: : " h·.e"j : : mt\ }dltl'l },,'Iw' ,e'j: ",'1, ,e'j : " 'j " : JJ,'(I t\ , : ri: "X': }, "'II),\,(I ,II>C : wi; :}",' IA : : }",h : 11 :
Jl(·m:}",,~~y" ; li:'IX, :"","),'lI .. II>C : : "We heard the cursed Jews and the heresies Isma 'efean [Muslims or
Mohamm edan s.! ; and th ey said , God is one Face an d one Body (Persoll); not like Adam, one face to God"
I(J}' ,'":lL : f''l Cy" r,': :1','~ (l. : tI'l (,' ,C' Y" : '17,' : .v ~.i!!- J~ ~'Ij (l See al so Gii(IIii ;I bbe/ E/;JYcis. If. 60-61
.:! Oriental Orthodoxy developed in reac ti on to Chalcedon 011 th e eastern limit of th e Byzantine Empire and in Egypt
an d Syria . In th ose iocations, th ere arc now also Eastern Orthodox Palriarch s, but th e rivalry be twee n the two has
large ly va nished in the centuri es since schism ( Kelly. J. D. 1977. Ear~)) Chrisfian f)oc,rines.pp.8-IO).

- 21 -
 of Nicaea (325 AD. ), the First Co uncil of Constantinople (38 1 AD.) and the Council of Ephesus
(43 1 AD.) , and rejected the dogmatic delinitions of the Counci l of Chalcedon (45 1 AD.). Hence.
these ch urches are al so ca ll ed Old Oriental Churches.

3.1.3. Origin of Monasticism and Patristic Age

The anc ient mode ls of the modern Chri stian monasti c ideal are the Nazirite.\.lJ, the Esse ne. the
Therapeut ae and the prophets of Israe l. Others poi nt to hi storical ev idence that indi vidual s were
li ving the life later known as monastici sm befo re the lega lization of Chri sti anit y. In fact, it is
bel ieved by th e Carm eli tes that they we re started by the Jewish prophet Elias 3; As monasti cism
spread in the East from the hermits living in the deserts of Egypt to Palestine", Syria, and on up
into Asia Mi nor and beyond, the say in gs (apophthegmata) and acts (praxeis) of the Desert
I:athers ca me to be recorded and circul ated. lirst among their fel low monasti c's and then among
the lait y as wel l.

The triu mp h of the church resu lted in prob lematic changes to th e churc h. Ambrose, as noted
above, began a trend of re-eoncei ving cleri cal office as someth ing more along the lines of sec ular
of"fices. The Roman concern wit h practica l admin istration drained much of the sp iritual mi ss ion
of the ea rl y church. The Patristic 36 wri tings departed signifi cantl y [rolll the spiritual ity of thc
ea rli est Christian tex ts: in the place of faith and insight they offered onl y rat ional ity and
argumen ts. Th is sccu lariICation o r the clergy and the church as wel l as the rati onalization of

33 A nClziril e or na::.arile , (in Heb rew' nazi,. '), refers to a Jew who look an ascet ic vow desc ri bed in Numbers 6: 1-21.
A Nazirile was a person vol untar ily separated to the Lord, und er a spec ial vow (Bible Dictionary, p. 808).
34 Elijah is the 9 c. S .c. prophet or Isra e l. Hi s name appears in the Hebrew O ld Testamen t (OT) as etiyyiillli and
1h

(HiYYel, ill the Greek Old Testament (NT) as 1~'lerOlf, and in the NT as Eluytis. The name means ' Yah is Ji;/ ' or
' Yahweh is God '. Apart from the reference to Elijah in I King 17: I as, ' th e Tishb ite, of Tishbe in Gilead, 110
information abo ut his backgro und is ava il ab le (Bib le Di ctionary, p.311 ).

5
The Il oly I.and or Palestine Showing 110t onl y th e Old Kingdoms of Judea and Isra el but also the 12 Tri bes
.1

Di stinctl y. and Con lirm ing Even th e Di ve rs it y o l'l ile I.ocations of'th eir Ancient Positions and Doing So as th e Ho ly
Scriptures Indicate (soursc: A geog rap hic map fI'olll the studio of Tobiac Conradi ).

The character of thi s theolog ica l and social thou ght varied widel y; th ere is no unified Pat ristic "thought. " The 1110St
3(,

radica l d ifferences among the Patristics we re between Lat in and Greek writers; the Greek wr iters foc used heavil y on
theological speculati on while the Lat in writ ers were less concern ed with abstrac t qu estions as they \Ve re concerned
with practi ca l qu estions of organ ization, catech ism, and gove rnance of the church . (Wil es, Maurice. 1966. The
Christian /;'mhers. London: Il odd er and Stoughton).

- 22 -
 Christian discou rsc led to the growth of a ncw Ch ristian phenomenon, monast icism37 Hermi t is
the ve ry first Christi an hi storicall y known to have been living as a mon k.
The earli est monks we re not clcrgy, bu t ordi nary ind ividuals who ned the povert y 01" the church
to li ve spirit ua ll y dedicated li ves whi le suffering ex treme po verty and se ll~affl i c t i o n. See in g the
church as too worl d ly and too materiali sti c, they li ved so litary lives of severe ascetism, or "world
denial" 38 Th is form of mo nasti cism in whi ch an indiv idual asceti c lives alone is called ereme ti c
monasticism. that is. th e mo nasti cism of a hermit.

From the 3'" to the 5'" century occ urred a period or incredibly ri ch. creati ve, and brill iant thought
in both the Latin and the Orthodox Churc h. Some of the best and most creati ve minds wrestl ed
wi th thi s new religion , its theology, its organi zati on, and its soc ial and political impli cations in a
virtual nood of writi ng39 The writcrs of this period were eventually des ignated fat hers of the
Church or the Patristic writers and represent perhaps the most creati ve period of Christi an
intellectua l acti vity.

In the 4 '11 cen tury. monast icism soo n adopted a commu nal form. Aga in. monks were not clergy
but rather lay men that cam e together in a com munity to remove thcmselves from the worl d. This
fo rm of monasti cism, ca lled cocnobitic monasticisl11 , was 1110st success full y imp leme nted by
Basil (ca. 33 0 - January 1,379 A.D), who, aft er a time as a herm it monk, came out from the
wilderness to found a commu nity of other monks 40

Pachamill.\' were ea rly monasti c innova tors III Egy pt'''. Eastern Orthodoxy looks to Basil of
Caesaria as a fo unding monastic legislat or. as we ll as the examp le of the ' Deasert f at hers'.
l3 enedi ct of Nursia is often credited with being the 'father of Western monasticism'. Basil set the
patt ern fo r monastici sm, and the most important figure in its deve lop ment was l3enedi et, who

37 Bibl e Dictionary, pp . 878-880.

"Mtt. 19: 12; Wand, 193 7: A /lislorv o/Ihe Earl), Church. p.192.
w Ali ya, 1968: 123 .
•10 Ibid .
.11Monasticism !irst appearc d in the eastern reaches or Christ ianit y in the thi rd century when the Roman Empire
seemed to be !~i1lin g apart: in th is se nse, monastici sm was related to the anxiet y and uncertai nt y of til e age. It di d not
rea lly sprea d. ho we vc r, un til ali er th e conversion of' Constantine ancl the real ign ment of the church alon g more
materia l and political lincs. At that POilll , the practice spread throughout the cast to Egypt ancl North Africa. Thc
extremc form s of crcmclicism arc legendary; the se ascet ic monks soon were sought out by Christians who literally
wo rsh ipped th em and th e various material s th at came in contact with them-or calllc out of th e m.

- 23 -
composed a set of rules. the Beneciieline Rule 42 that wou ld become the standard model of
monasti cism in Europe. Saint At hanasius of Alexa ndria who' s Life of Sa int Anthony the Great
set the pattern for monasti c hagiography, St. Jerome, and ot her anonymous co mpil ers werc al so
respon sible lor settin g do wn ve ry influential account s. Also of great importance are the writi ngs
surrounding the communities founded by St. Pachomius, the fat her of eoenobil ieism , and hi s
di sc iple Saint Theod ore, thc fo under of the Skele fo rm of monasti cism43

3.2. Judaism, thc EmCl"gcncc of Christianity and Monasticism in Ethiopia

The tradition affirm s that not all were converted from paganism but that so me were Jews and
some were animi sts: ' Before Ih e coming of Chrislianily, one half of Ih e p eople was under the
Mosaic Laws, the other half was worshipping the serpent '.
In the Fatna Ntigti.i"/44 ,the wo rk, whi ch conta ins sec ul ar and Ecc les iastical material (insofar as the
two can be se parat ed in Et hi opia).The Queen Saba from Ethi op ia was co nverted to Judai sm by
her visi t to Kin g Solomon 's Co urt around 900 S. c.: . From this moment [willnol worship Ihe
sun, bUlthe CreCllor o/,!he Slll1. Ihe God (~l [srael··1 5 Al th ough the Falha Ntigtii-I is a 13th century
wo rk in its prcsent fo rm, it is ac knowledged to conta in materi al datin g from a much carli er
peri od. As we shall see there is a strong Hebrai c influence in Ethi opian Chri sti anity.
Add itionall y, the Holy Scripture as confirmed. Chri stianity began in Ethiopia on the I51 century,
the bapti sm of the Eth iopi an Eunuch46 by St. Phili p, the Apostle of Chri st in 34 A.D. (Acts 8:26-

"12 Th e Benedicti nes arc the 1110St import ant of the earl y monasti c cOlllmun itie s. Th ey foll ow th e rul e of SI. Benedici
o/NlIrs;a (c.480-552), \vh ich is ba sed on th e four principles of slud y, cO llllllu nallife, pra yer and obedience (l3 cnlon ,
t 768:2 80).
43 Butler, C uthbert . 1919. IJenedic/;ne kronas! ieislII: SlIfdies in Benedictine L{(e and Rille. Lond on,
44 Book orth e Kin gs o f Eth iop ia, which include Ca non ica l and Civil Code La w.

'15 According to a large compi lation oflegcnd and tradition s, Kobrti Nagasl-(th e Glory of K ings) as sta ted
Th e la\vfu l kin gs of Ethiopia descend from Ki ng Sol omon and Queen Sobo through th eir son nam ed !l1<Jl1tik I; and
th e original tables of the law that God gave LO Mosscs we re removed from Jerusalem by Azoro/h, the son of th e
Jewish High Priest, brought to Eth iopia wi th Mantik , and placed in the hol y shrine at )"d l<'()'9" :AksUIll , the ancient
ecc lesiastica l and poli ti cal cap ital of Ethi opia.(E.A. Wallis l3ud gc & C. Rossini tl'. 1923 pp.606-608).
,If, l ie was a man of high rank in Ethiopia. the trea surer of Ca ndace, the queen-mo th er of the Ethiopians. As stated 011

Act s. 8:26: "/\ lllan of'Cthiopia .... was returning and .... rcad Isa iah. th e prophet... ". Thi s Ethi opian man was a great
pa lace official. a wea lth y and powerful man, he was very mu ch interested in religion. Upon the demand of the
Ethiopian mini ster Phili p ex pla ins the tex t of Prophct Isaiah . There wasn't an y th eologica l, ph ilosophical or
philological question \0 exp lain. After he understood the meaning of th e pa ssage he asked to be bapti zed . He
descended into water, which has the visib le expression or his raith, th e certitude of spiritual tran sformati on. As
,d
Bishop T. Poladial11l1en tioned : "Eusebius ofCacsarca (ca.3 c.) speaks of him as the first Gen til e convert, and as the
fd
fi rst faithful in the whole world. Irenaells (ca.3 c,) hints Ihat he has preached th e Gospe l to th e Ethi opi ans, by which

- 24 -
39). Il owever, Orthod ox Chri stianity were became state religion during twin brothers Kings'
)dlC .I, : 01),,,'1'11.1, : -A bralia and A,vbalia in the 4111 centur/ 7

F/"{!I11CJl1aii!oS 48(ca. 328 A.D.), was the instrumental in the conversion of Ethi opia to Orthodox
Chri st ian ity.
111
Et hi opian monasti cism traces it s ori gin s to the end of the 5 century and th e arri val of two groups
of Syrian monk s: the Y..I'::J"}: Sadqan and' I·(}(H::~·,(;. "r}: -the Nine Sainls. The impact of
the ir activ iti es on the understaffed and und er reso urced Church or thc period can scarcel y be
overest .lmat cd· . Yet, despite the cruc ial ro le played by these foreign mi ssionari es, teachers, and
19

translators in the deve lopment of th e nasce nt Church, it appears that not until the 141h century did
the monastic ideals and in st itutions become thc dominant force in [ thiopi an Chri sti ani ty.
In the earl y S%l71onic period that we witn ess the ri se of th e monastic sa ints in Ethi op ia. The
question s of the influences behind the emergence of these ho ly men, their growing impact on the
Ethi op ian Church, and their relations with the S%monic kings are crucia l to the stud y of the
spread of Chri st ianit y in the Eth iop ian kingdo m. Indeed , in recognition of thei r importance,
recent scholarship ha s sho wn a growi ng interest in the monasti c Sainls oj" I'vledieva/ Ethiopia 50

the prophecy of Psalm 68:3 1. was fulfilled : Pr ince shall cume Olll u/Egypl; Erhiop;c1 shall stre fch OUf her hands IInlo
God". LR\Cr, traditions speak of Ca ndace as bapti zing by him . (B. T. Poladian. Fac/s ond Vis ions, Addis Ababa
1963 , pp. 91-96).
,17 The story of th e conversion of th e first Ethiopian ki ng, l :::al1(/, is told by Rl~jinlls of ACluilcia. Two boys ';le(tesilf~'

and Frellldnafifos were among a party who were shipwrecked an d put in at th e port of Adlliis on th e Red Sea. They
were from Tyre in Syria. Their companions were slaughtered but being young the boys were lake n 10
)tll'·()· Y" : Axum, the capi tal of Ethiopia al that time, and attai ned posit ions of innuencc at th e roya l cou rt. Th is was
probab ly at the time that the Ca 'az language was replacing Greek as the language of the co urt. 'Aedesills, who was
less int ellectual than hi s co nfrere was made chief steward to the king. whi le Fi'elllanlifos became his secretary and
treasu rer. Being foreign th ey were perhaps seen as independe nt of inte rn al po li tics and intrigues and therefore
tru slwonhy. On the death or the king, the Queen actin g as re ge nt for her son l :lil1(l asked 'Aedesills and Frem()nii! us
to stay and assist her in rul ing the country. Si nce th ey we re Christian th ey promoted Chri stianity and encouraged the
bui lding of pra yer hOllscs for th e Roman mcrchants who we re present in the coun try. When J:cll1li became old
enough to take ove r th e rei ns of power, '!l edes ills returned to Tyre whi le Fni lllanafos went to Alexandria and told th e
great St Athanas ius that the re \verc now Christians in Eth iopia bu t no bis hop or clergy. Athanasius decided to
consecrate Frem;molos himself and send him back as the fi rst bishop. 'What olher man shall we find in whol1l is Ihe
Spiril of Cod CIS in YOII, \\Iho can accolllplish Ih ese lhings?' The story of RlifinLls is confirmed by inscriptions
celebrating victory ovcr the Nub ians and by th e letter o f' Conslan/ills, th e Ar ian successor of Constan tine.
encourag ing Eza na 110t to fo llow I\tha nasi lls. The IIkslimile co inage al so testifies to the convers ion of the king to the
Orthodox Ch risl ian fa ilh. (COS mas Ind icop leustes 1968: 14 1).
-Ill He (li so ca lled Ahba SalililiO Kii.~ole /3;"'/1((/1 "Father of Peac e and Revca lcr of light" became th e fi rst Metropo li tan
to Eth iop ia. He was ordained b) I\ thanasi us. the Patria rch of I\ lcxandria.(JES. Vo l. XIII , no. 2. p. 87.)
1') Serge" J fa ble Sc I lasi~. I\ncic llI (/Ild 1\ ' I!diel'{t/ 1~'lh/Opial1 Illsl my 10 / J -n. (Add is Ababa 19 72), pp. 1 15- 121 .

~o Taddcssc Talllral, (·/1IIr(.'11 (111(/5;/"'1.' in Flh;o/)ia Ir'O-ISr",CQ.x forcl 19 72). G.W.B. Huntin gfo rd. "Saints of
Medieva l Eth iopia" Ahha Sa/lilli, X (1979). pp. 257-34 1.

- 25 -
However, to date litt le attempt has been made to grapple with the prob le m of the forces which led
to the rise of the monast ic men to such prom inence .

3.2. 1. The Pioneers of Monastic Life in Ethiopia

In this pa rt , r shall begin to exam ine the hi storical , soc ia l, and po liti cal background of the
cme rgence or mon asti c ism and theol og ica l co ntrove rsy in the monast ic centers in order to reac h a
bette r und erstandin g o f the Ethi opia n monasti c sai nts. and th e soc iety wh ich acco rded them so
exa lted a position.

T he mall1 fi gures in monasti c histo ry the beginn ing of monasti c life confined to Northern
Et hi opi a. The tradi tion c laim s that some monasteri es fo unded by two brothers' kin gs .

~dIC,h:(/l~,,'HI,/l:-Abr;)ha and A.ybaha (4 ' h c.). Later, these two brothe r kings are known by

their fo undi ng of monasteri es.

T he first monastic com mu nities have said it founded there in the late S'h century during the

Axumite Empire Era in Tagray, a round the ancie nt capita l o f ~,1I·-(}· 9": Aksum by some monk s

who came from the Eastern Mediterranean a rea (probabl y (Ie ,f' 1 OI"/'Oh: Syria and Egypt).

Beca use o f' the ir Ho ly and mi ssionary lives they are known as ""(}(J./:: ~',':.In: -Tci.iCi 'arl.l

Qadu.itin (the Nine Sail7l.I). T hese ine Saints are said to have introduced and translated the Rul es

of ~,f]:~\'}(/I'}{J: (/)~,f] : .<lh''''l,{J:/I''/'Ilh:-Saint Abba A nth ony r on/ons.l a nd Sa int Abba

p 'akllmius of Egypt ; l. li'om the ·1, 'f1 'I' : Coptic tradi ti on into "/h 'l/: Ca ·;)Z. T he certa in basic

princ ipl es a rc commo n to all monasteri es . whi ch may a lso add their own in d ivi dua l rules.

T he most famou s mo nasteri es, f.'Ot.: ,'I {I": -Dtibrti Dall1o, fo und ed by the most we ll kn own of

the Nine Saints. lI'''I.II}b/,:\ :Zti-Mika e l, also ca lled ~\f]: ~\t.,')'e: Abba Artigawi . ~,f]:t\. :J' '1'{J :­

Abba Liqanos went up a hill North or Aks um. near '}'/,p':I]t\,'f1: fL"': £IUJo/p',h -K ing

Kaleb 's Pa lace, the place ca ll ed f.'f1t.:·Y>'1X·/,:\:-Dtibrti Qona,l·al. ;,f]:?,'}mt\,$" ';: -Abba
P 'tin!tilewon fo und ed his hermitage on a nother hill. Befo re his exped it ion to Southern Arabia,
Kin g Kaleb visited to him [Abba P 'tin!tilewon] lo r a bl ess ing, a nd aft er hi s v ictory, the king

51 Eth iop ian monks going on pil grim age to Jerusalem, on their way Ll se d to stop or seltle in Egy pt, mainl y in the
Monasteri es of QUj'((om /lI/ohoraq, nea r th e Nile. and Saint Anthony's fOn!om] Monastery, ncar the Red Sea. fic'iral
lU H'ailti fOLIlld in Cairo. and the great dcsc ri of Sc:el e in Wiidi Niifrlll1, between Ca iro and Alexandria.

- 26 -
himse l I' became an ascet ic 52 ;, f/ : ,ell,"'?' :-A bba Yasnaq, ca lled 'It "'I :-Gtirima, founded
monaste ry in a pl ace eallcd <mlll(,,:-Mti!tirra 53 ~,q:?,';""'1 :-AbbaSaha l11a, sett led on a hil1. 70

km from !ldwa (or a 4 hour wa lk , East of thc '1,'\ <m: ~,fl: 'I t"'1: -Abba Gtirima Monastery) .

~,q: '/,f) : -AbM GuM made hi s hermitage in So uthern :""I/",e: - Tagray; today, the monastery of
the samc name Iies to the West o f "'I j!.I,I:t, Ol': -Maye' 'tiw 5J. ~,q :~, Cf':'t: -A bba An'e went to the

')flOl' .c"} : -Sabian pagan center of (' .": - Ytiha. ~,I]: j!.9"'};J ': -Abba Yal11alla fo und ed a
monaste ry (so me say in monaste ry of 'l,ljm':.I'.'flt.:(l,fl(j'fl:-Monastery of Dtibrti Libanos 111

,i. m"l ';' :-Simtizana. presen t Eri trea 55

56
In the same pc ri od anoth er group of monk s. known as the IlI J':,<.I" }: .';iaciqan }, Ihe Rig/71e()us
went to Ethiopi a. Thc herm its j ust pick a nd eat plants round naturall y in th e cou ntrysid e, and they

said to ha ve preac hed the Gospel in Northe rn Sal11tizana, a round m'm/', : Olflt.t6'l lvlti!tirra and

/Jartiknaha, South o r (I'H,".. :Stina!e 5 ? Ind eed, throughout period the victim s of court intri gues,
un success ful claimants to hi gh office. and rebe lli ous subjects were all likely candidates to ass um e
or be fo rced to assumc monasti c ga rb. As it stat cd o n the S%monic cha rtcr-Iegend K:Jbrti Nagiisl

5:! I\ s Carilla Elayiis said as an interview th aI th e lvlonaSl er)' a/Gog, near h .. t.t IC : Y.·fll.: 1I 'lC .fl9": - KOI'dkor Dtihrd
lVl Zir()yfilll in 'l/.·A;J · :- Gdralla). ~,q :~dl. .'I:: -Abbii AJeri s sa id to ha ve found ed the ·l·'~I"·m : f.· f1L. : '/t\. t\·J· :- Diihrti
Hiille Luyii Monastery, nca r th e &.1\'1: (mt. -fl: - Mtirtib Ri ver, (from lie/lila No rth to t·"?: - Rama, th en a 6 hour
walk, west). Neve rth eless, )",t) : .) (m, )"A : 1I'1I\.f\·.C': -Ab ba Salllu'c i of I-/tille Luyii (d. between 134717 I ?), who
accomp lished many miracles is also kn own as founder in the fi rst ha lfofthc 141h century (death liturg icalmclll orial
on ?;'~/;:,..h'l"1\.: -2 6I1al1"e l2 Augustj).The monastery was burned down unde r "/ I.·:"}: '/·C : OIJ,..hou .r::- C rai111
NlIr-Mohamllldd, lik e man y others in that time.
53 Aro und 10 km East of t,Y:" ', -Adwa (forbidden to women, but there is a church and place for

wo men at t he e ntranc e.
5-1 A six-hoLir wa lk fi'ollllhe to\VIl and the place is in fore st and famou s for its ulIA: -((ibal-Hol y Water

5S Chaillot. 2002. EOC Trad ition , pp.7-25. Also th e other Monastry ofSilllduina we re found near Azdzo, Gonder.
56 According to the 'IY: f\:~Y:;.I'·} :-Lives of th e Sa int s, )",ll:/HJ·,../, ';() : -Za-Yoha nn as al e rive r plants,
),1): t)(1()'h ,A : "". t.\y: t) : -Abba Salllu 'el of Walddabba ate fru it and )",1): ·Hll\ : '/P,"'l'j':,': -St. Abllnii Tokio
1/(IYllliinot at e sweet leaves and bitter ones during lent. Apart from pray ing th e 'Seven /-lOllI'S' and read ing the Bible
and the Psalms ; bo th monk s an d nuns read asceti c and spiritual book s. The main book of monastic instruction is
ca lled (mX·,II&.: IfU! }] .. I):I ·: -J\"ii~'h(lfii /'v/imtikosat-The 1300k of the Mon ks.
Conce rnin g th e hermit and monasti c life in Ethi opia; as Abl/nti P 'ii""los, th e Pcltriarch of Ethiopia sa id an interview
with the researcher: "1v/OI1(1Stic life requires absolute dedication. cOllllllitment, a sense 0/ reality and / aifh. I~{ter
praying and fast ing all fhe fim e, alld hardly sleeping. some /Ilonks receive wisdom from God. 7'l1en p eople may COlli e
and ask spiritual ae/vice and a blessingji'OlII th elll . ..
57 Most of the Erilrean Monasteri es estab li shed by the fo ll owers o f )1.J."rt a l·I: :)Jrt: - Ewos!aleWOS, such as Fi/ijJjJOs

of Dribrii 13;::dl1 and Absadi of th e Monastery of Dtibrii I'v/Cirayam of Qohayal1 . Today these place found under the
pol itical geography in South-East Eri tre a.

- 27 -
offers the model of the Emperor Kaliib , who is said to have retired to a monastery fo ll owing hi s
8
victori es in Defense of Christ ianiti

3.2.2. The Revival of Mona stici sm in the Middle and Medieval Centuries
There has been a continuous monast ic trad iti on in Ethiopia from thi s ti me though there are so me
gaps in our hi sto ri ca l kn owledge. Ax ulll dec lined in the 9th ce ntury and later the 'Zagwe
Dynasty' 5gemerged wh ich was responsib le in the 12th century for the famous Churches at
LalTbtilti 60carved out of' th e so lid rock hewn Church61 and recogni zed as one of the architectural
wond ers of the world. Kin g UilTbtiia him se lr dec ided to become a hermit in the mount ainous
regions of 'liJgre, to escape the persec ut ions of his ha l f'~ b ro th e r f=/arbey who feared him as a ri va l
fo r the throne62 There Lallbtila met his future consort. the devout and gentl e /v!Cisqtil-Kabra.
Monasteri es were ofTe red and accepted gifts of land for many reasons. i\ gull was an important
mea ns of stre ngt hening the ti cs between a monastery and a ru ler. Thus, duri ng the late Zagwe and
ea rly S%l17onic period, a va riety of rulers do nated land to DtibrCi Libanos of Sil17tizana in attempt
to gain or hold the loya lty of is clergl3
Anot her monk , 1.. 9'{)£lj -I;9'{): -t;wOS!ale IVOs of Stira'e (ca. 1273 -1 352), the nephew of a great
ascetic , )',f]:WH.. A:/IJ'.-(\(,:'''/C,e?'':-Abba Dani'e/ of Dtibrti /v!arayam, in -ItrA;J':-Ctiratla
(Tigray) , was inOuenti al in the fo un ding of many monasteri es. Th c militant se J[~s ufli c i e n cy

whi ch characteri zed the fi rst stages of Stiwan and 1.. 9J {)£ll-t; 9' (j :-twos/alian (twOS!aleWOS-

" LA. W. Budge. 'i'l1e Qlleen ojSheba and /IeI' Only SOli Menyeiek, (London 1922), p. 226.
59 Th is dynasty was replaced in 1270 by the restoratio n of th e 'S%monic DynClsly', 'J'l'/'" :.e ll'. (/':/,fI"1h: - Ki ng

Vak lfl10 !I/JI!cik who traced hi s origi n frollllhc Queen Sft/U( and he r Son J\I/anlik I, whose fat her was King Solol11on.
(,I) Liilibdlci was an Empe ror of the Zeibrwe dynas ty is recogni zed as a sa in t by the Et hiop ian Chu rc h and
com memorated on 12 Stine ( 19 June) . Son of a nobleman, poss ibly an Empe ror, Zan-S;)yy ull1 , and cous in of
Empero r YalllrahCll7l1d K;)f'as/os , LolTbdlci was the Illos t outstandi ng mem ber of lhe dynas ty which ruled Ethiop ia ill
the twe lft h and thirteenth cCll lU ries. His father's name also appea rs as $anud6 in the /-liS/DIy of/he Pa/riarchs 0/
Alexandria. He was born in Noh a, Liis/ci, at the beginning of the reign of Emperor I-Iarbey, hi s half-brother, and his
mother gave him thc namc Liilillliia (v.lhich appears to sign ify "/Jees hal'e acknowledged his s uprelllacy" in
recogniti on of a sign shown at his birth when a swa rm of bees alighted on him. Whi le still a boy, Liilibiila heard the
voice or God telling him 10 buil d rock-c hurc hes at Roho - later his capital and now bearing his name, Lcilibtilli - fine r
even than those alread y hewn in Los/ci or 7"rJgre; to be able to create th ese, he must become Emperor. (The
Diclionw:l' of Elhiopian Biograph)'. Vol. 1 'From Early Times 10 /h e End of/he Zagll'e Dynasly c. 1270 A.D.,J
61 The greatest testi mo ny to Lcil- Vab dlci's nUlle is the ma gn ifice nt seri es of mono lith ic churches in his capital, hewn
in the natura l rock to design revealed to the Emperor in heaven during a vision, accord ing to hagiogra ph ic traditio n.
This complex. inc luding a honeyco mb of undergrou nd corridors. trench es. stai rways and in ner COU I1S, comp lete with
a water system, represents the culminating po int o r the best Elhiop i,iIl architectural tradi ti on (Sergew Hab le-Se lass ie .
.-lnciel1l and Medieval Elhiopial1 IlislOlJ' 10 12 70 (Addis Ababa, 1972), 15,208. 240-24 1. 265-183, 291).
61 J. Pe rrllchon . 1892. "ie de Lalibala. Pari s; R. Sauter. 1955. "La vie de Sa int-Lalibe la," L 'Elhiopie d'Al/jolird'llIIi.
"S. Kap lan 1982:90.

- 28 -
all'ayan) monasti cism appears to have al so figured prominently in the teachi ng and practice of the
first Slephaniles eOIllIllLlI1ities('·'.
3.2.2.1. Ex pansion of Monasticism in Ce ntral Ethiopia
Until the middle part of the thirteenth century there were no Ill onasti e institutions III

eithelAmhara or i'i'l':_Sdwa65 In Cddhi Tadewos of Dtibrti Maryam we read , "/n our land
jStilva} Ihere is no monaslic rule which any man has made becallse Ih ere are nol in our land Ih e
1111 I .X I '''' ':-.1<)'-" 111 1' ( II L'UCII
( ")I .
{I ~th_ lf .t h ( ,'n t ur,·)
_ I Jlh ..:t:ntur, r - - - l <-"hr''''II.lll ... ·onlr •• ll.
+ 14 i h ,·<:ntu~v
L-.J _,0 ~'.J'"
... I F, l h ..: ...·',Iu .....
~ r..1u·.I"Tl .1'-..•.. ...
... I (.th ... · ..·nl"'\"
CJ
I'.'.i-:.,Il ...... .. ...
()L--.........-. ~) 'n I no
,
,-..u
!
2:00
,
...!">o I\. ' d ..· ...
I
r - -r -,--....,. "----'-·1 1
.A.;;-',,,,;{,() P .. 1{l(1 ,<;0.1("') ..:!"">O 100 J"o "":n"\

, • { ... l

i L- .•,.'I •

,
L
\
,
f \'
.
.. '

BALI
i I

"' ...
,
...

- ",
.f

Map I : The Ex pan sio n of Monastic ism ( 13 1h - 161h C.) in Centra l and Southern Ethi opia 66

I, ' Ibid .
65 During the fina l years of th e Zagwc dynast y both Amhara and S~i \Va were under on ly nominal royal control.
Indeed it was probably thi s lack ofe fTective 7.agwc administration which permitted , '}'l./u:/".II,.~":I,Y"1": - K ing
)'akul1o Al1Ilcik to orga nize his up rising. However, \\lith the success of hi s revolt and the consol idation of the dynasty
by hi s heirs Amhara and S~jwa ca me und er the direct con tro l of th e Solotllonic court and th e autonomy of the local
ch iefs was greatl y cu rtailed. Thc emergence ofa mili tan t monastic movemen t durin g th e reign of the powerful ruler
Amda Seyo n is to be und erstood as a reaction of the Sawall s. an d to a lesse r ex tent Amhara, to th e encroach men t of
the new rulers on their trad itional powers and ri ghts (Taddessc, Church and State) , pp. 97- 100 ..
1>6 Taddessc Tamcral, Church and Statc, 1972, p. 204.

- 29 -
PI(fees (?f ·mOl? kS (' 7. Accord ing ly. th e loundation of Dtib,.ii I-tayq in 1248 and of Dtib,.(i Asbo ca.
1284 opened up unprecedented educ ati onal opportunit ies to th e Christ ians of these regions.
However, they had been forced to trave l to ·/ ~g,.ay province to pursue adva nced ecclesiastical
studies or a monast ic life 6s •
After the midd le of 13 Lh ce ntury the great figures of monasti c Ii fe69 appears, ~,I], h . \'t).(l , 'I"~" -
IIbba lytisus Mo 'a (d. 1287), a Spiritual Son of )-,I]:\)·,h~.:I/Y.-IIt.:.'\'I": -Abba )'o/1ann; of
Dtib,.(i Damo, become a monk in that monaste ry. which was still the Centre of Monasti c li fe.
I.ater. in 1248. he trave led to the Isla nd whcre the Chu rch of -1·.v,.{J:~,{Jm , 1Jj'{J: -S aint
,)s{ifanos, on , h.l',-1' :- I-layq- Lakc, was to be fo un d, where he esta bli shed the monaste ry sc hoo l of
Y.'(1 t. : ,,,-e-}: ~,{Jm,1.'j' {J : - Dtib,.(i /-Iayq as! i/Zinos. The most fa mous discipl e of Abba ly(isus

Mo'a is -1'.v,.{J:)-,I]!'/·t!I'I: '1.e"'l<jo:,,:-St. Abun(i 7(iklci I-Iaymanol, who went West and at the

end of the I3 Lh century, organ ized ',.v, au: rAIt.: )-,{J(l: -the Mo nastery of Dtib,.(i Asabo. The great
mo nastic rev iva l of the 14t h ce nt ury led to the estab li shme nt of the monaste ry now known as
rena med in 1445. as ·,.'llm,rAII.: 1'I,I]'i'{J: -Monaste ry of f)(ib,.(i Libanos lOin i'i'I':-S(i ll'a. it
become the most important mona stic cente r in I:thiopia.

3.2.2.1.1. Mon astic L ife by th e Royal Families a nd Nobel M en

The hagiographie sources from the ea rl y Solomonic peri od offer numero us examp les of men,
women, and children who entered monasteri es for ma ny and varied reasons. Some, like Z(i,. 'a
IIb,.ham, who had two wives die durin g pregnancy, were moti vated by personal tragedies 7l .

67 Gad/a Tae/elVos of Dobra A1myam, p. 86.

68Cadla QalVeslos, r. 20b, "Tcgre the land o r monk s". Amo ng the important Amharan and Shawan religious leaders
who tra vc lccl to Tcgrc to study we re Hcywat Bella lJascyoll , Iyas us Mo'a, Takla Haymanot, and Basalota Mikac' l.
(,9 By the 12 111 century a communit y of Ethiopian monks ex isted in the Monastery of Sa int E/ayas in Wadi Nalrun ,
(ncar the monastery of St. Yohannas KCimli) , seen in ruins by Makri::i in th e early 151h century. They then mo ved to
1h
the Monastery of th e Virgin (ncar the Monaslcry of Yo/1annas rta~'{ir (St. John the sho rt). In the 19 century,
Ethi opian monks were found in the Monastery or tile Syrians (Wadi Na,nl17). In 1935 , the Eth iopian 'charismalie'
monk IIbd o/-Thii/lllh. who had fi rst occ up ied a ce ll in Deir Baramolls (Wadi Na/r un) , settled in another cell in Gebel
I-Tai,. , (200 km sou lh of Cairo). The last Ethiopian hermit in Egypt, Father Ilhd al-k!iisih, lived from aboul 1935 in
cave. the dese rt of Wiidi Niilrtl17, in the arca of the !3ar01l101lS Monas tery. assoc iated with Muse SCi/11m (Moses the
Black), a fa mOll S 41h century ascetic. Walking barefoot in th e desert , living with th e minimum ma teriall y. turned
towards the essential. he was an inspi ration for many Coptic monks who later revived th e monastic life in th e second
half of the 101h Cel1tul").
'0 C. Conti Rossini. "L'evangclo d'oro eli Dabra l.ibanos." Rendicom; della Nea/e. pp. /O--I-I

71 13 . Turaicv. Am S. Fere Mika 'el el S. Zar'" Abrahalll. CSeQ XX til (1905), PI'. 17-19.

- 30 -
Others were so ldi ers who perhaps wis hed to avo id the obvious dangers of the batt lefie ld 72 Ma ny
of monastic holy men are Ethi op ian and some of them are "Saint Kings " by their origin, as P.
Marrassi ni stated on Nov. 1982:5-9:
... flere fhe similarities anc! differences l"ifh {in Ellropean hagiography?J Ethiopia (and
also l"ifh ifS "Sail1l Kings" like Kah' b. Lalibela. Na 'eklllo la-Ab, Iyyasu) are clear, and
perhaps wonh 10 be examined more closely ..... Most 0(' fh em jSaints! are Ethiopian
origin, bw some at least one 0(' the parents is oj' Jewish origin: in addition to Ttiklti
f-faymanot and ozra who were 0(' "Levitical "family ... ,,73

Iloweve r. if we turn ou r atte nti on ['rom th e general monasti c pop ul at ion to the leaders of the
commu niti es. we lind th at the latter werc to a sign ificant exte nt the sons of nob les and chiefs.
Basalota Mika'el 74 was a relati ve of King Wedem Ra ' ad 75 ill]: >"t.\j'fl :-Abba Ebyas was the
nephew of the Emperor Zeir 'a Ya 'aqob 76 Za- Yohanni s eame from a ch ie r-l y fam il y, wh il e
Qawestos and Anorcwos were scions of the ari stocracy of Dawaro and Mugar respecti ve ly77
In fact, throughout the thirteenth , fourt eenth and fifteenth centuri es the leadershi p of Ethi op ia's
78
monasteri es was dra wn from the ranks of the wealthy and honored
Whi le the ske ptical reader mi ght di sco unt these reports o r the sa int s' nobl e origins as merel y
anothe r example of the hagiographers' attempts to glori I'y th eir heroes. the co rrobo rati on these
9
acco unts rece ive from non-hagiograp hi e so urces tes tifi es to their authen ticit/ The young
prince Ztir 'a Ya 'Jqob was entrusted to the safe-keeping of a T;)grean monk, a relati ve of Queen

72Gc tachcw Hai le, "From Strict Observance to Royal Endowment, the Case of the Monastery of Dabra Ha lle Luya",
t;MML 6343 , IT. 11 7- 11 8; Le MIISiill1 , XC III ( 1980), p. 16 5: C. Conti Rossin i, lIua S Basa/ola Mika'et el S
Anorell'os, CSCO II I ( 1907), pp. 89-90. In both these texts th e SoJomonic kin gs arc said to ha ve been strongly
opposed to the defection of soldiers 10 monastici sm.
73 P. M arra ss ini , Ethi opian lI agiograph y: hi story of Fact s and History of ideas, Int ' l Sympo. On Hi story &
Et hnogra ph y in Eth iopian Studies (l CI), Mekonen Hall. 6 Kilo Campus, Nov. 18-2 5. 1982.
7-1 )",11 : OOt\"' J·:ool,tO,,/,\ :-Abba Bti~·i.i1olCi Mika'el (end of 13 C. beg. of 14 1h C.) joi ned a herm it, Abba AnorelVos or
Dtlbrii Gal (a disc iple of Abba TyCisl/s Mo 'a ). He organized an important mona stery and wa s ils abbot. in Dobra Gol
(Amhtira). It clai mcd that he was ex iled sou th, to Dora and Lake Zmvoy.
75Gadla 13asalolCl Mika 'iiI, p. 14.
Gadla {""ya" EMML pl'. li t 126,.0'-
76
77M. Sch neider, li eles de Za-Yohannes de Kebran. CSCO Lt V ( 1972), p. 5; Gad/a Qawi},'os (unp ubl ished), f. 2;
Gadla IInorl?lIIos. p. 67.
78 For examp le, Abakarazun , A laniqos, Elsa'c of Dabra Li ballo s, ESlifanos, Ewostatcwos, Ezra, Filepos of Dabra
Bizan, Filmona. Ma rh a Krestos. Tadcwo s of Dabra Barlawa. Yohanncs of Da bra Damo, Yohan ncs of Dabra l3 izan.
79 On gadlal as hi storical sources see the pre sent author's "Hagiographies and th e Hislory of M edieval Eth iopia".

lIislOlY in A./i'ica, 8 (198 1); Cr. p. Charn is. "The Monk in Byzantine socicty". DUlI/harlOn Oaks Papers. XXV
( 197 1), pp. 76-77. Charni s while noting the ten dency of Byzan tine sa inl s' li ves to give th eir heroes a nobl e origin
concedes thc authenticit y ol"this cla im in man y cases.

- 31-
tgzi-Kebra so A son of Amda Seyon is sa id to have been the fou nder of MCindeibba, a monastery
on the shores of Lake Tana HI . Takla Iyasus, a teacher of /3i:i'ddei Malyall7, was a relative of the
.
reigning Sasarguc (one of l 'JU CIges)· 82 . Ya 'Jqob, the abbot of DCibrei Libfinos at the
' t le supremc
time of Alvarez's visit. had been a (Muslim l) govc rnor be fo re receiv ing a re velati on and
becomi ng a Christ ian an d a monk 83 Accordin gly, there appears to be littl e reason to do ubt the
testimony o rth e geidlar conce rnin g the ori gins of their protagon ists.

Although the authors of the gCidlar pu t co nsiderab le cl11phasis on thc choice of a monastic
4
vocation as a rejecti on of the famil l , thcy also te stificd to the presence of relati ves, espec iall y
ncphews, in the Sa in ts' entourages. Sl. Anorcwos has fi ve nep hcws in his co mm unity, wh il e
Iyasus Mo 'a is said to have had a brother and th ree nep hews al110ng hi s di sc ipl es at Deibri:i
g-
Il ayq '. Even tually he was succccdcd by onc or hi s neph cws. as was Tak la Haymanot of DeibrCi
Asbo s6 Fi ll11ona, whil e professing to have "neirher Fcaher nor Mori7er, bur only the Lord',
joined the comm unity of his uncle Tadewos, one of four brothers who had all entered
l11 onasteries87 Thus, even if we concede that some traditi ons of kin shi p ties between il11portant
monks and their disciples arc spurious, the overa ll importance of such links cannot be ignored 88

One or the most il11portant fac tors acco unti ng for the soc ial compos it ion of the monastic
comm unities was the cxistcncc of a tradition whereby thosc who chosc or were fo rced to aba nd on
the political arena took up the l110nastic litC. On some so urccs abound with exal11ples: Zar'a

80 Taddesse, 19 70, p. 220.

8lCheesman, Lake rana and (he BIlle Nile, (London 1936), p. 199.
lo;2 J . Pcrrucholl, Les Chroniques de Zar '(I >'a 'eqob el de lJa 'ecla A1myalJ1, (Paris I 893), p. 172.
IG F. Alva rez, PreSler .101111, p. 263.

K.I On the rejection of family for exam ple : Gac//a/Jasa/o{CI J\llika 'e/, p. 19; M.A. de la Fuye, ACles de Filmona, CSeQ

XXXV ( t958), p. 20: A. Ferenc, "Les Aeles d' ts,, ;e de GlI nd,,-GlInd e" , AE X (1976), p. 244 ; Miracles 0/ lya5l1s
ilia '0. EMML 1940, I'. 69v.
"' Gadlo lI/1orewa.\'. p. 81 : S. KlIr, ;iele.\' de Iva.\'lI.\' Mo ·a. CSCO XLI X ( 1965), pp. 20, 29.
lI6 2oibid. p. 49: Gad/a TokIo I-faymanal, cd. Budge. p 94: B. Turaicv, Aela S. , laronis el S. Phillipi. CSCO XX

(1905), p. 19 1.
87 Gad/a Pi/mona, PI'. 6, 20, 27 .

K8 Elsa'c who succeeded him. Ta kla !-Iaymanot's relati ves arc sa id to have included Ze na Ma rqos, Qawcstos,

Tadcwos or Dab ra Maryam , Heelan Mo' a, Sam u'c i of Dabra Wagag and ot hers. Sec V. Six, Die Viw des Abllna
Tadewos von Dobra A;fmJ1am jill 'l'anasee, (Wicsbadcn 1975), pp. 42 , 94-99, 28 8-289 . However, many or these
traditions are problemati c. Tadcwos is said to ha ve been oldcr than Tak la Hya manot, while Qawestos was on ly 6
l1101l1hs his junior. Yet both arc said to have died long after Tak la Il ya mano\ who himself li ved for almost a century.
Gad/a Tadewos, pp. 126,343; Gad/a Qawes fOs , fr. 44-48. 106-109. Hedan Mo 'a's hagiographer ma ke s no claim of
kin ship with Takla Ila yman ot and the saint would appear to have lived in the reign ofZar' a Ya·cqob. Gad/a //e,'W17
,\ /(;'a, EMML 2353 .

- 32 -
 Seyon, whose fa lse de nu nciations had ca used the deat hs of' num erous courti ers in the tim e of
Zar'a Ya'eqob, was forced to become a monk and was deported to Dabra f-I ayq 89 Alvarez
recounts the story of a nob le who assumed the monasti c life beca use of hi s marital -po liti cal
dirfi cu ities90 At the same time there lived Gabra Endreyas, "a so ldi er who ha ving had the ti p of
his tongue cut 01'1' fo r a treaso nabl e speec h became a mO ll k,, 91.

Thus it is not surprising to lind among the inhabitants of Ethiopia's monasteries so ns of nobles
who had fai led to in herit their fathers' titl es. Th is is clearl y the situati on ill the famil y of Filmona
and appears to have occurred in the famili es of' Iyasus Mo'a and Marha Kresto s as we ll 'i2 Sons
of Ydkun no Amlak, Amdii ~;)yon, and Zar' a Ya'dqob arc all said to have become monk s,
ap parentl y preferring thi s career to li fe in th e royal prison of !\ mbii G;)san 93 Some other monks
also join to monasteries, like-Ahtiktil't'izul1, OZI'O, lsoyiyos and Flabta S;)l lase were all Stepha nite
leaders. who like Os(ijCmos him self were of nob le origin. Sdre was, as we have noted, the lirst
ce nt er of the Stephanite mo vement, and three monasteri es established in thi s sub-province.

3.2.2.1.2 Persecution of Monks by Kings

There were clashes between the monast ic clergy and the kings Amda ~;)yon94 and Sayfa Ard';)d
have focu sed almost enti rely upon the monks' denunciati on of roya l polygamy"5.
In li ght of both their soc ial back ground and their local power base, it is reaso nable to conjecture
that !\mda ~dyon understood the rebellious clergy as a po litical threat similar to that posed by

Xl} Perru chon, Chroniq ues. p. 7.

'IU Alvarez, Presfer.iohl1. p. 424.
\) 1 ibid. p. 413, n. 3.

92Gacl/a FilJllona, p. 6; Gad/a ~Faslfs 1\110 'a, pp. 20 , 29. Iyasus Mo ' a, had two brothers. Gabra Seyon jo in ed him at
Dabra I-I ayq , while Scbuh Amalk married and sent hi s sons to their uncle's monastery. Gadfa /vIarha Kresfos, pp. 4-
7, 12-13. Ma rha Krcstos , the you ngest of three so ns, was sent to a mo nas tery.
93 S. Slre1cyn , Catalogue des J\t/(II1I1SCrilS tlhiopiens de L'Accadelllia Nazionale de; Lincei, (Romc 1976), p. 79;
Gadla Aron, pp. 137- 140. A daughte r of Amda Seyon also jo ined Aron's cOlllmuni ty and took the monast ic name
Barbara. S. Greba ut, "Note surla princesse - Zir Ganc la" . .III, ( 1928), pp. 142- 144. Saga Amlak, a monk among the
Beta Israel. is said to ha ve been a son of the Emperor Za r'a Ya 'cqob.
Basalota Mika'el and Filipos of Dabra As bo did not accept the g in s offered by Amda Scyon and \-vas beaten for his
().I

impudcnce.'<IO ) Ilis collternporal) . Aron of Daret refused th e generosity of Sayfa Ar'ad, although other monks
rationa li zed th eir acce ptance on the grou nds tilat th e gifts offered were repa rations for the previolls persecutions. PI )
Sarnu 'cl of Dabra Halle Luya apparcntly fo rbade his cOlllmunity to receive royal presents. The rule was probably
strictl y observed during SaJ11l1 'cl's own life time, but his successor accepted gold, cloth , a cross, and land hom the
Emperor Dawit .(42)
95 Taddcsse, Chflrch and Slate, pp. 114-118; Ilul1tingford , "Saints" , pp. 33 8-340 ; Cf. however, E. Ceru lli , "Gh abba ti
di Dabra Libanos" , Orient Cilia XI (1943) , p. 243. n. 2.

"
- JJ -
 Ar;,';)d agains t the c lergy
local rulers. Certainly, the steps taken by thi s king and his son Sayta
ir noble origi ns, fo r the
"who sought to disrupt the kingdom" we re in keepin g with the
nobi li ty96.
puni slU11ent meted out to them, exile, was generall y reserved for the
were potential allies and sent
The rebel monks were thus separated from their noble, relatives who
of local support, viz islands,
to areas which offere d them little opportunity to bu ild a base
97
ver, if the initial exi le proved
wastelands, or predom inantly Muslim or pagan regions • Moreo
tuency, he was likely 10 be
ineffec tive and the hol y man succeeded in estab li shing a new consti
transfe rred to anothe r region, forc ing him to rep~at the process
98

and
Howe ver, Amda ~ ;)yon and Sayfa Ar;)'dd's sagacious use of the carrot and the stick, gifts
rn rebels died
exi le, gradua lly elimi nated monastic oppos ition in Sawa province. The most stubbo
or were' sent into exile Others accepted royal favors and dropped their opposition to the
99

the Sawan monastery from

kings[OO Thus, at an early date many of the clergy of Dabra Asbo,
their anti-monarchial brethren
wh ich most of the rebel clerics had come, turned their backs on
quarter of the 141h century,
and develo ped their relatio nship with the royal court [Ol By the last
its peak, the monks of Dabra
when the royal conflict with the house of Ewostate.wos reache d
Asbo were among the most promi nent royalists in the Churc h.

3.2.3 Mona stic Genol ogy and the Existe nce of,Mo vemen ts
"bbii, and ),,(j:<'tOD')bA :
In 14th eentm y i',(j:<'toD·~b A:"'PA.<,:(j:-A bbii Siimu 'el oj Wiildd
Qoyd~ii, were the fa mous monks In Northe rn Eth iopi a,
,,<Y>r ~: -A bbii Siimu'eI oj
Bdge,nmaddr and Tigriiy. Althou gh, we can then be seen two main
()1.9uj';C:(JJ~· "}t..e:-
. 141h an d. ISlh centun. es [ 0'-;-
' movements 111
. I monas tIC
genea IogIca

96p erruch on, Chroniques, p. 7. n. 3.

Basa/ola Mika'ii/, PI'. 24 , 30, 33, 44 , 47; Cad/a
"Cod/o Anorewos, pp. 84, 87-93; Cad/a Aron, 1'1'.133-136; Cad/a
Comme nlarius ad Sliom HislOriam AelhiopiclII , qlloled by
Fi/epos 0/ Dobra Asbo, PI'. 214, 231,24 0. Cf. H. Llldolf,
~errtlchon , Chroniques, p. 7, 11. 3. "Nobiliuln poena
in '-Iabassid est depor/alio in inszdam lacus Tsanici".
240 .
8Cad/a Ancriiwos, PI'. 88-89 ; Cad/a Fitepos 0/ Dobra Asbo, PI'. 23 1,235,
, Endreyas, Qawestos, and Tade wos of Da bra
990u rin g this pe riod are Anorev'los, Aron, Basalot a Mika'e l, Filepos
ns are th e resull of the hagiographer's allcillpi s ILl
Maryam . Howeve r, it appears probabl e th at so me of these traditio
ct is portray ed on ly in th e gad/ of his so n, Gadfo
g lori fy their heroes with ma rtyrdom . End reyas' role in thi s confli
and Tadewo s is Illentioned on ly in Iheir gad/al.
Samu'ii / o/Dabr d Wagag, pp. 10-1 2. The in vo lve men t of Qawew os
106-109 .
Cod/a Todiiwos o/Dabr a MOIyall/, PI'. 348· 350; Cad/a QaweSIOS, ff.
[OOCad/a Basa/ola Mika 'e/, pp. 45-46.
to the monast ery because of his quarrel with the
IOIF ile p'os, once th e ab bot of Dabrd Asbo, was denied ent rance
king. Cad/a Fitepos, p. 24 1.
102 Chil lol2002 : 19.

- 34 -
 i) The Disci pl es orst. Ttik/ei lIaYll1ana/ma in ly trave led in thc South UI'1J :-Stiwa

and fu rthe r So uth, probab ly until '11'1' .r.: ,h.e ·»: -Lake b ' I'ay) , but al so went West

and N ort h;
ii) Th e Disc ip les of l;WaS!aleWaS tra vc led mainly in the No rt h Tigray and present
Erit rea), and a lso West.

Among St. T ak la I-Iayma not; the most fa mo us disciples are: ~,fJ : 1..0. P.{) : -A bba Filip 'as, the thi rd

Abbot of Dtibrti Asaba, MI",:,Lc,' :"'/C¥{): -Abund Zena Marqas (d. I 375/6?) of
1h
,K·fl/,: ·fl/p?·l-: -Ddbrti /Ja.\'rat, in No rt h ,~d'I'a. a nd a lso West. In the 16 ce ntu ry

~,fJ : "·}fJ ·j\9":(JI~,fJ:\'·,h·}{):-ll bba Onbaqom and Abba )'ahannas are wel l known Abbots o r
Dtibrti Libanas' 1I3
Amo ng IiwaS!afelVa.\ (ca . 1273- 1352 A.D.) disciples were: ~,IJ:~, ·(lI)'<;. : lI f..rIt. : "'l C ,C'9" :-Abba

Absadi of Ddbrti Marayam in u '(r!!, :-Stirciye (d. 1380/ J?) , ~1 1J : O·~·h : ~19" '1h: (/I~,fJ : I., 0.P'{) :­
Abba 13uruk Am/cik and Abba Filip 'os 1I .1'..·(l t.: ~,IJ .e: -of Deibrd 13iztin. Another of his d isc ip les.
~,fJ : ·Hlt.: ~"r'(H'l : -Gtibrd lyeislIs. preac hed the Gospe l in (1'/, 9" Y:C: -/Jdgemmaddr, where he is
sa id to ha ve converted many 1..'1 'fl' : -Ftilci.W. fL'I' : ~, .r. t)· Y: q/Jelti AyahudJ the I-louse of Jews.

O,· I ·: ~,p ' (,· ~" A : :/3elti iJiFcie/-thc House or Israel du ring the middl e of the 141h cent ury. Under

thesc two very g reat in ll uen ti a l monastic centers: the re through whom the monks of today trace
the ir o ri g ins. ~,fJ : '1. Y' C'l,(l : 1/.') /" ""1.: -A bba Giyorg is of Gcisac'ci (d . 1425), a fa mou s scho lar of the

time , became a monk in the '1 ,'\ rm: : J P'·"!.: -Gcisac'ci Monastery. T he monastery is not far from

the 1,(\ au : ,h.e·} : -/-/ciyq Monastery.

There are a lso some fa mo us nuns, themse lves fo unders of ind epende nt monasteri es. For

cxampl c :-hC{) ' Y'{): 11'9" (,.: -Kdrds/()s Sdllml ( 151h C.). ":'»C'I' : t,C{) 'Y'{) : -Fdqarlti Kal'dsfaS an d

mo'/': R.'I'{:'{): - 11'dlci fii /'e!al'll.\· (both 171h Cc nt ury.) 10.'.

/'I) T hc two /lou ses Thou g ht s and Emp eror Ziir 'a Yr7'aqob and Rc ligiou s Nationalis m

For almost a ce ntury th c new monasti c "hause". fo und ed by St.l'I'as{cilelVaS o f Sdrci'e (ca. 1273 -
1352) th reate ned to d ivide Ethi opia both re li g io usly and pol itica lly'05 Pc rhaps o nly their triumph

103 Ibid .
I()~Ibid .
105 For th e life of thi s impo rt an t churc h lead er sec S. Turai cv, '\/Ol1lllllenl.\· :/ elhiupiae lIag i%p.ia. III ( Petropoli
1( 05). On f\ \ Os Hlt cwos and hi s movcment sct' Tadd css c, Chllrch (lnd Stal e. pp . 206-231.

- 35 -
within the Church in the mid-fifteenth century prevented the Ewos/atians from becoming a
regional church independent of the main body of the Ethiopian Church. While the history of the
Ewos{atians and their role in spreading Christianity are of great significance, for the moment we
are concerned with the circumstances behind the emergence of the movement. As Taddesse
(1972: 209) stated about their position:
"These Ewos{atians taught against the Alexandrian position on the Sabbath l06 It seems
that at first he could gather little active support for his cause, and he lefi the country in
self-exile, When his disciples returned fourteen years later, they apparently came with
even stronger views on the subject, and with new ideas of better organization".
Despite the conflicts which eventually developed between the Siiwiin clergy'07 and the northern
movement of the disciples of Abba Ewos{atewos, the roots of both monastic movements are
essentially similar. Like the Sawiin clergy, the Ewos{atians included among their leaders sons of
nobles such as Filip'os, Yohannes, and Ewos{atewos himself,08 Once again the rise of the
movement can be seen to have been closely connected to the establishment of Solomonic control
in the area in question, for. Ewos{atewos lived during the reign of Amda $gyon and met the king
during the latter's military campaign in northern Ethiopia,09 With the subjugation of this area, the
Ewos{atians movement developed as the champion of the area's traditional religious practices,

106 The newly founded monasteries of the central and Southern provinces, the monastic institutions of the northern
regions had endured for close to seven hundred years at the time of the "Solomonic restoration ". Tegre province, the
proverbial "land of monks", had long been the center of Church education and continued to exercise a fascination for
pious Christians who journeyed there to learn and visit the ancient religious sites. It is therefore somewhat surprising
that in the fIrst half of the fourteenth century a new monastic movement developed in Tegre, which was opposed by
virtually all the clergy of the Ethiopian Church.
107 The Alexandrian position ( (Lob ·HM : '/ .e "1'1 r: - The House of Tiikla Haymanot ) during this time; the
disciples among whom Ya'aqob made this arrangemenf are said to have been twelve in number, including Fnrppos.
Among these we have the Gadls of only three of them and a complete review of the traditional activities of all cannot
be made at the moment. It is however very clear from the geographical setting that the bishop intended to cover all
the corners of the province of Sawa and that he sent his missionaries in different directions from the central and
southern provinces (Taddesse I972: 176):
(a) To the east, in the direction of the Muslim frontiers, the following were ass igned:
Yonannas for Kail'at, Qiiwas!os for Mahagil, Tiidewos for Salalas, and Maryas for Fatigar,
(b) To the north-west, beyond the western edge of the Sawan plateau, were ass igned
Anonlwos 'the junior' for Morat and Wiigda" and Marqonlwos for Marhabte;
to the extensive new areas in the south and south-west were senet Anorewos 'the elder' for Warab and
Sigaj,' Adghani for Damot,9 Iyosyas for Waji and, Yoseffor lnar'ut.

108 Gadla Ewostatewos, p. 3; Gadla Filepos ofDabra Bizan, p. 7 1; Gadla Yohannes ofDabra Bizan, p. 127. Buruk
Amlak is another Ewostatian of royal origin, but he was not an Ethiopian and hence his antecedents are not relevart
to our concerns. C. Conti Rossin i, "Un santo eritreo: Buruk Amlak", RRAL, ser. 6 xrv (1938), p. 16.
109 Gadla Ewostatewos, pp. 53-54. The traditions on the relationship between Amda Seyon and Ewostatewos are
contradictory in nature. His gadl records that the saini refused the king's gifts, ibid. but wept at his death, p. 108.

- 36 -
 While tillos(iitewos himse lf chose ex il e and died in Armenia, hi s discip les succeeded 111

deve loping a wel l-organized movement without the benefit of th e roya l patronages cnjoyed by
other lllonaster ics ll O Desp itc the violent oppo sition of kings. bis hops, and other Church leaders,
the twos(iitians mo ve ment nourished in the fi'ontier arcas of the nort h where they enjoyed loca l
support III. In these rcgions they succeeded. like th e mo nks exiled by Amda $Jyon and Sayf1i
Ard ' dd, in att ract in g a largc follo wing among thc loca l Chri sti ans and non- Chri stians I 12

Il) T he Diiqiqii 851if(/1I05 Movement and The Ca use of C ontroversy

The last of the monasti c movemcnt wh ich wc sha ll co nsider in our analys is of the factors behind
the ri se of the holy man is that of I..r,.,:",: Mlm,1.';'r) , -Ddqiqti iJs(ijonosj, the Ch ildren of Stephen
' heresy ', and the fo ll owers of Abba os!ijonosl1 3 Al though [',()m!i,"'t')m' ,f" }-Os!ijOnosiiwoyiin}
Stephanil es c1 crgy appear to ha vc been es pec iall y conscienti ous in reco rding the li ves of thei r
lcaders, the hi story of the ir movement and their theo logical opinions. we are sti ll a long way from
be ing able to accurate recon struction of the hi story of th is ' heretical ' movement 114

Some lalCr tradition s seck to include 1~\Vo state",vos alllong the sa in ts who opposed the king's marital practices, ihid, p.
48 , n. 1; C. COllli Rossini. "1/ libra delle /eggel1de e Iradi::iol7; a/)issine dell'ecciaghe Fi/ipo~i". RRIIL. SCI". 5 XXV I
( 191 7), p. 709. Ot hers claim that close lics existed bet wee n the kin g and the saint , Tflddesse. Church (lnd Slate. p.
208, esp. n. 9.
[lOOn th e organi za ti on o rlh e EWQslatian co mmuni ties sec Gad/a Filepo.\·, Gad/a )'ohannes. Gad/a Bllrllk Alii/Ok. and
th c fragmcntary Gad/a Marqore\llos, I\lso J. KoI11loC\ in, Traditions de Tsazzega ct I-Iazzcga, Archives d'e/lides
orientales, vol. 5, 3 (191 2· 1914) A23, A24. i: wostatcwos himself rcfuscd gi ft s from Amda SeyoJl, Gadla
£lI'oslatiilvos, pp. 53·54 . Fi lep 'os refused those of Dm"'il. Gadla Filep 'os, p. 118; Yohannes cou nse led his disciples
agai nst accepti ng charit y fi'o lll ki ngs or rnakwanncns, monasteries or laymcn, Gadla )'ohannes, p. 135 , but und er his
leadersh ip Dabra l3i za n appears to have accepted royal g iflS. G. w.n. Hu ntin g ford , Land Chaners oj Nouherl1
i-.'Iitiopia (Addis Ababa 1965). p. 34 .
III ibid, p. 146; Gadla Fitepas a/Dabra iJi:al1, p. 65.

11 2 Indeed , the eme rge nce of monasti cism alllong th e [3cta Israel (Falasha) is almost certainly related to thc activities
of th e Ewostatians among these Eth iopian Jews.
11 3 ~,ll:?\(}(Jl. ".t;·(): .;lbba c;,st ilcillos was born by 1394 to fami ly orthe local chiefs at Mardwa in the sub-province

of !/ giime in North ern Ethiopia (Tack/esse Tamrm 1968: 104). li e was fi rst given th e name I-/adgti 'Anbtis{i, His
father , Bar/Jand Mdsq(i/ died before he was born ; and he was rai sed by his mothcr, Sara. Later, his mother sen t the
boy to his uncle, the ch ic I' of Zaqlay and Game/{i (Ge/achel\l lIaile 1996:5 7). Afle r a short reunion with his fa mily,
CJsl(/CtnOS joined the monastic cOl11llluni ty or ),1) : j) rw·'•• A: lI~r· {')~ : - Abba Still/If'(!! 0/ Qoyti~' a, educati on center
called IJelti rnislls and studied Psalms o f Da vid . On his behalf of his behavior and his courage of learning, the
clergies of lJefd r lliis/ls gave him thc nallle ·I.)s!i(finos' (Gc/achell' Haile 1996:58). At the age of eightee n, his famil y
se nt him to the Egyptian Bishop. , Jhllnc"i /3 til'ftilolll ewos: alld was ordained as a deaco n. Ilere he distin guished himself
by his learn ing and teaching and began to ga th er di sciples fi'o m amon g the pup ils who came to li sten to him.
Although his 'hereti cal' vicws do not appea r to ha ve preve nted him from bein g co nsecrated as a priest by the same
/ l bl1l1(/ Btir/mol/uhl'os at the age orthirty. the y significantl y harmed his relationship with the other monks at Q oytl~· fi.
On ly th e intervention of th e Governor of S rc appea rs to ha ve saved him and his foll owers from comi ng to harm
ane! it was in his region that Os!iflinos es tablished hi s new co mmunit y (Sleven A:aplan 198-1:-11).
11 ·1 S. Kaplan 1984 :40.

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Os{i/anos joined the monasti c com mu nity o r ),,1]: <)o" · )"A : 1/.1\\' ~: -Abba Samu 'el 0/ Qayei,I'a I15
At age of ninetee n, as it stated in Celache lv Haile (1996:62-63), Abba Samu'el, the Abbot of the
Mon astery, gave him the Monasti c Cap (Aske ma) . He became a ca lli graphi st; the work or
copying the manuscri pts gave him an opportunity to deal with the teaching and practice or the
church I 16 Kn ow ing hi s tal ent an d hi s stri ct monasti c life many peo pl e from differcnt monasteries
gath ered around hi s littl e hut to li sten hi s preachin g'sl1 7 f rom amon g the pupi ls who cam e to
listen to him. ,)s{ifanas bcga n to gat hcr hi s own disc iplcs" x. At thc agc o l' th irty_ he was ordained
as a pri est by Abllnci i3tirtti/olllewos Il 9

On hi s return Os{i/an os clashed with the communit y of th e monastery, because he began to

denounce them from their departure from the /-Ia ly Script ure. f inall y, they demanded him to
leave the communi ty. Kn owing the whole com munity, includin g the Abbo t, needed hi s
ex pul sion, Osrijanos Icft Qoyci.)'a and sett led at WCigcira. Afi er sometim e, OSlijOnos returned to
Qayci.)'a with the request of the Abbot fo r reco ncil iati on. I l owever, they put hi m in jail in hi s
arriva l I 20. Co nec rni ng th e bcginni ng of hi s movem ent as Taddesse Tam erat J968: 106 stated: .. /-Ie
Ivas released soon. at the intervel1lion a/the Covel'/1or a/S;)re, and the 1-listOlY o/the Stephenites
m ovement proper started at this point in 1-128 A. D. ". The ruling kin g of the time was King
I 21
)';)shaq , with hi s throne namc Ccibarci Miisqti/ and the Bishop was Abllnci i3tirtci/omewas .

In addition to, politi ca l an d doc trinal iss ucs, Stephen ites were also accu sed by the Church of
Eth iopi a and by leir 'a )'a ';)qob himse lr on the ba se of 'Canonical' d i fferenees. These canoni cal
d iffe rences maybe d ivided in to three: -
i) The diffe rence in Monast ic Cap

ii) Observance a/Jew ish Sabbath. and

iii) Th e Christian Morality and Ascetic Ufe

115 Ibid
116 Toddesse J'all1rat /968: I 05.
11-:' Ce/(lchell' Ilaile 1996: 70.
11K Loc.cil 198.1:--1 I.
I I') Op (:il 1996: 71.
l~fJ Ibid. pp. '"'3- - -I
I~I Op cil. 1996:]35

- 38 -
 i) Ti,e differe1lce iI/ MOl/llstic CliP
Th e Slephen iles had different kind of monasti c cap, which irritated th eir opponents. Ho wever,
they claim ed that theirs was the ri ght one. On a big Council held inside the King's Court ,
Clergies of Roya l Camp asked them sayi ng as it mentioned on: 122
" Id -mdnl zti-ild-hab;JI'!I masdlti/Cildsald llayojJJ)aya bti-qob:
Why is illhal you do nOI agree Il'ilh Uhiopian .monks Il'ilh
regards 10 monaslic cap?"
Co ncern in g thi s quest ion. IJawlos. among th e Slepheniles monk s answe red
. g: " .. il is an examp Ie 0fel'1I'iSI ·S palience, ..
by sayll1 "In

The king sent them to thc Archbi shop Abba Gdbra'el, Alexandri an Patriarch ordering him to
exco mmuni cate them (The Slepheniles). Howeve r, the Bis hop reco gni zed it as the ri ght monast ic
cap of the son s of Abba P 'akumis (I'achomius) and showed them hi s monastic cap, which is
identical with them'2.'.

ii) Observallce of Jewish Sabblltll

Th e accusation aga in st o s! i/anos includ es the charge he obse rves the Jewish Sabbath while
breakin g the Sunday '25 He admittcd that he observed the Sabbath but denied that he di srega rded
Sundays' 26

The questi on o f the obscrvanee o r Jewish Sabbath was the main princip lc of the ld"{]fI/'1;9'{]: -
{1I/oslalian (E\vos!alewosawayan) than iJs(i/unosawayan (,Slepheniles '). Howeve r, what 1 do not
understand is that in the church, whi ch had closc tie Jewish wo rl d. who we re those who we re not
observing the Sa bbath 0 Maybe, suggest that the Judaic reli gio n and cu lture infl uenced in the
Church ofElhiopia.
Thi s idea also deve loped by Getachew Haile (1983 110) as stated : "For a church, like that of
Elhiopia Il'hich makes Ihe Pseudo-ApoSlolic \]Iritings Ihe cenlral basis 0./ ils authorilY, {he
heretics should be {hose Il'ho do nol obsel'l'c Sallirday ".

122 Gdd/a 'Abiiw wd·;lxaHl, EJ\;/kIL -I,f..J5.

123 Gelachelll Haile 1996: 9.:1.
'" tbid, 1~9.
125 Ibid. 9-1.
126 Tade/esse ramerol 1968: III .

- 39 -
 The Church of Ethiop ia, i;wOS(alian, the Slepheniles, and even the King ZCir 'a Ya 'aqob hi mse lf
were all obse rvers of Sat urday. St. Abunti Tdklti Haymanol of Stiwa and hi s cousin and di scipl e
AMa Qtill';)Sios. were strong observe rs or Sa turday. Abba Giyor 'Xis of :In'''?,: -Gasac''a believes
that observin g the Sevenlh Day is one among the Ten COll1l11andll1el1ls olGod, so that no man has
the authori ty to abol ish it 127

In the ti mes be fore Ztir 'a Va 'aqob 's time , i r the monasteries were observing the Jewish Sabbath
and iI' the Observance a I' the Sabbath was not a controversial issue, then why Ztir 'a Ya 'aqob
accused th e Slepheniles on th e base of th eir Observa nce of the Jew ish Sa bbat h?
Th is idea 0 1' not observing the Jewish SaMalh had been introduce by the Metropol itan, who
eame li'om Egypt. Ili shop Sall'iros. who displ eascd with the .l ewis h customs. obsc rved in thc
Church ojElhiopia l 28

Wherever, the cause was before 1450 A.D. that the Observance ol Jewish not accepted at the
King 's COl/rl. In 1450, at a Council held in j.'.'(J/':'1"'f''''l·}: -Dtibrti M<Jlmaq, Ztir 'a Yc/'aqob
eliminated the stumbling bloc k which divided Ihe Erhiopian Church in to two l 29 Then, observing
the Sabbalh and the id ea on wh ich LJs(i/c1I1os were acc used to get an acce ptance at the court.

iii) Pursual/ ce of Strict Christial/ Morality allfl As-cetic Life

After the ex pUl sion from the Mo nastery of A(J:I)O"'~bA:"<f.r'7, :-Abba Samu'el of" Qoyti.l a,

)',(J: Mlm.1.'j'l): -Abba os(i/anos estab lished hi s own monastery. However, sti ll li ving in hi s own

monastery. he did not stop denounc ing th e monk s of other monasteries ror their departure from
Ihe Holy Scriplures.
A monk is a 'dead lI1an ' who has vo luntari ly left his worl dl y li fe in fa vo r of the life to eome l3O
For thi s reasons the Code ollhe Kinxs 11';,lh" NCixci.\'11 prele rrcd to ca ll them as an Angels ' as
. di ll
mCl1 l1 Ol1e :

" ... wti-lI1tintikosat-ni II1tila 'ak 'I madr-C/lv<Jyan wci-scib ' stimay-awayan:
Monks are Angels ollhe eal'lh and human o(lhe heaven ".

127 Ibid.
I :!!! I bid.
J:!I) Ibid. III.
no .Getachew /laile 1983:95.
111 F Iha NtigdsI1 958: 153.

- 40 -
 Ho wever, monks who li ved at the tim e of Os!i/anos were not ange ls, On thi s reason, Cis!i/anos
and hi s children did not obse rve monastic principles, and they refu sed to be in Ihe Communion
Wit, I1 sue I1 peop Ie 112'

They ex posed the big and weal th y monasteri es by say ing loudly:-
ktimti--za-nu Janolo lti-/17:mkus-no zeibei- 'a!a lYo !drifti wei-beili 'a wti-stiliy bei-xCI.\'isei
simtil wti-bbr II'ti-bei-ltistiraga1vo zti-bdqti!tinlti 'alabOs;
Is the conduct of monastici sm like thi s by acq uiring of property, by eating and drinking,
by desirin g rank and honor, and by putting on expensive dresses" IJ3

Bi g monasteries were enj oy in g land grant s of ki ngs. monarch s and governors, Thi s intern makes
them to break the ir ,\>nrds which they promi sed li ves in po vert y, Lven so me monks were li ving in
thei r own hou se. without go ing to monast ery. having thei r propert y. inc luding their slaves with
them, The oth er we ll-educated and well-k nown spiri tua l mo nk s started to leave their monasteri es
'fk
an db ecame eo urtlcrs 0 'lI1 gs I J<J '

Howcve r, the denouncin g act of Sfephenifes embarrassed the bi g and wealthy monasteri es; and
this in turn consolidated the power of th e opposing to the Church of Ethiopia during the reign of
Emperor Zeir 'a Yti 'o{job,

iv) Doctrinal Controversy

Doctrin al iss ues were other causes for the disagreement of Slephe niles and Emperor Ztir 'a
Yo 'dqob, These dogmati c prob lems di vid ed into three:-

a) The queslion on Ihe Lyislence o/ Yo-/l/. :y,' f -'}: - Dtibrti Sayan:

b) The ques fion on 'fh ree lI'ords 'o r 'one 1vord' exiS fS in Ihe Iioly Trinily: and
c) The queslion on jJl'Oslralion/or onlVlhe Iioly '! /'inify, or/or Sail7ls and objecls 100,

'" Op cil, 10-1.

I.~.' Cadlii 'Abell I' wd-AxOI LI, Ek/IIIL .1/8
1.'-1 CetachelV " aile 1996,pp.33-3..f.

- 41 -
 a) Existence oI~·nG:?l ("'}: Ddbrd Sayon

~·flG:'1. ("'}: J)Cibrti $dyon, literary mean s MOIlI1l Zion. It is one thousa nd yea rs time, in whi ch
Chri st will come and reign with hi s elec t. It is related with the belie f or SCiIl7c1n;)ya Ma'd/ '- the
E~ /'gI1t 7'1
11OUSan(;{13-\ ,

Somet im es it is called:- " /I1asah' bCi-J)eibrti $ayon "- The Banquet on lv/ollnt Zion, "Mdsa/;a
Ktibkc7b " -7he Wedding Banquet (Revoilition 19'9), "Meibl ' zti- '/I.ia/,'t u Mdi'!/"- Foodofthe one
thousand (yean,! , "Mc7 'dd :ei- A,I'dr 'III Ma 'dt "-Meal o/the one thousand [years/, and "KtibkabCi
J)Cib rei $ayon "-The Wedding on Moun t Zion ",36. On MCiphafCi J)agguwa 137, it cal led "i\I/Cinga,ild
J)tibrCi $ayon " -Government of AI/aunt Zion ", The Scriptural bas is for it is the Revo/ution to John
1-/:1-2,20:2-3. 21. 3 and the seco nd part of the " O"'1.,";'.:lI,W}, - Mti.,'ahafli Kidcln "- The Book of
Covenant,
.. 'abltik-a!11u ';Jmei.y';) ktimti ';mld ~'eihay zti-ya-.YCiraq .. 'amti,I' 'd dibti madr 'akonnan
hayaw-clmi \VCi- 1II UI-clnei '({Inti- I 00 II 'Ci -5 a 'amCitei /I1ahc)/'Cit IdfCi~'eimti l11a ';)kCiICi /7tin!tiqosre
wti-/Jclsika )'a-ki'ill'an /I1a,)' 'a-tu Iti- 'ab-lIyei:
.. . I tell yo II, I lI'ill come as the slln rises .... I will come on earth and rule among the dead
and the alive, Wh en the One !-Iundred Fijiy Years between Pentecost and Pascal are
completeci, the coming "ffother Ivill come to pass l38

Another source for thi s bel ief is the hi stori cal Book of Giyorgis WCildti-A mid says:- the normal
way 0 [' life in thi s wo rld will come to end in 7000 A,M, (A nno Mondi). May it mean that since
the creati on of th is wo rld, whi ch is eq ui va lent to 1500 A.D , On thi s time, an angel will bind
Satan fo r a thou sand years (Re v,20.' I) and the reign of Christ with !-lis elect will begin , Chri st's
re ign will remain throu gh the peri ods of the impri sonment of Satan , and hence the one thousand
years of the Banquet on Mount Zion, The Banquet on Mount Zion will be preceded by the reign
0 [' 'I-Iasclwi Mtisih '-False A4essiah (Anti-Christ! (J In. 2. IS) and will be succeeded by the "Ne w
/leaven and Ih e Ne w fan h " (Rev,2 I : /) 139.

'" tbid, J I.
136 DarsGllti 114ikii '(}/ / 989: -198.
137 AI/d!>"ahaj(j f)aggu\jIo 1988: p"II-J, lie/ column 3]
'" Mii~ahafti Kidiin, EMAlL.2358.l n,
1:19 GefCIchelll !-Iaile /983: 109.

- 42 -
 Stephenites refused to accept this theo ry, For them ~'/I'-:: x' ("') : DCibrii Sayan began on the Day
0/ Salvation and will continue until the End a/the World, As it stated on Gtidlii 'AbCiw wti-
Axcnll uo,
,Dtibrti Sayan ya 'ze-hi Mltiwti lii-gtibCir-ayanCi Ipdq I wCi-dtixari-ni ya-mtip'"
As jor [ih e Banquet onl Moun t Zion, il is Ihere now the righteo usness: later, too, it shall
come/or the de eds o/righteousness .. ,

Wh en lhe ki ng, IZtir 'a Ya 'aqobl as ked lhe Stephenites, whal Dtibrti .<;layon is like? They repli ed
quoli ng li'om 7';)/'l'Ihal'lti Xabu 'at- (The Teaching a/ the Hidden) as il menl ioned 141 :
,. ... zti-yabe ktimCi yti- htihti-nti zti- 'liya n I-Fa 'aye; \Ilci- 'az '/1 i-slima '0 waslei labc; stib ';) z(i- /-

Iti-htiltiyti zti- 'asltidaltiwti ogazi 'abilher lti- 'dllti y a-jtiqilr-wwo:

.. ,As He [Christ} made known [thl'Ough the Apostle:,), what God prepared jar 'His Elect '
is something lI'hich is not seen in {human} eye, not heard in [human} ear, and not thought
in human heart P,

l lowcver, King Zeir '0 Va 'aqob has gone 10 great length in hi s 't\Iti,~'a/jafd lvlilad,-The Book 0/

Collection; to exp lai n what thc Banquet on Mount Zion"'" ,

b) Til e E'ristellce oJ 'tlll'ee 1V0rds' or 'ail e 1V0rd' ill tile Holy Trillity
The Stephenites accllscd on lhal time fo r their some unorth odoxy view on the /-Ioly Trinity'.J3
King Ztir 'a Ya 'aqob accllsed them of holdin g lhe ve rti cal view lhal lhere are 'three Words ' and
'three Sprits ' in the Ilolv 7i-inily"".

These Stephenites tought as stated on K. Wendt: "They say, the F'a ther exists with /-lis Word and
Spirit, the Son exists with llis Word and Spirit, and the I-Io ly Spirit" Th e Church of Ethi opi a and
the king, Ztir '0 Va 'dqob him se lf beli eves in th e Existence oj' 'one Word' and 'one Spiril ' in the
Holy Trin ity. Agai n as he stated: " We believe in 'one Word', Ihe Son, ,"ho is the Word oj'the

,4<' /"MML ,1,/09,

1.\ I Talllh;lI"/{f .\'". /ltl ·Of. I Y(j(j 10.1.
'I' K. Wem/lt96]: 3/, ,/Ii,
ID Taddesse 7i.lll1erm 19-1.pp.l30--IO.
1· 1-1 Getachelll Ilaile /983. 10 7.

- 43 -
 Father and the I-Ioly Spiril, and we believe in 'one Spril ', the /-foly Spirit as the Spirit of the
Father and the Son ,, 1·15

For the C hu rc h doct rine, interpreti ng those who confess 'three Words ' and 'three Sprits ' have
multipl ied God in to three: " .. Who teaches (Ihe L,islence of) 'Ihree Words" and 'three Spirils',
has don e 'i/1I'ee Cods ' '',

Il owever, the w ri tin gs o f th e Stephenites do not confirm the ' /~'x islence of Ihree Spirils' in the
/-foly Trinily, When, those Slephenites do co nfess the 'Exislence oflhree Words ', O f course, they
say the Father, the Son and the Ho ly Sp irit speak by their own Wo rds '4 6

c) Tile Prostration j(J/· tlt e I/o ly Trillity, ami for Saints ami Objects
Thi s doctri nal iss ue is not as simpl e as it appears on pape r, It was the reason fo r their
ex te rm ination from the fa ce of Et hi opia. They refused to pro strate before ' olhers ' ISainls and
objecls lOa). For them the wo rd 'olhers ' represent s obj ects a nd perso ns other than Ihe Falher, Ihe
Son and Ihe Holy Spiril. Among perso ns and obj ec ts, w hi c h the Slepheniles refu sed to bow down
be fore th em : SI. Mwy, Kings and the !-foly Cross are the main issues, Th e questi on is why they
rel'used to do th ese"

A) M ariology alit! tlte S tepltcllites Case

I. Rejil,m l of Prostration before lit e /COII of S I. Mm)' alit! tlte 1-IO~)i Cron-
Even if it is not clear, whether the Slephenile.l' knew it or not refusa l of prostration before the Icon
of SI, Mwy and the /-foly Cross is not a new idea in the 1-lislOIY of Elhiopia. So me sources fou nd
that o ne hundred IIft y ( 150) years before the establi shment of the Slepheniles movement so me
peopl e a rose in 7;,griiy w ho sa id , " .. We l1'illnol prOSI/'ale ourselves 10 Ihe Cruss nor 10 an Icon:
because an Icon isjusl a IO blel and Ih e Cross and piece of' wood/i'o/"J1 Colgolha ", However, the
move ment was stopped by th e dec larati on of A~e Yagb:J 'a $ayon (I'. 1285 - 1294 A,D,) 14 7

"IS Loe eil, 1962: 13, 38, ~ O.

1016 'l / J.:/:(/Jo ;>.f!,tJ, :.Ulf1X- 188. And also the Scriptural ba ses for their doctrin e are the Bouk of Enoch the
Pen/melleh (Gen/'26, 3 ']]) , Ihe Booh of lhe Prophels (ho. 52: 13 , E:ekIO:2: Dan 12'28), Ael,' oflhe Aposlles
(Aels 8'29, 10:20. 13 :2), Episl/es of lhe Apos!les (Co /a. 3:13, I-Ieb. 3:15, IIl'eler 1: 17-18), and Ih e Revelalion 0/
john (ReI'. l: II, -: 17, l.f: 13 (Knibh 1978: 151: '1..+:1'(//, : '/~ {l. ,,(iJ.!'f( ' 309, Gad!;; t~ toyasff Dl'b - Dra.).
1·17 z.-)·:r{IJ' .'}J~ t1, :)P},.1X p .2-1.

- 44 -
 The Slepheniles do not prostrate before the Icon 0/51. MOlY ; but this does not mea n they
di srespect her. When we look at their writi ngs, we ca n ascertain that do respect her. We can lind
the Icon of Sl. Mary the so-called " fI"fltl: tj:'/:t::{IJ/.\'<; :-Moslti I:';,qur Wtilda "-ISI MOly) with
l48
Iler Beloved Son. throughout the ir li teratures Their ch urc h at Cunda Cundi is ded icated so Sl.
Maryl .19 They also rec ite Woddase Maroyall1 - Praise 0/51. MOlY, and ;/nqei~'ei Bdrhan- Ihe Cale
0/ Ughl; every time on their prayer. These two compos iti ons ha ve words, like "SCi 'ali lanti
Qoe!dsl "-O Righleous l Il1Iercede./or us, wh ich praise Sl. Mar/ 50.

The question is, if th ey love and respect 51. Mwy. why they refused to prostrate before Iler Icon?
They have four main reasons not to do SOI SI:

a) Coincidence o/ Ihe Inslillilionalizalion o/Ihe Cull

b) Icons are Ihe Works 0/ Person 's !-Iond and non-ScripltWal
(~ Res istance 10 Royal Dominalion onlhe Church
d) I'roslralion is Worship

a) Coillcidellce oftlt e illstitutiollalization (!/tlt e Cult

The refu sal of the Slepheniles to prostrate to none; but, Ihe Father, Ihe Son and Ihe !-Ioly Spiril
coi ncided with the in sti tuti onali zation of thc CuI! 0/51. Mwy in the loca l chu rch by Emperor
Zeir 'a Ya 'dqob l52 Therefore. they refu sed prostrati on before an Icon was not a long-l ived practice
and obl igation the church.

b) icolls are tlte Works a/Persall's Halld alld NOli-Scriptural

In the occasion, the Churc h Fathers showed the Cull 0./ 51. MellY cal led "iv/oslti Foql/l' Wtildc7"-
Wilh Her Beloved Son: the Slepheniles ad mired the Icon and said : "II is Ihe works a/men '.I'
hand"1 53 It is a deliberate answe r to rcmind thc Church doctrin e, the Word 0./ Cod which
prohibits prostration befo re men's hand work (Psalm 113:13. Ex. 20.-1-5).

I <ll! Ibid, p.22

14<)Fikl'e Se/lase Sibhar La 'ab 1972 : IX.
15. Op Cil, 30, U O.
15 1 Ibid .
152 Gerachell' lIaile 1983:98; Sfel'en KaplanJ 98.J: .J2.
I j~ Loc Cil , / 1!V.'lX· p. 155.

- 45 -
The Bishop, Abba CCibrd 'c!1 when asked these Stephenites said, "Why do you not prostrate
yourselves/or SI. IV!cUY) " Th ey also repli ed:
"We haven 'I gal source be/ore, which says, 'I prostrate mysel/ /0 SI. MOl)" excepl Ihol 'I
proslrate myself to the Father, and the Son, and the /-Ioly Spiril ",15,,.
They maybe are referring to books. whi ch co ntain /-Iy mns/or the /3/essed Virgin and petiti ons for
Iler Inl ercessions, like Wdddasc! Maroyam- Praise 0/ SI, Mm)', and 'SCi 'a tat zci-Cob,I' '-Coplic
Ilorologiul11, Thi s book reserve the verb 'sCigCidCi- prostrated ' or 'sCigid- prostration' for Cod the
Father, and the Son and the /-Ioly Spirit' 55

c) Resistall ce to /loyal DO/llillatioll Oil th e Chllrch

As it written on the Gcidlii Abci1ll 1IIti-Axall', that the king asked them to prostrate befare the Icon
o/SI. Mary, they also answe red: "" we will nOI prostrate by your orders ", They even refu sed to
prostrate fa r God by Ihe order of the ki ng l 56
The Slephenites main intention here is to opposc the royal domination on the church by refusing
hi s order, whic h demands prostration before the Cull o/SI. Mill/ 57

d) Prostratioll is Worship
The wo rd 'sCigCidCi' in Cd 'az has three mea l1lngs by Wol/ Leslau '.I' Comparalive Diclionill)'
( 198 7:-190) i.e. " 10 bow oUI 0/ respeci , 10 proslrale onesel/lo ground, and 10 worship in
proslralion ", For the Slepheniles the word means: " 10 worship in proslralion" while for their
opponents il mcan t primarily. "10 bOll' down be/ore an objeci 01' some one as an expression 0/

respect " 15N.

At present Cd 'oz, two wo rds of exchang in g for 'scigCidCi ', that is ' bowing down in greeling bejiu'e
Ih e person ', In addition, nCisa'a 'ddti, that is. 'shaking hands ', flit. 'laking Ihe hand/ 59 On the
l 60
mean ing of nCis;} 'a 'ddti has changed to mcan: '10 bow down ' by an offi cial of ZCir 'a Ya 'aqob

I~·l (,'ac/t(1 '/ ' hcill' II '(/- ;/'WII', 1-:1\1"'1. -I. /. 63.
I" Lo(' eil, 198],' I()I, '
Locei', .?l!Vil:>: p./39,15-1.
l:if>

157 Steven Kaplan 198-1:-13

158 Lac Cil, 1983:96).

159 Ibid, 97,
160 Gtidld 'Abdll' wCi-Axaw, EMML -/, f 13 1.

- 46 -
 Si nce the Stephenites connected prostrat ion wi th worshi p. they objected to ex press their
Vene ration of St. Vla ry through sagddt, which they reserved for God the Father, and the Son and
the Holy Spirit. But th e later di sc ipl es, afte r a long d iscussio n with Bishop Abunti Gtibra 'til, have
prostrated beFore the Icon o[St. lv/my toget her with the bishopl61.

The Church' s Faith on 'Veneration of the /3/essed Virgin', in the other side, had gone beyond th e
limit for, "one might concludefi'ol11 the writings that he has lefi behind that he was demanding of
the Christ ians that they worship Her through !-IeI' Icons ,,162 In practice for the Church and Ztir 'a
Ya 'aqob, St. Maty come before Christ: Our Lord is ' Wtildti Marayam '-the Son o[ klcllY rather
than Jesus Chrisl. The king maybe motivated to act thi s way by the fac t that He was }Iti-
- -
11ar"ymll
1/ " Iill
ya-sa " I"gg
-- ,163 - a Son bom wit
. I1 tI
le'lI1tercess lon
. 0 FSt. M ary 1M.

On the book o r Mtislt'ihtiqu ' zti-Mar"yam-Intercession o{tV/m y (LMML 2969,.rf' 1-1-15) writt en in
opposi ti on agai nst the Stephenites , we co ul d find the statcments. wh ich support the ir idea:
.. Ialli y"dtilu kob r wti-sahat zti-lI'I"siti Wtilda 'ako wti-s"gdtit
/-Ionor and Glolyfor Iler, and worship and prostration (for Her) together wilh /-IeI' So n ".
As Prof Getachelv Ilaile stated: "In the co urse of the history of' the ch urch the question became
no longer whether or not the vcrb stigtidii or stigid should also apply to St. Mm y. but rather She
shoul d be worshipped with the verb '!lmldkti with !-Ier Son 165

2. Refusal of Prostration before of the King

Whenever, the Stephenites asked to prostate bef'ore the king. However, they rep li ed l66:
.. nfl/inti-sti f-nastigad Iti-ba ';)(1zti- 'anbtilti Iti- '; I b wd- Wtild w(i-Mdn[tis Q"dus;
We, (the Stephenites) pl'Ostrate ourselves to none but for the Father, the So n and the Holy
S"pirit ..

16 ) Lac dl, /i!/ }X'U9. 29-1,

1(' 2 Gerachew !laile 1983:98.
1&3 Thi s expression divided the Chri stia n Ethiop ia into two. But later in 1878. at the Council of Baru M eda , the
express ion ::.ti-lIIoslti Wii/da- together with lIer SOI7. have revised into wd-lti-Wtildii-and fo r Her SOI1, by th e
request of th e Stigg o(:- II dupfionisfs, and by t he will of Emperor )'ohann;)s I V (I'. 18 7 1- 1889) (Op Cil , : .?/!f.'l~>
266)
1<,.' thid. UY. 29.'
!I,~ Lnc eil, 1983: I II.
166 Gadla 'll blill ' lI 'ti- l JXOIl'.

- 47 -
 from the Bible. which they
Il ere al so they considered prostration as worship. Their f'a vori te verse
pay Caesa r l"hal belong s 10
L1sed it to anirm their position in Gospe l of Mal/he I " as stated : . ...
Caesa r and pay God whal belong s 10 God. " (Mil. 22:21). Th ey
believe , ·' .. ,proslr a/ion belong s
.,167
10 God, and should nol be g iven 10 Caesa r.

The text that King Ztir 'a Ya 'dqob L1sed aga inst thcm on Genes is
23. 7, 33:3 and I Sam. 24:8,
of /-Ielh, Jacob 10 Esau and
whi ch report: ""./-10'" Abrah am proslr aled hill7sel/ lo Ih e Childr en
et these Biblical f'aet s. they
David 10 Saul respec lively .. ,68 In rep ly. they d id not try to interpr
deeds of Ihe many,
answered, ),'....'·lIf:· ou ·,i\·IIII ·Yiol'( Jll.,Il,.. (), : ,·i\ ., M,'/JI) dl,ILC '- 1"1'0111 Ihe
verbal leslil170ny o/God is greale r ,,'69 Thcy meant , God ordere
d us to prostra te none other than

him.

s
3.3 Over view of the Histo rical Back gro und of Glid/li 'A bba E/iJya
In th is part I wi ll discuss on the establi shemcnt of' the Mo nastery of
'II i'fh1: -II.~kblla ' presen tl y
KA!f) and the life of' Abba
known as iJn!o!!o J-Iall1tirti No 'ax Kidanti Milhriil Mo nastery (,J/-/N
tl;)yas bri eny.
s
3.3.1. The Estab lishm ent of AskkiJ/h, Mona stery and Abba E/iJya
'ax Kidand M<lhrti{ Monaste ry
Acco rdin g to traditio nal so urces the monas tery of on/oli o f lamdrd No
(O l-INKM ) , also known as 'II i'fh1:-A.fkkdlla ' after a nearby ri
ver, was already in ex istence during
l is the earli est remembered
the reign of' Emperor Ztir 'a Yo ';)qob (I'. 1434-1468). II bba Kanja Mdsqti
Abba Eldyas is be li eved to have
admi ni strator of A.( kkalla Monas tery where he di ed and was buried.
nephew of Emperor A~e Zar' a
been the successor o f Abba K<lnja Mdsqd l. Abba Ebyas was a
singer , Bakimos. He li ved
Ya';;>qob. the so n of the Emperor's sister 3 11eni and an import an t church
Kin g A~e J3ii' ; > da MarJyam
duri ng the re igns of Empe ror A~c Zdr'iI Ya 'a qob (I'. I 434 - 1968),
d;;> r (1'.1494- I 508). Despite hi s
(1'.146 8- 1478) , King A~e Nii'od (r. 1478- 1494) and King A~e Oskdn
n for personal ga in and refu sed
co nnecti ons to the roya l famil y. ]', b yas did no t exploit his positio
Wtigtig and DCibrd /-Ialle Luya.
offers of presti gious mona stic seat s. sllch as Ddbrci Libano s. Ddbrd
niles 'heresy ') clergy and to
I Ie is said to have clashed with DCiqiqd dS!ijOnos (the Chil dren Slepha

U,? La c cit , . , . .i(VT';: 168.

IMi Loc cil. 1983: 96.
,,,,, ·IKt1 ,),firtl. 1.n), Ic·iIIiIIl.~./ 25.

- 48 -
 have bee n persec uted by thei r s upporte rs.

Acco rdin g to his Gddl anelmy inlo rmal s. Abba (Iaras was the son o UI/'I.~. :-Olleni. s ister of
17l1
Empe ror Leir'o Ya ·aqob • Steve n Kapl an (198 2) a lso s peaks of 'Ahha ! )"A.P():: I Dayas is 0

nephew o/leir 'a Ya 'aqob, the son a/the Emperor's sister, Olleni" Abba Elayas had a great deal
o f reli g io us education which he began since he was a child. Thus, he was a very spiritua l man.
Emperor leir 'a Ya 'aqob was very fo nd of Abba I~layas and had g reat respect for him .
At first, he lived at another pl ace, on one occasion, hi s foll owe rs arc sa id to have prese nted to

Emperor leir 'o Ya 'aqob a proposa l that the Emperor give the titl e of '(m'l"a,l.: 't.e "'l I,.} : -

Miimh"rei I faymal10t . ( Re li g io us Sch o la r) to Abba Dayas . Il oweve r, whe n Abba Elayas heard of
his fo ll owers ' proposal hc went into hi d ing at Askkalla Monaste ry. He came to thi s monastery
bcca use he did not des ire to be given royal appoi ntm ent s. Empe ror liir 'a Ya '''qob looked for
Abba Ebyas everywhere and cou ld not find him . Once aga in , a lthough he stil l doesn't refe r to
71
Abba Elayas being at A.fkkalla Monaster/ . Steve n Ka pla n has the fo ll owing abo ut Abba
{layas: "Despite his close connection to the royaljCimily, f~byas did 170t exploit his positiol7jor
personal gain and rejilsed the ofTer oro prestigious l110nastic seat ,, 171.

Two ycars afier Abba f:-t"yas ca me to AHbllc7 Monastery. [mperor iiir '0 Ya 'aqob a lso came to
th e On!o!!o area. Empero r leir 'a Ya 'aqob was acco mpanied by hi s so ldi ers when he came to the
a rea of A.fkkalla Monaste ry a nd he was in searc h of wood for const ructin g a church. W hile the
wood was be ing c uI. Abba Elayas was see n in the forest by two of liir 'Ct Ya 'dqob's so ldiers,
leir '0 Ya 'aqob and the two so ldie rs rushed to Abba Elayc7s and caught up with him , Following
thi s liir 'a Ya 'dq ob asked Ab ba Dayas to return w ith him to th is orig ina l place, but he was unab le
to co nvin ce Abba Elayas to return.

Ab ba E/ayas co nt in ued to li ve in A.(kkallc7 Monastery for a long time and he made it fa mo us.
Emperor liir 'Ct Ya 'aqob. who visited the monastery on differe nt occasions for different reasons ,
e ndo wed the monaste ry with lo ts of presen ts. li e also di sc ussed w ith A bba li/ayc7s re li gious
issues. Because he hoped that Abba EJayas would accept hi s reques t to return. leir 'Ct Yc7 'aqob

170 lnforrnat: Abba Gdbl'ti klCisqiil, Mcrigcta Ncqalibc b and Hall. Abba GIIYcsLls.
'71 'IY:fI'hAyll , 1I ;" ,r:Il:I"r~fI.,I"';Y:t. , A"
172 Steven Kaplan 1982 .

- 49 -
always asked EI;)yas to leave A§kkdlla Monastery aga in and again. However, Abba E"ldyas
refused the request of lCir'a Ya 'aqob because he had the interest to live like a hermit in th e
monastery of A§kblla and he made thi s clear to leir 'a Ya ';)qob.
Abba Elayas is believed to have played a great ro le in the developme nt of AHbiia Monastery.
lie did th is by bingin g monks from MeinaJ!,ii.,a Amba i73 and attract ing a large number of
fol lowers to come to iI.'kkdlla Monaste ry. The tradition relates that Abba 1~/ayas finall y
di sappeared It'om the monas tery at the age of 132. In a manusc ri pt, on the hi story of King Na 'ad
(r. 1494- 1508), it is sa id that the grave of AbM i"ldyas is foun d atA§kblla Monastery.

Abba Arkei /J;)ruk was the successo r of Abba tl<Jyas as administrator of A§kblla Monastery. I-Ie
was th e one who brou ght the 'Iabol ' 01" St. Mika'c l from Dabrii B;) rhii n to A§kblla Mo naste ry.
li e then put St. Mikii'c l's 'Iabol ' together with Kic/anei MahrCi(s ',abol ' in the monastery. li e
also d ied afte r a great dea l 01" contri buti on to the deve lopment of the monastery and was buried
their. King L;)bnCi D;)ngal (r. 1508 -1540) once ca me to ASkk;)lla Monastery. When be returned
back he gave to the mona stery the 'Iabo, ' of' Lac/Cila and differe nt kind s of other presents.
The Emperor lM 'a Ya 'aqob , the st rongest ruler of the earl y Solomonic pe ri od, and the monarch
most active in ecclesiastica l matters , took an active interest in the monasti c leadershi p and placed
fri endly cleri cs in several important monasti c seats. According to CCidlei ~11j:>"A.r{) :-!lbba

1~/ayas. the Emperor offercd the sa int. who happcned to bc his nephew, the leadership of an y of' a

nu mber 01' prcstigious monasteries including Y.'f1I.:i'I,Il';'{):- Diihrii Uhanos, Y.'f1I.:(jJ',"/: -

DCibrei Weigeig, Deibrti Wali. or Diibra Halle Luya. Whi le 1~/ayas refused the honor, lest he lose
the kin gdom of hcaven, other monk s had no such fears and acce pted positi ons. Abba Fare
Mika 'el was nominated to be the abbot of DCibrCi WeirCib by the cl ergy of the monastery, but
assumed the offi ce only six month s lat cr when appointed by the Empe ror.

171 A place located in West .~·(III 'a Diucese (region) 25 kin. Ii'olll Addis Ababa.

- 50 -
 Genology of Abbii EliJyas

f }.l,!; "'ll'-/}I" .il (II)

t,hlrr U .~.r) ·"11 'J,' 1;tl"j

Ir'I,~,,'ml. r.IITlII'I. "111,..,.n1l iJllcni & Bakim(JS

r.."~!lillll , lI,jlll,'; frii\l/I

Chart 2: Abba Udyas' Ancestors and Fami li es '

The lead ership of y..rI(':I'I ,Wj'{) : - Deibrti Ubtino.l'. whi ch Abbti {Jdyas had refu sed was given to
Abha !vkirha K"rilsl!Js. a monk from the monastery, l.eir 'ct )'a'ili/llh was anxio us to have a loya l
all y leading this monastery, whose coopcration was so important if his programs of church re-
unification and evange lizat ion were to succeed, So, whil e the monks of Dabra Libanos were
allowed to nominate f'o ur candid ates for thc throne of ~" (:"{) : i,l] : " "~II'I: 'I .e "'l (j' ;," :-St. Abu/1ei
Takla Hiiymanot, the final se lection of an abbot restcd with the king, Should he re fused he was
called into line and remind ed of hi s posision: "Give /0 me ,as your (\pirilUal) fa/her gave /0 my
flilher; are we no/ king like Ztir 'a Ya 'dqob ,? Are you no/ appoin/ed like onddryas!".

17,' This Chart whic h I pre pared based upon Mss of QSC, EIINKM and EMAIL 1 11126, f 27ra - f 281'b. But it is
differe nt gCllo logica l interpretation arM s At/AM. / 7r and Taddcssc Taillrat ( 19 72 : 280).

- 51-
 3.3.2. The Cause of the J!..1Il.: lIC'/'}:-Diibrii BiJrhiin Council
Some of the passages quoted from Gadla Elaytis (ff. 29vb - 29rb) and allusion to doctrinal issues
of the Ethiopian Church during the medieval centuries l75 :

[ ... (D-,·'1·I"'~,UD. '1'1oA'P~ , '1f!.°Y~"~' '1"YA,rA , WQ.l.ll':: Wl.f·C1/1'!. 'Ul',Hlt~ ,t:'1o,rUl·.c'"} ,

w"}{)'I'C't)w·.c'"} , W~'1':P' oy.II~A , 1If!.(J" li1?, ',"ItU,'(J"bC, wf.</; '''' (J,"" "/\' f!.(J,/\., ~,

IIhC{)'HI , '1rl,Cf!.' r M'''c, nou/\t>"" Ul~1.r ~,?"C' h07~' n-r{)'!lo'/" '1""., I"';J' '1.'11'1;-/" h 'HI/\ ,
OU/\11-/,:: alf!.(\., ~,'1' lbAJ'{) , 1If!.(\., J!Ul'/\-{), (Jr.roA',h-/" '/".,., nl"';J ' al,hf,,," (lm."} •. {):: l1.t>~'I·'

Ii ,hc{),f·{) ,1If!.(J. '007.''''6. , h,ln " ,}p,.{) 'h"lII.~"n"Lc' q,,<;.{) , ~,rA' 1' .... {) , ;'"rUl"
/U1.f!.OUUl· ~·' rhou 'Ul'/""· 'w.,."}I"'~, 'h(JD';V}:: Ulf.oU{)" , /\'/"1' ,n'/"'j: '/\UlAf. , ,,"lIlJ"{j,h.C'
I'l.}./\' hf!.f'. , f!.(\.:: ... l'''.

Name of Institution or
Person in the Gadl Type of Taught

N estorians and Leo I 177 "Christ has one Body and two Natures ".

Gamal:;lyal Zii-Giorgis, and "Christ has two Bodies and two Natures"
8nbiiriin

Att:;lqqa Mika'el's "God has one Side (face) "

J.'.<#!"': Mm.1.'lfl :-Daqiqa Not necessary prostrate for Our lady [St. Mary]
8slifonos (Stephenites) and Icon

Orthodox Tewahido Church ["'1""., (J I'" ;J , w rhf!. w , (J oo"} &o{), , - Mota btisaga,
(Oriental Orthodox Churches) wahayo bti-manfas]; He [Christ] died by His
Body; and became Eternal by His Divinity."

Table 5: Some' Heretical' teachings, and the Church

175 QSC, jf. 29va - 29rb

176 See Chapter IV, translation,jf. 29vb - 29rb.
177 Pope Leo I (ru led 440-461), who is also known as Leo the Great. He was reall y the first major ecclesiastic and
politician to recognize not only the reality of the Roman collapse but its consequences for world being bom. In the
face of a dying world and another world struggling to be born, he recast the office of the bishop of Rome and its
political relationship to other political groups. He realized that he needed to deal with more than th e Emperor of
Rome, who controlled very little territory, and negotiated, with both the Huns and the Vandals to secure some
measure of independence and political control. He recognized, though, that the loss of imperial power meant the
diffusion of the church's unified influence over the Christian world. The church had to somehow replace the
emperors as a unifying force-the logical candidate was, naturally, the pope or bishop of Rome.

- 52-
3.3.3. Land C harters (Gult) for Monasteries
The offe red land ' GIIII' for the ch urch is the main materi al for monks, In a charte r ascribed to a
later / Jq abe Sci 'al Yohanna ,l' we read:
"On 7hllrsday. Ihe /7'" o/Iladtir in lhe 6'" year oflhe reign o./King SCiyld "!Ira 'ad. I reslored 10
[The church 0/1 s/, Mwy Ihe land which had been CO I1/iscaled. ,,/78

Acco rding to Ctidlti Abba Elayas as it stated:

"S/ephenile clerics, who were perseculed dur ing the reign 0./ King ZCir 'a Ya 'iJ qob when
returned /0 Ethiopia Fom Jerusalem were given a 'gul! ' which had previously belonged
/() anolher 1I/(lI7aslic cOlllll1l1nil), dllring Ihe reign of King !Va 'od. Abba 1~/"yas rebuked Ihe
!lHikonnan jlhe Governor of lJIiindtil. Ctihrti ,.,,!tisi 'hi responsible for Ihe aCI, remaining
hill1 Ihal Ihe /t'ans!el' oflhis 'gllll' was./orbidden on pain of curse and excolllll'll.lI7icaiion,
bUI only Ihe king was able 10 reSlore Ihe land 10 ils righl./ill owners ",

Given the character of the 'gull ' system, local ru lers and so ld iers were in direct competition with
the 'monaslic holy men' Iflat;)"/? : -baha/cllvi] for the royal favo r and donati on, As the
monaste ri es grew in impOrlance. they added to thei r resources, often at the expanses of local
rulers and troops,

3.3.4 His Tho ught on Defending Orthodoxy, Rules and Regulations

Pl ease keep yo ursel f from the thought of the f~lith of (\(HI~t : ~t'l:C}·I.: (/J{:'°'l :: hi-sCib 'a Aji'"nggi
wCi-/?ol1ui from the peop le of the Frank s and from Rome, They sa id that ' Divini ty wo rks by its
own Divinity, and Humanity wo rk s by its own Huma nity.'
Pl ease l Keep yo urse lf Il'om heresy of f,</:"': ~trlfll."i'<;'{) :- Dtiqiqti (9sli{cinos [c/wayan] [the
Ch il dren of Step heni tel, and ri'omthe leade r of th e destruction cal led Gamabyai, the Blind, Keep
yo urself from th eir bad work s land hereticalteachings l: they thau ght it 'not necessa ry to prostrate
before the Cross of Chri st and before Our Lad y Vi rgin Mary,' Also, I'ro m the Chi ldren of hi-
M ik ~i' el of 0 nbarall11, Giyorgis of the Rome, whi ch staled that in the Canon ieal l3ook , ' there is no
confess ion' , Add itio nall y, these heretics said, ' .. ,not necessa ry to believe the Ange ls of Light, by
the Ark of SI. Mary, by Ange ls, by Manyrs intercession, We cou ldn ' t bow do wn (pro strate),
except on ly berore th e Icon before God the h ither. or the Son of the Holy Sp rit .' Don't become

) 78 Ste ve n Kaplan 1982: 100.

- 53 -
one and Idon ' t agree I with the tho ughts of the heretical teaching that sai d as the Chil dren of
Ch ri st ian .
Keep yourse lf from those who rejected the ;h'/:,/,'I'C.e:/,:- LcIlF o/Ihe Aposlles which ir
mentio ned in the u"X''/lI(:()!i'!'.{):- Book a/Synod '; these gro ups said . like the ;,,'l:>,t;',:-

Lalli o/Oril I Moses ?/ which make sex ual intercourse with their brothers' wife fo r her to give
birt h as they want the see el.
Keep yourself from the tl:#,<;"': >,»;"'l.'}: -Clergies o/A/amin, who rejected and did not honor the
Sabbath; as it is mentioned on the Gospel of John, 'Don ' t keep and honor [the Sabbath] like the
fundam enta l Jews. Honor the Sabbath as the Apost les.' As advised by the co ncrete command of
strong wo rd s in the Book of Ab\ii li s, Article no. 65.

3.3.4.1. t]r"h'l-l':hJfO?,,'}:-'C1ergies of Ajamin'

Those who were not observi ng the Sabbath, and against Ajall1in gro ups, whose erronoc practice
King Zar'a Ya'eqob devoted a substanti al part of hi s wr itin gs, in the 20 lh century copy of Godlei
Abba E/ayas mentioned: the hereti cs arc cal led kahilta A/all1in 'th e priests of Ajall7in ,179 , who
based their teaching on the Book of Judgment by Yohannes, Masih Yo hannes Za-F:lth, wh ich
says, "observe nOflhe Sabbalh like Ihe J ell·s. B!!1 Ihese have been heretics 0/ a laller dale. "

3.4 Mediaeval Period Literature

The history of Ethiopia in the middle ages is more or Icss a history of war. Durin g this period
cultural heritage mainl y the documentary heritages of the country have suffered a lot. More and
more doc ument s were destroyed and exported. One of such kind is the persecution of Christians
by rl"":':": '/..':, :,.: ]- Yodil (Cudi!). in 10lh centu ry; and thc second one whi ch has destroyed the
cultural and reli gious heritage, civ ili zat ion and reso urce was done by invader Ahall1cid Cral1l1
{\;/ohal11iid. in the 16 1h ce nturyl80 These two di saste rs are the mo st known for their di straction in
the hi story of th e co untry. "ven thou gh. the church had saved a lot of va luab le origina l
lgl
documents by collec ting and kccpi ng in th e mountains areas . What we ha ve to day. as Lake

17')Maybe th e Muslim Imam 's, who rejected to observc Sunday during th e invader, Ah;) lIIdd Grahi? Moholl1tid, in th e
16 century" Sce also Gddla Abba Elayas, if 60-6/. r(/J .J~ l'L: (I'ICt)"C;: ;,>,l~ l'L: '1'1 C .fl9" : " /,,' : .\:" :"'i !!- t" ~~i?; l-
th

180 Aymro, 1957: 22"

"I Amsalu Ak lilu . 1976:pp.3-10

- 54 -
(ana , Il aY:Jk ' . Zaway and so me monas ti c centc rs. What we have to da y, as docu mcntary
hcri tages, in our hand s are the documents surv ived those d istracti o ns.

Mediaeva l Ethi o pia n litera ture is pa rti c ul arl y rich in hagiograg hi cs . O n thi s account , the li vcs of

Sa ints (Gdd/al- '1.c:·tJ'lj such as· SI Anlhuny. and SI. Geurge eni oyed great popu la rit y. T he li ves

of suc h fa mo us Ethi opi a n and Copti c sa ints as SI. 7ak/d Haymanul and Gdbrti i\;ftin(tis Kaddus
prov id e impo rtant so urce manu scri pts. In many manusc ri pts of Ethi opian Orthodox Chu rc h the
who lc vo lume is occup ied with the life of a single saint a nd the miracles done by him both in hi s
li fe timc and a ft er hi s death .

The othcr two important ori gina l works ap peared in thc earl y 15'h ccntury. The first o f these was

th e 'PI(., :}',.rt'l·{J :- F"akkare /y dSHS (Predi c t o f Jes us) and anothe r phi losophi ca l work was

9"1'''1ll.t. : t'i''y .e : 0l9''J':C :- Myste ry o f I-leaven a nd Earth , Setting forth the ete rn a l stru ggle
between good a nd cv il. T he re ign of IC mpe ror liir'", Va 'qob ( I'. 1434 1468 A.D.) was nota bl e fa r
the deve lopme nt of great lit erary ac tiv ity: he was zeal ous reforme r a nd wrote several important

wo rk s. They a rc (m?·,hl.. :-(1(;'/"1 : - ·/vlti.yha/d /J",rhan ' ( 13 oo k or Light ) and

o"?· '''I..: 9"()I1.f!: : - ' I'vlti.)·hafti Mi/ad' (Book of Nati vit y) 182. Th is works attack ing heres ies and
the corruption o f re li gio us pract ices. Other wo rk s that have been att ributed to him include the

hymn co ll ecti ons. ft is e ntitl e ~'''J/I)dl ,/\o C:''''JI'' : - 'ogziab;)her Ndgsd' (God has re igned) a

co ll ectio n o r hymns fo r the days of the year, Mti"ha/d ivlilad and the most famo us ho mil ies

enti tl ed C·/:!l :'/r. "y 'j' ."f·: ' !I ;)/ I/ 'O IIo),l11onol' o r T rue Ort hodoxy asc ribed to S1. Jaco ub of

Be rade us. In ad dit ion to /I.c,': u"'/'/'JA: W}'/·p': O'L: 09".1'.: ?'\" '} :- C hron ic les of the wars of

King Amdti $;)yon, (he sec ul ar literat ure of th e 15'h century in cl uded a tra nslation from Ara bie :-

r,:,"t-,/,:', 'lI'''''/-: - Falha Ndgdsl, IlS:}'" e[)' J':: - 'Ze no Ayhud' ( Hi sto ry of .lcws) and a
Present ation o f the Uni versal Hi story of a i-M a kin (George o f Egypt)183 A M uslim merchant ,
w ho had bcen converted (0 C hri sti an it y a nd, as Enbaqom (Il abak kuk), becam e pri or of the
Mo nastery or f)dbrd Ubcinos . wrote I;lnqiilii Ill11il'l/ -Gate of Fa ith to j ustify his conversion and
to pcrsuade aposlales to recan!. O th cr simila r works we re p roduccd. and severa l we re writte n to

de lcnd thc O rth odoxy wh ic h ca ll ed as 'MiCll'h),sile' 1 ~lit h from othc:r religious cxpa nsion ists.

182 Sergew I-Iablcsella se 1970: 68.

,,, Lipsky 1967

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 II. (;1 IAN _ KF ON TIIJ I'VI
Of; TH I: WAitS Of· A II 1\.-1/\ [) (,;}{I\(; N
[=-:=J Chn'- ll oJn co n trolled ale., ..
ITIIIIIID "1.u~ h nl .HCdS
~ P.lgJn .He.)"i
(I ')0 I 0 ...1 I SO 200 MIlt: ..
: I t I II I " ,!
o ~O 100 I SO 200 SO)OO Km

OF
\

. I
", ,I
II \

Map 2: Ethi opia on the cve of thc wars of t\ h:Jmad Grw111 Is./

3.5. Title, Perso nal, and Place Name s in the Text

In thi s sect ion I tricd to ex plore the titlc. personal and place names
whieh menti oned on Gtidlti
tl"yas manuscript tex ts. Some titl e, personal and pl ace names may not known in my presen
t
observati on of tex t refe rences . The stud y refers onl y based on the Gtidl
and rel ated references.

lS I Taddcss c Tamrat. 1972. Chl/reh (lnd Slale in Ethiopia 1270- 152 7. p.298.

- 56 -
3.5.1. Overview Title Names and Materials
l,fl''j:- 'Ab lll1: - ti tle given to the Il ead or the Et hi opian C hu rc h, th e Metropoli tan, Patriarc h or
the Ethiopian C hurch o r the high di gnita ri es or the ch urch. I,fl' /:- 'tibllno rcpresent ror ' ou r
lS5
rather', the bi shop ort he di ocese

{I.'hl.:{)!'·l-:: 'Aql7bi! Sii'I7!':- The Abbots or th e Monastery or '»";.(}:~,(}m."'<j'(}: -Sai n t

LJs!ifanos, on ,It.!', ')' :-!layq in Wtil/o had the title or "l/qabe SCi'al', li terally, 'keeper o/Ihe
. I'Import ant unll' 1 161h ce ntury
!lour ', t I1e llt. Ie tI1at re ma111ec lXI,.

)",(J: ')u~,..,.: ;, r.m: JI"i: ".: 'A biin1ll el, ';J/I,iimnel:- A bbot! A ben' :- Th e head o r an im porta nt

monastery. In large monasteri es: Dtibrti Libanos and '1I!I:'1 : Z"q"'ala; the e lection or a new

)",(] : ')u~"h -Ab bot w ill be a pproved by the ;J·:,·C.eCn: -Patriarc h, and e lsewhere by the local

bishop.

(lZ f A~e: - I3mperor, title name, whi ch had g iven fo r Ethi opian kings .

)",(}h,"'1: -Askel11fi:-There is a traditional of a hi gher leve l or monasti c di stinction call ed

)",(}h,"'l :-Askema, (indicated by giving a type or scapular al so called the Asklima): this is
associatcd with cert a in monas te ri es. whi ch g iven on ly to ve ry re w monks .

.f: '(J-/'t-f. :-J)iibtiirri: - a learned man or the church. scri be cantor.

J.r,/.7.Z:-iJc'iige:- Th c Abbot of '",\"1):.1'.'11 (,: n,fl'j'(}:- Monastery ofDCibrti Libiinos in 1/'1':-

SCiwa became the main a bbot 'Clc'tige' of the C hurch a ft e r the death of ')','\.(}: )",1]: ·,·tln:

'/.e'''I'j';,·:-St. Abunti Ttiklti I-Iaymanol. In the Church trad it ion and as so me hi storians said. it
1h
begun on the beginnin g of the 16 Century.

7'6'\ "':-GIIII : - The form or ri ght o r holdin g land .

)",(J: A:f: ' Abii IJgg:-God Parents (God-Fathcr):-sponsors at Bap li sm and C hri smation

taking the rcspo nsibi lity for the raith a nd spiritual dcvelopme nt or the newel y born Chri stian.

170/1 'j') f Miik"'nall, p lul'. lI!iik"'{jl1l1alll:- ori g ina lly a judge, b ut app li ed to pro vincia l

governors , es pec ia ll y th e viceroy or T':Jgray, the TJgre Mtik"'nJn. A lso in GE menti oned the name

ca ll ed 'HI t. : £fIJI),;" I £fII tt '}'" OJ'} r.A :-Gabra Masi' h, the Governo r o f Wandal.
IX~ Lcsla\\' 1987: ('oll/p{/rolil'l! Diclio/'/wy o/Ge 'e.
IKh Taddessc Tamral: 19T!..

- 57 -
Cor): CO")'} .- RiI ';}sii R ' USIIII , I-lead of head s: Honorable titl e of Abbots of
mJf.·fll·/l: "yr:.rJfI": -Miir{Lllti lvlardyam.

&./}; J.r:./} J RIIS, I"IISS, or 'ilrlls;- The titl e given to a ve ry senior officia l, sometimes to the
gove rn or of a pro vin ce and later. the titl e which replaced' b'Jh::Jrwiiddtid ·.

rm:J(l. : Miigl7bT:- The ste ward takes care of the practi ca l li fe in the monastery.

1'\. '1': u"II9"t-·'}: ; Liqii Miiziilnrl7l1- head of the Chanters. In many monasteri es, the title given
for a learncd man of the Chu rch. The fa ther of AM a Elayas, Btikimos known by thi s name.
1'\, 'I': X,h.,: -"/- ; Liqii $iilllift:- Ch ief Seribers- the head of th e scribel'S or ca lli graphi sts.
~/ul'Jtj:/: -MtisjJII, pl. Miisii/;mf :- i\ prov inc ial governor. usuall y rendered ·prince·.

'1""I.fI: -Qiimis; ,r,.,'·.,., -Qill1l7t ; - ,Y,'II: Qob :- Mon astic dress or habits can be bro wn, white.
dark , red, blue. or anot her co lor: ye ll ow is usuall y assoc iated with hermits. The habit consists of a
long cloa k r'f''''l.I'l: -Qiimis.l , a leather girdl e 1'}(i:/,: -QaI7MI , and the ce nterpi ece, a round cap
r,IHI: Qob].

(',IHI:hll-"/-:-yii-Qob AbMf;- The monk 's giving the Qob is call ed 'Far her 0/ rhe Qob'

II',IHI: ;-,1]''''' -yti-Qob Ilbbarj, and he has a spec ifi c ro le in the spiritual fo rmat ion of the Monk
and Nun .
Xduf.: 1Y" ; ~'iihiilii lill1l,-Rcgistcr of th c ca ttl e: ancient titl e for the pro vin cial govern or,
es peicall y o f Am hara, Sliwa, and Damo!.

0,/'6,,: ,l-tN'll -$iiliiije fil 'iltrlZ :- The king 's chronicler (Secretary), Us uall y, two are
appo inted , one as chronicler. and anoth er for public busi ness. They are fi'equentl y monks, and
ha ve too ofte n thc prejudices and ignorance orthat order.
fJJ.f~l/r:·:-Wiiyziiro: - princess. the housc lady. a marricd wo man.

- 58 -
3.5.2. Overview of the Personal Names

J,flfJr-I!·'} f AbtiktirtiZlIlI (ca. 1476) was a disc ipl e of Samu 'e! of Qayti.)·a. \-I e was a nati ve of
Nadir nca r Axul11. li e li ved in the reigns of Ztir'a Ya 'iJqab (r. 143 4- 68) and hi s son Bti'iJdti
/v!ariJyall1 ( 1468-78). \-I e was leading l11ember of the Srephanires C0 l11l11u nity'87

~,·nc",: w~,o'(I", :-A briJl!a and A}'biJ/)a were twin brothers, who are beli eved to have to been

and to have ruled the crowed co untry together. Their simul taneou s access ion to the throne ca n be
reconstructed from different legends. Onbdrtilll , then hi gh priest, seems to have been told by Sr.
A;fika 'e! to cro wn the two brothers as joint rul ers of Ethiopia. Chri sti an ity preached in their region
for the first tim e by the first Ethiopian Met ropo litan. Sti!ama (Sr. Frumenriw). Abr;,ha and
A}b;,ha are ce lebrated as sa in ts in Eth iopian Church and their commemoration is observed on 4
TiJq;mliJr (15 October). 188

~"I.e: -Agliya . the daughter of S;)I1a K;)rJSlos. her mother name ca ll ed Amata Yo hann;)s. who
was the da ughter of El11peror Za-O:lI1g;J1.
r.. 'I: ", : ~,"JC"Ill.I)·(): -The C hildren of AgniiHios They comes from the place Fl awzen, Maya
Anbassa with the Children of An;)bcn and with the monk s from Dabrii flalle Luya for the Co uncil
of YAI/. : ' (le'/"} : -I)iibrii \1 "rhan (D \1 ).
~, ';·/.,9J():_ Allol'Chvos Ihe Ci der was a se nior di sciple of ·},'\.{) :),fJd·!lt\:'1 ,e"'l'j',h -S I.
Abund Ttik!ti Haymano/. He appo inted NiJburci-ed of Wtirdb by Abunti Ya 'iJqab ( 1337-44), the
Egyptian bishop who came to Et hi opi a during the rei gn of '}'/.p.: 0'1.: 09" r..: ~'\"'}: King Ameki
Sayan. \-I e found the Monastery of Ddbrti SiJgagg. Tradit ions at tributed to him evangeli ca l

IS7MS: Gdc/ld Abiikiirli=1I11 a/Cllnda CI/nch. Monastery or /\;fiiraYcllJl Diho, A~'hi, IIII/hi! Alii/fifo, 7 ~')gray. Giidld
q( C llnda Gllneli. IES MS No. -1 96. f 581'. Cadlii 5ifi/ll/l '(!! or Q()yii~·ii. IES MS No. 115, If 20r. 71r. C. COllti
.rIX(lW
Rossin i, , lela Saneli 1I/",ker,clIl1 CSCo. Scr ip!. ACl h. Ser. Allera ( 19 10).XXIV , 1- 135 (lexl), 1·120 (ver.). A.
Mo rdini , " /1 Convemo cli GI/nde Cllnc/;e. -, RSE (1953), XXII , pp. 49. 56-59.Taddcssc Tamc raL "Sollie NOles 011 'he
F~/ie e l1fh
Cel1/wy Sl ephol1ifes 'I-Jere.,),' in the Elhiopic Ch urch, " NSf ( 1968), XX , 11 3- [ 15.
,"' (a) Cddhi Abr"ila " 'ii A)'baha , Ak slIlll, 7agre; (b) Gild/ii II bra"a ll'd Asb""a, IES, Illr. No. 193; (c) Gddli;
Abra/1a \lid A~'baha, O PA, Mdqiile. 'l'agre; Cd) Gdd/d Abraha \llii A~·b;)ha. A~bT. Ddbrii Sii/GIIl Atlikti 'fi t. (e) Cddld
Abral7a wd A~·baha. , lIaw:en, Cdr 'ollG, l iJgr e. : MRF (a) Synaxariul1l for 4 Tcqclllt, I.E.S. MS No.3, f..361'.(b)
Kcbra Nagast, 1£5. , 681 ff.S3r.54v; (c) Yarcd. Dcggwa."Wazcma Arke Arkc ba'cnta Nagast" (11 YIllIl to the k in gs),
(IES.MS No. 322, f.2Ir: Cd) Ma ~hani J\rkc; lES. MS No.34 .r. 34v co ntains the following ve rses about Ab reha and
Asbe ha: [,RI' (a) C. conli Rossi ni. Libel' AXLll\1ae. CSCa.scripl ; ACl h. (1909), VIII ; ( 1910), VIII ,P.18( lexl),20(lr):
(b) c. con ti Ross ini stor ia d'Ethiop ia (Bcrgama, 1928).pp.IS- IS4:(c) C. co nti Ross ini , "les listes des roi s d
Aksolll\1'; JA.( 1909), XV: pp36,4 1-42 ; (el ) Segew li ab le Se lassic, Ancienl and Medieval Elhiopia Hislory 10
1270(Addi s Ababa, 1972), pp.77-1 04 ; (c) S.Slrelcyn, po.ci!.(follnds Conli Ross in i.),p. IO.

- 59 -
 acti viti es in Ol1aryc7. He was ex il ed to Wei/eiqa, Zeil1go and Lake b way, and he was onee !logged
by Kin g Amda $;)Y0I1 189.
},,(j' (..?'{): - A ll o/'chvos the Youn ger was a di sc ip le of i,(1", : ILC,': '''/C¥{): Abul1a Zena Marqos.

li e was appo inted Nab llrti-ed of lvlortil by Bi shop Ya'aqob ( 1337-44), the Egypti an Abul1d. to
help the propagati on of th e Chri st ian faith. Today he is commemorated onl y at Wtigda, i 85 Kms.
Norlh o/Addis Ahaba l ie lived in the reigns of King Amdei Sayol1 and Ki ng Sdy!d_A r'ad I 90
/, fJ: ;'Co.'l'l.' :-A bbt7 A n7gt7ovi,:- ca lled the Elder, as he is the most venerated or '1' 0 (l-/::

.},<;.f)'} : -the N ine Sa ints, fo und ed th e famo us monastery of .f. 'fl t. : ";'1": -Dtibra Dtimo l9 '. l ie is
also said to have raunded a church in IH:: i,l/nf]: -Zur Amba, a plaee resembli ng Deibrei Deimo,
where it is sai d that ')' ,<;.{):.f' t...r:: -Sai nt Yared taught his hymns.

Y.<l: '/,:i,(]:}',C()I''I : f).'J()· :-Thc Children of Ar'iiyiinii ~iigii hu eomes ri'om Dabra Ddda. the

beach orthe River 13aslo la r the Co uncil or Diibrii l1 erh an.

/,r:'-; /I,lf({, ,1,: 'Al'rlll of Dt7rel (or Diihrii Fart7l1) was a nati ve or DtimbTya , and a disc ipl e 01'

i,f]:(jOt\"'I·: "'I.I,>"t.\: -Abbc7 Bti.)·ti/olti Mika'C;i. l ie was ex il ed twiee by King Stiy!d-Ar'ad to

Zdl1go, south of Addis Ababa. 'Aron achie ved an evange li ca l success in fl'/, l/uJ':C:-
Btigemmaddr. He bapti zed the inhabitant o r Gaydl1l, west of the Ri ver Btis;)io. He built a rock
hewn Chureh ca lled Deibrd Dc7re1 192
()-(J}',:}',r,:C'}·,.:(/H'.''''1.:: Sab'a Afranggi wii-Romc:-the peopl e o r't he Franks and Rome.

'}'h'-": (J~ : O() Y.. : "'/C .f'')'': -Killg Bii'iJdii Mr7rayt7111 ( r . 146 8-1 478 i\. D .): a son a f Emperor
';'/./,,: 0'1.: /l C O: ,f'o·Y"II: -Empe ror Zeir'({ Ya 'aqob. hi s throne name Cy riacus.

Y..cf:·/': },,(]: nlI.'1"{): -T he ISp iritu all Children of Ab ba Biikimos, (they wi ll come) ri'om
S~ m i , J-Iaga rii Mad'xani t and also from Dabra Sahdl for the Co uncil of Dabra Berhan.

1119 ~</!'J': l,t) : )", ' ;'1.-. 9 J ('j : - Th e C hildren of Abba Ano rcwos wi ll co me
n '0111 the Upper of Gojj am and SJgajj:

(A) Gadl c Anorewos, UN ESCO ml'.l'lhiopia MSS.ser.I 0.42; (b). Ged le Filpos, BM.or.769,f.IO ; (c) C. co nli
Rossi ni Monosc ritti (co ll.d'Abbadic No 43.).p.616. PT (c) c. co nti Ross ini C:;dc lc A norewos.sc li Acta Sancl i
Onoril CSCO,scri pt.l\elh. (1905) ,1.1 - 11 0, lexl. PRJ' (a) E. Cerull i. Leneralura elio pica(M ilano,1968), p.60; (b)
Taddesse Tamral. Chu rc h and Siale in Elh iopia 1270-1 527: pp 11 5, 180-2. 18 7. 189,208,225; MRF Mas hafa
!\ rkc, I. E.S.MS No.34 ff25r,25v cont ains th e follo wi ng hYllln to Abba Anorewos.
II}I) MS Gddlti Al1or(!lt'os, Sr}f Ambo. Ga~·e. Miin= StilFa: E. Cerlil/i, Gli alii eli 'lena Marqos. (1962), pp.196. 205-6.
I~n On th e )", .';' ", t·:,' : - Adigriit-lldwa road. th en II kill. north orlhe main road.
192 MS (a) Gadla Aron. MaqcI, LaStil, Wal lo: (b) W. Wri ght.op. icl. BM. CCLX IX(Or797,693): (c). C. co nli
t
Rossinic. "Manoscritli,ed opere abissinc in Europa. 'p.616: PT B.Turaiev,Acta S. aron is ed S. phi lippi. CSCO.
sc ripl.Ael h. ( 1905 ),t.X X.pp . I I 1-261 (lexI),99-234(11'. ).

- 60 -
Abunii Biirtiiiomtiwos, Egyptian Bishop:- 8sfifonos of .,..}P" .,.1.<;. ,- Gunda Gundi was
ordained by this bishop, before he became ' heresy' .
i',(]:(JOir'-t:G?I'Ji'bA:-Abba Bii~iilotii Mikii'il was a disciple of i',Ij,i','it.9'rt, - Abba
Anorewos, a hermit of Dabra Gol. He is said to have accused Abuna Yonann;)s, the Egyptian
Bishop, of practicing simony. However, Emperor Arndti Sayon did not accept the accusation and
instead exiled Bti$tilola Mikii'il to Tagray. His contributed to the improvement of monastic
regulations in Arnnara. He attacked the custom where by male and femal e members of the
monastic orders shared the same living guatters and solve such organizational difficulties said to
have once openly attacked Arndti Sayon for his un-Christian matrimonial practices 193
il(]: (J-rt.: aye J'9": II J,>.t\-t: '/1" - Abba Biilra Miirayiim of Diisetii Ziiglztf was a disciple of
h(}<'"II,li':"'IC4'>rt: Abunti Zina Marqos. He sent by his master to evangelize at Ztighe, on the
Southern shore of Lake Tana. He lived during the reigns of 11'/" , '}'l' f' "'IC J'9" 1 King Nawiiyti
Marayarn (r. 1372-82) and 11·/",P,<e:t-,- King Diiwit (1'.1382-1412)194.

i',(]: fJUC"e: f - Abbii Biiliray: an ecclesiastic, a 16th century ethnographer and historiatl. He
entered the service of A~e S iir~ii D;)ng;)l after being driven from his home in Garno by Oromo
incursions. He was a writer of the History of Oromo and in addition, according to the convincing
argument of Chernetsov S.B, the author of the history and the chronicles of Siir~ii D;)ng;)1195 .
i', (]: ~ '} il,A: -Abba Diini'til of Wiiqin was originally from Stiwa. He later on moved to T;)gray
and established his own Monastery in Wtiqen, Tarnben. He was respected by 1"'/": O'J,: IICO,
J'o<f.ll, -Emperor Ztir 'a Ya'aqob J96
i'\(]:~,}il,A'-A bba Diini'til from the area Abi'y, S;)lwa and Diibrii Of;)la and also from Hila
and Jan Amorii.

193 .1'.</:"': hI) : (lOll' ''''' "'l. tj}btl. : -Abba Ba,alota Mika'el' s Spiritual Children jiom Gasoc'a and the Monastery of
Abalo, from Han,a Marayam and Ko lom; Ms :Gadle Ba-Salota Mika·e l, Deb Baher, Waldebba, Samen, Bagemder;
Gadle Basalota Mikacl, coil. d'Abbadie, No 129, B.N.paris, France. Ca) C. Conti Rossini, Acta St..Baslota Mika'cl
ed S. Honorii, CSCO, script.Aeth .SER.altera,CI905),XX, 1·IIOCtext),3·98Ct.).
194 .I'.</!'''' hI): (I-l-t:: ""CJ'lT":· The Children of Abba Batra Miirayiim from Dasetawit Abbiiy and Saffajj;
Gadla Batra·Maryam,Zage.Baher Dar,Gojjam; E.Cerulii, gli alii di Batra Mary'am. RES 1944, 1945), IV. E.Cerulii,
Gli alii Zena Markqos,p 10.
195 Chernetsov 1984.

196 Ca) Gadla Daniel, IES.mf.No.116 from Dabra Teguhan,Qolia Tamben; Cb) Gadla Daniel, Deber Teguhan Waqen,
Qolia,Tamben Tegre.

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,R.fJ</;r:'t'Jf/I, </': J/J/fJ: lIJ.fJh 'J.r:'C.n A lexandrian II rch-ilishap SI. Dasearus and UJA. 'J'{:'fJ I
/I, </': ",'1'C,f',1':- Ih e Areh-Apaslle 's, ['eler.

M'L'I, : -alhill i, thc mother and I-ather of Abba Ebyas. She married an Arch- Chanter Btikimos
from the distri ct ca lled Wagda , on the Mon as tery 0 1' Dabrti Ka!:J'tii and Gdrarya .

},·} .'t:c.f'{):alld;J/ yiis of r(/J'i:j :/I '1'i)':-/,Wiij] Wiissii Giidiil11 was one of a group of saints

ca lled Ella Dnji'az whose evange li ca l wo rk took place East o f rana. I-Ie lived in a cave st ill
kno wn as Wa.l.sa Ond;Jlyas!97

}, '}J':C.f' {) :lJlld;n yiis of S iiffe'a (c.1462 A.D.) li ved in the time of King Ztir 'a Ya 'aqab. He
see ms to have carri ed on hi s wo rk in nort hern pan , as we find traces o f his miss ionary acti viti es
in Araza, Scira'ti and others places in Eritrea. He was a di sciple of Ctibrti Karaslas of Sci/ada /98

},{)m, ". '1' () : - asrijiI!IOS (c. 1459) the fo und er of the Slephaniles 'heresy ' co mmunity in C undti

Cund! 199

),,(j:'{.t\, P.{):-Abbii Filip'as (c. 1348-1388) was the third abbot o f '"v,au:j'. ' (J(.: ft,ll'i'I'I:-
Monaste ry 0 1' {)tihrti l.iiJanos in ,~til-va. in success ion o f Elsa " the immcdi ate successor of IIbunti
TtikW Il aymanot. who ru led leJl' onl y three months. Filip 'os stayed in office for twent y ycars. He
faced a sc ries o r exi lcs in th e reigns 01' King lime/it $dyan and Kin g ,~tiy!d-IIr'dd. He was sent to
Tdgray about 134 1 and later on to Danbii and Ziinga, localities beyond the Awas River, ,~ti wa.
Soon Filip 'as transferred to Lak e Z;)lvay with ~,(j' (,.9)1'1 : - Anor';wos where he li ved on one side
of the island s. Sti/ama was his co ntemporarioo

197 (a) Gadla EndrcyCls, \Vasa Endrcyas, Libo, Kamkam , Bagclllder; (b) Gadla Endreyas, I.E.S. 1111". No.1 89.
198 (a) Gad la Endrcyas Monastry of Endrcyas, Dabra Sehin or Dabra Efi n,Araza, Sara'c,Eritrea. (b ) Gadla Endreyas
Addi Gab ra-Mik a'e l,Kabsa cewCl (c) Gadla Endrcyas Dabra Maryam.Dabub Daj Dega n, Sara'e Eritrea; (d) Gadla
[nelreyas S.streleyn. op.eit. ,(follnds conti Rossini No.84, I),1'.1 I.
199 Taclelesse Talllraf , Church and Slale ill Ethiopia, 1270-1 527, p.226; "Solli e NOles of the Fifieenlh Cenlwy
S lephani!es 'hel'esy 'in Ihe Elhiopian Chlll'ch", RSE (/968), XXII (/03-//6). UN P (a) Gael la Estifanos, Inslitute of
Archaeglogy,Addis Ababa, MS No.2.
200 MS (a) Gadla Filpos Dabra Libanos,Sa lale. Shawa;(b) Gaella Filpos W.wrighl op.ci t. ,BM(Or728);
(a) B.Tun"lic v. "vila philippi eli Dabra libancnsis.MollUmCll!a Aeth. l-i agiolg ica.fasc.l( 1902), 10 1-83. (b)
I1 .Turaicv.Acla S.Aronis el S. philippi eSeO.Seri pt. Aeth .ser al lra (1905). t.X X 1'1'.111-261 (text).99·234(tr). RF (a)
c.eOIl !i Rossi n i "II Libro delle leggende eel tradi:.ioniabissini de/l'ecciaghie Filpns." RRA L,ser. 5( 191 7) X X V1.699-
7 17. (b) E.CcrLllli ."g/i .·Ihhmi eli Dohra l.ihan(Js", oricnlalia ( 1943). XI1.fasc .3.p .233 -253: (c) E.Cerulli. I. a
I. etler afllra efiopi ca.p p.59·62.

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 t.t\.Afl :- Filip 'os of BTU/II (ca. 1323-1406 A.D.) was a di scip le of ~.. ?){Jf1j1;?) {J :-
E;WO.I'!alhvos, of the second generati on, through Abba Absadi. He founded Dtibrd f31ztin. Filip 'os
de fended courageo usly the Observance of the Sabbalh, as we ll as Su nday at the assem bl y
summoned by King Dall'il (I'. 1382- 1412 A.D.) and presid ed ove r by Abund Btirltiloll1f!WOS (ca.
1389-1436 I\. D.). and refu sed to accept the Bishop's ruli ng that he and his co ll cagues shou ld
ecase to observe the Sabbalh. f'inal ly. when Filip 'os stood firm in hi s intenti on of Obser ving the
Sabbalh Day he was ex il ed to Lake Diibrii IIayq lor fou r yea rs under the closed guard of Aqabe-
fll
Sd 'al Stirdqd Barhan (7 1400-1403), Abbot of Dtibrti t/ayq l)s!ilano./

},,(]: t.:/'{nC : - /IbM Fiq{{or was contcmporary to '>,1]: (JOll"" ': "'l.ll~.. A :-Abba BtiJdlolti

Mika 'cl and ~.. ?)(](fl·';?)(] :-/~·I1'OS!ale\VOS. He was a nati ve of Siira 'e. Er itrea 202

fj:"'r:·/·:tIr:() ·r-():- J-~7qdl'/ti Ka ras/os :- She beca me a nun undcr Kin g Susanayos In 17'11 c .. On

/-IeI' Miracles and Gtidl as it menti oned, there are two monasteries named after her and fou nded
by her, both known as sp iritual places and visited by stcril e wo men: Ommti Ma 'uz in Gerallu'ikal,
and Rall1a Kidand Mahardl 203
fj:f{,f!"';"/fJ() : Fn!/I/;nl£/{os (ca. 328 A.D ,):- also ca lled SCi/ama Kd.~alti Barhan was the first

Metropo litan to Ethiopia. He was instrumental in th e conversion o f Ethiupia to Christianity. I-Ie

was ordaincd by I\tha nasius. the Patriarch o r Alexa ndria 2o" .
fj:f{, "y.',),./.\:- Fre Mik£/'t!! was a nativc or Wiiriih. Il c li ved in the rcign of King Ziir 'a Ya 'aqob

and contemporary of Abba Ztir 'a Abraham. Abba Fare Mika 'til refused to give sanctuary to a
magician who was Ilceing the king, but beat him instead. La ter King Zdr 'a Ya 'aqob had the
mag icia n executed and complimcnted Fare Iv/ika 'el on hi s behavior205

'HIt. : }" . f'(}·fl: Gtibrii ( ViiSlls was born in Wag, a district betwecn 7i1gray and Lasla.
Trave llin g to ]ilgray he joi ned th e growin g co mmun ity of ~1o?'{J£/"';?){J :- Abba E;II'os!alf!II'o.\'.
Ctibrti lydsus is sa id to have accompani ed hi s mas ter to Egypt. the Holy Land and Cypru s. On hi s

20 1 GE : ~,'/: ·I· , t,q<\'· , /I H1,{/It,q'6.I\,)\ Il, " ~. · IIt.:{I. "'i' - Th e Ch ild ren of Abba Yohannos and Abba Fi lip 'os will

come from Oabra Biz~i n.

202 Cddlii Fiq!!or,Sera 'e.
203 Cdc/Iii Faqarld Kar (JSlOs. The place nlr arollnd 30 kill from Qobbo, in 20b;)/.
:w~ Giul/d Sd/{IIJ1G, Cera/la, Tegr(~) '.
205 Cddttl ,Jbbii Fare Mik (, 'cH. Collection I) ' Abbadic . MS II 161 .

- 63 -
return from Armenia. Ctibrei lytislis was allocated in the di strict of On/i'az, East of Lake rana. He
establi shed his center at Dtibrti San, an area inhabited by Ftilasa, where even the sons of .Jews are
beli eved to have recci ved baptism and accepted hi s teach ing. Il c lived in the reigns of King
Stiyfti-Ar 'iJd and '}'/'P': "\'/?'h- King Dawit I, and in the time of Bishop Stiial17a, the
TranslatO/ )fi6 .

'I'll':: Em ,}d.(J: ·7'.r;.(J :-Giibrii Miil/jiis Qaddlls:- was born in Upper Egy pt, accord ing to
hagiographical tradition. Il c was con temporary of Sall7u'el 0/ Waldcbbba and Anbtis of t-Iaztilo.
li e was the rounder of Ctibrii 'l/f('1: li1q"ala and 9"J~'G: t/'lI.~·:Maddrti Ktib 'd.

'/'1\":: "U: .r\l": - Giibrii M(7rayrIl1I li ved the time of Ztir 'a Ya 'oqob. He was the founder of
Dtibrti !lIgen.

)" f\ : '1,1"CUI : ,, :HI {"'I. : :1:" t'l 'I"] : -/ Ibbrl Giyorgis of G(7saC'rl /SiigaIr7/ (c. 1426 A. D.) was born
at .~tiK;Jla during the reign of Kin g Da'I'T/ I. Ciyorgis is believed to have attended the Monastic
sc hool of Flayq, where the Abbot of the Mo nastery was at that time Aqabe-Sti 'at Stirtiqii Barhan,
the great anri-Sabbath leader until hi s death in 1403 A.D.(?). The f~\l her of Abba Ciyorgis, f-Iazbti
Sayan was one of the chap lains of the Roya l Court, and when his father retired into a monaste ry,
Ciyorgis repl aced him as a sec ular priest of the Royal Court. He was admired by, both Dawlt 1
and hi s successo r, Yashaq. At one timc, hc had th e illlportant post of Nuburti 'od of Damo.
A number of doctrinal and se rvice books are attributing to him. Despite hi s educat ion and anti-
Sabbath background from /lay c/- Ciy orgis thought it legitimate to observe the Sabbath together
with the Lord's Day. and de voted an important sec ti on of' hi s MCi.phafd Ma.(!lr to it.

J•.rr)·(J "'-'r: /"1n. :- A bbrl fYY(1S1i of Jiir Sal/(Ise Ilouri shed in the seco nd hal r or th e 15
1h

century. He lived during the reign of '}·/·p':(l'l.:~\()!l'}J':r::-Kin g oskondar (I'. 1494 - 1508)
and rounded the Monastery of .Jtir Sollase to th e North- East or Dtibrti Libanos. Y;;s/jaq and
Marqo.\' was the bishop of the ti me.

)"f\:)".f't'l.{):'1"~,: - A bM i ViiSlls Mo'a 207was born at DahnG in (J'}, 'J"'<':C: -l3t'igeml17;>ddr

around 12 11 A.D. He was the rounder of a leading monasti c ord er in Ethiopia. He Il ouri shed in
nd
the 2 half of the 131h Century at Lake Flayq in WeiI/o. Hc is said to have made a religiou s pact

'06 Tadd ese Tal11l'al (19 72). pp.197-98 , 208, 2 17.

~07 The COllllllemoration day or Ahhii rriislis t\lu '0 on 26 I/adar (05 December),

- 64 -
with 'j'l'/",:,e1J~~" :J,Y"1h: -Ki n g )'akllno Am/ok though later trad ition have asc ribed thi s to ro le

to Ttiklti {-{oymonol, hi s disciple. About 1240 A D. he trave led to Tagl'oy to join the Monastery of
Dtibl'ti Domo w here hc become d isciple of )'oi1annT, the n Abbo t of the monastery, and wo rkcd
ha rd for seven yca rs. Later on, he fo und his own mo nastery at Lakc F/ayq in about 1248/9 A. D.
th
Many reli gio us leaders, in the 13 and 14th Centu ry, ap pear to have joined hi s monasti c schoo l.
A mong hi s pup il s. was Ttiklti 1/oYll1onol who later assumed particular signifi ca nt in the Eth iop ia n
C hurch . Abba /ytislIs ill/o 'a (ca. 12 11- 1292 A.D.) was one of the churc h ca ll igraphists, was learnt
how to write a nd studied in Gondti/OS.

t'I ,'}: II{.",t'lt"~' :L iq Zii-Mii liikot, a gra nd son of MHrq orcwos , who was fI, "': !'.,/,I): ,h Liqti

Stihafi ' c hi ef sc ri be' of the ' Hi story of Kings ' Iof Ethiopia].

'/'lIt.: uUO,:" : -Giibrd Miis/'II (c. I 52 0) was a me mbcr of the Slephaniles community. He lived

in the re ign of King No 'od and 'j 'l,/ P : {)Z: /.'i '(/~ : J:' 'j'7/.'i :-King L;;bnti D;;ng;;1 (r. 1508 - 1540

AD.) . and was co ntempora ry to )'ashaq and AH/I'qos, Egyptian bishops to Et hi o pia .

t\, 'I:: I/ aofl t. :1' : - Lew i Zii-MiiHiI<ot. G rand son of Ma rqorcwos. who was [Liqti Stihafij "Chief
Scri ber" and [Siihafe Ta 'azozJ lmpe ri al Sccrctmy of Emperor Za r' a Ya'qob.

'J'I'.P':(lZ:/.'l 'II~:J:''J''//.'l :-King LiJbl1ii DiJl1giJl :-( Emperor) hi s throne name call ed Wtinog
Stigtid. He re igned from 1508 to 1540. During hi s rcign NUI'-Monommdd Gr[1I1t7 in vaded the
C hri st ian kingdo m in 1527 A D.

)',11 : rmt.\ h : x"I?.. ,} : -A bbii M ii lkii Scdcq . - the 'm onaSI ic cap Falhel" 0 I' Abba [byas. As it is

sai d. j', 'I: ", : ~,q : a " A II : X, ,~" :" : III i. q : , 11'11 ' /': "'/ c: ,!'~" : Ill~' q : "'/II. : '''I r: ,!'~": OJ ~\ i/")' : I\~, q :

;J ·,e"fJ'i'l: - T he C hildren o f the Abba Mii lkii Scdcq, Abba Fl ablii Mar;;>yalll, a nd Abba Gabra
Mardyam ; the Bre threns of Abba Tadcwos,09

au ,1':-;'>'" ., : ~, a,"), :-Miidxlillill ii i3gzi:- He was the found e r of j'AIt.: (J'Hl"t.\ : -Dtibl'!'i Btinkol,
(West A ksum) arou nd 1322 AD. Followi ng hi s teach ing many monasteries were establ ished in
'0 t. :-'~;)I'e, bet wee n {,!In· 9": (/1'1' A J': q : -A kSWH and Wolddabbo"/o

.~OH Se rgew Il ablcsc lla sc 1972:2 6.

'"' GE,jI 28vb - 28,.h.
2IOCac//a M(idronind Og:i

- 65 -
 1,ll: "'l.l-jlbA: //mT'J: -Abbii Mikti'il of Wtigtig, the teacher (Preacher) of Abba El"yas, and
ordained as a monk by him211 .

"'IC .£>9": hll&-l mWCfJ: "'l.l-jh,A: -Mtiraytim Kabril, Siir~ii Mikti'il, he is called The Arch-
Chanter' and ordained at the Monastery of Dabra Libanos; Gabra ~"yon, who called the Arch
Priest of Dabra M"fmaq, the twins sister and brother of Abba El"yas.

"'IC.f9": fie; :-Milraytim Sanil, 8miibet:- a wife of Sar~a D"ng;}l. In the region of
Chriir;}yii, she built a church. The name of the church is Miinddrd Maraytim. Abba El"yas
visited to her church with the replica of the tablee l2

oo·a: Muse- brother of Emperor Kalib is said to have going to Jerusalem as a hermit. He was
advised by Abunti Ptin!tiliwon to leave his birthplace if he seriously intended to serve God.
~·C: UDr/, DO,.e·: '70. :r:-Nur-Mohammiid Grann:- the Muslim warrior, invaded the Christian
kingdom in 1527; it was capable of offering little resistance. Many of the recently Christianized
people returned to their form er religions or adopted Islam. A 'Golden Age' in the history of
Ethiopian Christianity came to an end.

1,ll: O/w·fI{n{J:- Abbii Qiiwas{os was a relative and disciple of Ttiklti Haymanot. Qtiwas!os was
one of his twelve disciples with whom Bishop Yti 'aqob ( ca. 1337 - 1344 A.D.) made a
programme of vast evangelization in Ethiopia.
J{J:".9'"J f $tidqtin are a group of saints who are beloved to have lived and died together. There
are different group of $adqan in Eritrea, Tagray and Btigemmaddr, known as '$adqan' of
Bardkntihii, Abrtin Ttint, Wa$if, Kadfh and l1awzen.

(]II"?: Uftfl1'l!f Siiltima 1II 21 \c. 1348-88 A.D. ), called Mtittirguti Mti$anafl, came to Ethiopia
in 1348 A.D., and he is remember as the first year of Grace. A great number of translators of
religious text in to Ethiopia is attributed to him.

All: <'ltJl>.h,A: H YttJ1..n Abba Siimu'el of Hiille Luyti (c. 1379 A.D.) he was the founder of the
famous Monastery of Halle Luya, near Aksum.

2 11 GE,ff. 28rb.
212 oo?;' rh&.:t:C<'l~:t-1·A.A:- The Book of Darsanii Ragu ',,1 ro,}rnrn - za-anlono.
2IJ See also text translation GEl 61ra. May be it confused for the copyist with the 19'h c. Salama IV??

- 66 -
 )',f) : ', {JIJ·l...A : IIw ' I"/: -A bbii SfllIIlI'el of Wiigiig (c. 1388 A.D.) is kn own thc found er of
Dtibrti Astibol, East of Addi s Aba ba, along the road leadin g via C'((ir(c'tir to Fitirtir. King Dtill'll I
had a hi gh respect fo r Sam/l 'el. who is commemora ted on the 29 1h of (a(jdl'lli. The bi sho p in his
time was Sti/ama, the hans/aler.
)',f): t)'IIJ·l"A: II 'PA.l~·f/:- A bbii Salllll'el of Wtilddabbii was a disciple of Mtic!xaninti-Ogzi of
/Jtinkol, who gave him the monastic hab it. He li ved in the reign of DawII I. Sal17u'el is sa id to
ha ve met Ctibrti Mtin/Cis Qac!lIs of Zoc(ala and Anbas of Fiaztilo . Hi s fea st on [/ 2 Tahasas ] 2 1
December, and [26 Ftamale] 02 August.
J.'" ,/:,"')" f) : '''' t. ", : 'flCr} : WI·II UII : (II ,It : all' ,,·11 :,. : -The Spi ritual Chi Idren of Abba Saraqa
B;,rhan from the Monastery of Toha and also from Guzat.
IPC U: .l~' 'l'i'A :-Sar~a Dan gal :- (E mperor) . He reg ined from 1563 -1 595 A.D. wi lh the thro ne
name ca llcd Mtiltik Stigtid.

)',f): ,.'CO: A.'I'L:'fl : -Abba Siil}ii Perros the founder of Dtibrti Wtirq is said to have been born in

Ontibase, north 0[' Dtibrti Wtirq , Co;ja m . Hi s monastic ancestry traced back to 'HIt.:
t'-"r~·(): Ctibrii [ytislis of Onli-az.
(,·fl : flll" 1''} : (.flip Tl : tH':J' j ww"l ,II j (Jl {.fIJ rI, "I A j (JIfl (;"'/:" j m)', (I. 'I: tI,t -;.. ,.: ),,11"'1 h:
-Ras S0 Im 'on, the f111her ofXiruta Am lak. the Gove rn or of Kiilallij, Wagda, Mahag;)1 and S;,rmat

oz .l~·'l'i'A: Sage Dal1gal was th e composer of Mahalelti Sage. He was a nephew of Ftara
D;)ng;)1. I-Ie grew up with him unti I reac hed to spiritual strength.
)" f) : ' /"l1t1 : ,It f,' e ,f> :,. : -A bbtt Tiiklii I hllvaraytil was founder of Dtibrti .~ammona in Still/a. He
lived during the rei gn of King Yasl1aq and Bi shop Abunti iJtirltilol17eltloS (ca. 1389- 1436 A.D.).
In GEl 28vb: as it mentioned when Abba l~ byas was bapti zed in the Monastery of Abuna Tiikla
Mar;,ya m at GabalT;)ma (Dabra ~dmona), Abuna Tak la J-lawar;)yat was EI;,yas's God Father 214
;",",.fl:)',f):,,·htl:'I ,e "'/';-+:-St. Ablll1ii Tiiklii I-ftiYI11f1l101 :- (ca .1 2 15-131 3 A.D.): The
avail ab le traditional o r the Ethiopia Church are unanimous in attributing a great monastic
in nuence to T'iiklti IItlYll1anol , and the y mak e him res pon sibl e for the estab li shm ent of' many
rel igious commu nit ies. He was a di sc iple of Abba Vohanni of Dtibrii Dall10 and
t,lJ, t,.I'()·r'I, 'I"t, , - Abba [yti.\,//s Mo 'a of' I-fayq. Hav ing enri ched him se lf in monastic experience

~ 14 Gadla ' I '~ikm Il awar::>yat sawa, KJbran. Lake Talla. i3agcmddJr. GEl 28vb:

- 67 -
 in T"griiy and AI1'Ii1arii , he return ed to hi s nati ve land of SCiwii, where he establi shed a perm anent
center o f Chri sti an lea rni ng and monast icism in Dabrti As bo, latcr ca ll cd Dtibrti Libanos. Many
of the evange lical achi eveme nt s in the Sou th are attributed to him 2 15
'J'/'/--" ',e(J,/':":- King Y~shaq:-/JclhrCi-N{igii.' [king of the sea l (r.1 540-1 580 A. D). He
we lcomcd the Icader of thc Port uguese expedi tio n. when the Ott omans occu pied Massawa in
1557!\. 1)2 16

J'o<lHI: wrn/I"'1:9 J (J ; -Ya ' ~q()b and Timotcwos, the children of Agaya, the sc ri be rs of Clras
D·
Im,e\rOS, h i atl' ve 2 17.
cr re
:" ,v,. (J : ,C'O<y"f1: r/lot.\f1t::,';,: 1-51. Ya'~qob Izii-3 lhiiriidil (Jacob [o f Barad ius]), the author of

the Book of C'/:O: '/.e,"'I';';/' : -T'hc Truc Orthodoxy Fa ith21S

;-,'l: ,e(J,/"}: -A bbii YilS/Wq: -H e li vcd in 15th c .. and a foll ower of Os{ijanos.

)', 'l : \" , Il '}() : IH'. 'til. : 1\, Wi' () ; )" q : ,y. "'l () : 01)', q : {" <" ''I () : /I r.'til. : 'til''' (" ,'/. ; ;-, q : rH·1. : "'l C .!'9"
: II .1'./'1,,/': In : ;-, q : '/'in')""' : "" Y: Y}: II" ,'\ au: (1'1, ,': : 1I()"'7:j ; )', q : r' ,Il '}() : 110)')(,'; )"q: \" ,Il '}()
: 1I~"')(rl ;-,q : ,rn,('')'':II(1'1, ')uY:r. l (/l?; .i; : '},'1 , <)'}: -Ab ba Yo h a nn ~s Elf Dabra Libanos, Abba
Thomas and Abba Yolian n;)s of Dabra B;)s raL Abba Bat ra Ma r:JY3m of Daseta Zaghe, Abba
Ta\amqa Madh:Jn or the Monastery of l1agcda S;)men, Ab ba Yoli an n:Js of Waga ra, Abba
Yoli ann:Js of Egora, Abba B:Jnyam of l3 agemm:Jdd:J r and all 500 Saints [of the Med icval
Centuri es I attend ed on thc Co un ei I Iof Dtibra B:Jrhan I

;-,'l: [",/,'}(J: /I.e. ,fit:: : (J"H.t.\ :-lI bb(/ Yohallllos oj' Diibrii Biillkol, was a fo ll ower of

/vltidxiinlnti-Ogzl. .He was one of the earl y rcli gious leaders of th e Ethi opia church ,

;-,'l: \'-,h'}(J: 1I.e. 'IIt::: f1.ln :-Abbii Yoliallll oS of Diibrii BIZiill (c. 1448 A.D,) was a senior

disc ipl e and sueccsso r of 1.,I\.At) : Filip 'as of B/ziin (ca. 1323- 1406 A. D.) . He li ved in th e reigns
of ''1'/'1''': ,e(J,I,'}: -Kin g Y;Jshaq and ''1'/'1''' : (12,: IICO: ,('o,IHI: -Emperor Ztir 'a Ya '''qob .

;-,'l: \J-d, ' }(J: W/S'}</: :-A bM YohallllilS of GIII/r/I/qe was a nati ve of S"re. a district III

]15 GdC/fa TiAla lliipl/fin() /

11(' Taddcssc Tal11r~ t 1972.
1 17 GE, folio 52ra.
218 lvlfi,. ' Ya 'aqob: (II 2ra - 23ra).

- 68 -
Western Tagray.
~,ll : I","'}{J : IIl'."t\" :-Abbii Yo/iallllas oIZii·Sa/lilo is kn own on ly in So/ato , Goggam.
~,ll: \",,, '}{J: 11'1:1.:" :-A bbli YO/WlllloS oI H;-tj'lif is also ca ll ed Geeii or Mosraqawi.

He was the apostle o f Miinz, a di strict in Nort hern Stiwa in the reign of Ziir '0 Ya 'aqob and
founded the Mo nastery of Siigaro. Hi s name is menti oned in the Tar/tikd Niigti,il.
fA:"' : ~,ll: I"," '}(J: IIw:) ,1',: 11,''\'': ')" ;ht.:,': mllY,'IIt.: Whl,l,:": mY,'IIt.: ~.,"'Ir : m'PI"u: n

II: m," II t\": 111'/,'1 '''': ')r:': ·The Chi Idren 0 f !\ bba Yohan n:Js from the placed ca ll ed I Wa IGay.

and the Ch urch o f Kidana Mdhrat. fro m Dabra Dancciit, Dabra Ego ra, li'om the Monaste ri es of
8azo and Haza lo, and also the Mo nastery ofGaro (GE).
5'. '/:'1' :~, 11 : I"(}. r,: : 1/(':'/: ··fh e Chi Idren 0 f Abba Yosef lwiII come1 from Roha.

~,ll :I",,, '} : 115'.'nt.: ,'\ "" :-Abbrt Yolwlllli of Diibrii Dlilllo was the 7'h abbot of Dtibrti D"lI1o.

8 0th ~.", A.\' I)·(}' 'I"~.,· A bb" Jydsus Mo 'a of lIayq and ~,I]: " 'nil: 'I.e "'l'j''''' :·11 bunti Ttiklii
I-"'ymano/ are be lieved to have met and rece ived the monasti c habit li'om him.

~,ll:lJ'(}.r,::IIaJ/\:J' :-Yoselol Wiiliiq(l was a di sc iple of ~.n""IIS:"'lr:4'>(}: - IIbunii Zena

Marqos. Yose/" met hi s master on hi s return to Sdwa fro m Tagr"y, l ie was li ved in the reign of
Carma AsfCini or ,}"'[' : "U: .c'')'' i Na ' Fayti Ivlar;)yall'l anc! ,'\ ,/::,,: DawT!.

I" (Jfl/(J Yosros was a tutor of '},/,p. : (l'/.: IICO: .c'(J,Y"II: -Emperor Ziir '0 Ya 'aqob.

Chi ld ren of Za·Mika'e l.

Onbariil'u'i, Giyorgis of the Rome .
5'..,:<,, : ~,ll: W; ,1,~.. A: 11',..1 (m: 'l'fI,; mY,'IIt.: ~.I].e uIlY,'IIt.: ~dlt.'} :J':": ~.')"'I,'lm': r),/):":
aJ~.')n Y, ·IIt. : ~,I]:";9).(':r:'t'l: ·T h e Ch ildren of Abba Za·Rul1l'Ci from the Monasteries ofWal i,
Dabra Abbay, Dabra Ab:Jrantat; from the Monastery of Sih hilt whi ch found that in Dabra Abba
Tewodros.
~,(J.~: ILC,': (1,/(; .y, {J: - Abllllii Zel/{I Marqos was relati ve and di sc ipl e of ~,I] ""nll: '1.e"'l'j"'/-: -
Abunti Tiik/ii lIaymanol. He is the lo und er of the Monastery of J'.·f/~: 'f/P'~"7-:-Diib rii i3a.iral
i n ,~(h Ila .

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3.5.3. Overview of Place Names
J,.f: :If'l':-Adii Siilvtl:- thc famous monast ic ccn tcr, which fou nd in ccntra l Ethi opia. Somc arc
ca lled as fA~/! WaHa !I

r.·IIi. :(lfJ.e:-Diibrtt Abbll)l :-In So uth- West Aksum, thc monastery of r. ·/I{.:(JI].e: -Deibrei
Abbay 219 was found cd by )',I]:,)(1I>·)'•. A:II'I'AJ':I]: -Abba Sall1u'el of Waldddbba duri ng the

reign of ·}·/·/":,V,'e:/,: -King DalFil (r. 1380- 14 12). It is also on there that the fu tu re
'} '/./,,: O~ : /lCO : ,f'/'J,IHI : -King leir 'a )'c/';'qoh stud ied, It is the mo st fa mous pl ace lor the
tcachin g o f ·l·,l\O.: -qdddase,- th e liturgy, The monas te ry is on the north side of th e 7dkei:ze
Ri ver, at the cdge or the Waldddbba co mp lex
j?,'flt:: f/tJc.e:; Diibrii Ballaray:- In South WeiI/o, the Monastery of Abba C iyorg is of Gas;)C' a

(d .1 425 A,D,), or Dtibrti BahdrdY, is situated on their nat -topped plateau or Amba (aro und
2400 m,). Abha Ciyorgis studied in the I/ayq, Monastery and was the most promi nent scholar o r
hi s time,
j?,·flc.: ·fl/p~·-l':-Diih rii Ba,(:riit: - In Nort h Siilva the Mo nastery of Dtibrti !Ja/;ra, 220 ' the Mount

of Ann unciati on' of' Abuna Zena Ma rqos" The monastry was found by Abba Zena III/arqos on
aro und 13'h and 14'h Centuri es,
j?,'flt:: J.1Jm.1.~"f)f- Dribrii E)s!ifallos':- In So uth WeiI/o 22 l the Monastery of Dtibrei os!ijonos,
on Lake I-Iayq , used to be on an is land, but it is opcn onl y to men, Thi s was alread y a church on
the island in the 91h century, The monastery ca ll ed Ilayq St. Abunei /ytisus Mo 'a , after the name of
it s found er (13'h cen tury) , It was the most ra mous monastery rromthe late 131h C. unt il the early
16 1h Century, The Ilayq Monastery emerged as a ve ry important sc hoo l a cultura l cent er fo r the
reg ion, and fo r th e So uth and the West. It remained important until the co ming or the Muslim
conquest N ur-Mohall1l11tid Cral?/l in 1532, The ori ginal rule o r the /-/ayq Monastery was

219 1t nI l" arou nd 60 kill frolll Aks um to Sare, th en 60 kill in Ihe direct ion or ""iY.C : -conddl', th e last 20 kill is off th e
main road.
220 It is far arou nd 3 hou rs walk from Oniill'('re. On there, wa ter springs (H1/.\ : -riihiil- I-I oly Wate r, and monks pra y

Ih~ re at 6 A.M. and al 6 P.M .. they pra y in min/aq-t he liollse of Monastic Council. lIll S li ve nearby. The chu rc h
also ded icated to Kidtino /\/;Jhraf (Cv \'enaJ1l o/kleny. J 'irgin AIm)') was rebuilt b) Emperor Xii)'lti Salliise in 1950
::!::!I Arou nd 35 km Nort h or /)c"iss e.

- 70 -
 coenobitic 222 • Around the 16th century, an idiom-rhythmic system (qurU) introduced 111 this
monastery.
1~UD: ',..}~ : '/-,}.I;.:- Gundii GUlldi :-The Monastery of Gundti Gundi can be reached from

M~.?: ,Ilao.{J :-Edtigti Htimu/23

.K'fI~: fPC-P [ Diibrii Wiirq:- in Gojam North of Bicana. It was found under King Dawit
(r. 1380 - 1412/13), while Abba Siir$ii Petros was Abbot of this monastery. Some said to have
been founded by the Siir$ii pelt·os himself. The Monastery of Dabra Warq linked in the past to the
monastic movement which followed lbfPfl"l1;fP{J:-Ewos/titewos. And it became later an
important centre for the Ewos/titians. In fact, as can be gathered from both the writings of the
Jesuits and the participation of monks from D. W in the Gondar Synod of 1688, it became a
Qabat stronghold (wlction) .
.q~ : J./Jfnf..ri'/J: I Dligli os(ifiinos:- The most famous of the Ttinti monastery is Saint
Stephen, also called Dtigti oSfljanos224 , on the island of Dtigti in the middle of Lake Ttina. The
remains of some Ethiopian Kings are keeping on there, as well as those of the founder of the
monastery. "t. ~-t :)",9",,11 :-Xiruta Amltik (14th C.). She is a disciple of Abba lyasus Mo 'a .

.K ,n~: t1.1J'i /J: [ Diibrii Libiinos :-In Sawii the main monastery is that Dabra Libanos, called
0

Dabra ASobo until 1445. St. Abunii Tiiklii Haymanot founded thi s monastery in about 1284. The
first church built by the first half of the 15 th century. Y.1I~: 111'l£11' ; f ~C; OJU1~: OJ .e1,: -Dabra
Asabot, Yarar, and the district Wayitu found in the province of Sawti .
.K 'il~: fP.e 'Jr I Dabrii Wiiynoye:- Near the body water place of Abuna Gabra Marifas Qaddus
[Abbo] Church one and a half hour's walk from Y.1I~ d]C'/'}: -Dabra Borhiin, is the little
Monastery of Waynoye, where as some legend say that St. Takla Hiiymiinot spent some time
before going to ttayq.

222 This continued until coenobitic life was re·established in 1996 by decision of the present Archbishop AlhGIlGsius,
who resides in Dtisse. Main festiva ls on 15 Mtiskiiriim (25 September), translation of Relics of Eisfifonos, his death
on 17 Taqam'l (27 October).
223 20 km south of Adigral, the n 30 km Eastwards sti ll accessible by car, and then one day walk.

More tilan around 30km nOith of Rahal' Dar. On this monastery, women not allo wed enter to the monastery. The
224
monks work together and grow basic crops.

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~\'}(Il(Il: tl .11 ~: ')".), (. .). , -al/rorro lIiimiirii No'h /(idf7l/ii MiJltriif :- On the way to

~\ '}(Il(Il: -On{o/!o, among eucalyptus trees, it found the Monastery of Fltimtirti No 'oh-(' Ark of
Noa h') K idanti M iJhrti/ ('Convenent of Mcrcy') in Addi s Ababa Di ocese, The church re-founded
after 1894 by Empress lay//(,
'/(J r. "'I : r"-( I(': ·I·t/A: ,/"1'(; y:,.: -Ciibiirra mii , Diibrii Tii klii Hawarayiit , the baptisma l

place 01' Abba Ebyas wh ich found in Mugiir. West Stiwa '
UlJ'}(J(.: "'Ir. 4~t'l: - The See of St. Mark. the Copti c Orthodox Church. the cent er of Ancient
Chri sti an ity in the oldest city of Alexandria, Egypt.
225
001.'1'11'11: ayr;:pf!" :-Miir(llfii Mf7riJyliI11 :_ 'fhi s mon astery is close to a village. A church was
bu ilt there under '}"/p:,': M\,~. :-Queen Offeni. at the end of the 151h century.
1h
fI"E/I'f.' : J.. Pr)·/) : : MiJltl/r r " iiSlts :- Abunii lena Marqos ( 13114 c.), a co usi n of Abunti Taklii

Il iiymiinot IClLlI1ded the Monastery or M;Jhltr Tl'tisus and to have evan gel ized thc oth er Southern
·· . "'"16
E-< t Il iop ia rcglOn -- .

fI".c:-~: h·/U:':; Maddrii IUib'd :- S/, A bunti Ctihrti I'vhinfds Q;Jddus is also sai d to have

found ed the MiJddrei Ktib 'd Monastery227, near '11'1' f.'.: ".,e-}: -Lake ZiJway, which still ex ists as a
place of pi Igrimage.
'/'AJ:'I]: WrIlddiJbbr/, situated in the TiJgray and Gondiil' prov inces , several settlements o f
hermitages arc scattered in a wid e arca: it is very rcmote and wild. in lowland desert area,
demarcated by four rivers. It is said that hermits li ved in WafddiJbba before Abba Sall1u'e/
organized monastic li fe there at the time or King Dawif (e nd of 141h C. to beg, 151h century) , Sai nt
Abba Samu'ef was buri ed in this monastery (WafddiJbba).
28
'l/!1;1: ZiJqwrIfrl: - In South Stiwa, Abba Abunii Giibrii Meinfds QiJddu/ [' the Servant of the
I-I oly Sp irit'). al so ca ll ed 'Abba' (may be 141h c.?), who is sa id to have eome from Egypt,
estab lished the Monastery of ZiJ{(afa on the mountain today in Gramia region.

".
--) Archeological remains have been found behind prese nt chu rch. The church . which built, ma y be by the Jes uit s. in
th is location the re is th e ruins of the Church.
!!6 Today ncar Ilos(ll1n(l. and in th e GlIl"{igliJ region, wh ich was th e ancien t province of SiiIVii. Recent ly, recogni zed
by the Diocese Bishop in Il osan na, I lbba J\;ltilkii $edeq .
227Thc region toda y in the Cllnighe zone.
228 From down in the plain , right up to the top orlhe mounta in. he pra yed to fight and eliminate th e ev il spirits, which
were particularly numerous by the vo lcanic lake on the top of the mouJ1lain . He preaches Christianity to the local
people.

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 CHAPTER IV
4. TRANSLATION
In this part I attempt to translate on the basis of QSC text, which include around 43-44 folios , and I
organized an overview with the full text translation of the Gad!. The punctuation and paragraphing of
the text are mine. I have added two signs, quotation marks with italics, " ", and square brackets, [ ],
for illegible places and the parenthesis, round brackets ( ), for a letter that the copyist or calligraphist
forgot to write 229.

4.1. THE LIFE OF ABBA. ELayA.S AND THE CHURCH OF ETHIOPIA

[Part I: The Ga'n Manuscript Text Translation of Giidlii Abba Ebyas]
4.1.1. Abba Elayas, the Church Fathers, and Emperor Zii-Dangal [If. 24v" - 27vbJ
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Sprit, One God Amen. We would like
to write about the vita (combat) of our Spiritual Father, Abba EI;)yas, who was of the Royal and
Priestly family; this great father was renowned for his purity and Holiness, his life combined
righteousness with honesty as a perfect Monk.
He finished his combat on the 6 Hadiir [November 16] festival of Our Lady, the Virgin Mary,
Mother of God. May her prayers protect us, Amen.

o my Children, Christians! People of the province of Sawii and the whole of the World! May
God be a light for your eyes, may the hearts of those that listen to this be made to shine brightly. I
will write the account of the holy Abba EI;)yiis (His Grace is used only of Bishops) as I received
the narrative of his combat for the satisfaction of your soul, and the purification of your heart.
Before we continue to relate the origins of the ancestors of Abba EI;)yiis, we would like to inform
you concerning the basis of this historical literary work. He becan1e a hermit life at a place called
onlotlo by the command and the choosing of God. And by the promise of Our Lady, Blessed
Mary, the Dual Virgin, Bearer of God, the Savior [of the World]. By the power of Her prayers
may we be protected in this world and in the coming one for ever and ever, Amen.

229 See the edited Ga 'az Manuscript text of Abba tlayas on 'Appendices' part (last chapter of the Thesis; Pp. 132 .
164).

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Emperor.la-Dangdl [r. 1603-1604] , who is the friend of God, when he became King of Ethiopia;
many Elder monks gathered and went to him. The Elder Monks were the Church Fathers who
had survived the persecution of the Christians during the period of Nur-Mohiimmad Grflliii. From
among these Church Fathers, who were aged 100, 120, and 130, so me monks came to the King
and said:
"0 King! the Almighty Eternal God, whose nature is mercy helped you to succeed to the
throne. Our Lord Jesus Christ's Mother, the Holy Virgin Mary's blessed those who are
Kings- like King Zar 'a Yo 'aqob, ](jng Ba 'ada Marayam, and King No 'od (0

commemorate their names and save them from disaster. The Children of the scribes of
your Fathers knew about the Books ?f your Fathers, which they kept in a secret place.
Please! Command them to tell us [about the Books). "

At thi s moment; the Emperor A~e la-Dangal officiall y gathered the Children of the Scribes of hi s
Fathers' who were around 150 in nwnber; and the Clu'istian peop le said:
" Where are the Books of our Fathers [the Kingsl, which were kept in a secret place during the
era persecution ofGraiiii?" One oftbem, who were originally from Gasac'a, whose name was
Harayaqos, said to the King:
"J am an Elder Fom among the Children of Writers, my age is J 15, by th e will of God my
life was spared during the time of Graflli 's persecution. However, J do not know about
your Fathers Books, or where they are. However, I assume that Our Teacher, the Writer
of History and the grandson of Marqorewos knows [about the Books). J heard that he
lives in his Fathers' district in an area called Ema; call him and question him if the
Books are here or in Wagda ", I-iarayaqos repli ed to A~e la-Danga!.
When King A~e Za-Dangal asked the Old man [Harayaqos] repeatedly: "Who was your
Father?!" The Old man became terrified and responded wi th silence unable to answer the King.
At that moment, the King become irritated; and order(!d his soldiers to put him in prison.
On that ni ght, Abba Elayas came and was transfigured before the King:
"Release him [the old man, Harayoqos} Fom prison! The scribe, who said that he did not
know where the 'Books' were, was aFaid of the King! The Books are found at his hand
[It records} what the angels foretold, about (he destruction of the counlry [Elhiopia);
about Ihe rising of the Heathen [[slam in Ethiopia} during the reign of King Labnd

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 Dangal. The Children ofyour Fathers' scribes heard all these things/i'om the Angels, and
kept all their Books in secreled secluded places [J-Iarayaqos]," Abba El:Jyas told all these
things to A~e (King) Za-O::lI1g81.
The day after the King Za-08ng81 heard these things from Abba Elayas, he freed him
[I-I8r8yaqos] from prison [saying]: "Yesterday, when J asked [aboul the books} why you hesilaled
to tell me the Iruth wilholtlfearing? A cerlain hermil, red in color lold me in a dream Concerning
you today: 'Leave Ihe prisoner, the Old man [Harayaqosj- release him - from prison; he knows
about the Books ofyour Fathers' where they are!" the King said [these words] to H:Jrayaqos, the
old man and treated him accordingly.
At this time [he said]: "0 King! When my falher died, he made me promise concerning this box.
The box should nol be opened without the permission of Ihe son of King LabnG Dcmgal, Ihe
Children of Ya 'aqob; no one could open it. But now you can open and see it, " sa id the old man,
and gave the locked box with its firm key and the Books that were found within it.

When th.e king opened the locked box , he saw the: 'Ancestral History of the Ethiopian Kings ',
'The Raising of Grarlll and the Heathens " and The History of Abba Elayas' - all were found in
this box from the beginning up to the end. The numbers of Books was fifteen (15).

4.1.2. His Ancestors and Origins [jJ. 27m - 28vbJ

,
YakunoAmlak was the father of Amda $8yon, Amda $8yon was the fathe r of Nawaya K8rastos,
N8waya Kar8stos was the father of Nawaya Marayam who was ca ll ed Oagmay OawTt.
Furthermore, Oagmay OawTt begat children from Queen $ayol1 Mogasa, Tewodros, Yds naq,
,
8 nd8ryas, Tewofilos and l'Hibtii Iyasus. However, Zar'a Ya':;,qob and alieni were descend ed
fro m the ancestors of Abraha and A~baha's fam il y called Xirutii Amlak, the Queen. The name of
the father of XTruta Am lak was Ras S:;,ma' on. He was the Governor of Katatta, Wagda, Managal
and S:;,nnal. The sister of Zar'a Ya'aqob, allenT married an Arch-Chanter BakTmos from the
district called Wagda, close to the Monastery of Oabra KaJ8'ta and Gararya; she gave birth by
him [BakTmos] to tvvo blessed children. Concerning the names of the chi ldren, the first was called
Saqa Mika'el. He is known as 'The Arch-Chanter' and was ordained at the Monastery of Oabra
LTbanos; the second one was named Gabra $:;,)'on, he was known as the Arch-Priest of Oabra
Ma\maq. In her first pregnancy alienT gave birth to these two righteolls saints.

- 75 -

•
4.1.2.1. The Birth of Abba Elayas and His Family [ff. 28vb - 28rbJ
During her second pregnancy, she [ellenI] gave birth to Abba Elayas and Marayam Kabra in the
month of Hadar 22 [December 2nd ]. Abba Elayas was baptized in the Monastery of Abuna Tiikla
Marayam at Gabarrama (Dabra ~amona). When he received the Holy Sprit he was given the
name of the Prophet Elayas, and became known as Elayas. His God Father was Abuna Tiikla
Hawarayat.
When Abba Elayas grew in stature, his parents brought him to a teacher; and he became a pupil at
the school. His teacher was Abba Mika'el, the Teacher (Preacher) of Wagag. He studied all the
books of Theology, the Prophets, and the Apostles; and knew their interpretations by the grace of
the Holy Sprit who dwelt in him. He became perfect in understanding, in spiritual wisdom and in
tlle interpretations of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testanlents. He also became handsome
in his physical appearance. Everyone who saw him admired his majestic bearing. A perfect love
of God dwelt in him, and he put on the monastic habit and started to walk in the path of our
Failiers. He studied the Rules and Regulations of the Monks concerning the monastic life, and
Elayas became a monk under the instruction of Abba Maika ~edeq his 'monastic cap Father '. He
observed all good deeds: fasting, praying, practicing humility, meekness, cleanliness of the body,
without defilement, standing and prostrating, reading the Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments, showing true friendship and love without showing preference for juniors or seniors.
He was highly educated and was always diligent in explaining the Scriptures.

The blessed Abba Elayas was diligent in the monastic combat and planted, like a firm pillar of
prayer. After the establishment of Ada Sawa III, it came pass at mid night, when Abba Elayas
entered the Holy of Holies (Temple) with the Holy Communion, a bright light surrounded him
and the great light of the power of the Divinity swallowed upon the [Holy Communion] gold
basket [ov(tn : Olc~' :·mdsobt.i wdrq] , In addition to this [the great Light of the Divinity] was

revealed again on Dabra Barhan for the second time.

4.1.3. The Council of Diibrii Barhan and the Role of Abba Elayas rJf 29va - 29ra]
The King A~e Zar'a Ya'aqob was inuch inclined towards his sister's [elleni's] son, and hi s
nephew Abba Elayas. In particular the king admired and honored Elayas for his high ethical
standards, his honesty, activity, and the strong mindedness of his faith and purity. The Council of

- 76-
Dabrii 8;~Jl"hiin was convened for the purpose of firml y strengthening the Apostol ic Fai th
[Orthodoxy] of the Church Fathers [as taught during the Medieval Centuries]: Abba Ma ika
~edeq , Abba Yohann:Js of Dabrii Libanos, Abba Thomas and Abba Yohan nJs of Dabra 13Jsral.
Abba Batrii MarJyam 01' Daseta Zaghe, Abba Ttilamqa MadxJn of the Monastery of I:liigeda
S;;>lnf! n, Abba YohannJs of Wiigiira, Abba Yo hann:Js of Ego ra, Abba B;;> nyam of Bagemm :JddJr
and all the 500 Sai l1ls rofth e Med ieva l Centuri es] attended the Cou nci l [of Dabra B;;>rhan],

Ab ba EIJyas became th e Cha irman of the Council [the Co uncil Speaker], They were victor ious
over the Nestorian s he retica l teachi ngs and the sc hism, which was propogated by leaders ca ll ed
Giimai:Jya l Zii-G iyo rgis and Cl nbiir3Jlll, who taught: "Chris/ has /wo Bodies and /wo Na/ure,I' ",
The second heretical teachi ng of Alpqqa Mikii'cl's taught: "Cod has one Side(ftlce)"; the third
groups also taught: "Chris/ has one Body and /wo Na /lires ",

4.1 .3.1. T he Doctrin e of the Church , and the Defence of the Faith at the Council
If 29ra -f 29rb ]
During the IIVledie va l Centuri es] the Church Fathers defended and became victori ous by th eir
strong wo rd, They ta ught against the heresies whi ch said: 'Chris/ has /wo Bodies and two
Na/w'es ', and also ' One Body and /wo Na /llres '. As it is menti oned: "f-/e (Chris/) died in His
Body and was raised in f-/is Divini/y", They quoted thi s Bibl ica l text according to the
interp retati on of the (commentary of the Ch urch Fathers), This reading directl y interpreted or
translated : .. ,/n ,/" fi r:), ",,{,t', dl",,'}!..!), ,-Mo/d bti-,I'dga, wdhayo bti-lI1tinftis: He [Chris/} died by
llis Body: and became Danai by His Dil'ini/y."

The text said that- 'alier deat h there is resurrec ti on lor the Incarnate Wo rd: we understood that:
"Chris/ has One Body, One NO/lire," Ilowcver, there is no differe nce in basic thought (doc trine),
The teaching of Al\:Jqqa Mika ' el: 'Cod has one Face ', The Medieva l Church Fathers were
victori ous over thi s hereti cal thought ; as Our Lord Jesus Christ taught Hi s Apostles: "Holy Cod,
3o
Iioly S/l'Ong. Iioly Eianal/he Immor/ai." As mentioned in the Book of /h e Covenan/ [Kidan/ ;

they became \ iClorioLls,

DU Mazmurat za -DfiwTt 1984 E.C. , ~alota Kidtin. p. -168.

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4.1.4. /-lis Appo intment as Church Leader, Emperor Ziir'a Yii'Jqob, and the Beginning of
/-lis Monastic Life [IT 301'0 - 30raj
At that time all the Church Fath ers, attended the Co uncil of Dabrii B;)!"han with Abba EI:'Jyas
where they disc ussed issues of reli gio us con trove rsy. The Chu rch Fath ers told the Ki ng. 7.ar" a
Ya':'Jqob : .. 0 King! This son o{your sisler. Abba 1~'ldyas has dislinguish ed himsel{mo re Ihan all
o{ us by his slrong and ,alen,ed mind. by his Failh, by his elh ical honesly, his Prolection of
Monastic Rules and Regulations. and by his brilliant education. Please appoinl him as 'the
Preacher o{lhe Failh "

When Abba I~ byas heard th is: he was di st urbed by hea rin g such unnecessa ry praises, and ned
fro m the Co uncil of Diibrii l1 :'J rhan; and joined the Monastery at the Askb ll a River. The King
Za r' a Ya'~qob hea rd or the !li ght of Abba Cbyas and tried to find him in al l the monaster ies: but
he cou ld not locate him , Then, two years after Abba 13byas hadjoi ned the monastery: King Zar'a
Ya ' clqob visit ed Askblla Ri ver rwhere Abba 1~ l clyas li ved as a herm it and monastic life.! the
soldiers of th e King went to collect wood to build th e Church; the wood-cutters saw Abba Eb yas
from far. as he drew water fro m the ri ver.

4.1.4.1. His Dialogue with Emperor Ziir'a Yii'Jqob and the Angel of God [/,30rb -f 3.Jvb]

Immediatel y, when the soldiers of King Ziir 'a Ya'clqob told about him ; the king, Zar'a Ya'Jqob
came with a fo llowin g of hi s so ldi ers to find Abba Ebyas; then they took him into custody, At
that moment. Abba Eb yas sa id to the King:
"0 Kingt Whal lVould be Ihe poinl o/Itying 10 persuade me to lea ve this monaslelyfor
y ou ? My nallle is like Ihm o//he /rue Prophe/. Eb yas, I succeeded no/ only /0 the name
of/he prophe/: if'i / Ivas so I ll'IJUld not ascend like him /0 Heaven. I IVOLtid like to Ivork
for ll1y soul 's satisfaction and /0 sow /h is passing world. I personally not ani)! succeeded
/0 the name 0/ /h e Prophet Eb yas. but also /0 His lJIessing [or His deeds]: 0 King I

Please leave me alone by /he Name of the Mother o{Cod [SI. Mmy). as YO ll have regard
fo r Her let me die in /his mOnaSlel)', .,
I lowever. when i:mperor A~c Zara Ya ' Jqob hea rd these word s or Abba I~ byas; then the kin g
adv ised him as follolV s:

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 "0 m)' son' )'011 fOld Ihal, il \1'0.1' good in Ihe monaslelY IlolFever, Abba Yohanl7ds and
Abba Meilkei Sec"iq in/armed me Ihal 'Ihe lIebel.l o/Icailh (Ieachers 0/ Heresies! again
would rise, We are elders, we couldn 'I./oresee Ihis {the raising up o/new Heresies!" This
yours ' sisler son, Abba tl<lyas is a young man with education and a scholar o/Ihe
Church. I-Ie can de/end the Chllrch /i'om the heresies referring to the ancient books.
There/ore, please appoint him. ' As Ihey advised me and them given recommendation/or
YOII: I personally can appOint ),011 to one o/Ihe i1Fo/clmous monasleries Deibrei Libanos or
DeibrCi /J<lsrat [Zena Marqos MonastelY/ I was advised concerning Ihese greal
monasteriesin the meeling wilh Abba Yoljannas and Abba ,vkilkei Sedliq. So, I can 'I permit
./01' to live flhe Ii/e o/a hermit} at this monaslery [AskbllaJ.
Upon this, Abba 1~ ldyas rep lied thus to King A~e Zara Ya ' dqob:
"0 King I Don 'I II)'. 10 implemel1l this idea ,vhich you laid me now, Even don 't think
consider it I beg YOll in Ih e Name o/Ihe Ivlother 0/ God I only want 10 proslrale mysel/
be/ore 0111' Lad)': she is the cause o/the Saving o/Ihe World. In Ihis monastelY, I would
like 10 conlinlle the hermilic li/e respecling the Rules and Regulation o/the Monks, For
God will nerer leave Ihis land /th e World or Elhiopia! lFilhoul appropriate Clergy li.e.
Preachers/fimn the Creation o/Ihe World until the End o/Ihe World. As il is said, ii'om
Ihe Chosen land, /i'om Ethiopia those more brillianl Ihan me in Iheir educalion and ethics
,can foun d and appoil1led The lIoly Books o/the Saints like Abba Giorgi,s' and Abba
/Ji;i~'eilotei Mika 'iiI say, 'Our Lady received the responsibililY 10 pl'Olect Ethiopia/i'om the
coming persecution. In Ethiopia, a man can/ound who is devoled 10 the Law a/God and
a righleous preacher (~/the/aith.

o King! Even i/today in your reign, the followers 0/ Aril/S and Ihe ./ollowers o/the
Nes torian.1' are raised lip in Elhiopia. Ihey "vill never ever deslroy the counll)'. by their
heretical leaching I/Ihey Ihink Ihal it will only lasl a season for the lime being, Ihen Ihe
hue Orlhodox Church Fathers lvill de/end Ihem Ihemselves against Ihe (heresies). By Ihe
prayers o/Ihe Mother 0/ God. Ihe Church !-'elthers will live, and Ihey lvill become
victorious/ore vel'. 1/ 1 live un,il,ha, time, I lFilljoin wilh Ihe 'appointed preacher' and
de/end Ih e Orthodox Teiwah"do Chllrchjclilh.
o King ! When Ijoined this l1'1OnaSlel)'. (Monaslery o/Askbllaj, the Angelo/God lold
me,' 'don 'l/eOl,1 II is nOllong lillwe see Ihe end o/Ihe rebels of/aith [heresies! '. As the

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 Angelo/God again told about me: )Iou IAbba EJdya.l) are chosen by God. Himself'; when
YOll were in the womb a/your mother. you are honest. strong in the/aith and righteous: I.
personally advise )'ollnot/o leave this monas/ery till God ceills you by death or by Ii/e"

After a moment, the Ange l stood between Abba Eb yas and Emperor A~e Zii r'a Ya'dqob, who
looked like a 3 year old chi ld. The Angel of God said to Abba Ebyas: ;. You righteous one, Our
Lady (St. tv/ary) sent me unto you, why did you tell this mystery [to the king} which / have told
you?" The Ange l said again unto the King. "Why should you make demands 0/ this righteous
man o/God? Now leave him alone and leave this place immediately. be/ore / curse you/ He is the
one that helps you in de/ending /h e Orthodox Church/clit!? But it is beller/or Abba I~ byas; the
son a/your sister {alleni/. to live the life which he is living as a hermit, like Elayas o/Tebestiyan
and like John, the Baptist. "
Instant ly, the Angel carri ed Abba Eldyas upon Hi s wi ngs, and separated him from Empe ror A~e
Za r'a Ya';,qob. The kin g admired and appreciated thi s miracle, at that moment when he saw
(these thin gs), and retu rn ed to his palace.

4.1 .5. The Sen ding of Abba Elayas to A~c Bii'adli Miirayiim and His Mi racle

If! 3.Jra 35vcil

During the reign of the son of King Za r'a Ya ' qob, A~e Ba'Jda Mardyiim buil t the Church of
Atron sa Mardya m in the d istri ct of SaYdnt [AmhariiJ. After he fini shed the bu ilding of the
Church. it was destroyed by unknown causes. Th e king had tired in the build ing of thi s Ch urch,
conseque ntl y he was troubled and sorrowfu l about its destruction. He entered Church of The
Blessed Virgin Mary and prayed, cry ing out :
"0 My Lady! I was expecting to be received in the Kingdom o/God, according to that
which is mid: '0 person '1'170 built a Church in the name o/you [Blessed Virgin Mwy},
/ /e will receil'e its price and salmy, when / remember the promises given by you: how is
it that I am exhausted, inflicted ,vith pain and mocked inFont 0/ my enemies?"

Our Lady 1St. Maryl sent Ab ba Ebyas to all eviate the sorrow ol'the king. Secretl y Abba Ebyas
entered the palace of the kin g; and when he bowed down in front or th e king. the king him se lf'
was astound ed by the grace and excell ence of Abba Ebyas.

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4.1.5.1. T he Re-Buildin g of Churches of Miirlulii Mfirayiim and Atrof)()sa Mii rayii m
[f 35vb -/ 36rb ]

On that mome nt , Abba EI;)yas told a message to the kin g:

"0 King' Don 'l/eOl" My origin is Fain Ihe human being, and nol Fain devils: I am 'he
son o/yollr siSler ' Our Lady sel1l me 10 lell you Ihm, )'I!II musl go 10 Ihe place named
(Jo/jall1,1O Ihe disirici called lJndbasc: and rebuild Ih e Church in my name, which had
been desll'Oyed by my enemy Gudil [l'odil). This Church is called Meir!ulCi Marayam,
Alier you rebuild Ihe Church oj';/Ironsii Marayam, you lI1usl unile Ih e Rules oI lhose 111'0

Churches: as She Ilhe Blessed Virgin Mary! said, your chance will come Ihrough 'he
slrenglh 0/ my inlercession, and Ihe /3/essing o/ //'Iy Falher",
Aga in, Abba I~ byas gave thi s advice to the King l3 a';)dii Ma r;)yam:
"0 King ' Proieci yoursellfi'oll1 Ihe lemplCllion o/ Ihe devil, which are like Ihe serpenls 0/
Ihe land. During Ihe reign o/yourlalher, King AJe Zeir 'a Y'd ' ;)qob; 01 Ihe beginning o/Ihe
service, a greal devil enlered in/O Ih e Ho ly 0/ Holies, AI Ihal momenl, Ihe clergy were
scared. BUI. yourlCilher rA~e ZM 'a Ya 'aqobj enlered inlo Ihe Iioly 0/ !-Iolies, and prayed
Ihe praises 0/ Our Lady: '0 My Lady' Peace be unlo you, ,ve bowed down be/ore you ',
Alia ,hCll he killed Ihe greal serpenl. Mayhe YOII are being lesled in a sim ilar \I'ay Ia your
jCl/her: Ihen you shollld pray Ihis Iype o(prayer bej(Jre Ihe serpenl: as il said Ihcl/ Ihe
'//'Ian ",ho believed in I-IeI' lSI. "v/m )' '.I'I inlercession would he heard. You will see Ihe
power o/Ihe Ve neralion and Perpelual Help o/Our Lady/or Iaday,Ior Ihal day, and unlil
forever ".

The King, A~c Ba';)da Mar:Jyam bui lt a new tabernacle. like the Church of Atronosa Mar;)y'dm
on the area ort he ru ins, He adv ised the clergy to prepare the sacrifice rH oly Commu ni onjto God,
They prepared the divine service in the Church as they we re adv ised by the king, Moreove r, the
Holy Mass con tinued with the liturgica l service: and then a first pri est began the prayer: '0 God l
Send Ihe Grace of Ihe Ilo ly Spril upon uS,., '; the laymen also fo ll owed the liturgy; then a devil
which depend dwe lled in th e serpent entered the church, maki ng a loud sO llnd and attacked a
pri est.

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4.1.5.2. His M iracle in the Holy of Holies and the Devil's Temptation ll36rb -f 37rb ]
On that moment, a priest died and the clergy were anxious and they became gripped by fear.
They we re overcom e by terror and trepidation overwhelmed them . .lust then, the Saint Abba
EI::>yas wa lked in to the Hol y of Holi es, dressed in the li turgical atti re, as appropri ate for members
orthe clergy and said , '" Don 'I./ear Ihis serpenl 01' devil! " He taking th e Holy Co mmuni on in his
hand; he prayed 'Ihe Pmyerlor Ihe Holy Communion o/, Ih e Anaphom o/' t'piphaniolls, God o/'
Ihe lighls. and God oFlhe AUlhorilies' A rter Abba (byas fi nished the Holy Mass - Liturgica l
se rvice. he bl essed th e I io ly Comm uni on. and then distributed it to the priests, to th e king, and to
the laymen acco rding to their rank s.

When kin g Ba' oda Mar::>ya m prayed the prayer ras Abba El::>yas adv ised on prev ious time]:
'0 My Lady' Peace unlo you. we proslmle & b01ll down beFore you ... , '. Then all Chanters in sid e
the church foll owed the praye r of the kin g until the end of hi s praye r. The priests part icipated in
th e praye r service say ing:
"0 SI. Mary, we beg y ou in Ih e Name o/,God, who was Incarnaledji'Ol'n your Body, We
beseech y ou, lei us become Ih e Saviour o/,ollr lives as we live in Ihis world, and inheril
Ii/'e alier dealh. 6 Sf. Mat)', we beg you again and again by Ihe Body and Blood of' your
Beloved So n [Jesus Chrisl '.1]' You are Ihe Pmleclor of Ihe True Foilh and a Righleous
king. /vlay A~'c 1M 'adti Marayam 's regime proieci Ihe body and soul of'!he king. "

Meanwhil e, when Abba 1~ l::>yas touched th e dead priest Iw ho was attacked by the se rpent 1 arter
the prayer and the Ii o ly Mass se rvice: the dead priest was rai sed at that moment from death .
Then. immediately the devi l, whi ch was dwe lling in the se rpe nt; cri ed out and left the dead
se rpent.
o Readers [and Listeners] ' You may ask the quest ion, ' How could a devil enler inlo Ih e place of
God (Ihe Church)? Don't be di sturbed ' Beca use. Satan him se lf tri ed not onl y to tempt human
beings, but eve n to tempt God [i. e. Jes us Chri st[ .
When we return ed to the main point at iss ue, the King, A~e Bii'dda Maroyam ap preci ated greatl y
the great mirac le that was done for the pri est. A ncr that day [the day of the miracle I. The Kin g
Il3ii' oda Mar::>yam l declared and made a rul e: th at the da il y Holy Mass service mll st in clud e a
musica l co mpos ition accompanyin g the prayer; '0 I'vly Lady [SI. Mary!' Peace be LI!7IO YO ll, we

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proslrale and ball ' dOll'n be/ore YOII .... . berore that the lirst deacon should say the pra ye r, 'Pray
/Ul'lIs .. . ': Alter this occ urrenc e. the king visi ted Go rJD a m. he went to the di stri ct ca ll ed 0 nabse;
to rebuild the Chu rch or Mcil'!u lii Mal'ayam.

4.1.5.3. The Miracles of SI. Mary, Angel Riigu'el , Abba Elayas and S lir~ii Petros
[If 38va - -I2va1
In connecti on w ith thi s c hurc h, Our Lady [the I3lessed Virgin Maril perform ed a great mirac le.
The mi racle concerned the period when A~c l3a' ;:,da Mar:1yii m was alle nding to the rebuildin g of
the Ch urc h o r MCir!lIlii Marayalil. On the compo und or the c hurc h. the re was a great ri ve r ca ll ed
Ba ha Gio rgis . A great se rpe nt emerged li'o m thi s ri ver. a nd att ac ked a grandda ughte r of Kin g
I3 2i':1dii MiirJyam. a da ughte r of 0sbncbr who s ubseq ue ntl y di ed to thi s serpe nt. Ki ng Ba' Jdii
Mar;:,yiim was greatl y gri eved by the unknown cause of death of the child .
"lhis woman did nol die due 10 her own sin, b/./I due 10 Ihe defllemenl a/my OIlIn sin. 6 iv/y Lady!
By your previous miracle, you I'eslol'ed 10 life [a pl'iesl). who was al/acked by a sel'penl which
was senl by Ihe dellil (Sal(II1). Please! Send Abba I~hyas lInlO me 10 pray and raise my childji'om
Ihe dead:" the k ing said. beseec hin g O ur Lad y the Blessed Vi rgin Mary.

At that moment , O ur Lady sent Abba EIJyas lik e El ij ah, the Prophet wi th a Chari ot o f Fi re to
King Ba 'dda Mar;:,ya m. Abba Eb yiis reac hed befo re the end of the service of the Hol y Mass at
the C hurch of Mtil'!ulti Mal'ayam, wh ich was built in the di stri ct ca ll ed C3ntibase.
He waited until thc e nd of the service of the Holy Mass, and stood in the co mpo und o f the
Church. When he prayed th ere. he was seen by a mo nk Abba Sa r ~ii PCP'os who ca ll ed to him.
Furt he rmore, the n Abba Sar~a Pep'os co me to him: and bowed down to him l'Abba l~ byasJ.
"Whm is YOllr name?" Abba i'c: byas asked: "/ 0111 ,~'iil'~'(i Pe!mS I Whal abolll yo ur name?" Sar~ii
Pcp'os replied. asking his na me.

Abba EIJyas sa id, "I willlell YO ll my name laler. Are you ceilled Stiq·ti Pe/I'OS, who challenged
Ihe men o/ /v/tinz : concerning the /-IYll'ln o/Ihe Flower 10 Our Lady Ih e I3lessed Virgin MOlY, Ihal
she is Ihe MOlher o/Ihe Li/e o/!he Seed. I wished 10 see your eyes. no," Our Lady's (Ihe Blessed
Virgin. Mwy) sem you unlo me. Ih e Sirongesl a/her Beloved". A fter a mome nt , before the cnd o f
the service of the Iiol y Mass. they visit ed King Ba'Jda MarJyam to ra ise the dead girl before she
was buri ed.

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"How can I raise a dead person?" Sa r~a Petros e ntreated Abba EIJyas. He replied: "All lhose
",ho hm'e/ailh in Ollr Lord Jesus Chrisl and by His MOlher. Ihe Blessed Virgin Mwy: can raise
Ihe dead. ..

Immedi atel y, Abba Ebyas told Abba Sa r~a Pep'os: " 1 was senl by Our Lady, 10 raise Ihe dead
person, who is Ihe grand-daughler o/Ihe king. Don ',/ew" While y ou are raising Ihe dead child, I
willnol leave you alone, rmher I will assisl y ou. The dead child "'ill rise nol only because (J/us,
bUI also by Our Lady (Ihe Blessed Virgin Mary), and our/alhers '.fclilh and prayers. " A fter thi s
speec h. Abba Ebyas went with A bba Sar~ii Pep'os to th e place where the king and the dead child
were to be found.
"0 King t Don 'l sorrow: I 'I'illmise Ihe dead childfi'om Ihe dealh in Ih e Name of Ollr Lad)' t ..
sa id J\bba Saqa Petros to the king, Bii' :Jda Mar:Jya m. li e entered th e place whe re th e corpse was
ke pt , stand by it and prayed ; subseq uent ly he sa id, " You. dead child. and rise inlhe Name o/Our
Lady. who is Ihe !vIolher olDIe/or Ih e whole World!"

J\ t that moment. S ar ~ii Pep'os saw a g lowi ng hand above the corpse. The body whi ch had bee n
dead was a tt empt ing to raise itse lf. and she began to wi tness: "lhrough the inlercession a/Our
Lady and Ihe prayers a/Her Beloved lI1onk/i'iends. Abba Elayas and Abba Stir.)·ti Petros " my soul
and body have become one [incarnaledj! Lei me be .fi'ee ./i·om my bonds? " Whe n these words
were heard comin g from the corpse of the child , the soldiers gathered and took her outside the
churc h. In add iti on , (hey freed her from the bonds that restri cted her body so that she could sta nd
as a free so ul. She gave witness to all , concernin g what she has ex perienced about he r kin shi p,
a nd co ncern ing Abba Cbyas in front o f the king and the peop le. After she witnessed say in g.
"I tvla}' Ihe Ilrchc/I1gel Ragli H and Abba {/"yasji!lIol1' and killf Ihe serpenl. ",hich look lI1y life t
May yo u al so go with your horses so ldiers to the Ri ve r J\b bay (i.e. the Nile) with to si ng of thi s
great miracle!" s he sa id to the king.

Imm ediatel y, the king rod e with hi s horse and fo ll owers; and found the serpent as he was
carr ying away a cow o n hi s back along the banks of the Lower Abbay (N ile) Ri ver. At thi s
momcnt , the king shot 3n a rro w like a dan . which immediately struc k the se rpent. At that
mo me nt. the serpent left the cow: returned and ope ned its mout h to swallo w the king, c urling

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around its tongue. At thi s momen t Abba I~ byas came down li'om his chariot and immed iate ly
caught hold of the head of the serpent ; then, the archan ge l Ragu'c l cut off its head wi th Ili s
sword. When the dev il. whi ch had set the serpen t saw the kin g with hi s so ldi ers, he eri ed li ke a
hye na and di sappeared into the Ri ver Abbay. After thi s mirac le. Abba tbyas returned by chariot
to hi s hermit 's liIC in th e monastery.

4.1.6. The Monks Persecution a nd Ex ile lit -I2vb - 42raJ

Meanwhi le, for the third time, durin g the Reign of A~e Na'od, many monks gathered fro m
Gojjam and Sawa; and visited Jerusalem to see the sites of the Ii oly La nd, on whi ch Our Lord
Jesus Ch ri st preached, show ing Hi s dceds and miracles. At that time, when the monks visited the
Holy Land , and Jeru sa lem, th ey met ex iles who were persec uted due to their SchislI1 0/ Failh',
that in cu rred thc dcath penalt y. during the Reign of Empc ror A~e Zar' a ya 'oqob. These men
be li eved and taught/preached: " /1 is nOI necessw )I 10 proslrale 10 Our Lady [Ihe Blessed Virgin
/v/CI/ )lj and 10 Ihe /C017.\ ". " The Monks app lied to the Alexand rian Patri arch, Arch-Bishop Ab ba
Gabro 'e l. that he might carry away and impri so n Jthe hereticsl And they returned from Egypt.
These prisoners esca ped from priso n and went to the di strict ca ll ed Wandal in the province of
Gojjam.

4.1.6.1 . King A~c Na'od, Gii brii Miisi ' h the G ove rnor anti A bba ~: I ayas [ff :/2r b - -I5va]
In th is di strict there was a perso n called Ciab rli ivlasi·h. the Gove rnor of Wandal , who received
them [t he hereti cs] as honored guest s and kept th em in a secret place. A few days later, he was
converted to their heretica l faith. Subsequent ly thi s gove rnor persecuted the clergy of th e church
in Wanda l, and gave their land s fo r to the heretics. The clergy of Wanda I were ex iled and joined
those or the Aibkbll a Ri ver.
The Chie f Monks [H igh Pri est? J of Add ,~dwa (A,wi Wassa ?) and the followers of Abba Zar ' a
~dyo n welcomed the guests, and gave them shel ter with honour. and Jthe ex iled clergyl to ld
about their persecution and exile to Abba (:hyas. At that moment. Ab ba I~ byas. arri ved tra ve ling
on an air-borne chariot that was olTered to him by Our Lady to (;lci litate his visitati ons here and
there. He started his visit at A!bkb ll a Ri ve r and proceeded to the Land of Wanda I after one day,
and as he enco un te red Giibra Miisi' h. the Gove rnor Jof Wiindiil ]; Eb yas passed on spiri tual
greeti ngs, saying: How are you? '.

- 85 -
 "Why did you converted to the/hith or Layon ! Leo ',I}? Why did you takefi'om the people
the True ''"ailh or our /orej(lIhers, or Ilbbii Mika 'el and Abba Yohann<Js who were
excommunicated due to their strong/i:lith, what about ou/i:llher, I-farbei CO,I' 111170 granted
the land by promise to the Cmndchildren or Abba Sal11u'el;? Please! Now you I17USI
return the lands o/the /iJl/owCl's orthe righteous/athers' AIoreover, /or the sake orour
beloved Orthodoxy Faith. they should return to their perseculed and origin granl land
place, " Abba I~ byas told for Gabrii Miisi'h,[the Governor of Wandal] about the exiled
church fathers,

Gabrii Masi'!; defended the fa lse fai th of the L;)yonites, and sa id: "My brethren, the/ol/owers or
the Failh of Peter have /Old me about you, are you Elayas II ? If you are called Elayas 11, you
should be able torain Ihe Ih e/ire of condemnation on me like Elayas I [Elijah the Prophet}? ivly
./Clith is also true, as you said, " the Governo r of Wanda I rep li ed mocking Abba Ebyas, He again
continued: "Arrest and beal this/earless 1170nk! Who does not have re,lpect/or the/hce a/the
governor'" Giibra Miisi'h co mmanded his servants, who attacked him , "YOII have beaten me/or
the cause o/Ihe ./Clilh 0/ Loyon? I-Iown er, I l1'ill die /or the hue Orthodoxy Failh. like Ihe
Alexandrian Arch-Bishop Sf. Dioscorus and the Arch-Apostle Peter's /i:lith l Who IFill save you
/i'om Ihe condemnalion 0/ our Father Doscorus?" said Abba I~ byas to the ruthless governor.
Gabra Masi'h,
Arte r ex periencing thi s severe cruelt y, the body of Abba Ebyas bled profuse ly; as he stood in
front of Gabra Miisi'h, then the cloud returned and he ascended imo the ai r. "During the reign 0/
Aka 'ab: Ihe sky is prohibiled to give min in the wei season as Ihe land is prohibiled to grow
seed Also, throughout the COunll)!, the land must be cursed and prohibiledji'om the blessing 0/
rain, " said Abba EbyiiS by ca lling upon the Name of God and condemned it. At thi s moment , the
River of Abbay was dried from 8njibara to Dara, all of the province of Gojjam and Damot
became dry, exc luding Bagcmlll;)ddr.
When The King, A~c ij'od heard about the po verty and dryness of the land in hi s territory; he
understood and assumed that the cause and responsi bilc pe rso n was Gabra Masi ' h, The kin g sc m
hi s sol di ers to Wa ndal to ca ll and arrest him: the so ldiers arrestcd and carri ed GHbra Masi'h to
King Nii' od, The kin g asked, "Why did you do Ihis unnecessary Ihing ? Don 't repeal il again I ..
King 'a'od ad moni shed and gave warnin gs and advice to Giibra Miisi'h,

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 4.1.6.2. King A~e Na'od's Questions for Monks about Abba Elayas [ff 45vb - 46vb]
After this situation, the king called the followers of Abba Yonannas from their place of exiled, at
the Asakkalla River; and asked them, "Please tell me about Abba Elayas?" They replied,
"We don't know anything about Abba Elayas. However, we heard a rumor, that he lives
near the Asakkalla River. At the time, when we lost our land and were exiled from our
place of residence at Wandal; we went and settled into Asakkalla River. The monks of this
place were received as guests with honor. One of them, who lived with Abba Elayas; the
righteous hermit man, whose name was (also) Abba Elayas came to us. We told him about
the cause of our persecution and exile; on the other day, he returned and said to us, '1
told Abba Elayas about your exile and persecution!' 6 King! Here now this hermit is at
your court; you can call and ask him, " monks told to the king about Abba Elayas.

"Call the person [the hermit}!" said King A~e Na'od. In addition, he send messengers to Abba
Elayas. At that moment, when the king spoke these words, the great righteous man, Abba Elayas
came by the Power of the Holy Sprit and revealed himself among them. Two of the monks from
among those gathered monks, confirmed to the king: "This is Abba Elayas! He is Abba Elayas!"
and showed their admiration of him. Then, Abba Elayas replied, "1 am the son of your
Grandfather, A~e 2ar'a Ya 'aqob's sister, the son of alleni; Elayas Asakkallawi [of Asakkalla],"
he spoke in this way to the king.
At tins moment, Abba Elayas lJ.id himself from the eye of the king and from the people.
Immediately, Our Lady [the Blessed Virgin Mary] carried and took Abba Elayas by the air-borne
chariot; and settled at antono, pursuing his hermit's [and monastic] life at the place called
Asakkalla River. By his holiness, righteousness and honest combat Abba Elayas collected from
the fields and the tombs of the Christian Martyrs, who were executed and killed during the era of
persecution of Grann Nur-Mohammad. The account of the spiritual combat and deeds of Abba
Elayas are found in the' Book of the History', in the Chronicle of A~e Labna Danga!.

4.1.7. Review oCthe Scriber, and the Ownerofthe Gadl [ff.46ra - 47va]
I became old during the reign of Emperor Za-Dangal, and I returned to my place Ema. When I
was their, she [h1.f':Agayaj comes from Gabogaya [Babogayaj and reached to the nation of
Z"wa'i [Zawa'ij. She asked on their, her fathers' book and took that during persecuted era of

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gen til es from her place. She comes to me and said. "Are YOLI II,'}: """II/l "/': Liq Zti- Mtiltikol. (/
grandson of /vltirqore ll'os. who was 11,'/' : '/,,1.,,::/. : Liqti Stihafi 'Chie(Scriber' o(lhe Hislory o(
Kings' /(~( t-"hiopiaf.··

I repli ed to her and said that I remember, "Yes' I was before, bUI now I become old man. lired,
and "'y age il becomes 125 years. I wrole Ihe 'Ne ws o( Ihe Ance.llors o( Kings /i'om King Zti-
Dangal uplO Fasiltidiis. Ilefi my children when I call1e 10 my exile dislriel Wei( Wa.Ga in Ihe place
Btigem,.naddr. And I became 10 hear aboLillhe news my grandchildren and lI1y sisler's children. ..

lF rom J/A 7vb - 49rb . lexl il lelling liS Ih e privale dialogue belween Ihe 'Chief Scriber ',
11,'1' : " ,m II ",]-: Liq Zti-MeiltikOl. and Ih e owner o/lhis Ctidl called Wiiyztiro (JI / (:': ~,'U': Agtiya

'I'hich lel/(or each olher aboLillheir Ii(e: ",hen she was came 10 his dislridl.

4.1.7.1. Abba Eb yas and the Owner of the Giidl rI50va -/50rb J
[On thi s f'o lio wl (:': (,'U': Wtiyztiro Agtiya, the Owner of thi s Gad !. tellin g us more about her visit
to Abba I~byas l.

When I we nt to the plaee Miinz;)' h and Ij oined to Ada Ie: when I reached it that beca me li ke the
prev iou s. th ey sa id to me. "Ihis is nol Or.\' , or Adtilr!. .. On thi s mom ent , when I so rrowed Abba
Lbyas co me to me. on 2 1 of' Mi 'azya IApril 29 1. li e said me. "Co 10 Ihe place Ors' on Ihis road,
you will reach direclly. .. He prayed on there that th e prayer fo r essence in the fc sti ve of L;)data on
thi s monastery. I followed that road , whi ch he rAbba Eb yas'l showed me, and I reac hed on the
pl aee ars ' on 30'11 [ ] of month . I ce leb rate the festive of L;)data in Magazo. On 3 o' cloc k he
IAbba Eb yas ?] comes and begin (to visit) from M;)s'iila to Dabra Daba. I Ie bl essed the water of
IMagiizo], and it becamc sweet.
I came to Onlono to ask someone. and!. (,'1,(' : Agayii . th e daughter of S;;ma K;) r;)stos, yo ur
grand-daught er IE mperor Zii- D;)n g;) IJ. And my mot her nam e ca ll ed Amiitii Yohann;)s, the
daughter of Emperor Zii-D:lIl g;)!. I told abo ut the ti me of th is monk 's [Abba Eb yas] when he
joined to monastic li fe . The father, he is Liq Zti- Miiliikot can tell yo u and he leaved me. As he
sa id for you , he him se lf will di e on the da y whi ch I joined to monastery. I will die when my age
is 25 2 year old, after the era of heat hen on St. Lu ke yea r by 6 No vember; on the day o r the c1eat h
or Abba 13ii ~aJ ot ii Mikii 'C!. Ancl yo u will die on Tuesday, I" G;)nbot IMay 9'I1 J.

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4.1.7.2. Review of Ahba It byiiS's Hirth, Baptism, and Monastic Life lf51va -f52ra"l
When I heard th is thing, I adm ire and gave 30 Books of Hi story and hi s Monasti c Life which told
that on thc 1300k of [King'[ Na'od. Thi s king, when fou ght with Giibra Mas i' h on the month nrr 7
[.January 16J during the reign of Na'od 22 years lat er he became ki ng. Thcn, af1er 252 years on
the era of gentil es, when th e year that bceamc 7026 [A.D. 1526?[; as I found the Book of HistO/y
0/ Kings lor the ruturc coming generation, all thin gs (combats) of Abba EI;)yas found on those
Books oO-li.ltOIY o/Nii'od. As written on th c ' VI"l: hac/dagei (varia) or the Miracle of Our Lad y
Mary, by 22'''1 of a month '(';)qa/llt [Novcmber 2'[. born Abba 13byas.

Ilc bapti zcd on GabiiIT:Jma, Dabra Takla Ila war:Jyat on lSi of the month Tahdsas [December 11[ ;
they [priestsl gave th e name called Ebyas. like the name or Elijah the Prophet. Abba Mika ' e1 is
th e teacher (the prcac her) of Adii Sawa, Wagiig and Wanda I. .John knew about hi s rightcous deeds
like Elij ah. And Abba Takla rJawarJyat was his fat her by the Holy Sprit. Abba Mika 'el was his
teacher of tau ght of faith and book s, and Maika Sedeq was hi s ' monaste cap Father' of Abba
I~ byas. He ordained as a monk by Abba Mika'61 of Ada Sawa, Wagag and Wand iiI. He joined to
Askk;) ll a Ri ver in the place call ed 8 n\0\\0. Anba Mar;)yam. li e died on it as said on the ' Book of
Hi.\'/oIY ' as rev icwed.

lie said as: "Allm), Children! Stand III' and become strong'" Liq Zti-Ma lakot died on 61h of Tirr
[January 15[. and buried in lema at 8 nzu"rc. after hc born 132 years that fin ished hi s age. Thi s
book ordered by Our Lad y )",'If :Agaya. we are her children. Ya ';)qob and Timotewos wrote the
scribers of 8ras Dimc\ros, her relati ve.

The Glory of the Fat her. of the Son, and of the Holy Sprit; who helped us to finis h the Book of
the News of Combat [of Abba I~ byas[ in we ll position. Glory and Kingdo m [ofGocr[ forever and
ever, Amen and Amcn. it mu st beco me . 6 Lord' (Jod of )",'I,f': /lgtiya. please keep our Father
[Salama IIIJ I'rom hi s suffering and the tcmptation a rdc vil rore ver and eve r, Amen.

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 It byasl
jPart II: The GiJ'iJZ Man uscrip t Tcxt Trans lation of Giidlii Abba
4.1.8. Revcla tion, Astrol ogy, Exile and Exodu s [/52rb -/53r b]
In the Name of the Fath er, of the Son, of'the I-I oly Sprit , One God , Amen.
beg in to write the combat
Ily the Help ol·God. Ili s Grace. Iiolin ess and Righteous man. we wi ll
hi story or Abba "' byas.
1h
r aner the rising of
As it found on the Book of' the Hi story of' L:lbnli D:lngd l, in the 56 yea
I',:&d::- ' A. Fti. Qa., and
[Mo]Flamiid l GraMl] the place ca ll ed DCi., the name of the district called
the name of the Kin g ca ll ed ·/:II.:-Gci.Ki .. when he becom e kin g.
And many yea rs beforc hi s name ca ll ed Kin g ~\:- a. will co me from
the See ofSt. Mark. With
thi s mom ent , agai n he we nt
this king. the name ca lled Abba Ebyas will visit to Alexandria. After
stery, Dabra Libanos will
to Dlibra Libanos to give Li turgica l Service l'or 3 days on it. The Mona
sc lf', but the sinners lived
blessed by hi s combat. Then. Dabrii Libanos docs not curse by her (it)
on this monastery.
tobacco that smokes on
During the rising yea r of heathens (pagans) were prepared th e cursed
decora ted thin gs. They were
their. Thi s seed is thc cursed one. These gent il es were songs with
s fact , by hi s [Abba EbyasJ
live with unethical and cursed work in Dabra Libanos. l3ased on thi
by th e wittiness and defend
visitin g. by the power of his praye r, by the much of' hi s combat, and
of the faith; the Monastery of Dabra Libano s were blessed again.
bu ri ed in Dabra Libanos,
During the reign of this king, the tomb of St. Ab lll13 Taklii Ilaymanot
olincss like St. Peter and St.
who was the preacher of' the New Testament, and al so Grace and Ii
'Ih e young and Ihe Son 0/
Paul. At thi s time, the Peop le of Sawa with their Governor. who is like
Lion '. will become slavery into exile. In thei r exile peri od, they
wi ll visit to ')"Y: t.:I.I;L: -MiJdrd
ex il e pl ace
C'd.. and li ve on it. After 10 years later. they will return with their king fi'om th eir
will return to Sawa and
which lived ca lled I.r.t.:-( "Ci. A few peop le. who were in the exi le place
settled on their homeland.
4.1.8.1. The Death of Abba EbyiiS 1/5-11'(/ -I5-1r b 1
old: on Thuesday mornin g.
'rhe li ving time of Abba f:byas when fini shed on the age 372 years
d; peop le terrified , some of
by Hadar 6 [ ovcmber 171. the stars whi ch found on air when showe
they were assum ing as it is
them arc fall down. On thi s moment. man y people we re fear. Mostl y.
'Ihe End a/the World ' [I he Neve/alion/. Many of them prayed
th e prayer. "0 Our Creato r'

Please give us your mercy, excuse 10 us'! " they begging to God.

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Then , a star w ith the symbo l of Cross showed o n the head of Abba E I ~yas [T im oth y 5:24-25 ]. He
w ill d ie whe n he give 'the Prayer of Essence Service ' for Our Lad y St. Mary's C hurch o n the day
o f the fes ti ve (ce lebrat ion) o f lJCi'tita f-<Jdtito. Th is churc h was in the prev ious time call ed A ill ba
Ma r;)ya m and ancr a time th at so ca ll ed the Church o f 3n\on o that secre ted on the mountain area,
Tha t is th e pl ace and the monastery ca ll ed Ada Sawa, th is c hurch was estab li shed by Kin g
Abrd lia and Ki ng A~b::J h a,

O n that ti me, a son of King A~e Zar' a Ya';)qo b's siste r, her Exce ll ency Q ueen 3 l1 eni 's so n, Abba
Eb yas died ; and he leaved thi s wo rl d by the age 372 o ld. The A nge les received and carried hi s
so ul by honor a nd ascended into heaven. As it menti oned o n {h e Book of the HistolY 0/ King A~'e
No 'od. hi s grave place whi ch is found in ASdkb li a Mo naste ry.
Th e seco nd on e, also lo und on th e place Ada Siiwa that is the churc h, whi c h establi shed by Kin g
.I\~c Zar'a ya ·;)qob. The thi rd was fou nd on the p lace Sayya: the ch urch whi ch that establ ished by
Kin g A~c Na'od . I"h is chu rch was sec reted du ri ng the reign of th is king INa'odJ .
A lk r thi s moment , the nob le men Ieomill anders I will become yo ur enemi es . Kings, nob les and
governors of gent iles cou ldn' t have strong powe r afte r the deat h of Abba EI;,yas. As it menti oned
on D;,rsana Mar::Jyam, on the Book o f the Mirac le o f St. Mary, on the Book o f Mystery which
written by Abba B ii ~a l o ta Mikij 'e l, and as it menti oned on The T rue O rth odoxy Faith by St.
Ya ' dqob Iza-3 lbaradi 'l (Jaco b [of Barad ius]), as said , .. YOll will become a s{rong and a great
king/{ A king "'ill risefi-om the seed a/youI' children. ..

4,1.8,2. Oiibrii L ib anos and S tars with the Sign of C rosses [f 5-/rb - /55vb ]
By the ninth , after the risen o f a star on the above of hi s head whi ch sign ed with a cross; the other
two stars with the symbo l of cross and a lso the symbol of a lphabet will have ri sen agai n on the
abo ve of the m.
These sta rs w ill stand on the front side of the gra ve o f St. Tak la Il ayma not, w ho preac hed in a ll
reg ions o f Ethi opia ; and Revea ler o f the Light by hi s True Orthodoxy tho ught (preaching) for the
Ih
cou ntry. Again the ri se n of those stars, the da y that will be on a mo nth Stine 19 [June 26 ]. On
the first month , afk r those sta rs whi c h have the sign a nd symbo l whe n shown; the two kings met
in the square or Diibrii Li banos, wh ich rou nd on the fro nt side or Diibra $:Jge. O n that place, Hi s
Grace and Ii olincss St. T aklii I Iaym3not ' s tomb was buried a nd found on it.

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-t.1.9. The Churc h Fathers visit to S,iwa IFor Ihe Dabra BJrhan Cou neil? 1 Iff55ro - 571'01
The [Spiril uall Children (Disc iples) or Abuna Ze na Marqos will come fro m Ihe place Ihal called
DanJs and 8'bsJqol Monastery. From Dabra Vasa, from Dabra Giadrae and the area called
I~ [rata. Then, they come from the place ca ll ed He [the Lower] Niigas and the Upper Nagas MJdr
and also from the place ca ll ed MJhur.

The ISpiritual I Ch il dren 0[' Abba Samu'el of Wagag (will come) from Adii Sawa, Dab ra Asabot
and lI'om the place Yiirar, the dist rict ca ll ed Wiiy itu. And also Ihe Spi ritual Chi ldren of Ab ba
Qaw;)s\os will come from Dabrii Fatali and Cafay; and from Dabra Arba';)tu 8' ns;;,sa lthe Church
of the four Beasts of Apoca lypse]. The Chil dren of Abba Filip 'os will co me which is called fj'om
Dabra 8' nqu, YakkJnt, DJhin and ASJbo Monasteri es, and also from Elam.
The Ch ildren of Abba Yohann;;,s will comc from DJbko; and also thc Chil dren Abba Fiqllor fro m
Biba and Dabra Di ~a.

I:rom the area ca lled GiibiilTJmma. Wajja and Car Goro Monsteries will comes the Spiritual
Ch il dren of Abba Tak lii Hawar;)yat. The [Spi rituaq Chil dren of Abba Bakimos, (they wi ll come)
from S;)mi , Hagarii Mad'xanit and also from Dabrii Said.
The Chil drcn of Abba Gabrii MarJyam will come I'rom Diibrii I~ an t a , MJsa la Mar;)yam, Miiqdasii
DJngJ I. [a place ca lled I Aka and Diibra Miisqal.

The Spi rit ual Ch il dren of Abba Saraqa BJrhan wh ich that found on the Monastery of Toll a and
also from Guzat; The Ch ildren of Abba Samu '&1 r Salama TI from the place ca ll ed Mujja and
also from the region Amh ara, and th e area Gibb AnJba the place whi ch that ca lled .J erusalem.
From Dabra DJda, th e beach of the Ri ve r 13as lo. the Chi ldren of Ar'ayana $agahu ; from the place
AgM\i'\Jea , the Children of Abba athan , and also from the placed ca ll ed rWii'l Gay, and from the
Church of Kidanii MJhriil and from Dabra DanC'at. Dabra l~goriL from the Monasteries of Bazo
and Ilaziilo. and also Ihe Monaslc ry ofGiiro will come the Ch ildren of Abba YohannJs .

. 92 -
The Children of Abba Batra Mar;}yam li'om Dasetawit Abbay and Saff';)jj ; the Ch ildren of Abba
Za-Ruf3'cl rrom the Monasteries of Wali. Dabra Abbay, Dab ra Ab;:)riin tat ; from the Monastery of
Sih hiH which l'ound that in Oa bra Abba Tcwodros. and Abba Da ni 'c~ 1 li'om the area Abi 'y, S;:) lwa
and Dabra OI;,l la and also from Hill a and .i an Amora.
The Child ren of Abba Yosc f Iwill came l Ii'om Roha; OndJryas who lived in Angot. and again
3nd::>ryas of 3nli'az and Qa!orara. Gabra Tyasus from Lower of Onfraz and Qu lala. Abba Tyyasu
from the Monastery of SaYJk and Gadan; Abba B;lIlyam from the Lower of Bagcm;:)ddJr, and
Abba Aron from Bagcda. Abba Ta!!am qa Madx;:)n from the Monastery of Suga and G;)saq.

The Children of Abba Anorcwos will come li'om the Uppe r of Gojjam and ~Jgajj; and the
Ch ildren of Abba TyosJyas from Wassara , and Abba Muse of Wagara. Abba Bii ~alolii Mika ' eJ"s
Spiritua l Children from Gas;:)c'a and the Monastery of Aba lo, from H ;:) n~a Mar;:)yam and Ko lom.
The Ch ildren of Abba Jyasus Mo 'a from Dabrii Mardyam , 3s! ilanos, and the Island of ~aga m .
The Children of Abba Yohann;:)s and Abba Fi lip ' os will come from Dabra Bizan; the Chi ldren of
Agnall ios fro m the place na wzc n, Maya Anbassa with the Chi ldren of An;:)ben and with the
Illonks I'ro lll Oabra Iiallc Luya.

These all Chu rch Fathe rs Ithe Medieval Centuries I wi th their disciples (I'ollowe rs) will come
from all Dioceses, Monaste ri es, and Parish Counc il of the Churches of Ethiopia. They gathering
in the place Sawa IDabra BJrha n Council I to talk and Ill eet conce rni ng the faith of the Orthodoxy
Church. During the reign of you r Fath ers, that the True Apostoli c fa ith, Alexandria to becomes
strong faith , and the cursed fait h of Rom e to be fa ll down; as stated by the righteous kings like
A~c Zar'a Ya·Jqob.

4. 1.1 0. Some Prophecies about I' So lomonic Dynast)" I [ff57rb - 59vb ]

Arter the ri sing of a little bit liIl laey of religious confl ict and dialogue; in thi s moment, on the
seco nd year, the Bishop will raise, his name ca lled 3gra ~a hay. Hi s name is signed and sea kd ,
and written on the' Book of" Clemenl ' [Mti,,·,.,hafCi Qtiltill7<,n!os]; and al so found on the See of St.
Mark .
Th e fir st onc. hi s name cal led B'.: the second ca llcd m':· /·:IJI:- Afti. 7d. Wei and also ca ll ed 'I-:- F,.,.
of Alexandri a. Kin g of the Lion wi th othcr chil drcn of thc two kings: th ey will find and tran slate
the tOlllb 01' I li s Gracc and Ii olin ess Abunli Takla I laymanot li'om Il is bur ial place. During this

- 93 -
time, the heathens with their hi gh nobl emen will become slavery, and victory und er by kings
cal led ~\ :-a'. they will fel l down by the hands of thi s king. And thi s king is born from the
Grandson of yo ur children, who is ca ll ed Ya ' :>qob and Mi nas.

On that year, a woma n. her origin Ii-om the Black Christian ki ngs famil ies will gave born a Great
Ch ild. Th c nam e of this chi ld ca ll ed :- Wdldd Nciga.(' ld-!lnbciss(I a '. I the
Son of the Ki ng of Lion , D'.J. li e was choscn li'om thc womb of hi s mother. when shc gave as a
'Crace g iji' ror Our Lady, St. Mary; and he is a son of the Great king ca ll ed a'.
As it getting a good wind whi ch grow that as gave like the seed of wine as rruitfu l in 40 1h day; he
h
[the Chi ld] born on T'arr i [January 16] on the day that hi s father was borne.
He showed the fruitful on a month )'dkatit rFebruary]. Th is chi ld will becomes ki ng in Add Sawa.
As it mentioned: / ;'om the heginning of'the da)' thm ldr'o )'0 '''lfob become king: he /the Childl
lI'ill becol11e righteous king. .

During the reign of this king, the heathen king and thei r governors couldn't fo un d in Ethiop ia and
Alexandri a. He wi ll rule the world unti l his Grandch il dren. On the '/.r:·!1,r) "yo,.;·h - 'Combat of' 0
Martyrs ' ca lled Fiq\lor, who is a son Dr Iler Grace Martha as stated : 'a person, who is born from
the ' Seed Dr Solomonie Dynasty" , his name ca ll ed -1;: -Te. wi ll rise and become a king. On the
'Book o(Clement I.\I/(;ipho(d QCilcill1en{osl. on the Book o("f)" rsanci Ura'e!', the Arch-Angel as it

mentioned and sa id. 'a king called ·/;Y. :-Tcdli. is a Grandson or a', who is born from the
'5olol11onic Dynasty '. A perso n is Ya '"qob. he is born from the Grandson of Ni:i' od, who was the
king of Ethi opia.

He ho nor the True Orthodoxy of Aposto li c Fait h and Beloved wi th Our Lady [SI. Mary] , Bearer
of God, like the previous lilthers that arc thc True Righteous and Holy men kings ; as like /3(i 'ddd
Mar"yall1 and the name of hi s fath er ca ll ed Nd ll'ayd Mar"yal11 , by hi s thrown name cal led
Dagmay Dawit, and as lik e Zcir '(I )'a ·"lfob. 'T'hen, thi s king cal led Zar' a Ya ';:)qob, he recei ved
prom ise li'om God to become a ri ghteous king foreve r in Ethi opia. The Word of God , which is
the True Light that Ou r God; and he IZdr 'a )'a 'dqobl prom ised for Our Lady St Mary, the
Mother o rOur Lord , Jesus Chri st.

- 94 -
 lations
4,1.11. Advic e on the Protec tion of Churc h Order , Ru les lind Regu
U'59ra - 61 rcil
Ldbna D;mg;:) 1as sa id :
On th e' Book of the Ili story of Kin gs' as stated and as our kin g, Ki ng
Add Stiwa,
6 Clergi es' The Se rvant s of Cod, Clnd the Children 0/ the J-/oly Spril. Who lived in
mel..
Dtibrd BrisrCti, Ddbrd ,vltidxa nit, Dtibrti f:)lIti-Jtinbtir, Clnd Asdbot, listen
cl of Wagag; and the
The Children of the Holy Spri t of i\b una Zc na Marqos; Abba Samu'
of i\bba Samu' e l of Dabra
Chil dren Ab ba Samu'cl in the Mo nastery of Wa li: the Chil dren
Samu'<~ I ; fro m Sag:J1a the
i\bbay. From the place Gabiirr:Jmma the Spi ri tual Childr en of i\b ba
Ma ika $cdcq , i\bba Hab ta
Children of i\ bba Gior'g is; and also the Chil dren o f' the i\ bba
Mar:Jyiim, and Abba Gabrii Mardyam; the Brethrens of Abba Tadcwos.

nasti c life; hear me l

Those who arc stand on the True Orth odoxy Faith with hennit ie and mo
:' ''7, :: Iti-sdb 'a A/i',mggi wci-
Please keep yoursel f fi'o m the tho ught of the fai th of I\r'I ' ll~d\'I:C)'I,:,,'r
works by its own Divinity,
Rome fro m th e peo pl e of Frank s and Rom e. They said that 'Di vinity
and J-/um anity works by its own J-/umanity. ,
Pl ease I Keep yo urself from r.'l!'l' :~\I)I1l ,"'.';'(l :-Ddqiqti i'1s!ifo nas[aw oyan} [the Childr en of
dyal, the Blind. Keep
Stephe nit e] heresy , and fi'o m the leader of the destru ction ca ll ed Gamai
t that 'not necess wy to
yo urself from their bad work s, land heretical teac hings] ; they though
prostr atefor the Cross a/Chr ist andfo r 0,,1' Lady Virgin Mwy ,
Also, from the Children of Za-
Book of Canon ical, 't here is
Mikii'cl. Dnbara,i ,i . and Giyorg is or Rome. whi eh stated th at on the
' belie/ the Angels of Lig ht, by
no confes sion '. Additi onall y, these heres ie s said: 'not necesscffy/i)f
uldn 't bow down (pro.I·,rate),
the Ark 0/ St. Mwy, by IIngles, by Martyrs intace ssion. We co
except only the Icon /01' Cod the Father , 0/ the So n 0/ the J-/oly Sprit. ' Don't become one and

Idon ' t agree] with thought of the heretical teac hi ng that said as the Ch ildren of Chri stian.

es whi ch mentio ned on the

Keep yourse lf who rejected the rt,',:,I .'I' C,P:/': -Law or the Apostl
tm X' ,hl.. : c),{j'p· I) : - 'Hook oj" Synod ' th ese gro ups sa id.
like the ,1,,/:). &,1- :- Law I!/Ori t
wife that to gave birth as they
(Mose s?) ,,,hich makin g sexual interco "rse ,,,ith 'h eir brothe rs'
want the seed. '

- 95 -
 rejected and not hono red
Keep yo urse lI' li'om the l-J;,S ,": )"l>,''''l, '}: -C lerg ies of Ajamin , who are
honor [Sabbalh} like Ihe
the Sabbat h; as it mentioned on the Gospel of John: 'don 'I keep and
Ab!iilis Arlicle no.65 as
jill1damel1lal Jews. Honor Sabba lh as Ihe Aposli es " on the Book of
advi sed by their concre te com mand a stron g of wo rd s.

people were kept and honor

Durin g the reign of heath ens and their govern ors until 250 years; the
we re dressi ng with decor
Sunda y with the work s of heathe ns (bad and unethi cal wo rk). They
'h
smokin g tobacco. On 250
typical church clothe s; but their work was co mmitted to adulte ry, and
yo u defend for th e True
year, the nam e called a' for you when become king. Durin g that time,
e' J\nd protec t yo urself from
Orthod oxy Faith of Alexa ndri a, and will become mart yr. Don't smok
the cursed seed, tobacco.
passing yo ur bad time ;
Then , yo u protect and kept yo urse lI' from all these bad things later. and
by God .
yo u will save your lilc from sufferin g and cursed thing that comm anded
you, durin g hi s reign it wi ll
The king, who born from my seed th at when he becomes king for
encmy by th e cause of the
become mcrey. You wi ll become the victorious Iwinnersl your
father. King No 'ad.
intercession of Our Lady Virgin Mary. She is a beloved fr iend of my
fathers , from the relat ive of
II' you are not keepin g that th e Rul es, Regu lati ons and Laws of yo urs
Ya'~qob; you will be die by yo ur own sin s. You
will go down to hell li ke Arsisa n [hereti cal

sectsJ , and like [n '!Il,:M:Ci'/,: stib 'a Aji-anggil,hc peo pl e of Franks.

o/Ilis/ oly': ' thi s king, my

We, the writers of Mystery and Law, as wrote and stated on the 'Book
olTyour hand s and legs .
son when hc become king by the ca use 01' a littl e thing. he will cutting
year (a time).
This is a witness. lor the Chi ldren o l'ki ngs that who will ri se after the
secrcted area that allthcs e
We' Th e ri gh tco us kin g. King Sii r$ii D:lI1g:l 1and Zii-J):lI1 g:J1 kept on
Low Books in the Sea of the Island wh ich found at .GdlVaY.

we must Thank s fo r
By the goodness and peace that who helped to begin and fini sh thi s work,
God. The prayer and intcreession of [Arch-Bishop Siilama II Il becom
e strong unto us, forever

J\men.

- 96 -
CHAPTER V

5. PHILOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW AND TEXT ANALYSIS

This philological study of Gadla Abbii Elayas and text analysis is devoted on both external by
general and internal by specific.

In general, the external part of survey of the text, which depends on the problem and the forms of
the letters, the margins, the size, volwnes and, in the two centuries of these manuscripts copy
period. The internal part of the study also concerned and investigate the comparison with changes
of syntax ill1d orthography.

The last investigation method interprets about the 'Sainthood' of Abba Elayiis, his teaching which
defend Orthodoxy in the context of present situation of classification in Christianity and 'Scism '.
This part will be discussing on survey the questionnaire data analysis with monks, priests, deacons
and laymen who found around the three monastic centers: i.e. QSC, 8HNKM and MAM
monasteries.

5.1. Methods ofInvestigation and Presentation of Results

When I, the researcher collecting materials, a serious letters that seemed to be characteristic of
period identified and words, errors and different phrases comparison. During the previous research
as I made the text translation as I presented in Chapter IV. The extensive comparative studies of
these particular letters, words, phrases, etc ... in Gadla Abba Elayas manuscript that could be dated
with certainty within one, tWo, or three centuries.

The result of such comparisons proved or disproved my preliminary observations and hypotheses.
The surveying of letters and characters, words and plu·ases was an important practical exercise for
the researcher at this stage of investigation. At the end of this process I separate general
observations concerning the script from the conclusions. These Gadla Elayas manuscript materials
from the two monastic centers which the researcher as observed; it also divided into securely
dated manuscript and undated manuscript to which an approximate date may be assigned. Because
the bulk of much errors by characters, words and phrases in the material text; on presenting of the
result, the reseill·cher limited and take as some sample comparison from the manuscript text.

- 97 -
 5. 1.1. Selec ting Giidlii Elaylis Texts in the Mona stic Cente rs
the manusc ript tex ts to
When, I visited to two diffe rent monas teri es. and one Cat hedral to lind
ia. The mon asteries
in vesti gate Cddhi /~"/;Jyas . They arc found in th e centra l hi ghl ands of Ethiop
tiSa ilmbO Mara),am
arc: - dn!o!!o F/amdr ti Noah K idand Mahrd f Mona stery [0 11NKM j, 1\!/tinag
ral ( QSCj).
Monastery [/II/AM j , and The Ii oly Trinity Cathedral (Qddasl Sdl/ase Cathed

was my pionee r and

T he first manu script copy which 1 found [rom EHNK M monas tery
ssertat ion. But for the
pre-re search mater ial to begin and continu in g the project of" my Di
s and pages are missed.
researcher, there was a probl em to read some text, some paragraph
best and the main one
and not readable. The second manu script wh ich found in QSC is the
are the same copy and
that I selected it. These both [EHN KM and QSC] manus cript texts
manu script text. Th is
columns. The one wh ich 1 found in MAM mona stery was third
in vesti ga te and find out
manu script text has one column per page; and it helps to me to
errors , variab les in compari son as comparati ve ly.

- 98 -
 5.1.1.1. C omparative Measurements of the two Manuscript Texts

A) Qadasl Sallase Calliedral B) Miillagiisa A mbr7 Miirayiim

No . Measurements
(QSC) (MAM)

I Ti tle Ctidlti {t"yasJII 2.JI'o - 61rb) Ctidlti t;J"yas: Ifl I 1' - .J31 )

2 I.anguage C" ',," & 11I11haric CiJ ';>" & A II1horic

,
J Material Parchment Parchment

4 Binding Wooden boa rds Wooden boa rds with c loth

lh 1h
5 Date of Writing 20 Cent ury 19 Cent ury

6 Measurement s 16.5x 13,5ems, 15.5 x 9,5 ems.

,
7 Property Q;>cbs/ SiJ/iase Cat hedral ,Ad di s IVltinagti.l'a I I mba Marayal11
Ababa Diocese Monastry, Wcst ,~tiwa Diocese

8 Ordered By WtiyzCiro AgCiya Wtiyztiro Agtiya

9 Handwriting 130 ld & neat l30 ld & rail'

?
10 Stamps / / 119v

II N umber of Folio. 3 (bla nk)-1 1/6rf 11 911 - l22v (3 blank) II

12 Col umn s 2 I

13 Lines o f Pages 16 - 18 16 - 20

14 Other texts i) Mara )'a 'aqob: (rf 2m- 23m) i)Torik zti-[Oromo}(11 .J4v 941)

Inc luded ii ) /vICi~'ha[ti Tarik zCi-(Oromo/. ii) 110 'ayti MariJyam.'

(f16 1rh 116\'h)

.fable 6: Comparallve Measuremcn ts 01 th e Man uscrIpt
(rr 95 1' 1191')

- 99 -
 5.2. Survey of the Text: Finding Errors Comparison, Analyze the Results

5.2.1. Sample Comparison from the two Manuscript Texts

On thi s part, the researcher tried to find out by comparin g the two manuscript texts, choose the first par
of so me samp le folios from the tex t: i.e. QSClf 2-1va - 28rb, and MAMlf 3v - 8r the fo lio phrase and
paragrap h on C o 'az language and Roman script and di sc uss on it. From lingui sti c and styli stic problem:
I used th e GJ 'JZ sc ript in side the paragrap h (olios tex t to show the va riation between QSC & lv/AM
which sho wing 011 th e tex t difference. f tryin g to show th e Ca';)2 readin g of C ddlti Elayas sample folios
in Roman sc ri pts. to undcrstand and intcrpreatin g in philologi ca l and lingustic analys is.

Tab le 7: Sampl e tcxt Co mparati vc and Findin g Errors

No. QadilS/ Sil l/aSe Cathedral (QSC) Miil/ f7"iisa A 111M Mf7royf7l11 (MAM)
.f 31':
.f 241'1/: bd-sa md;/ b' wd- Hiti/el lllti-Mdnfds Qadlls I follodllJ

bti-Si'l1Iti lib' It'ti- HiMel IVd-Mdl!{{is Qadlls I / (llIadlll IIlIIlak : /1;)qdc!a/1/ bti-riida elti Oga::T'abaher wli-bd-
Am/ak: naqtidalll bii-rdda 'eli; Dg::J'abJudr wd-hii-santi sana hobt// ~·ahift.i ::.eniihu [ " 'f 10·,) :(/Ill :" ,l;. t) :}, 'fl :
hablll $ahifti ::enohll rf\~\q : )1.A.e(): au';&.')(I? : '}O';h: OIl'j6.I)f/~ : 'jO.;I1 : U1.l':'j"JA: / Id- /3a~' //' \l'd-Iti-Qadlls
mY: ';'" A : /Iti- II bbal/;yyas 11;)!juh lI'cI- /)angal: _ ::d-:-,:d/'(/~'ii
AI, mdJ?!ds- aWl !1a~'l/h wd-Danga/ Abbii l:.."Iayiis::
j?,Y"fl.· " ": hl)'/,',, : t/lF/U';"//" :" :]am -beld Kahndl w ii-
::.d-.vdrdsd 1'" ~"n . ·J · :r.m ';"1 /" :/.: lJItw', :/- ::1 (J III -beid
Al{(il7gi)~:1 :ii-/ii~\·till1ii giidlo '{fl11ti 6 {sads(lIllti-I-/ac/ar bti-
Mdng(J.~:1 wii-K(Jhniif ::.ti-ft.j~·dl1la gddlo 'm//o 6 /~·.:)(/sl//I
bd 'aid Id-Og:afiJnd II IiiraYcllll Wiiliidilii Alii/ok 1:;'t\":J' :
/d- /-Iadar bd-bd 'old /ti-Ogzaland A4firayfim Wtiliidird

I
Am/ak I~ (\":) ' : o'i'll',: ~'dlolii aqfib-and Amen ::

.f. 241'b : .f. 31':

2
S;)IIIII >-n; r t\ Y. <I: ;"\1'*' : be tH; .e';: :I /a-dtiqiq-yti S;)1I1I1 ';)-ni lti-daqiq-yCi l" Y.•,::"" ,;" 'lin : ~J C(l'/: ,(1'; ::1

Karas/iyim ::d-hagara Stilvc; wa-:d-kul/u 'ii/dm al/d ha:bd Karasl~viin ::d-hagtll'ti Stiwa wti-zd-kul/u 'ii/dm

ha/tilll-kaJ1/1/ ya 'a:e ilia-aI/ii la-/IIti~'a '// bd-ddxiiri ::till1dn alhi haltiw-kall1 l1 ya 'ani wd-alld (;)-/IId~'a 'II bd-ddxari

GJga::T'abaher .I'ii-hdrr£lh a iJY;Jl7ld 'albiibi-k.111111 Id- ::dllldn Oga:J'abaher yii-btirrah 'a ' ayal1l ti 'albahi-

still/ i 'a ::enfi-hu I" 'f 10- c',' :,., A ,e t) :1/ti-13a~' // ' tb)'as :: d- kalllll /d-sdm i 'a ::enii-hu I .,, " 'f 10, 0:Ill" ;" ,l;, t) : }, q :
a~'aha/ Itik-aJ/lI/ /d-btiqll 'eld f1 tifs-k;)/JIU zti-ya-kdll'on ' •. A J.t) ::1 lti- /3a~'11 ' lI'Ci-lti-Qadlis ;I bbii Elayiis ::ti-a~ahaf

asmti rdkab-kll ::til1lti ::enii g tidl-ll.. Idk-all1// Iti-btiqll 'eld nd!\'-ka J/lu ::d-ya-kdwan asmd

rdkdb-ku ::dnta ::.ena gddl- // ..

- 100 -
 f
-,, f U ra : 41':

3 gazi 'abaher \vti-bH-xiru\ -u zH-ko n ~i ba-a ' nW kidall-a C>gazi'abaher wa-ba-xi rut-u za-kona ba-a' nta kidan-a
wa-sa 'a laI-a Ja-ogZJ\;:m3 [.. ,:'·Y:():I' : U1J':'i"'A :

'''/ C .(J')H: -I QJdasl w~i -D;:)I1 gJ l MaraYCIm Walad ita

AI1115k a tll lllli Hi-Madxan kam a- hu ya- ' ;) q ab-an~i ba-

Amlak a ll1lllu Ia -M~i dxa n ka ma-Il tl ya-'aq~i b -an~i ba-
xayW ~~il oHi b~i z' 'a!H m wa-ba-za.ya rn a$' as k~i I~i -'a l a rn
xay la ~i-i1ola biii '~mi l11 \V~i-ba-z~iyiJlll:i $' as ka W-'alalll
alUm A men. aWm Amell .

1- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+-- - ------

f 24/,": .f 41':
4
[~\ f'/II: ',",0' : 'i'/' /" "': J nahu '~il11 a n~i gsa ll;)g Ll S $adaq

Za-D;mga l mafqare 3gazi'abahcr ta-gaba ' u xabe- hu ~a daq Za-Dangal mafqarc agaz i'aboher Ui-gaba'u
bazltx-an ' a- 'a rugg manakosat bo'o a li a l l'~' xabc-h u bazux-an 'a-'arugg manakosat bo 'o alia

(/11
1
/)(""".0 '" I kana ll1awa'Jli-hu 100 ' am3t wa-bo'o r.. fl',: (/U(I'oA ,U'{lIJ.: 1kona ma\va 'o li-hol1lu 100
100 \V~i -l0'al11~il \V~i - bo ' o 100 wH-30'H m31 a Jl~i larf-u '(I111 ~i1 wa-bo'o 100 w3-20 ' amiit \v~i -bo'o 100 wH-30
'amHI a ll ~i tHrf-u a lllllla wa';)ia Garal; !i [{I) 'I·e:

wa-Ma ham3 d nHgHs ta ' ahaza b lanbalal, O",h O"Y:] wa-Nur Mahamad n ag~isla 'ahaza b

Hinbalal .

.f 25va: .r 41':
5
I ' ,(/I .£I. {l,A fP: ~\ {lU. '; '1:'#: / H'd-,I ';lbJI-;lIt'H'O ;J111I1I1f II I.. ClI p. n.A 9 J
: ~\ ft , : I lI'ii-Yilbe/aH'wo a/lll mdndknsiil 0-

miiniikos{1f n-n;,gll,\: n{dw 'a-ngiii~iikii 'ul1Ilcik '-nii J1()gm: JUlhll '(I-l1gd.~:,\:iikd '~lIl1lfik '-nd wllllik-d lilahI'd! I
'(llIIlfik-ii II/()hr(il ;}.\'III c1lii- 'ciliilll lI1ahriif-1I [ ft fA:'" ;}SlIIii /(1- 'ateilll mahriil-II I, .. t\Y.'/:'" 'l.!,.A: ) Ici- I

~\Y"Y:C "- :'IIhl.: :/'(/J·AI'.{II). :!I-Y;J-l[ii';J a-/J/ ;JdrzakrCi : :/·(/l· Ap.ou.:) t-ya-lfo';) zakrCi!mvlad-olllll/d-

law/acl-oll/II /d-ntigUilci ~'aclq alld leir '0 Ya 'aqob lVei- nCigUitd ~adq (J/lii leir '0 Yii ;aqab wti-8d ;aclii MaraYclm
Bei 'acld "lcIra,l'L/III \l'd-iVii 'od [aqurcll1d all/l1/1( hi-Og:; 'anii It'ii-N{I 'ad /aq urtlnd amlllu Id-ag:i 'and Tyasus

Iyaslis Karastos Madxall ill ~i hayaw lii- 'ii!tilll Karas \os M ~idxan i na hayaw /ti- 'iiliim,

- 101 -
 f. 24ra: f. 4v:
3
wHa-wlada nagar-u la-Abba Eloyas sawwar wasta [ wa-la-wlada nagar-u Hi-Abba Eloyas sawwar wasta

U1<:: h}(1I(fl*: ] hagara 8n\ono ba-la 'azaza hagara [.. U1t:: hP](fl(fl:j 8[sicl\ono bHa 'azaza
8gazi'abaMr wa-ba-xirut-u za-kona ba-a'nm kidiin-a 8gazi'abaMr wa-ba-xirut-u za-kona ba-a'nta kidan-a
wa-sa'alat-ii la-8gzotona [1'_~f1'}: ,~}"/A : (IiI :* wa-sa 'aHit-a la-8gzotona [... 1>.1':1'1-1-: w .~'}"/A:
u
"'lc.r9":jQodost Dangal ba-2(kola'e)Miirayam Waladita "'lC.c' 'J , j Qadast wa-Dangol Marayam Waliidila
Am liik ammu la-Madxan kama-hu ya-'aqab -ana ba- Amlak ammu la-Madxan kamii·hu ya-'aqab-ana ba-
xayla ialotii baz' 'iilam wa-ba-zayamai' aska la-'alam xayla ialota baz' 'alam wa-ba-zayamai' aska la-'alam
alam Amen. alam Amen .

f. Urb: f. 4v:
4
[t,no: ~"lIP : '}./. p*:) nahu 'ama nagsa nagus iadaq [ t,uo :',"JIP, '}'/. p'" 1nahu 'ama nagsa nogus-na
Zli-Dangal mafqare 8gazi' abaMr ta-gaba' u xabe-hu iiidaq Za-Dangal marqare 8gazi'abaMr ta-gaba' u
bazux-an ' a-'arugg manakosat bo'o alIa [11c,- xabe- hu bazux-iin 'a-'arugg manakosat bo' o alIa
uotl'oll,V-* : ) kona mawa'ali-hu 100 'amat wa·bo'o [.. Il~ ' 00'/'01\.11'''''-' ] kona mawa'oli-homu 100
100 wa-20'amat wa-bo'o 100 wa-30' amat alIa tarf-u ' amat wa-bo'o 100 wa·20 'amat wa-bo'o 100 wa·30
ammawa'ala Gariiill) [:w',-C wuo<huo~ * :] wa-Nur 'amat alIa tarf-u ammawa'ala GariiM [w',·c,
wa-Manamad nagasta 'anazab tanbala!. u"(I,nu~ j wa-Nur Maliamad nligasta 'aliazab

tanbala!.

f. 25va: f. 4v:
5
[ ... w,e(J,A?': ',00. '}-j,*: jwa-yabel-awwo amunlu [..w,e(J,A?': ',1\. ,)wa-yabelawwo alill miinakosal 0-
miiniikosiii o-nagus nahu 'a-ngaSStikd 'amliik '- na nagus niihu 'a-ngtisstikti 'am/ok '-no 'amliik-ti mahrtil

'amlak-a mahral asmii la- 'alam mahriit-u [1\1'. 4:4' , asma lii- 'alam mahral-ll [ .. . lIf.1:'''' l>tbA, j
',f1(,-.h,A * jlii-diiqiqii Bsra '"I kamii [:h.,e'P'i.O , lii-diiqiqii 20 '"I kiimii [ .h..e'p'i.O, lInt: ,

','J",1':c* :1I11t:: Tw·AI'-OD.:j i-ya-lfo 'a a-madr zakrii -1'W' AI'-OD' 'j i-ya-lfo'a zakrii lawlad-omu lii-niigsiilii
tawlad-omu IIi-nligsiilii $adq allii Ziir 'o ya 'aqob wii- $adq alia Ziir '0 Ya 'aqob wa-Ba 'ada Marayam wa-
Bii 'adii Marayam wii-Na 'od faquranii ammu la-8gzi 'ana Na 'ad foqllranii ammll lii-8gzi 'ana Iyasus Karastos
Tyasus Karastos Madxanina nayaw Iti- 'aliim Madxanina nayaw la- 'alam.

- 101 -
 f 25vb: f 4r - 5v:
6
iJZa:;' kiifl/(; ya-II1(i~';) '1/ xiib(hi dtiq;c/d ~'dhaji :d- 'abtilv-yd azaz ' kama ya -lJ1d~'() '/I xabed daqiqd ~' dnafl zei- 'abtilv-

;JlIt; .ydwc/ 'a-nil .');1111-011111 k(;1116 y a-nggar-linii lJ1(hfihaftti vii a/lti ~' ii\ll(i 'a-nti SiJlII-OIIIIl ktimd y a-nggar-lIl1ti
'ohtl,, '· ikil .., /ld hal/lIl1'-(/ hOI/II hagtirtl : ;Ism" lllii~' ii/1;Jjiti 'ahtiH '- ikti iJl/ti hal/till'-a hOI/II hagtirei : ~'Sllla

I
" ~ ~d " C J,wi ": yo- 'aIlJlllr;J - 1I'11I(J11 /IIdk limll-;hun : 0- 1~' ~lY" C }IJ : -I yil- 'al/l llll'a- \I'lVO IIIdk anclf- ihon :;(1-

ltix fiba '(I bOllan \IId- 'omeha 'as-fiigciba 'a-nti Nag//.{- r ltixaba '0 hOI/on \116- 'clIlI eha 'as-ftigaba 'a-nti Nag us

".t': ','" A ":] Zd-Dangal; bd-qalti 'all'iicJ; /d-ku/a-nli [ 'I.~:["i ]"It.\ , I Zii-IJa[sic}go'-; bd-qiild "alviidi /i,-kllia-

[' Y" I:'" : ~(lltj ::,, * ] daqiqd ~'(ihaji zti-hulqqo-nnd nil [ .. . 1'.'/:'''' hCrd;.!,,; .. Ul~".r, ::' ·:-l diiqiqii
kond 100 lVii-50. Karas/i'an, IIIti-$iiha/t zii-hu/qqo-nnii kona 100 wd-50

7
f 25m: ./ 5v:
wd-saba 'as- ltig{iba 'CH1d atiydqq6-17nti ;m:ti yah/ 'ayi/{! wti-sobd '(.Is-Itigaba 'o-nd a c~))tiqqii-l1nd al1:;ti yahl 'ayil e

fd-xab '0 MdFlhatfti ndgd.{-l bd- lIl dwQ 'alti Carfil'1I7. Wti· Iti-xab 'a J\;lti~'a h()tfli nagti,':' bti-llliilVa 'iJld GarelfiJi. W6-
yab(Ho $dh(!te ntigasf /-(arayaqo.') 'artigallli zd-hagdrd yabe/o ~' dhaJe nagiij:1 f!arayaqos 'aragiillli :;d-hog drci

Giisac 'fi (Inti 'a,.((~alVi I ~\~".f.· l:'h}"k !lull (,:.-,-: I GGsiJc 'ti and 'artigalVir .. ) , Y" ', : }","t<f.' I:'I' :

alJll/J -c/tiqiqti aI/II ,"(i/wjt wd-kollti 1II(ill'a '"hi =dlll tin-yd )1",,(",::,'- j ;'JIl1rmn(i d///I ddqiqd .yiih{~ft \llti-konti

100 HId-50 (lllItil hd-lIlcnvci 'illd Grid /h I? ndbcir-kll II/owa 'alit :;till/itn-yd 100 IIld-50 am til bti-Illtiwa 'aId

G ariiill) nlihilr-kll

8
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Idrij~CJyd am -kllnal hlihNu ?i-yyli-al11drkll 1 Y"';'fI(J : ltirif-ayci alll-kUnGI biihalll ?J-X)1G- l1Iiirku

("mX;hfj :."f- : llllCJxahil '(I 1Il(j~'ahajj :;d- 'ahdlV-ikii 'allii yd- I, ,,Y" .•, ,tit} : ("mX '"/,'1: :r· :jmaxaba '(I lI1it~·ah()/1 :;ti-
'(11/1111 ar y a-mclsal-iil7i Ivd/dd I\ltilelll Id- ~·tih(~re IIIdnbr- (11 'ahdw-ikd 'alIa Jd- '0111111 iJI' ),a-l11iisa l-t;ni wiilelcl II'dlellf

M drqoreHios l'iq-nd lI 'ti-Siilllli 'a-kif :;encl \I'aldlf kiill1 ti hi- ~' dl1(~re lIuinbr- ol M tlrqoJ'(! woS Ilq-nei wti-scill/a 'a-kll

haleiwa H '~1Slti /0'11. : )1, "" : I haglll'ii EII/ii I'asl ti 'uhdll'- :;en6 lI'iildll kWllci halibrei lI 'asla , V'lt;.: )1,'''': I hagdl'l(
Jhu \l'd-a c~)'iJ q I/;)g lls ktil1lii hal/till l :;ayii .1'0111 alii lI 'asld Il lIIG r aslii ·abtilV- ihll II'd-()dyaq nag/l.~ kiilJlii halle/IV

hap, iirti Wdgda :::ayd YOIII 'aw lFasld hagdrd Wiigela

- 102 -
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"!lll'-n, IJuei -Pq .I?l/ equ,l:ea 'c

!?J->(e, f}IPfIf oIIl IHe-.l.lp'fipu -p: l e3u ea p uqe7

p I(-n, lIue~ -Pq .lilLleqo, p e8e PIC. f} IHPIll-pq puo>t-pz P>tl-1HPqu, -!?IIIUltl/ O-Pp el ,ll -el

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'?/C. !}11I!)llf-!Jq PLlO¥-P:: P'!l -III Pqv, -!?/ 1I/1/1f/O-pp e/ill et P>tl-IIIPqlJ, -p: I p;'apu !l.I! e~'e//l l :,/:u/l,l , : " .,? 'w,,/ .. (,

p.II?3,?U-PIlt I~·!?gpu p/fJL/hJ/// l: .1: "I' 1,1, : '1'11. '/. flO ]

' ·~ .. (,'{,l ' V'I'" ,qa,I)'{II ' ·I: .. ~l.t, '7 ' lIl,,/ .. (, \

!Ji)L/!?~ !?P/P,H plII.re

/I-.!e lIIlI/D, -ptf Pile P¥l -,ltpqlJ, -1)=
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Y!.It]1 p!lelll]'~plll Olll >t-e: ,Ie //Il/fI],

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PJljlp e.Fp£! plll.I'e Vy- .IP;\'/}, -p:
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0hlqet'- U,II P,I-v,lm e , -PC! ,\'I},If!I) (), IIj,

o/ -rJ1/e, ,'-p. 1I p.l'-V,l/L le. -P'l .\'I}, (e/~1 Q'NV O. Ii}, e·/PI -.m,
-.W Ill?>lll e, ell'-!N -I,);!\ ',IlIIl-,lp,m, !lll-~-'q(),\'-P, II llll l -t/eho//l
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:"9 :/ 1 : q~ 9 Z J

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p>f-YIl 3eu PUI), py-pbett ',ge-v,

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p:ue l-\'e, eq PILIV. lUU-I), e;'1, II I-I} I -l (:
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lULlIJ-.II! ;\'IJ, -po t' /!leA' p::u e
e:-!?Jue-pq luup-.le ;'>U, -/?,( Ne.,' !?' ('?Ipb I: ~ II"'" (),II.IIC'I -,Ipllle, n, e:-'Jlue- p'I

pl(;?/pb l ~ I J• •,f : II {. ' { : rJ V .1. !I?It'-qq e/ plIl.\'e IIptplH p.\'t/IJ,

: ,lV .I.) P((-qqel rJlllse liP/PIli pSt/V, Iqe !?:ue o lilln e>f
fq e pzuc Oll\ llIe>f-,IJ;\'III -f), -pill 1I>f- eXIJ.lp/ IJll-{Jq os - P Ili

-, f}Y,H-U, - p ili w/-exl},l p! !It/-?qos It/-PUIJ- t.JtIl [ : 'q(l '?'?

[ : 'q(l' ? "? : ',·IJ~Jln!lllUf). II UUPIII PPI!?III !lm!!?S pblbPP
:" 'IIv : "I, '{W I PIUV, 1l1iUpIlf PPIP{II ?fiJl{I?s'" pblbpp
PLI -IlJel/lJq -UI l e'o'u eCl -PZ pu-;m 3eu {Jf.{ett' r tl- pqO·\'-PIII
ptl - /ll el/rq -Pl l e3u ea-pz pU-~II'iJeu pqet( IJLI-pqo.\'-PtH

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·~J.lIIJ~' l)1u t!/!! ,\"!,Hlll - : d,Y, :.,. t :IJ ~1tI1I / t IjU~1:-p. 1\ II, e, :\"I}U

1-:dJJJ. :·,· 1tJ:'.JI.Jt/O j t yUP:-P'1I II. e, ;'(pu-I -e. t"-p: 1I/01f1

-1-e,I'-.n: lI/UlII !uexep- lile /;'(p';}pu b)-PlllfllO -I;\'e3up lII
p.lexep- w e 1;\pg!)U 8-PI /lW O-I;\'e3u pllI lJuf':-Ptll uqd'etlll]
1}1I?:-!.JiIl Ul}tCe,II/}-llIp,lIJ, !lL/PIllP : .ll,lexep- w e 1!111 11), aDZ
-lIIp.lV, pUPIllP:: p.fexep- w e IPIIIO, aOZ-pq lLI-PIOW
-Pq ltl-II IOlll P¥se-p{1I 1It1-?,I1]llIlH e;\' [-: 'J, :1',11, : q I) II '"
p>fse-pllI IH/-q ·IQiHtlteS [-: h"'"I, : q I) \{IIJ : ,II'? dJI)}
: .tl LI
; dJ ,d} P¥se oiioJuC q,lpiJmt-pZ l tllQleLfQq slJlef';1
p>fse oiioiue P.lpiJlJLl-P: liltQlel/Qq .\'f},(er.;1 lJqq v
QqqV{: 1),)'\;I't( : IJ'(} lUU-II/C, e lll p.I.IJ'fSPU-!?tll uylfelll !}
[: 1)1)'\;1"( :lJ\( } lUU-/lle ,e,1l p.lp'fSPU-PIII uqletll!?
-lI/p.fI), -PI-PIH ~1~lq.l e!) - PI'1/.1I 0 1 -0, e;\"U- PI p,lp8p u-p,1\
-lIIP,fV, -PI-Pill ~/~/Q.fe!)-!?/ /llIIOI-O, e:w-pi P,1I1'3PLI-p.1\
u.fe, do,t'elj t.JYPPI]Uf':: 1I-,leqpu-e,l'-p: >fl,IQ I p-!reLIIJ.~pllI 8
U, t'e, do,(elj PPlP !Juf': 11-.leqpu-eri'-q: >fl ·II)1 1)-!I'eLI']'~Plfl .(1' IJ : IJ q:..' {/J 1
-!l,1I aI I/-J~n" e,1\ -P£t !.}(I.t.J>f.',J.I-!.JI-P,111- : :,. :"1) vI
8-P,1I 01 11-J?ISe,lI -pq pqP>fP.I-pllIl- : :1·:I· I),wlJ: IJI! /(I) 1
" L J "1,ILl J

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?=18 Pie. e,ll -lJIH 'IILI-?el}yeill -p/ o-,/dpu -PIII qLlelel O-,/e.I;PII -.~M\ I)LleJej 'luu-?:e. elf :miJeu le8ue(f puqe,/ -pili
'lulf-f':e, el ;m 3eu leSueo pllqe'f!? Pllhll 1-: ""·I.t
I- :,,"·'.t :\i" .. t·~i : /,IJ ·\i' (IJ /qoiJe.!?A piJ.'iJppp/!?que
: VlI.. t.~l :/,11·\;1 :';i\;lIU /£fo/)e.UA niJ!iJpPPI!.){/ue -I}: till) 1t!II -UIII e: -PI nO-lie/I!(- L' 1-1 (, "IU/} ,I .:: .. (, "" .. 1", : II. V
-p: IIIP1ell-1]1II e:-pl !I IU /} , oO-L/e/~l-el-l(: 1 -:: ,,1,.""'/'" :- ,
J ·I:·Y ·1: '\( :.,.{. '( ) p.(IH//J, UIO/lf ~'} :l'iJ' luu!.J/ -~'}ql.!, \

=If. V : .J.!. \(>rJ·I: 'y.,: '\() plJlqo, PlOW ?:181UU!?/-?qer( ~P, II e./lUeS .Ip~·e, IJll t-IJq 1I/1IIeX-!?: !!fl-,lIpqlJ, ~pz UII/'Q~\'

-"Jil t e,lIud .IP:\'e, I]w-qq ulIl/ex-p z I?l/lqv, -11: !11f-ulI,~I}S -P/l-: ,1,IIJU\(" : {. ''1.1.. V I Ollltll ey-qmIP,n {'q8 Pie, el-plH £I
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P>fl- llIJ?qlJ,
'!!.Yl-,IIPqlJ, -p: !/eLllJtp lII p-.lp3pu
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'o>f-.IfJ:"'J. -p: l/iJl/!l.~ . e:-pl o'd''n'eppex N e,,' p:ue tle,liJ/)

pup -.le~'Vlf-e.( II/e, e;It-U/J/ ·O¥-.IY;\'/}. -/}: lJi}lll},~ , e:-Il/
IJa o'iJ''n'epp ex l4e,I'p:u e lle,l!l/} mrpUpl fI!nplJll 'J, / I p.t'-llIleLI
.m ¥pup Ul [ l1pmlv, j I plf-ll/leV -pq Jup-,1. 'I,JU p;(-v,yu e

r:,P(:J· {. '{U : 1101) \{ -pq !U!l-.I!/fSpLI P>f-IJ, yue-pq pwsc WCIQlIIel I: lP( :'.t \{ II
-I}q !!IlISC WCWllIel wellQllI el

: 1101) '{ : : .. 1, \i' t.wl:1 p¥lI-bUri!le-pZ luup-.l.l eliZeu

':: .. 1, \i' /111·1:: ..(, \i' /.11"1: ) p¥l1-bllr(Ile-p: lLlup-.l.leiJiJeu
P>f-I!?q lUU-I}-tl c.tjel-l lUU-pl-? qel(-p tll Llebow PlfJq
fJ>f-/!lq lUu-Q-Lle.tj"el-l lUU-PI-' lqcr(-ptll tjebow P l pq-lIIe
lUu-v, -e .~e MV, I]llllI]S-P q-PI H '.\,ljleCj IJqqV P-,IPtIlP;\'
lULI-O, -e.~e tltO, QlluQ.'\-Pq-PI H '.\'I]/(eq QqqV p-.lptHP;,(
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-p.1I I: .J , I,~,.~ltU / lJue-.IP'a'ptl-P/ I]JIJ. e.!ei Plue-pq -!)'II -lhH 1 - : .'.J~; .~i .(tU / pue-.lp'?1pll-tlIIJJJJ, e/I.!/ PllIe-pl/ -pllI ZI
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15 Na;!.ha '-ake xabii ruigtird lJIuliid-f/ Id,) hfi!7;u{ill"{ />,1): Nagba '-ake xabd I1dgdrii mil/tie/-II Ida blihalawl I )' II :
)'hAJJ(} : IAbbii llllyas :ii-rtiktih-;JlI'ljI() ? lJ-lllii~'ih(~f(j
)"A .c~{) :1II hbii 1~/aytis :;d-riikdb-awwo ?a-lIlihhq/d
'ahz" :ti-l1ii,'Sd.~{, Zei-,J'abe Vaklf170 , /lIIhik / ell t.\ Y.:
'ah~I ' :;ii-ndgd.\:/. Zii-yabe )'iJk1l110 Jllllliik / wAY. :
c,·I'Y: :.I'.Il. ' {\'!y" .... 'Y.. Y··i' (\'i"'I" )1r:()·Y·() , -I
l, y" .... , x' y·'i :"'~, Y" .... , X' I,·'i , fI')"'I' , h C() ·y·() , -I
wdldii Na 'od yabe lii-;/ lI1dti Sayon lii-NfJw6yd Karas/os
wiilcla AlIldii Sayon wd-Allle/a Sayon /ci-Nawiiya
wii-Nawclyd Karas/os Id-Nawci)'(i I\if{iraycilll wci-Nall'o)'d
Karas/os wii-Nawiiyd Karaslos lii-Nawayii Miirayam
/v/(irayam zd-wa 'a l l( r'~ "I"~ PI : .'~ (I: :,,: :- ] IJiiglJliiy DaHill:
wd-Nawayd l\;farayalll zd-IV() 'atll [.t~(lI'''I (I?: .t)'I? :'·::_]
Diiglllclltl/ /J awTI:

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I 27/'h: I 7,.:
16 Dfiw/f-ni wei/tid-oil/II !a- Tewodros,[ mt\ g.fl 1i1:'~ :] IIId- Dawi/-l1i \IIiiliie/-OIl/ II lii- Tewoclros, [ lII.e{),h:": ] wd-
Iti -)'ashaq wd-Iti- Onc/iJIJ'GS, wii-lii-Tewujlos wd- lii- Y()shaq wd-lii- andiJlyiis, I\Id-/ti- Tewojlos \Vii-lo-

P ·/H·, l,.I' I)'() ' I Xabld fyliSlls /1, YO'i'" /" :,. , 1.. 1'··i , r," 'f1. ,' , ~,.I' I)· () 'I rrablIi fyiisl/S ( ~, ou 'i ", /" :,. , X' Y"i ,

11\1'11) : J o/II-Nagas-f S()yol1 lV/ogtisG zii-alll-zdl' 'a nag(i!}1 tpl ' l{) : _I alll- M ii-nga!J:,-ti Sayon /\I/ogds zd-;) II/-Z(ir '(I

r>, t h)·III/ ,e,: -Ill k",\'I(l1/«IJ : ii-I ii- lI'iild-(if : lI '{f-lii- Zii,. '(I ntigii.'\'l / )\H' {)~" :- JAk"sal1l zii-Id-wd/d-df : wd-lli-

fa ';I(/oh- 1I1 lI 'tI- l)/h;n f \l'i i!iid-OIIIlI / )\ 'j" ' }'" /" :": -1 Z/ir ' (I ra ';)(/(lh- nT II'ii-allenT Iva/tie/-O/Illf

.-1111- tVII g lJ,V-1 kiit;, 'li l 17.1 'lisi-f /I Ilil'lo ti , l l1Illik .-1 /11-:; (i)' '0 /'lfI" ';"II"" ' :-1 ;)/II -lIui-nga,v/-(i kala ';1/ ba 'lJsT-III

I1dgii,\=1 / ), C· f 1111 : -1 .. 1r1h,/70 11 '(I - I I ~'h;)11(I , /lTrllfil .. llIIlak a/ll -:iir '0 l1ogb.,:' I ), '11l: Iii : -I A hraha
111(/-;1 ,\'baha.

I 28vl/:
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17 l ~' tt: ',flO;· : IlJl/li ndhiiJ'-1I It'asl d hagiirii Wiigcla samii
f',": ',no;·: -1allti nabiir-II lIIaslti hagard Wiigdti samd
'ob-lIlu! Nas S;J/I/;J '0/1 lJliik" onl1a/1 :;d-hagitrd Kdftif(! II'd-
'ah- llhii RCis Sama 'on m tik" 01711;)11 :c'i-hagtird Kiif tila
J/'iigdll :;(I- /\ /tihag,al / m{)C(/II :/'l wli-S;JrIllOl:, lI'ii-la-
lVd-Wilge/ii ::.if-Mtihag,a/ / (IJ{)C(I'I:" ::-I wd- Sarmiil,
axatd Zei,. 'a Yii 'aqob-ni, alieni 'a-wsdb-lI Liqd
II'ci-/d-axald ltir 'a Va 'aqob-nT, Olleni 'a-lVsdb-(i Liqii
Mii:;iilllar-an l3akTl1Ios :;d-Gariil'aytl rmY. 'fl I. : 'lAb:": 'I
Md:iimar-an /3dkTlIlos zii-Gararaya [c/ltt.':'.·fll.:
wii-Ddbrd kala 'iJ-I :;d- Wdgdti wd-yiJ 'a(j'-nT wd/dd-iil 2-
'IA 0 :" : -] wii-/ii-Ddbrii kala 'a-l zii- Wtigda wii-ya 'atT-
fd[klJl 'e- fa] [ (11''' ' f. : 1walud-ii buruk-and,
nT wahie/-til 2 [kala 'eJ ({lI'''.y:: -] IValll d b Ul' uk-tinii.

- 105 -
 f. 28vb: f. 8v:
18
la-! {'anadal samu [ "'CR: "?1]~bA:] Sar~ii Mika ',I, lii-! {'anadal samu [fiC?: °'lI]~bA:] Sar~a Mika 'et,
Lfqa MCizdmar-lin za-Dabrti Libiinos wa-kala- 'u Gdbra Lfqa Mazamar-iin zti-Ddbrd Libanos wa-kiila- 'u
Sayon, Uqii Kahnat zii-Diibrii Malmaq. Bii-qiidami Giibrii Sayon, Uqa Kiihnat za-Dabrii Malmaq. Bii-
$;mas-ta waltidti-tomu /a-aUu qadus-an wti-ntihtir-u bd- qadiimr $anaS-la walCidii-tomu lti-allu qadus-iin wd-
hag manfas-invl. Wa 'at-amun! wdltid-u bazux-iind ndbtir-u ba-nag man/tis-awl. Wa 'at-omunr wtiltid-u
[lJOt;'-I-:.p ..,JI~::] Kiihn-ald qadus-iina [roOP,"19" :] bazux-ana [lJot;'·}: .pP,.tI1:: ] Kiihn-iit qadus-iin
wa-M-diigam $anas-Ia walada-Iomu [ilhlJ : ~bA,rfl [0 P, "19" : -] M-diigam ~anas-(ii walada-Iomu
: roil U?C ,r9" : h 'Ot-:] /a-Abbii tlayiis wa-Ia-Miirayiim [M,IJ : ~bAj'f1 :ro"?C,rll" :hllt- :] la-Abbii
Kabrii tlayas wa-Miirayam Kabrii.

f. 28ra: f. 8r:
19
miiniikos-iiy-at liiMb [HJ!.{It.: fl.1J<;'f1: hOD: lI"~1"-: miinakos-iiy-at IaMb [Hr.·Ot.:fl.IJ<;'f1 :nH': oofl
Hr. t;'"1A : n)'}: uofl-r::> r.'fi, -1-:-] zii-Diibrii Libanos -r ::> r.' A 1"-: :-] zii-Dabrii Libanos koniit miistii-gadal- '/
amti-manel za-ddniiga/ kana! mdstd-giidal-fta asma asma mtinta-hu /a-Abba Elayas zd-tii-wtild-dt wd-la-
manta-hu la-Abba tlayas za-ta-wald-ti/ wa-la-Abba Abbii tlayiis zantu maaaw-o 'ab-uhu la-Abbii Mikii 'et
tlayiis zantu maaaw-o 'ab-uhu lii-Abbii Mika 'et [=[lI"].'t,t.: ro""J: -] ma[ m]nra Wagag kama ya-
[=9"rllt.: ro""1:-] mamnra Wagag kama ya-manarr-o manarr-o ma~iin Dfl-a 'A mliik Mil·: ODR'rilll.:
ma~iinafl-d 'Amliik R'r.-.p: roll"1hflt;':-] kullomd~na!a,ad'qwa-
:pC'}-r R' _~.p : roll"1ll'f1t;' : -] kulla wd-manarr-o manktis-nnii
zii-kullo sara 'alii §ad'q wti-mankus-nnii

f. 28rh: f. 8r:
20
wd-konii ' /iihiiw-f wti-mii 'amara. Wd- 'ama td-han$-al wii-kona ltibaw-J wd-mii'amarti. Wti- 'amti ta-nan$-dt

[~,r.: Ii'/': <'iAfi,''/-:] Ada 5awii siils-it anza ya-bawa ' [~, P, : 1i'P: "I A <'i'P.1"- :] A dii SalVii siils-iiwit anza ya-

$awir-o n'Ofl-r: ¢CIJ1: -] xabasta qurMn ba- bawa' $awir-o [""O[ ]-r: '/'CIJ'1:-] xab{}tti qurbiin
man!aqa Wit.. 'as-ta-ra'iiy-a barhiina malakal diM M-manfaqa 1i!1it:: 'as-Ia-ra 'iiy-a barhiina malakat
masaM warq [l1Jl.C:: 1,T'R'1'i:: -] za-,oro am-,an! aska diM masaM warq [Wec:: h9"R'1'i:: - ].§awiro am-
~anf za-maddr :: wa- 'iidi M-Dabra Barhiin-hr [ll~: pnfaska ~anf za-maddr:: wa- 'iidi M-Dabra Barhiin-
hoW': '101\.0':-] kona kamiih-u Iii 'ale-hu . hr [hO?O' :ll~ : '101\.0' ::-] kamiih-u kona Iii 'ali!-hu .

- 106 -
 scrip ts
5.2.2. Text Analy sis and Lingu is tic H y pothe sis of the two Manu
now I can give
I\s I have showe d the sampl e fo li os from both monas ti c center manuscripts;
abbrev iate th e two
presentati on the res ult from phi lologica l and lingui sti c point of view. As I
Cathedral) manuscri pt, and
manusc ri pts: QSC or (1\) fo r Q;)(/;JS I S;)liase Cathedral (The Ii oly Trinity
MAM or (8 ) for Mtinagtisa Amba Mar;yyam Monas tery.

5.2.2. 1. Ortho graph ieal Varia ti o n

In Go 'oz lan guage in ge neral and on philology III part icul ar, one of the most im portant
g. Vari ous letters are
feature s is th e kcepin g of th e correct orthog raphical sys telll o f writin
usin g in word s. In th e
identical in pronunciati on but different in meaning, whi le th ey are
of ~'[ 'ti] ; /, ['a] ; O[ ·til;
C;/;JZ alphab et, th ere arc fo ur group s of letters. That is th e case
[~·til ; 0 [~·tiJ;h·l ku] ; ll"[k ''I;
'}I 'a l; Ul ha]; '/ lhal: ," [hal; A'l ha l:') IXill;.'J Ixaj; IP Is'a]; r'I [sa l; ~
are used in
h··lk"'dl. All th ose lett ers have it own fun cti ons and purposes while they
e calli graphi sts of both
words. I lowever, on both Ctidlti Abba tl;yyas tex ts (QSC & MAM) th
used or writte n. We
manu script s made many errors. They did not keep where the letters
or th e oth er with no
can say that th e letters may write in a mi xed way of writin g one
ent column letters as
clarity . I gave folio letters for both manu script s: i.e. QSC ill S repres
lett ers as reelo (r) and
reelo (r a or ,.r') an d verso (va or vb) : for MAM ms represe nt co lumn
verso (v) selected so me samples fro m both texts as soo n as the fo
ll ow in g:

E rrors Folio s C or r ection s Gloss

No
14r {,/"('. )'.A : - Osra 'el Israe l
I 'ti'l.,A : - 20WI 'il

9''')oI I '}: - 111;)-hb ;) 'a 151' 9''')011(1 : - 171;J-hbd 'a hidden , secret place
2
- Iti mma 'ii 126vb 'J'Y"O : -Itimm a 'ei be irritated, be enrage d
3 'hl"t} :

4 ()''''-} : - sama '0 l6v rh'''O : - sama 'ei you Iisten, hear

,+ (\ : ~,rp.t:. :qiilo 'clwiidi /5v& 25vb :J'{\ : ()f",1:': _qa /(i 'iill'ocil declar ation. regulation
5
f-- - - - - - - -- - -
hi s hand
~

{, g.. 1I': - ';)de-hll ('26 vb 0.':'.. 11- : - . ti 'ade-hlf

6
7 (,.".. Il : - 'tide-kti 16v og.. l1 : - 'ii ';Jde-kti yo ur hand

sa.ylln 16r " I?,' ') : - .1:C/.)·UI1 box, CLipboa rd , sa fety

8 ,)f). ') : -

/ HlI'(..: _ SoWlV an? /2 7vb (lIP !... : - .s\':)\I'ware hiding, monas ti c life
9

- 107 -
10 ''''f'J'I:( p':-mCi-sj' LId! I 7" a u"/ (,: 'j:/- :-mci-sa/i1al th e Noble s

II '-}9 1l ,f'. :X:\"'i: - I2 7ra (I'" r. ' M "}: - ' All1da ~dyon
"Ii mdii $<>yO/7 -Amdii $ayo/7
12 }",9" j'.:X: \'· 'i : - 'limdii I 7,. (I'" r.' ,w· ·}:- ' All1da ~dyo n
$dyO/7 . Amda ~;)yon
13 .'~ "r"l ,f!. : - dtigm-ay I2 7,.a .l~"J"'1 (I:: - dtigm- awi the Second (II )

14 ~.ll'. ')·''' : - Ak"'iisUi/7 I 7r ~,h,)·''' : . 'likslIm Ak sull1

15 )", ~1'·f)·tI'I y. :-Ak'\U IJI -cly /2 7rb ~,hr)''' 1 'e :Aksu/l1- awi the Ak sull1ite
16 ')Ar'l. ·)·: - .mlsT! /28,.b "tAr'l.:' ·: ·.(aISf! in the third place

17 :~.('A: -xayal /29,.b & 9,. ·', .r'A : - xayal strong , superp ower

(~(l) .tHJ :,, :' li- \Va • ayii-f /151' )',(/HH':" :- 'd-wa ' ayii-I shc set on fire, burn
18
19 •. 1\',,')'1.1'. : . I22" •. 1\'1 ' (1'1.1'. : . the Ri ve r of Abbay
(til tigti "Ii bbay /Ciltigti -Abbay
20 qlr'lt>:· Yd-/ l~dko /22,. .e,'/ t'l fI: - ya-nasako Imper ati ve case: bite

21 r'l l l 'I~ :·sti[ jggiil/ a /22,. "'t."~ : . siirtiggiil/a chario t

22 C·I:'}: - r alLt" ti fn,.a& 24 r C· I:(l : - ralu ' ci strai ght. ort hodox
- - -
-23 IP,II "' : - ,\;(ihaqii 2-/,. r)"l'I': . siihaqii he lau gh. enjoy ed

Table 8: Orthog raphi cal Variat ion from thc two manuscripts

ges
5.2.2. 2. Phon ologi cal and Morp holog ical Var iations and Chan
adaptatio n of the context. it
In thc both text s (QSC and M;JM) ph ono log ica l and morphologica l
words, cascs, numbe rs. and
show that somc lingui stic va riation s on the dialect or sound changc in
and place names: From the
ph rases; evcn the phonological change it show on the proper nou ns
correction th e characters or
sampl c tcxt hypotheses , I tr ied to find philological crro rs, makin g
Abba th)yas , whi ch I
Ictters and wo rd s based on the compa rative of two manuscripts of Ctidlti
dicti onarie s as soon as
selecte d it accordi ng to thc passage and make compariso n with Cd'dz
poss ible.

- 108 -
- 109 -
- I 10 -
 5.2.2.2 . 1 Proper Nouns and Plaee Names
On these both C;cidlci Abba {byas tex ts. the phono logica l change show on both proper, co ll ecti ve

nouns. and placc namcs respec ti vely.

I~O. Errors Folios Correction Remark

I , \ [] (II(fl: -0r Irollo /41' 1\ ';(11(11 : -On{offo Place name

2 '" t..;~ : CJJ i· C:: (JIOII,I,ou ,(': : GrcII1 /Nrb '" t·: }' : ',.r, : OU,(, ou .l':: - Proper noun
wd-NIII' wii-lIl/tihwt/dd Crail Nil,. fI;/tihamtid

3 "/ t·:~ : (11'/. (: : UII ,ltuu Y: :- G'rah (-Ir "It.·:}': ',.r.:

uu, h uIJ Y:: Proper noun
Ivd-Nu!" fI;/dhollltic/ Gl'ai1 NilI' Miihamiid
4 IIY:"/t.I :- za- Dr I ngo l /51' I/Y:'i"JA :- Zd-f)al1ga! Proper noun

5 y,'~l."i: 'fll'l() :_ /71- 0\"';: '1"')4): - Proper noun

Sayol1 Mogtis Sayon Mogtisli
6 ~,C-fl,', : - 'Al'biJ/7a /27rb ~dlr.,', : - AbriJna Proper noun

7 (le ou :,': - Sarm{il /281'0 (JC/II/:, ,: - S()rIllGI Pl ace name

8 )',,(1, :'(i(I' : - Ada .<;dltlo /8r )"J!,:o(" : -Add.<;(iwCI Place name

9 }".) (.. : - Igo/"cI /91' )" "I t·: - I~gora Place name

10 ';()'J'(~'()}"\(II' J)'; : - Nas{ros- /9,' ';() ' I'(~'f)(II' J"; :- Collecti ve noun
'tilllayiin N;)s! rosli-II 'aylin
II >.~.'J ': - ';(wiqa f/Ov >"1'/- : - ', i ~'a(l l; Proper nOLln

~2 ~,"!if I ~ : - A.i/lal/a I J(h' ~, 'lih~ : - ";i.i·kkal/a Place name

12 l,. :t'cnp,',e: -i'Wdp :)!o r 12r l,. :"," 9.',e: - i lyop 'aya Co untry name

13 ,t. () q J,ee :- Teshfi.l'cI-Hli /1./,. 'I:()'(IJ' (I? :- '/ eshaya- w; Co ll ect ive noun

I~ Y.·II , '/'I : - Diib Min /16" !i.-fit., -11(:1'1 :- Place 11(111le

Dtibrii /3a/"/ull1
15 l,r;:C';'I.h(/1· p'; :- /24,. h (,: C '; '1 •.<'(/1· y';:- Co llecti ve noun
'A/rangi'iill'ayfin 'Aji'angIJ,filllayiin
16 M:en -',: - Aji4}gi 12jv l ,(,:C';'I. : - 'Aji'angi noun

17 ·'U'·"'Y·/} " :-!Josqo[ Js l2jv ,I;.",() . y.(~'():- J)osqo /'os Proper noun

18 .,......, .."[-: - 7dliiglll (25,. ",,/,(\:, ,: - Tdgllldl Place nam e

19 ).',/..: - Dure /-Ijva .r.I. .:- Ddro Place name

20 '1(1'1,(' : - CtibogfZ\'(1 r:~6ra '1fl'I,(' : - I1libhogA),{1 Place Ilallle

21 h:'rp::- Agallcii /25 .. l,:J ;};J:: - 'Agiii1acii Place Ilallle

22 (~'tI'J, : - Nome / 2jv (~'Y": - Rom 'a Country llallle

22 !I, ,f', : '1.( J',: -Z"(~) " Z"ay /26,. &611"0 'WI' g.. : - Z;))\ '(I), Place name

Table In : Thc Variat ion or' Pronc r Nouns and Place Na mes
- III -
 5.2.3 Sample Survey of Text Analysis, Linguistic Hypothesis and Semantic Features
As I have showed the sample folios from both monastic center manuscripts; now I can give
presentation the result from the context of philological, linguistic or semantic231 point of view.
As I abbreviated the two manuscripts of Gadla Elayas: i.e. QSC or (A) for Qadast Sallase Cathedral
(The Holy Trinity Cathedral), and MAM or (B) for Managasa Amba Marayam Monastery
manuscripts; I would like to like observe the meaning of words and phrase are analyzed in several
different ways in order to account for as many aspects of meaning as possible. First of all , words,
phrases, misspelled and meanings are analyzed in terms of their semantic featurei 32 that are basic
elements which enable the differentiation of meaning of words.
I, the researcher, as tried to find the difference between the two manuscripts (QSC & MAM) in
the previous part, under the title: S.2.1.(Sample Comparison from the two Manuscript Texts) on
Table 7: Sample Comparative and Finding Errors from the two Manuscript Texts ; the
interpretation ofthe linguistic hypothesis method, I limited Table 7 from the sample survey box
of the text from sample No. I upto 10 (1 - 10): i.e. Ms.(A) -fJ. 24va - 26vb [QSC) and Ms. (B)-ff.
3v - 6v [MAMj. I would like to show their difference in philological and linguistic point of view
and methodology as soon as possible.

5.2.3.1 Sample Texts and Presentation of the Result

Please see 5.2.1. Sample Comparison from the two Manuscript Texts, on Table 7: 'Sample
Comparative and Finding Errors from the two Manuscript Texts'and compare the two
manuscripts.
i) Sample No.1:
(A) f. 24va: [1\i',Q: i'bAyfl: oo1&A'e: 10·,),: OJ.r:1"JA:j
la- Abba Elayas manfas-awi na$uh wa-Dangal
'to Abba Elayas spiritual, pure and virgin'
Prep. + noun + adjective ]+ prep. + adj.

23\ Semantics is a branch of linguistics dealing with the meaning of words, phrases and sentences, however, contrary
to pragmatics it does not analyze the intended speaker meaning, or what words denote on a given occasion, but the
objective, conventional meaning. Additionally, it is concerned with the conceptual meaning and not the associative
meaning (Kamil Wisniewski, Aug. 12th,2007).
232 In the semantic feature studies, there are two types of meanings : (I) Conceptual meaning , and (2) Associative
meaning. The 'fustone, i.e. Conceptual meaning is what a word in fact denotes, as for example Friday the 13'h is a day
between Thursday the 12th and Saturday the 14'h, and that is the conceptual meaning of the phrase Friday the 13'h. Yet,the
second one, which is called associative meaning for many people the idea of that day brings to mind thoughts of bad luck
and misfOltune (Ibid) .

- 11 2 -
(B);: 3v: f (HIO·tJ:Olt\·}.';.j):)"dI: fm ' }&.')'e: '}().;', : (!l,(':'}"JA:~\fJ: >"A,f'j) :)
/ci-/J<J)"u ' wei-/ci-Q<Jdus Ab ' l17anj(is-[llI'i 17<J~'uh wii-D<Jng<J/ Abba EI<Jyas
'to his Grace, and hi s Holiness the Fathe r, spiritua l, pure and virgin Abbii EI<Jyiis '
Pre p.+ adj. + prep. + Adj . + pronou n + adj. 1+ prep. + adj. + no un

ze;-sii,.{i.yci inn -he fi; Kahn cil \1 ·ti- I\;ftiJ/go.~1

'Hi s ori g in from the house of C leri ca l and State '

Prep. + Perfect + prep. + No mina ti ve? + Noun + prep. + No un

(8);: 3v: [ II'Pt.'I. : ~,9nfl. ' I' * : a"'}"Jp':": mnu'"h j

zei-sCirei.)·c; am-held MCing<Jsl wc;- Kahniil

'Il is ori g in fro m th e hou se o f State and C le rical '

Pre p.+ Perfect 1 Prep.+ Nomina ti ve? r No un + Prep. + No un

(A)f 24va: [M":)': ,eo'NI~: I

,I-(i/Olii Y;J-qaba-na - 'Her praye r to proteet us'

3 rt! p. fClllin. + imperfective

.)'ei/ola <Jqtihc;-l7c; - ' Il e r prayer mu st protce tu s'

.... rd r' . .
J p. lemln. " Impera ti ve
ii) Sample N o, 2:

(A )f 24vb: / M.'/:·}\'*: nCM:,n: I

/Ci-dt;qiq-ye; K<Jr;Jsliyan - '1'01' my c hildren Chri stian '

Pre p. + possessive pronoun + co ll ecti ve noun

(B);: r
3r: t\fA: ·H': .;', 'lIfl :n(:M:,f"t: J
h;JZbci K;Jr;Jsliyiin ·the peopl e of Chri sti an '
Co ll ecti ve no un marke r

(A);: 24vb: rt\-(1O' O*: >"A ,f'j) : I

lti-jJ"}II' I~'/dyas- 'to his Grace I~/dyas .
Pre p. + adj. -I noun

- 11 3 -
(8) / 31': I ", /HIO·I'l : mll·}"I,():~,f] : ~.. A,(>():I

lti-I];),! I/' Il'ti-lti-Q;>c/l/s I IMfi {I;,yfis -

'to hi s Grace and hi s ll oliness Abbfi {fayfis'

Prep, + adj, + prep,+ 1+ adj, +noun

iii) Sample N o.3:

(A) / 24m: [ V'It.: ~\'}(II(II * : 'I

/-Iagtirti On!o!!o - 'the place On!o!!o'

Co ll ec ti ve no un -t pl ace ma rk er
(8)/41': 1 .. ,IJ'II. : ~\['}J(II(II: J
/-Iagtll'ii dr~icJ!o!!O - ' the place Ojll/!O/!O'

(AU 24m: [·l'.(':()''t-; J!:'}"/A: (Hi:* "'lC,f"J": [

Qac/aS( wti- Dang,,1 bti-2-e [kala '-lij iVlfirayfim -

'Mary, Sai nt and Vi rgin by two'

Adj, + prep, + adj, + numeral num ber
(8) / 41': I " ,.}.(':():,. : m.<!:'}"/A : '''/C,r'')'':

Qac/;)s( wii- D ;J/1gal Mfirayfim - 'Sa int and Virgin Mary'

Adj, + prep, " adj,

il') Sample No, 4:

(A) / 24rb: r ~,all: ~"//.J' : '}'/./,, *: '[

'tll ll ti nCig.iti nllgl/.,' - 'when he became ki ng'

Prep, + Per/Cc l " pronoun (u ndellncd)

(B) /41': I ~\all : '/"//J': '}'/./"'/. I
'timti Iltig.1'ti IIlIguS-lIti -' when he became our king'

Pre p, + Perfec t + dellned by suffi x -l1ti

(A) / 24rb: ( t>'i' :f"m'I'MI.U'* : ]
kona III cil tlC/ 'ali-flU - ' it became hi s era'
C '
I CI11 111 . 111arker -t :l,,,I per. sin
'
g. masc.

(8)/41': I .. ,t,'/. all'I'I'lIl.IJ'(/I>·: /

konii mCilVa 'a li -1101I1lI - . it became the ir era'

3rd per. plural masc,

- 114 -
(A) f 24rb: / (/l't-(: : mrm",rmJ': *: I
,!'ci-Nllr wCi-Mdnul/1dd - 'and Nur and Mohammad'
Prep. + noun + pre p. + noun

(B}f 4v: [ . .. (/l',·C:ou,houJ':: I

wd-Nllr MCihwncld - 'and Nur Mohammad '
Prep. -j noun

v) Sample N o.5:

(A}f 25va: r ...m,en,A?': ~,(1u"H: * : ]

wd-y"be-I"wwo ,,/I1l/1l1l1lu - 'and they sa id'

r
Prep . + 3 <l pe r. plu .+ perl. pro. (nea r object)

(B) f 4,,: I .. .m,(', n,A?': ~\".: I

wd-Ydbe-Idll'J.l·O d{{U 'and they sa id'
Prep. -I- 3'<1 per. plu . + pcrl. pro. (far object)

(A}f 25"a: l ... "~. '/: '/' :Mlb· )"A * ... /

/d-ddqiqCi osra 'til - ' for the C hildre n of' Israel '.
Prep. + co Il. noun + count ry name

(B)f 4v: r M.'/:'/' ?;. )"A : I

hi-ddqiclCi 20'!!1 'Ior th e Children of20·cl·.
prep. + coli. no un I prcfi x cardinal no. wi th s ui"li x name

(A}f 25va: ! {l ..e'p1.(j : ~,9".r:C* :'lIht.: ·hn·AP.{lu. :]

?T-yy"-!/a ',, ?"-I/1I11,,ddr z"krCi lawladd-omu-
·their com memorati on co ul dn 't destroy from the world'.
r
negal. + imperf. + adv. noun + accu. -I- co li . noun -I- 3 <l pe r. pilI.

'T '-)~Id-!Ia'" ~i'JkrCi 'dll'hdd-0I/111

·the ir commemorat ion coul dn ' ( destro y'.
neg. + imperf. -I- acc u. + co li . noun -I- 3"1 pe r. plu.

- I 15 -
IIi) Sample No. 6:

(A)f 2511b: ! I' M"e: 9"Y: I

yti- 'mnmor;:J-\Vwon - ' yo u may kno w ' .
nd
Imperf. + 2 per. re m. pili .

(8)f 4r : / I' t,l/"r: 9'*:1

yti- 'ammara-wwo 'YOLI Illay know '.
nd
Imperf. + 2 per. masc. p ili.

(A) f. 2511b: [ II J': '}"/A*: ]

'td- Dangal - ' or th e Virg in '- the proper name orthe king
Pre . + prop . nO lln

(/J)f. 4r: r 11.1':1 TI"/A: 1

Zd- /),,/sicjg,,1 mi ss pelled'n ' character.

Pre. + missp.

(AJ f. 2511b: [ f.":'" :7,,/,r,::,· * : '1

dtiqiqti ~·tiljali - ' the C hildren oeScribers'.

Co il. nOlln + adj. pili.

(B)f. 511: 1 f.'/:"': t lr:fH:.f"} :: /Il)l..,/' r,::,, :

dt.iqiqt.i Kar"sli 'an, \"d-~dha/i

' the Chi Idren or Chri stian s and Scri bers'.

Coi l. noun + ] conj. + adj . pili.
vii) Sample N o, 7:
(AJf. 25m: [~,l/"f. ":'/,:~,A -: )I..£/'r,::,· :]
"1I1-ddqiqt.i "llu .)·iiha/i - ' among the Chi ldren o r Scribcrs·.
ad v. , nOlln 3,,1 pcr. p ili. + perl. pro. , adj. pili.

a ll1;) -l7l7d al/u dtiqiqd ,Iliha/i - ·rrom a mong the Childrcn o rS cribc rs · .
rd
adv. + perl. pro. + 3 per. no lin + adj. p ili.

- I 16 -
\liii) Sample No.8:
(A)f. 25rb: [ 9''''1110: ou:{,"hlj::":]
mo-tzbo 'a ma§onofi - 'the hidden place of the books'.
Noun + plu.
(B)f. 5r: [ 9"'HIC}:ou:{;hlj:-}':]
mo-tzbo '0 ma§onofi - 'the hidden place of the books'
(A) f. 25rb: [1J1t.: lb"'l: ]
hagara Emi'i - 'the place Emi'i '.
Call. Noun + place name
(B) f. 5r: [1J1t;·: lb "'/: ]
hagar-u Emi'i - 'his origin Emi'i '
rd
3 per. masc. + place name.
ix) Sample No.9:
(A)f. 26va: [lD{I(}.~: &'t.IJh-: ]
wa-sohtiha /ari'ixo-ku - 'and on that time J/eared '
can). + verb + 1'1 p er.sing.
(B) f. 5r - f. 6v: [lDh't'L: (I (}.'/: 6.t.uh·: ]
wa- 'ana-hi sobehi'i/ari'ixo-ku - 'and I am/eared'
can). + per. Indicater + verb + 1'1 per. sing

(A) f. 26va: [<PM: h '}II: .ellA: ]

onza yobl - 'as it saying '
rd
indep't. prepo. + 3 pers. common.

(B) f. 5r - f. 6v: [<I'M: .e·OA: ]

yobl - 'it saying'
rd
3 pers. common.

(A)f. 26va: [h.:J'lDP'h'/.: ]

f/- 'awaso 'a-ni - 'don', tell me'

neg. + imperJ + introgat.

- 117 -
(8) f 5r - f 61': / ~\ .:hJ)· P' ~\~.: 1
1/- 'olJlsa '(f-ni - 'don 'I Clnswer me?'

neg + imperal. + inlrogal.

x) S ample No. I IJ:

(A) r... -1'.1"';1 ~: {/J)WI/: ERnl'i·"} -I:IJ-: _e '1"'7',/" ~ :j
ltim a '0_11; wei- 'aztize'i mti-sa/a nl-Thu ya-muqah-lInt

'he irrilaled //'Ie and ordered his officers plll me il7lo prison '.
3rd pel'. + pasl pal'. + coniu. + call. Noun + sllbilll1.
(8) / ... I).1"';I~ : {/JI,I/I/ : £fo'l'i:'}-I:IJ': _ e'I"'l'rll'~: 1

sam(} 'a-ni wc'i- 'ozc'izei ya-moqah-lfl1t mti-sti./lJl11-thu

'heal' me and ordered 10 pilI me inlo prison/or his officers '.

3rd pel'. + pasl pal'. + con)u. + call. Noun I subiun.
(A) [tJII": fllr.C:.IJ-:j
hallo bti-ade-hll - 'on his hand '
prep. + 3rd pel'. sing masc.
(8) r Uth f!J.J:.h :j

halo bii-ade-kti 'on your hand '

prep. + 2rd pel'. sing //'lase.

5.2.4. Survey of Questionnaire on A bba E layas

As I have mentioned on the above pa rt. my last in vesti gation depcnd s on interpreting about Abba
1~/ayas as a known sai nt in these two mon astcri es: by hi s teachin g era. whi ch defend orthodoxy
in the context of presen t situati on of Chri stianity. Thi s part discuss ing on questi onnaire data
ana lysis with monks, priests, dcaco ns and laymcn who found aro und the three monastic centcrs:
i.e, EflNKM, QSC and MAJ'vlmonasteri cs. The numbcrs of persons indi cate for both three
monasteri es ,

- 11 8 -
5.2.4.1. Method of Data Analysis
The da ta col lected through the questionnai re and the interviews were fo ll owed by analys is
and di sc uss ion to provi de answe r to the qu esti ons set in the study.
I se lected and di scussed the questionnaire wi th arou nd 50 perso ns: i.e. 30 fi'om clergies and 20
from la ymen. Th e res ul t is as fo ll ows:
Monks Priests Deacons Laymen Result
-~

No . S ample Questionnaire Y..:s No YI'S No Yl'S Nn Y..:s No Yi,:S No

Do you knoHi ahollf Abba Ehyas lVas the

, ,
I 12 ) 7 2 5 ) 6 12 30 20
Atledieva/ cen/uries Ethiopian Sainf ?
Do you know abolll Cdc/It; EliJyclsjhllnd , ,)
2 10 5 6 ) 5 8 10 27 23
ltlhere if is ?
, lIis vila (CodO reading /JIomhely or
) 2 13 I 8 I 7 0 18 6 44
annually on your l1IonaSl el)' ?

4 Do YOIl know abolll his monas/elY, lived 6 9 4 5 2 6 5 13 17 "

))

as monas/Ie life and his thoughl ?

5 Do YO II know ahow his origin Falll (he 13 2 3 6 4 4 7 11 27 23

Royal and Levile (Pries/~)') fall/i~)' ?

Grand Total 43 32 21 24 IS 25 26 64 107 143

Table II: Sa mpl e questi onnaire and interview in the two monasteri es

70

60

SO

40
• Ye s
30
• No

20

10

0
Monk Priest

C hart 3: The Resu lt s or qu esti onnaire and int erview

- 119 -
 5.2.4.2 Data Presentation and Interpretation
Depe nd on the above questi onnai re and data analys is, Abba ttayas and his Ctidl are not we ll
known mo stl y by laymen. even some clergies of th e monasteries. which believed that ttayas
li ved as a hermit li fe. As we know that, many loca l Ethi opian sa ints known by their monasteries
names, wh ieh built by their own namcs.
Ho wever, according to his combat as it showing Abba Iilayas is one of the most prom inent fi gure
o r the Father of Orthod oxy fa ith , who defend Orthodox Chri stian ity from the ' heresies ' and
.heretical' teac hin g of' th e era. The ease of hi s thought , in th e contex t of some church scho la rs as
told me th at we cou ld be class irying thc rc li gio us in stituti ons by groups. Th e taxt passage quoted
from Ci'idlii D ayas (ff' 29vb - 29rb) and allu sion to doctri nal issues of the Ethiopian Ch urch
durin g the Medi eval Ce nturi es. In my questi onnai re as co ll ected from sample th ree monasteri es,
the Church Fathers interpret ing and comparing the taught still the present si tuation and the part of
ecumclli sm in gcnera l and loca l co uncil of the Church in particu lar.
Name of Institution or Present Situation on this
Person in the Giidl Type of Taught Thought and the Result
Christ has one Body and two Roman Catho lici sm and
Nestorian s and ( I~ eo I ?) Nature Ryzalltille Orthodox Church?
Giimabya l Zii-G iorgis and Christ has tlVO Bodies and
on barall Iwo Nell ures ?
A!ldqqa Mika'er' s God has one/ace ??
No t necessw)' prostrate/or
Dtiqiqti OS!ijiJnos (Stcphallites) Our I.ody lSI. /v/O/y). Icon Protes tan t ism
and the /-Ioly Cross.
r··II'l". : fI /" :J:OI,ltJ en : n(FU', I..
J
,

Orthodox Tewahido Church () , ,. Motti htisaga. wtihayo Oriental Orth odox

bti-lI7cin/dsl, He [Christl Churches
died by His /Jody: and
becall7e Eternal by His
..
Dil'inity .

Table 12: The teachin g of 'Doctri nal Case' duri ng Iilayas timc

. 120 .
As I havc mcntioncd on thc above part: these thrce grcat groups of Chri stian religious inst itutions
i.c . Roman Catholicism. 13yzant ine Ort hodox Church 2J3 and Orie nta l Ort hodox Ch urchcs are the
mai n figures in the hi story of Ecumcnism. Ecumen ica l involve mcnt and parti cipat ion in carly
co uncils of the Chu rch. Thc fo urt h one, Protcstantism separated from Roman Cath oli cism aro und
the end of 16 th ccntu ry.

m After Ihe Counc ilor Chelcedon (451 A.D.). Ihese IwO Churches (Roman Calhol ic & l3 yzanline Ort hodox) ul il l
middle centuries were followed the same thought concerning the Na llfre a/ Christ. However, they scpaned in around
1054 ? A.D. by the case or filioqlle ciallse' oi'lhc Pope or Rome. (passium).

- 12 1 -
CHAPTER VI
6. CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATION AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

6.1 Conclusion
Ancient Literature and manuscripts valuc is thc highest rank in the world as a c ultura l and
docume ntary herita ge of the Church. The Ethiopi an C hurch is the cen tra l archi ve and library or
thc co untry. Th ese are consisting 0 1' such as orficial manuscript docume nts as impe rial letters .
decrees, decisions, ecc lesiasti cal praycr books, etc . .. They we re recorded in the marg in s or
manuscripts as many documents of tremendous historical importance ; were a lso preserved and
saved in traditional system. Thesc material s are he lpful and necessary to developing our fi e ld ,
philology . The yo ung phi lo logians could search related to findin g the price less knowledge.

When vie wed as a whole . in the perspective of hi story. King ZCir 'a Va 'aqob 's attempt s at
centra lizat ion and re lig iou s national ism were mo re or le ss suceess l'ull y than hi s handling or
eccles iastical matters. He so ught to adm ini ster the political a nd military affa irs or his kingdom
thro ugh a pair of officials known as /3i/weiddeid-oc (singular:- /3i/IVeiddeid). When hi s so n-in-Ia ws
proved unsuitable for the ti tl e, he appo inted hi s daughtc rs to the positions. When they took
proved unsatisfactory: "The king himsel/look in hand Ihe governmel1l 0/ all Elhiopia and ruled
Ihe cow111 )' Ihmll!!,h a series a/royal appoinlees ".

Howe ver, on ly a ruthless and powerfu l Emperor Zeir 'a Ya '''qob co uld hope to gove rn in thi s
fa shion . I lis son, King /3ei 'adei lvlarayall7 an able ruler by convent iona l standard s. was not a
despot like his father. and on his first da y in office he resto red to power the traditiona l ol'lice
holders depo sed by Zeir 'a Va ·"qob. In the ecc lesiasti ca l sphere, !3Ci 'adei Marayam sought to
co ntinue the prog ram of re li gious nati o nali sm initiated by hi s father. But neither he nor his
successors possessed the skill s of 7.Cir 'a Va ·aqob. Moreover, aner /3Ci 'ddCi Mardyam's death in
1478,. The problem 0 [. ro ya l successo rs reappea red. symptomatic o f the weakening o f the dynasty
and the reasse rtion of local autonomy.

For hal I' a century conll icts in the cou rt and provinces preoccupi ed the 'Sololl1onic Kings' a nd

sapped the resources of kingdom. By the time . the Muslim warrior, ~·C :r.m",r/IJJ:·:·7t:·;f:­

Nur-Mohammtid Grallll in vaded the Chri stian kingdom in 1527; it was capable of offering littl e

- 122 -
res istance. Man y of thc recen tly Chri sti ani zed peop le return ed to their form er religions or
adopted Islam. /\ 'Colden !lge ' in the hi story or Et hi opian Chri sti an ity came to an end .
The rise of th e 'Sololllonic Dynasly' in 1270 /\ .D marked the beginning of two ccnturi es or
Orthodox Chri sti an cx pansion and culminated in th e religi ous nation alism or the Emperor Zd,. 'a
Yo 'a qob. The momcntous poli tica l evcnts o r thi s peri od werc accompanied by deve lopments of
comparabl e significance for th e Et hiopi an Orthodox Church, most notably the ri se of the
'monaslic holy men '. As we ha ve shown above. the monaslic men and local saints, lik e Elayas
played a vit al role in the politi ca l. soc ial. economi c. and re ligious li fe of the early Solomonic
Peri od.
Each of the monasti c mo vemen ts whi ch arose during this period (,~ti\.van , t wos!alians, and
Dtiqiqti Os!ijano.\· (S tephanites) represented an attempt by regional groups to oppose the
encroachment of the 'Solomonic Kings' on traditional ri ghts and pri vileges. As the 'Solo monic
Kings ' ex panded their dom ain and redu ced local rul ers to vassal status, members of these loca l
nobl e fami lies aband oned th e political arena and took up the monasti c life.

Th e sam pl e churches and monasteri es whi ch I obse rved Ciidlti (jaVas in The I-I oly Trin ity. Addis
/\ baba Diocese and Western ,~dwa Di ocese. i'v/tinc7gd.fa !l mba Mc7raya m are more or less the
center for conse rvin g and preservin g the manu sc ript document s of the church and the cou ntry.
Moreover, they contain a great deal of materials relating to cul tural , social, poli tical and even
mi litary history of the co untry. In addition, some inCormation on reli gious, hi storical and
archaeo logica l and cco nom ics. or art can be obtained rrom th cm the infonn ati on thus obtained
requires, undoubtedl y, thorough checking and criti cal anal ys is. Nevc rthelcss thc hagiographi cal
tradit ions ofTel' in man y instances new interpretation s and shed ne w light on de velopments in
culture and po litical hi story of little kn own period of Lt hi opia
/\ s I ha ve suggested above, the hi storical not es, which we ex tract rrom a Cdell, is onl y accidental
by- products. It is onl y for the stud y o f the philology and history of Ethiopic literature and for the
doctrinal and instituti onal hi story of the Ethiopian Church the Cdellti Ebyas as such can be
co nsid crcd as primary so urces. For thc Phil olog ica l. theo log ica l and politi ca l hi story of th c
co untry. howcver. the va lu e of Giid lii Il'!Cly as vari es grea tl y from one to th e other, and eac h mu st
bc considered on it s own spec ial merit s.

- 123 -
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Gadla Anorewos, Set Amba, Ga:je, Manz Sawa, UNESCO mf.Ethiopia Ms. Collection,
ser.l 0,42; Ms. Collection, IES-AAU, Addis Ababa
Gadla Axaw of Gunda Gundi, Ms. Collection, IES-AA U, Addis Ababa
Gadla B~alota Mildi'el, D;)b Bah;)r, Wald;)bba, S;)men, Bagemmaddr; Ms. Col/ection,
IES-AAU, Addis Ababa.
Gadla Elayas. an/olio l1amara No 'ah KidandMahrat Monastery (EHNKM), [Samen
AA. Hagara Sabkiit]- North Addis Ababa Diocese, 19th Century Ms .

- - - -- . ManagaSii Amba Marayam Monastery (MAM),' {Ma 'arab Sawa Hagara

SJbkiit]-West Sawa Diocese, 20 th Century Ms.
Gadla Filip 'os, Dabra Libanos, SalaIe, Sawa; Ms. Collection, IES-AAU, Addis Ababa.
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Sabkiit]- Central Quarter Diocese, 19th Century Ms,

- 124-
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/
.'

.,

- 131 -
 MA Thesis in Philolo gy Dere;e Sahile Woldemariam

Appe ndix:- Glidlli Elayas Manu script Text [QSC GE MS]

f 24va: h"1tI),lIflbC, (J)wt<;.-r., tlto'!, nh'}r ,

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:"~ll:ii: ~,9"l\tr: ,}1>~9": nl~~b"': ' ~,}"1A' ne, U<JC}'9"7, (J)I\-'l.""
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It') v·: fl1M: ;"A}'{J: oo'}t. .... '/?: .eo1>n'!, n~.efl' MDT ' n11, ,}fl9" ,
,}7rfh: (J)~,}"1A: IIlPl~: h9"fl."·: (J)nl1.eoo~l\, l,llh' fl'}floo ,,}fl9":
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132
 APPENDIX Gadla Abba Eli1Viis

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f 25ra:
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M: ~"A):'fl : nhitt.y:: ro,eI1fl-:

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14 rM"C.9':; MAM ;f. 4r. 20 0l11'l 'I,: (>0. ',:; ;f. 5r.
" II!:'[ 1"J~: ;f. 5v. 21 4'1Ir:.e.'O~ :;f. 5r.

16 !:t'~: hCtI ,tJ''} :: Ol~,h<j:T:;f . 5v. 22 n.;rclrP'M.:;f. 6v.

17 /'?,,~:/'''':!:t '~ : ~~l<j: ')·:;f. 5v. · 2J tI?"q~.: ;f. 6v.

133
MA Thesis in Philology Dere;e Sahile Woldemariam

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1111"11': oo~m~-I': ;r6n: VII-': tl1r.9" :n"'10LPC :~~o:: Ol,(',I1I1'1.: 1.11.:
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?,oo~rh~ : a,n..e :tI'tlp·}·:: tI,(',l1: -

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24 UI\-: nM. h:; MAM; f. 6v. 30 t,'H:1\1I= ; f. 6r.
25 oo~·,ht. : '11?'·)·:;f. 6v. 31 Oltl!(:tlll\: !:,,}"It1:;f. 6r.
26 Ol!:"\H':; f. 6r. 32 Ollhn:na>~.t.j,:;f. 7v.
27 ~' '''1t1?'':~·'''1t19u:: ;f. 6r. 3J ~'P6-U':0l1,~h : 'I"1''L: ; f. 7v.
28 mo'H:I1r:;f. 6r. 34 oo~tj:PJ'Hi'P::;f. 7v.

134
 A,pPENDIX Gadia Abba EIalJis

.ett''i' :/19""h :mA~ :CJ?J!:35:: .en. : H'1t.C),: m~lIl: I-JAO·}-45: Hm'1~::

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43 M'~n.;.'; I. 7r. 50 on[ ],),l'OJ7"1' ; ' I. Br.
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135
MA Thesis in Philology Dere;e SahUe Woldemariam

f 28rb: lin 1.9" ~C: /1'1: ht.: 1'Ilh.: H?h- 57

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:II.Il<Jll ::
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f 29vb: OJY.uo(l(l : lI'1"r :n'1""" :IIOJAY. :

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:tl1. : OJrm9"4' :uo~1,) :111 ~uo

n1.~ : OJl"m')ll :11h.7t- 56 :: OJfI,)Y9"

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" ()l111'l'C'M,CJJ-.I'1'; f. 9v.
59 h·)lI'.I'.o.lI.';f. 9v.
60 q".~, op' .:>';1. 9r.

52 M'i'i'l""/iI~'l!')" ; MAM ; f. Br. 61 II.1'.o., .ti"<j:!l.~'; f. 9r.

" ')'O[ 1·~''''CW)';f. Br. 62 aJhih.l'.()l'O""1t.~';f. 9r.

54 ~'l!C" h?"~'1""; f. Br. 63 h"lll.h%/bC';).I'iI';f. 9r.

" h"'lrr'~)' ; f. Br. 64 !l.M ' h.l'.J'.,;f. 9r.

" ()lI'",h1M I()l1&- ' ()lI'",/")~ lin. ~&-,,; f. 9v. 65 ()lll11".I'.llil'; I. 9r.

136
 APPENDIX Giidla A bba Elavas

h9"~,'" rr :OJ~, arnI" UI>-: fI~-e'" :fI,1:66 : f.30ra:

:i :o~OJ' : OJ'/nl: 1OJ!: :quv1- :h'}H :,('.o.fl,('.

rh9"fI :1-'19" :h9"'1 :nl""A : 7\"'' ' ::

OJn/OJI1: 73 quv'}': h9"nUO: tln:
f 30va:
OJ·f1',,: ,('.ht: 74 1-'19" :rhl: IlCq :
,('.fI,fI· : O1.tHb: ~,,}H : lJflOJ· : 9"i1f1 :
ro-jl·n :huv :YIl1-,:.I'flo :ollOJ :flfh'}'1
~,7.':J>67: uv9"£hl: ~dlr7..lfUl>-:
:fI,1- :IlClltY'} :h9"OJ·Il,,. :,('.ht
floNP,}:: OJOJ·h1-:1.1I,:68 ~,Il: I"rh'}i1:
1-'19":: OJlhfl9' :flM:il,Arll :h'}H
uv9"£hl . :~fll :f\.Il'1i1 :9"ilf\: M:
,('. '" .P: "l : "'1 I' :1'lfI/1 ~ : OJ'I 7. C 9'
uvAh: 7.S,,"":: OJh'l\"uv·: "'1'~nl : h9"C~..,,75: :

f 30rb: /
OJ,('.fI,A9' :flOJ'h' /:: :n-p' :HCq :
ro.f>fI: i1"'10: n'}1-P': C1:o: OJ'I1C9' :l9'XUI>- :fI'}1-p''I :HCO

T'>f. qo69: flOJA~: ~"~Th: M yo.f>fI :h'}tI .: lJflOJ :OJ·f11- :1-'19"

il,Aril :,('.h-,}: uv9" £Ill : '/,('."'1'1T OJrhl: '}1-p' : 9"llfl: j!il,76: uv:rCY'I:

C1:o :: 011 :HCh,('.9' :flM :~bAYIl :OJn;)fi :

"l·n1- :h'}nfl :,('.Cnl"77:OJ·h 1:::
f 30vb.
OJ(lfl, 'I: ,('.fI,l\": n9" rhAh-h 78 :
hll uo :,}l'rt'h :9"'}h'-Il'J rr :OJC1:o :
nh"ll1hT'I:"'1Cr9": OJ"I.ot1-: n9""IIl:
'I ,('. "'1 '11: :h 9" 'l, 'I :I'M. : n 'I ,('."'1 '1-=J' :
~""C 'rh :"l.P:1'l. :n'}1-P' : M -I' :
OJ n 7.' .P:"" :OJn£Il 1 :9"'}lr 1l'J70: :OJt'n:
f 31va:
MI~~·nl: flC'/,} :1-Il~b :OJM,: 1-'1uv: 9",}1- :hhOJ·'/h :~,'l :~,UV :Th"lH~.

n 7itJf\72: OJ"-~flq: OJ'Il'I;:r OJ:rOJ~n'l. :h9"'1t :1-'19":: 1l9"l'fl

OJ;)'l'M":: ~bArll :huv :~bArll :'111.,('. :7..~. .."

66 ~.I:,t'~'n..~ , ~tll' ·)' ; MAM ; f. gr.

67 9"M:M7:; f.10v. 73 (lJO [ J ~''lOO '~''lOO'~' ; MAM; f.10r.
68 (lJow-ld"1.1L'; f. 10v. 74 M., .e),.t:';f.10r.
69 "1.'1"';f. 1Ov. 7S (IJ)~c!'''oc'}~'';f.1 Or.
70 O'/.eml<;,.t"~· .I:·:t"(lJ09",)h.h.,,;f.1 Ov. 76 9"M'~[ J' ;f.10r. .
719",hC'00<';f.10v. 77 ),')Oh '.eCI..ei"';f.1Or.

72 (lJO"I.: 1'100: 1.7![ J~' ;f.10v. 78 1.9" ,htlh·h';f.1Or.

137
 MA Thesis in Philology Dereje Sahile Woldemariam

l"j? -I'C~ :h'l"rl1 : 'Ul9":: hflOD : :wA,('" :h1+h :01] : i'bA)'fI :fh'l,}

r&.mCh': nttoo'}: hh-j?: WoJ"K"1: :W-h.p :h9"'b'1 :"/.'l"::

h"'1VJ9:MbA)'fI: '1n.r: ~.I':"": arflr

f 31rb:
:('I"'1j? :fhJ'W-r :floo :tt,otr :fh)'W-
7,floo: '}t.hl": h'}tt: f6 ooW-0 85 :
:7,-tltr: 80 h'/'nC :P,"1oo :w-flr :
oAP'1 : 'I j?"'1'1~' : n'l1l: 1TJ0oo, :
,}Mu :;),,&.::
W;)j?fI : )',(\o.p :nh'}rl1: l"r;).I':1h:
f 31vb: 7',}lIC: w-flr: 1P,9":: 1,": h('lj?ODh:
1," :hoow..l, :m'flr :1P,9" :hoo oo9"fhl: 'I j?"'1'1+:: n"OI'I: {i:

, hCh'n :'}fltr :h9"nlhr :H,otr h9",(',,'flC :.."fl,.fI:: h oo '/. :"01'1 :,('"lIl

fli'bA)'fI : '/n.r: ~.I':"" :hOD: j?h-'1'z,: :fI,I]'1f1 :oar :"ofl : ,('"lIl :1If1.?-}'::
00.1':;)'1,1' :'1~flr81 :nh'}r :)',tr>;t' : /
f32va:
wh.P''i': flh "1117, +'1 :"'1C)'9" :w"P"-,,

:1,9""11 :'~.I':1'1. :: - - - - :: l,W- :"0fI :,('"lIl :W1"1 :w,('"lIl

00.1':;)'1,+ :Wo,('" :0'1' :w,('"lIl
f 31ra:
"IVA'I, :w!l.r :"'1C),9" :W1P,OD
w ('I "'1,? : H'}r:
'I'fI,:: w,('"lIl: 'lib: flo)': 1-"'1h.Cr ;
h9"'bV,82 :j?!l.tr> :flM :i'bA)'fI
9"M: 01]: I"lh'}fI:
fI"'1o : i'owA.I':r : 119"I1Ch :1P'i'j?
)'"JIo"": ~¢t. '}r:
W-h.p: '1n,l: 1P,9": I]fh.p: 01]
woarru1, :01] :i'bA)'fI :Wj?!l.fI.B7
I"lh'}fI:: W1,1]: ooAh: )'"JIo"":
1,9"rhAh-h :nw"!!,, l' :09""11:: hOD
j?!l.fI-'1,: n,(',,;)t :Hoo'} :,}P"oo
1" +lM'1, :hool1::
: j?-}o '1ru 1" :oA'P'1 : 'I j?"'1'1_},83: III
: h"1Il),'nlh.C:: '}rM: M<;..,?w-)''} : f32vb:

1\. '}n)','rn: 7,flh'btr: 84 flttoo'} :m-h.p

7,floo :0'1 :n'loh- :mmVlIh- :coflr :
flh"11/k}o'1 : "'1 C)' 9'" :hoo :-}oMn'1, :
79 (])h.J'I,ooC'h"'1U" ;MAM; 1.11 v.
80 Moo'II.IIU"h'1,11P';f.1 1v.
81 ~OO'<:'?).'I")"'M' ; 1.11v.
82 /'?"M.u-' ;1.11 r. 8S Moo')?,oo{»o'; MAM; 1.11 r.
83 )nl'1p'oo '~;h 'I,'n.<:?t'Jloo')')?,')-)Fh-'h-'l.oo ' 86(])/,fl-r, ;1.12v.
oA'P1' ,/ )?,"'1'n·';1.11 r. 87 (]))?,n.~"I- ' ')1-F';1.12v.
84 M.;..:>{».rY);h'l 'h:)n~·,h 'Mh'. h'P'l.U·'; 1.11r.

l38
 APPENDIX Giidlii A bba E liJViis

O,n 7 :OD ',M.)- :I},n ;ND' .f"}: : 'h IlOD II V7t.)-',:h. :rr-*, .1':: hllOD: ~p'h;t- :

OD f!: ;)'IA·i7D' :,e'h t : II aN'!-.\'. ~,P' Ir" -: h9" h9"'II1~ :WA.\'.: uv f!:;)'z. '1 95 :
I1Cllt.f"} : H-i-'t:"Pi7D' :OM-;t-
f 33va:
'h9"I1'-II' :'hh-,e:: Muv :O'h ·}t~, 'I
(nfW' :Wll",;) :9",nl·l- :~,i7D'
:'tIl9": : wO'h "}T11
7f!:Il'r: W"tt.p: h9"I1'-II- "}: h"}ll.)-

"'1Cf9": IIODf!:;)'z. r: w~71r~: 1lIt·;)"}

f 32ra: :uvl\,n~:r:: Wn7.1lOD: :"~<'I"}'L

'hllOD :'h9""I.ODT :11.:" :HtJU'I.)_89 7 f!:ll.)-: ,eht:: wll9"'t: to', :'It

,e l.,ell: "Ipo:r: '1011: ,n 111} W· n tiD~·rht. :9" P'm.C :HM :'I.r-C7.11

!
OD'J.."}"}:r:: 'hllOD: h~: T</> f"'l. wM :n~II-T :"'l.tJh.A : :"~ <'I"}
/
wn·~9": h,e.)-lhll: OD"}"I P'T uv9",nIr~ :7f!:1l:r :O,T :I1Clltn

o"'1f'r: Hhuv: ~71r~: ODl\,n~.)· c·,: 't~ : '/,e"'1c,°:r

:"~'H-:: wh.,elJ1Wlh: ~7C: "tn.h:rl'

f 33vb:
:lIh'I.:: 11"'10: 7,"IH.hl': O'h"}T :
w~,.,eM· :~,"'111'1;t- :m7l : V·h-f-i7D'
'h"l117,:r',90: "'1Cf9"::
:M/NP~96 :.\'.4:</> :hCr-ll :w"}ll'l'C'1l
f 32rb: :WAf'"}:: OhOD: ,ehl1.'1. :ODCPolI :

I},n-i: :~,. ,e.)- ;)fT)0 :l\f!::" :tJU"} ::

'h9"V7l: ~,.:rr-*·f91: "ttr : 'h9"h-ft.: f',P''h:'It: ft.f"'111"}CP: nOAW'!'-i7D'::

hU7-Ir·l-: ; OhOD: ,eo,: ODH9"C 92 : ro~1.,eOD(J}-OCP97: n~II-;t-: IIh UV :

'tn.,e: "t<-I': ~,9"'II1: ODrht: h.;).\'.;J: h9"'II1~ :;).1' A :WODCPl}. : w"'1"1I''e :

119"f!:C :Hh"}nll: 93 tJU'I'r :w~n.f,r : II.\'.'~'" :l! h.A 98::

'h9u .} f!:OD : 't1l9": w'hllh : II 'til 9": :
f 33ra:
Wn'h"}Tl1: nhOD: ;Pft. : ft.I';)f!: ;J94 :
roM,OD :~nCh- :n,n,eWT :P';J :

" ld·"I.'I"';MAM ; 1.12r

~,~~. :h.\'.ODC :H9"llII :Ii tJU"} :"I<-,e
"Mon ' <I.'~' 'w <;,')" ; 1.12r
90 ~"I1/).o)'h'; 1.1 2r
91 ~9"Ull'h .. rOl*·.r';1. 12r 9' ~9"OIt1)'.'h9"~IJ)'rooni:'?t·I'; MAM ; 1.13v.
92 .e/1, 'n~·Hh'" onl/on·l'; 1.12r 96 I<'''I[ ]<:';I"O)ll'U·h·fon·,oNI'T; 1.13v.
93 h9"~IJ)'onmt'll.r?)'.· ? '~ 9"i:'C' ~ '}n~' ;1.13v. 97 ron..e onlJ}-o?,on";1.13r.

94 h.:>)'.'?'; 1.13v. 98 .~)'..t'~'~p'6-lbtl ';1.1 3r.

139
MA Thesis in Philology Dereie Sahile Woldemariam

:oo'1p{}: o <f>ar9": 11'/1.'.'''1'1+'/99 1''1';" :1'\9"1+ :+'1"lC: :11'11Ch.h 105

'rY:{}')' :I1MIl1Y:CY:: aJ1UDarJ' 11-1'11. '1arh' :~,9""h"lm'T'1 :<"fCY?"
O?,ell :h.-'I'1: 1l"h"l1/7,'-"''1 :<"fCY9" flt'l.h :-I'1,1»"h 106: m10C :-'1.0 :11'111':
~.. ,-"'~t-U :,,11",1» :C'r.lJ:: ~,{}UD
f 34vb:
'1n 'I.: 100 ooAoh : "h"lI1),l1{h,C: '1n :
m"h~arlh: m(n.C: 107~11 -1''l. :11",1»
11"11·: oNP1:: "h{}oo: (1M}": m·M·
1''1' (h:: 11"h 1011: "h~ ,I»~h : t'I?"1:"
'11;: '7-'19" :m~l7"1'1' : ft.-I' :~11,}
'hIlTf.: Il'l1lll: I]fh1:: t'lh'L 108
~,;J11'h:
,e0",,·'}h :'11l : '1,e<"f'1T :C'r.lJ
f 33rb: rot'l1n.p :01 A.\'. :"h''/'l' h :,e 1.,e{)
/
m,en.Il'L: 10C: 111': "h{}h: OUD '1n.C :ar{}-I' :1-'1?":: hoo :~.. AY{}

,el'...m·,}h : ooAMI: 101 0'1"+ : ~,m'

Ofh,em+:: Moo: ?l,eh: "h9"hCUJ 1-'1<"f'l?110:: 01111-1': 11'1.11-: '1,1»,,:

"h9"h: ~Y:{}:": 0"h1-1': {}'1 mfe:: OIl'1t-U':

'1,e<"f'1+ 102 :: m"h9"'1;r :9""l'1l
f 34ra:
moM·f.: "h?"10: ~I1m: "hoo,: IIC,}

:yo.jll1 :11",1» :11,el1A :lhl1'1

f 34va: "hoo~·m&. :;r~1l :1111",1» :tIC'}
m"h"}11 :,e'-",'1'7C :9"M :0101 :~,oo : YO.Jll1::m'}-'\. :11,en. :hooll :lhl1'l

11",1»'1 :I1C,} :yo.jl·O :mU. :ooA~,h 0(7D~·mll.111: ;r~1l :110"h.\'. :<"fCY?"

:"h "l11.0 l1iThC : "h9"0 <"f ,e :-I'ooft.t\- 11'/-":: m~,oo :m'1~ :t'loTe:10
hUD :fh'n :'}o-O :111'~IIlA :UDm'1 <"fCY?" :1fhll :,en. : fh"}l'... 'I
.jluo- :mA.\'. :r'}oo:" :m.jlUD "h?"Y:1l :-I'II.~oo :"l11t-::

<"f oht\-uo- 104: : 01 ,en.t'I- : " ·fj"hO.:

IOl IlJl )1Ch·h': MAM ; f.14v.

99 OJ.rP'.h'OD~p~,),.~ar?"'II'1 )'.~/';·)·'; MAM ; 1.13r. 106 flAh.""1P'h';f.14v.
100 MOD'~1[ j).';i.13r. 107 OJhOarlh" m,,"C';f.14v.
101 ')flCqlr'hOD '~ar'lh 'h?"~h' ; f.14v. 108 1I'l1l'1111M.'lIh'l.:;1.14r.
102 'I )'."'1<;,;r';f.14v. 109 '~Mf'e'; f.1 4r.
103 h'/[ j'I"/1, ;f.14v. 11 0 '~'l"'1'e ' ; f.14r.
104 C''lOD')'''''16M-00''OJ)'.fl.fI-:; f.14v. 111 )'00)\''''.I.';f.14r.

140
 APPENDIX Gadla Abba EliJvas

f 34rb: Chf"f' :1?r :hoo : 00'1 h n'/" :fl"'lJ',: :

CD I, "'l. 'I :J',n,flo :n. r~C'/".: I, ., :
CDOh'H-l1 :;)11'1 :n-p' :Oh~

"'ICY?" :h{loo :,t7DCD :O"Nll :ltn'l Il.AYll: CDA~: flkH'h: 11 7 hI\, 'l.:

:'Otl-;):: CDM, :n,,/" :"'ICY?" :CD~t'\I' :

}, '}tI :J',f1A :fl?",}:" :lflJ',h~. :M'" :
f 35ra:
flflflh :I,~-t--Cf' :hllt7D :1''1 :'1ooCD-h-
:tI_~4-~: Oh'}'I-: fh'}'1: n,rh.: f1'LAf'
I,;J'}'}-r:: ll"'lo:h ,}"/Ch: IIflnh'/"'1.118
:h~~"" :m1l :h.,nh. :1'CDh.Af' :
:h"ll1k)-'1: "'ICY?": hOO: n?"'In :

f 35va: /ll:,·n,flh :rh-C : U1C :h',f1o,::

I
tlJ',n, :00)1.' m~ :rft9"Ch. :llm '1~ /llm~ll: (h'}~;t-: flooCm·Af'
/

Olloo :ht7D :I,?"'In :n,1'nClltY'} tln/ll',}f';t-: 11 9 BCf' : .,..~ r :1"/p'1':

"IJ','}')-:: CDfltIt :1~~ r: {,ill',}f';r :
J',~1,} :h?"h-fl- :hh' J', :CDJ',lnfl
oo'}"/P'1' :fl"'l)'r :tI".f';)A~::
h<'lr: ,}"lP'1': 120 oo/PCY'}: IlU1C:

Un1' :oo'}"/P'1' :?,,~C :tlf';)A~::

0-1]::

CDh'}tI: J',7..fl.:112 hoo'W Y'}~tI$~ 11 3

f 35rb:
: 1,,}f10- :~.O :n<'l~ :tlJ',n,:: CDn"'l.'1
:Oh ,}1'11 :11< '1CD-I'- :h"/'t/hr'1 :"'ICY?"
:flM l14 :Il.AYll :')n, U- :hoo :J',Cfl1l1
h?"I,r~'}ll: "'ICY?": lit:: /ll~"'l
: ;)tlc;'::
1'm'}'! :fltIt :~f1Cf' :'}~. :llht7D

f 35vb: (h/n :"ll1-"'If'Lflh ::CD"., :hU-Oh

CDM, :1n,u- :llh,}Ofl :J',Cf,J',$D : oo,}"lP'1' :flOTfYr :un..,· :Il'looill'h

:Oh'}tftf' :/llf''}p'f'h :/llA~f' :ho,1'
,}'f>f11': I' ,}"'?r :fl,}1' P' :CDn?"-c;' 115::
CDJ',n, :(lO :"'CO :')n,u- :~'11~
:/pCff' :?"llfl :'11P")' :~ ~ :J''}::

'}1' P' :},Iloo :f1I";): 116 Ytl.CU

112 .Ilr;)&lt;:" nh11" ml')JI ' r>~II. ' ;MAM; f.15v. 11 7Iv"'t;:C ''''.'),' -)1'''''''I.~ 'OJ&lY. 'hll.'I. :; MAM; 1.15r.
113 .n~.I$[t;:1';f.15v. 118 h'"lO'III1'1h-t).';f.15r.
114 lIa>h'~ ' M ' ;f. 1 5r. 119 mY."h',h n;/"'II°o&lm-&lr 'IIa>'1r;/" ';1.15r.
120
lI S a).tilsro'1':;U5r. '1m·'t yp·' T'lh·I·,ooIPCr)' ;f.15r.
116 -)1.,...,'1111';)'; f.15r. 121 '~ll.oo"h1)\,'; f. 15r.

141
MA Thesis in Philology Dereje Sahile Woldemariam

f 36va: ~,'h::,}f1: n<JCY'I": ro111l : '''~CIJ~ :

ro,ehll,~.: H~,'},/'I: I"I,errn:1 22 ro'h-F Ohoo: ~,Httoo· : 127 '}1'P :l'Il'JlJe;t'l::

aJ(lO : ,en, :l'JlJ'} :l.~ ' :7.,::1 :00'}1.f1

000'1'611: M}h: 1'001"1,1'\": 00.,e ::"~f1 :"0(\,'1::

h,el"l. : M,: ro·f11': Y.l1l:l1C'/'}: 123

f 36rb:
:rorM'1:: : 1'1111f11' : .,..·cr]'} :rot..C V·
:I'J ve;1' : ,eht :n,'l'nCflt.f"}:: roM, ro(ln,'1: htAth: I"I,efrJ,}: ro'/flp:1 28

'1.'1C:: l'lro']'-F: I'JlJ'}: h'}H: VI'\" :

1f1f11': '''~CIJ,}: Oh.e...v·:: rohO·'/ 129 :
h,tAYfI: I'IflI"I: tAflI"I: 1'IlU';'::
f 36vb:
c'I'I'I": I'Ih.: h'}tI: ,}I"I'1f:: ,}fll'lh,: h4:COnoo-: 130 h, :"~ClJP:> :l'Iro'h-F
,}'1P1': ~,f:1';': n<JCY'I": h,el"l.:: aJ~P ~ :I'I."..CIJ'} :rol.1'f.
e;f11'o"'~,,}h.124: '1.'1" he'/!: '/'}<e: ], '}tI :,efltA: 07.1'\"1': l. :",f.: Hh,~4. ,}1"f1:

1'n<J17.~:flh,:: 125 0h '},I': the;: h'l"h.:: htJl"l.n<JC:f1:~of?l : h'171h:"~: n<JCY'I":

roh,Y4:'I": M'h,:: n<J70l~: 1"'1": '1.00: h,1'I"I.f1: fI'l,tA:: J3l
f:,}'1tA : hf:1'z,: rolJCh,:: ~,,}1"I.:
f 37va:
,eML: OtA: tI'}1': 7.1'\"1': ~.O :l1t:
n,1': nCfltf'}l': ro'h:,h,: -:>,el'l : ro'},Il,: '}o.,e: ootA"':": I11'1.:I>ar'}1' :

1'h'l"CI' : I"'I"~.::
n,1': ncntY'}:: ],'1tU,flrh,C 132 :
~,'1H.hflrh,C: HPtAfrJe;:,·: Mh :
f 36ra: 1'~~"'l,-F:: h'}H:,el1tA: In1': l.:,.f.
'},Il, :0'1611 :h,el"l. :~,'I" h~'I" :M'I' :I'I."..CIJ '}: rooom P:> 00': flIwe;:,·
~,f1h: 1"'1":: 126 roO<'l'/,:r v·: ~,I1H aJl'I,}'rP~.:: CDh'l"71 :,en, :'}1'P
'}'rP: OhY.: n<JCY'I": hoo : ,e'10C
'''~CIJ'/ : Oth,euo-r: "'l,'I:": "611
127 aJ7'O~.'OhdD'hlllloo. ,; MAM; f.16r.
128 ~oM " hll,h'~.e(Jn'nh.e~.'(Il)O~'; f.16r.
122 o;>.e~''''.I',nn' ; MAM; f.16v. .e,
129 ~(])<},,~,~ U1' 1I.en.'t.)·, 'lD~n. 'I ,~), 'j:C 'I·)·,on .
l2J Y.1l[l"U]C'/1';f.16v. (Il;>~" !",~ U'i'} 'N\'OM" "'C~1' aJiIO·) '/.IIYO' ;[f 16r- } 7v.
124 "'ICY9"'M")' 'iO·/·O·/,'th.' 0), 1'/' '<h'i')' 9"h.: ;f.16v. 130 (Ilh)'-I:lOhoo.';f.17v.
125 "'I,l,Ol )'I'9"'J:'T,}II'~Ch.';f.16v. 11IIJCO-f0'lI '/,i\' ; f.17v.
126),9" 1'9"'; f.16r. 132 )'''ll.hll~~C'II.nC'I'i'}'; f.17v.

142
 APPENDIX Glidlli Abba Eli/vas

l'1li9": IIh. h9".pY.'oo: .en.: Oh'}'r,h-'1: 135 07.t\u-f'

:.p~r'I.:: - - - -.:: roh9"11: (hl: ,}7-P'
:nhy. :"'ICY9" :uo'}711 : V7l
f 37vb:
h~11r'1.:: roh;)t1 :(h'}'1 :"lOt'!
Wt/: P' .?h.: "'ICY9": h"ltUdl<h.C :
llooCm·A :"'ICY9" :
111111(1 :: II;h,ero'f- :P' .?~: rotl~<J.:ll~ 133
:4>Y.(i:: ro011: '~11IH-: p'.?rr f 38va:

roy'oo-: tlroAY.'h.: 04>0.: · 1"lp'134:: ron(lJohi: :oofJ') :P'A() :rh9"l :

roMnn.: h-'/'C:'}(I:: t'lnhY.: "'ICY9" 711d-:h"l11h-'J-~ :"'ICY9" :OuoCm'"

:'}7-j»~: 11<J.:-'J-ro·: l1il~: h"'l. <;'i: :i!V7l :()111\,:: 136 roH'}r :h'}H q}t\u
/
'1"7ll:: hlloo: ll'll'h.: 9"0.p11'1 :'}7-P'~ : 1370hy':"'ICY9": Yllr71lc 138
/
P' .? V-: ro~<J.:(I:: :H'}r :(h'}?",! : ~C7 :~n.,e / :roo,)
:h9"t.II"l :~fI,e:: ro~llfJ :lIrollr
f 37ra:
:roA~ :Hll"'l :"'IC;l- :rollr :h1ro
roh,}11 :,e11t\- :11'}r :'Mllj''}-'/- :'}7-P' 139: h 1ro :'IPY.'::
I1htl"1;r :.po·crn :;)1''1'' :M
~bt!\Yll :OM11'l.rr :M :t.r;l-rr f 38vb:

tlro'hi: :.po.crn :ro7/PP' :tiro· hi: : ro;)H~ :h'}H :Yll4l4! :ro,e'OA :OhY. :

fJU'} :11~lltJ :h,eo. :ror'}P'h :h9"~ "'ICY9" :'}7-P' :oo~· :,e?.ro·P:

:'1"i: :: hlloo :,1,,1' :<J.:m·~ :07.1t : IIM 140 : il.AYll: h9"V7l: h7iM
~iltJ:: rofl,enn :ror'lh :h'}l1 :,eh.AU hoo: Y'}P'h: 0.1': lI'1t: roM-\'

:huo :hA11 : 117~9" :l1ro'hi: :rh-" : rolli:: llroAY.'\': Moo: hoMfI-'J-

m70:: O"l11l11: ~1I9": hh-,e: h"'l\,:: M

O;)m.h-'/-\': ,1"r-'J-: 7,,}OIl: MI'\::
f 37rb:

ron·p''!. :OhY. :"'ICY9" :rt.P'rh

1'4>:: ro h 11 H :,eM,e :nll'"I'l- : 7. It
135 ),?",r~·ou'.en.'.ll.!'.~1'~t\~'n), 1tn~:;MAM; f.18v.
fI 'H :,/>~crn :1I"t/,}i: :7. t\u.). 136 I1U1l ,),'"n!l.'; f.18v:
137 (l»), 111' U~· ' 1?-P" , '0>)'·P';f.18v.
138 .er111C';f.1 8v.
133 (l)i\)'i'f\,t',, ; MAM; f.17r. 139 "~~I''''7C;r '(l)M' ' Mh'IJ:'C''11.p'';f.18r.
134 Mn.'1'7Y";f.17r. 140 .ell.o>?' ~..t-'M~ ' ; f.1 Br.

143
MA T hesis in Philology Dereje Sahile Woldemariam

f 38ra: f 39va:

~, h"l117'~'r :hun : fhJ>,ro~' :h'ft. roh,}H:J>,l'.,t'I.: 4''I?qo: lD'llT: l}~J',,: 147

lUI?" :&, ,}'I?v, :(lM :il.A}'ll :hun
unCm·(I: OTJC},?": \1~'c'l00J>,: ,,,t.7i(l:
}''}P'>, :hoo'l?~':: Hhoo :4'J',,~
'/~C': nC7-:": M un'l/lll :h'}tI
~,'}P'~: (I\1'1ll/l: hJ>,c'I.: tllD'7d,
J>,un'I.'h: 'i11V.: \1ll~: lPC~
TOO'}: 141 OTJ"IJ'"C :~,:n'}~' :~,~t.cr:
~'1'C'll: ro4'~(1 :nMfI'tU- :' )I1U'::
roOl :tI.Ml.:: 142 roo"'l. 'I: &, '1rof.
ro4'Cn: 'i11V. :roTo?""':: roJ>,I1(1- :
(101]: 143 ~.. A}'ll: 1~OTJ'I?: nlPl1'l
un'r : ll?"h: o'}T :oo'l/lll:: roJ>,I1(1-
'14.<'1 +: Hhoo: il.A}'ll: 4'~OTJ'I?:
:NUI: lPC~ :~'1'C'll ::
'1n.J>,: Hl}C1: nlPl1t'\: h<'l+: ro·llT:
c'I OTJ J>,: : f 39vb. /

roh'}Th, :00'" :ll?"h :il.A}'ll

f 38rb:
>,ro'P'o 148: roJ>,(J,{)-: h'}T"': lPC~
ro(ln: n~' rh: U1l: Mfll'\,: &,CU : ~'l'C'll:: o'}Th,: 149 H~''l1]6: n'l1l
hoo:o.J>,Cl}J>,,9': 144 lPt.'I?T: '}1'P':: OTJ"II'\,T: ~.1, 'I :(lhoo :hlll](I
ron7''}Tll :o;:)tl
, : J>,~t'I. : ,,·0'1;f. fhJ>,ro~' :h"l117,+'1 :OTJC},9" :9"llI\
:fh4' :h?,,+6J>, '}+ :Mh : J>,C'i<l! : IJU'1T :00'}11'i : hllooC~h :J>,htL::
lPt.'I?-I> 145: h?"(J,T :I1Cllt},'} :1.tL :
<l!CI]'}:: hlloo: '1nl: nJ'.''1: 146 f 39ra:

lD'll'/;;r: hllh: J>,&U'll~: ~{)-T: hlll7D: 'roo'lJ>,~: 150 Chr.,· : 1~h :

:"~I'\,: H'''''CI]'}: :"~ll :: tlOrn"l : h"ll1h+'/: OTJC},9" : o?"'ll~'Th: 1(J,r

J>,J',,(I.: :............ :: tt::"t. :151
nh'P'l U·: h'l"llh: ll9"r: J>,htLf'l :rh-C
:')n : nhJ'" :OTJC},9" :'}1'P' :>,'}P'~,

141 1/0l ·ld,, -I-I.9"·"; MAM ; f.18r.

14' ocr'OlOl'iI).h.'M.eOJom'l"i"",,"'~"'¢6-"th0.19v. 14' '~'l?9" ' o>n.~ 'ou~)''lO.l:'; MAM ;f.19v.
143 t .'/Ol.Y.'.eM'M.'l';f.l9v. 14' 0l1.0J0M.' ;f.19r.
14' U7l'/' )·OIb'.eO.'hou'[ ).eCI..ei"'IJ.'6-'l?·~';1.19v. 14' I.·HMl.' ;1.19r.
14' hou'.eC;>'/" IJ.'6-'l?')" ;f.19v. ISO ilhou"/'ou'/.eh-' ; 1.1 9r.
14' Mou' 0.1:'" 'OJon ·~ ;1-' ;1. 19v. '51 1.9"~·ld-h 'on.r'O'l.e ),,,,.)06-' ;1.20v.

144
 APPENDIX Gadla Abba Elavas

tI'h '}Ofl: K,:PllC'P:: 'h9":PY:ou f 40vb:

K, &. '1\ ou· : l'. fI'> ,,. : :J> .<l (\, : : Mou: ~\1T: flOf'lh: lilt. n.<l'l: UO'!. :
?i 71AOll: w71rfl-h: W~\'/>crr9"
f 39rb:
OY:'~&'h :~\'1 :W~\1-1- :OA :~\1P'~,
W~\W-P'h: h'1: /PCl'.: )\''1'C'1I --
Ollou :'h"l11'hr'l :"'lCY9" :w(lO
W K,f1f1- : ~\r;:: K,rh Ufl '!. :~\'1
'(IC': 111T: 155 oumP' :~\'1 :/PCl'.
~\ 1 P' ~,1 52 : 9"W- ,). :fI_ T: : W ~\ W- M,
)\, 'l'C'1I: Ii 719" ~\A'1f'l.u·: tI'O~'1D 156
M:lt.AYlI :WK,f1f1- :tlrh9"1 :Ollou:
mll._: wflllf'l: wTflP' :: w~ou :h'1 :
71"lI1.'h'l : ~\.rn-ll :nCf'l.fll :mK,WT:
/pCl'.: )\, 'l'C'1I :Wl'.Crh ::PY:ou
/1.fI- : 9"crr'''' :Y'IP'71 :9"crrT
,
;

f 40ra: /
W-}''l'1o :9"M :~\l1"'l-'l.h :n'11l :
"'l") (\, ,,. : '1\ 1, ,/ : It- fI'l, :

:wAY:h :Ollou: 'h "I11~\ -}.'1 ~ "'lCY9"

f 40va:
:~\ ', :~\1P'h 'hou<er:: w'1m1>
W h ','I. : h. K, -}.,&. fI '1' :71 9"'" h :1. tL
:hou :TUn'1. -I' 9"'bT :Allr
r'/>w-9" ::J>Y:oul1 :11-P':: 71llou
:ourhA :11.. T: : W K,fl,fI- :17-P'
Tt. 'i'tr :1f1 ,/153 :flh1P';' :wf\-f:
:1I.'hou :/pC; f!, T 9"'" -I- :Allh
flK,71t :0'h1thh :hrt-Y:~\h

~\.rtj:t- '): ;r'lP'h: 71"ll1'hh

"'lCY9" : 071 1T : '/ K,"'l'i'T :M<e'l f 40rb:

c-}·M· :w(lO :71<f'crr9" :9"lIfl,n "~\10fl15B: ourh": 'hllou: ~\.K,~fI- :

71t.CIJ :71llou :oC:P1r:: UfI'>h' onrh" :Orhf'lr :tl71 10f'l :10.l :/pC; K,:

tI'h'}Ofl :Allf'l :01-'1lt. 154 : fl17-P':: wfl710u :p', :'111. :T9"'d·:

'htrr: -}·oucrrr 159:, 'h1.<lh. :M

,ss 111'1")1C':M:htl.f~ :roun:; MAM ; 1.20r.

"6 I1n .<:-a>:;f.20r.
'52 ,l'.')-hU~ 'I. 'I"}~M"'a> '}'; MAM ; f.20v. '57 ro/vHlh.:;f.21v.
" 3 111.90')0. '/' ; 1.20r. "8 tr-fl' :lIh '}n ~: ; f.21v.
'54 tl11~'1'~IL'; f 20r. "9 o).."'··)·:;1.21v.

145
MA Thesis in Philology Dere;e Sahile Woldemariam

~"lIUdl(h.C:: I]r'/-d, : ~Iloo : tt.111lT (\"'1J", : (I}~1l :M:h.Afll :Hoo.l\::

~m.tt-,/·1 60 :h"'1 ~ :n~,}1- :~m.ttTr (I}TI1.I'1- :/n'r p' :M :ttl1'1
Mil.: tt'}(\: ttl>: n~'}tt,'1'6'::
f 41ra:
~\Iloo: J",~\t :'}~·r'!tT :~9"'}o<'l'62::
'r'}P'h :(I)~ ~'} 167 :t.l(\h :(I}l1l\r'!t
f 4Jva: :(1-1> :~'}O/'I :J",I]~ :10 :"'1..,~c:. ::
hlloo :.,.fI?J :ttl] :h.Afll: 168 onAt,h
:h"lH.ttl1rh.C ::J>~1l :t-'rh.A :hoo :
nllon: hoo :r'!tJ",roT :t,'}t J",:J>-'/'A?J :Oh,l'.,h :OTotJH :h"ll1h-'/''1
roM, .. 164 rott"'l. 'I: M1-cttr-,/·: ; ·" '1Cf9" :arh'" :1.1L :"'~~ ,:h9"f:C
I "
~\f:: l1C 'I <;ce·}·: ~,}H: '}'1P'P': :(I}"'~'o~ :~ m"/ :.1\.0 :111]'1' :t.l(\-::
/
Of:<;:: (I}tt '}llrh(\rhT: O(l}·M ·: (I}O~rh :(1-1> :10 :oo-t-~ :q",O- :
oo"l~tJ:: (I}TI1. :~Trh· :on"l~l1r flt.fI"l'69: ql]J", :

~Iloo : -/'ooJ",mT :~~Ilr :arll1-

f 41rb:
P' ;Jr: 0~1'I-1- :~,I] :ttAfll:: 165
(I}OM-1-: 1/'}-I>: 00~1>Il: H<j\on (I}~'}II :rrharcYo ~1.H :ttrh'"
:J>f:"'l.non·: ~</!l : ~"ll1hT~ "Uoo: 0I1'1{]- :(I}~cor :HI]'i
"'1Cf9" .: ott-<;-'/·:: (I}-/'ooJ",m :10 :'}'rP'

~.Il. 'I :J",~"': "Uoo : II tt~1I :(I}flarfl(l)

f 41vb:
:A<'I'i :hon: rtt~tI :fI'}1-P'
arh-l>: Hnh'}tt, rr: rhl"h- '66
: ~9"~~
: '1" ').:: (I) (I 11. 'I :~P' ~CP :(I}ttarMCP
:tt~~ :11..,. :nCllt,n :(I}t':rrh·
00"l~1I:: (I}<j\oo:r ::J>f:oo :'rl]h.

~9"rh.cP :'}'rP' :(I}IL~(I}'}' :9"P'm.l:

160 M'I"'1I1J,.n,lhC'n'I'i!~'I, p""~,'h'I" MUD'I,p',., 167 M'M"/ "I'~}'I'; MAM ; f.22v.

~,""~ 'MUD'h 7·od·';>mJ,.,· '; MAM ; f.21v. 168 M'lbt\!,~'9nM';f.22v.
161 Mh.'},p'OI,·).t}'r' ;1.2 1,. 169 M.M',}~)'.' ; f.22v.
162 }'?"M~';f.2 1'. 170 }'111'r,ha>C'; f.22v.
163 'lO'o.': r'; f.21'. . 17 1 OJj'.[l~p';f.22r.
164 OJM'''?"m.')'''; f.21r. 172 },?"~[ l7~ " 11.~' ;f.22r.
165 )'i!M'OJI" .:>r'OM··I"~}'~' Ibt\!,~';f.21 r. 173 OJ},;>II' C}'(I' ;f.22r,

166 '/,)'.h"; f.22v. 174 OJ'l>P,.~'6-Hbt\'UD~}'h';f.22r.

146
1f:1I :h lJ :~tU'll:: APPENDIX Gadla Abba EliJViis

f 42va: f 42ra:

ron.enn 'i.: H~Yol: "01\, IJ-: hArh :fl1.~

f10u :110.11 : roM, :ro·f11' :&"(\1 ro(\oufl<j>(\ : roA.Il : ro;'~t'ou· :(\. <j>

u<J.e: 175 '}I].e :romEJ:,} :hou :m.f1 M<'I')- :1'u<J"I~S:: 182 ro1,9"IPm-

hIll: .et.7,.e?J: 1Pt-'e1': '}1'P' .. hu<Jowl : ~~f1'83 :l1hflI11f:CY :M :

roNl :1' ou .em· :10 :1,1] :1bAYfi : :"Jlllt

1'nroC'oo-:: roehl: 10: 1.1\00-: 176 1'ou.em-:: ron;..: U1l :rol1.A 185

owl1" :'1<\.f1 :hlH :.ellA :Oti ro~·O"oo- : 11ll : oul'l.fh :ouPII

hOU~·rht. :;h~11 :lhll~ :rop'An .ekt :U1C:: '86
lhm :Oro·71'1: :ou~·rht. :;h~11
I
;'
H'I?~
f 42rb:

roh9"~"Il :"IwI' :ou'l'oA :h9"~

f 42vb: '!.eu<Jc;'1' :1,EJ:CI1. : '/.eu<Jc;'f.ou,

oA'I'/::
H.e11 :M.. :10 . :~"Il :ou~'rhY·
(1I(1IU(loo-:',<):1\- 187: !-tu';t'! :h9"1'A1-
.0ou'l'0II :'1?~ :rol~ :h9"U1l
:11'1- :I1CfltYI : U1l '88 :ro/YoA ::
1}j9" :roO'l' :ou'lp<'I'}· :lltl'~1
ro1,"'/,'1 :1'f'l~ :!-tv'}t'! :h9" :V7l:
ou11(\ :11.f~<'II\,9" :1';'9"/,U.1 77
ro'}Y.A : roM,· :1.1lou :;' 7iM :ro/11
(\h"Jl1.h~:: roOUf :lhll?Joo-
ro'" :J>~A?J00- ' 89 :Yo,,:<j> :M :tlC,}
(IOA'I", :'!.eu<Jc;':r :(;'78 M :'I-Cv.
ltfo'} :11,}~ :0'1' :11.'" :ou~P<'I:r::
h9":"[1']II'I- 179 :tlCO :YMll :Ohl1'
: I]fh(\oou' :11.e111\-'80 :

lSI ~h"1Jhr~:"'ICY9":; MAM; 1.23v.

182 Wh:>7J l"on' :M. '~:~M.r:'I'"'I'l'l.<;,on':;1.23v.
1S3 M~.r:;1. 23v.
17S wM,:·!n :t.M:m,r:; MAM ; 1.22r. 184 M:I,.Ayn:;1.23v.
176 wM' :ll>n'~:7p,on.:;f.22r. I" V7l:W'lY.A:;f.23r.
In M')'9"tV':; f. 23v. 186 7i1l:onll.,n:on V.,A I V7C:;f.23r.
178 Mi:tltl'P~: VW"l';"·)·:;1.23v. 1S7 ~'J:Il':; 1.23r.
179 h9".1+M':;f.23v. 188 IIV7l:; 1.23r.
18. 1I.e.n~':;1.23v. 1S9 W'HlIAl"on. :; 1.23r.

147
 MA Thesis in Philology Dereje Sa/die Woldemariam

f 43va: 'I }'."'I" °r : rhCO :17i.:: 71flau

Ouurh'l :OJO"}tI~· :OJV(lau· :M,f]
OJ?tI~ :n71'H ),rr :OJ~1Cp:> :t'tM :
~"AYfl
:hau
:tI'}-/' :~1l :flY.f.l7I>-:: ....... ::
~,.}'. ~.." A p:> l7I>- 197 : OJ· ft. ~: OJ· ft. ~
OJ(lIl.'I :-/''}P 'o :of] :~"AYfl :OJ,hL.:
t'tY.1:4' :l'Il7I>-~"A: 719"tJt: 198 Il.-/'
nLPL.1'1 :'Itf·fl :tIOJVn-r· :1,,,}ll71 ,). 'I :
I1Cfl1;Y,} : tI V1L. :OJ,}Y.A :
"'ICY 'l" :71'l"~ :OJA~ :n-/,A0I1;t-190 :
OJ· fl 'I' :/1'.t't. :~,.r.-f]t--/' : V1t- :t't,hOJoJ' f 43rb:
: ~</lt-'l. 'I :""~"n : j.'.'i.,e(\h'r : '/,e"'l<;'-/' :~,~cn
f 43vb: Ctrfl: 71'l"'I,e"'l<;'-/' :M'e~ :C:"o: :
,
OA :"'1.1' :1'A-/ , : V1~uu· :(\71ft.
OJO~ rh :ntuh t : Oft,)· :-/,'}Of.~ /
Y.<I:4' :l'"rh '}fl :~Y.' '''':: tl71'}Ot't
1~uu :07in'l:191 OJTH :71flh : V1C
rl7l>- r :071h',e :qo~. :tlO"}tI-/'
OJ,}Y.A :71'l" :lU" 'l"m'PL. 192 :(\l7I>-,)
M'e r.r l7I>- : t't"" ~I'I ') :au ~/1<'1~.
: Oft~· : tll'onA :~<;'-f: :OJM, :10 :
OJ'71-f:
C't: '} 'I : 'I ,I'."'I <;' r : : OJ (l n :(\ 'l" '}
:uup' n :11lL. :au(\.m::
tI'}-/,: t'lrh4':'99 (l-f: :1'4' :OJ,eIl.I'I-
OJ,eIl.ft.o 193 : t't'l"'} r: -/'ouu'}h 194
~,,}-/,'r :n.AY fl : ~,,}"'I'e :tI'l1<;''l.
O'l,e" 'l<;'r :~,~cn :OJt't'l"'}'r 195
tlSh:~</lt- ,}I': 71ft.: }',~C1.YOJo y'): :200
~'''Apl7I>- :t'tY.1:4' :M :l'"rh '}fl :OJM
:"'1.11 ~"A f 44va:

f 43ra: OJ·t't·Y. :A,1'~fl :0,(\ :,h'Pc Yr

""~I'I,} :C,t:'}~: 196 'I,e"'l "°r OAth :~,OJ·C.r.- :71I'l-/' :uu""LP~r
71'l"1 'A'" :Il.-/' :I1C fltn :tlOJ,}Y.A '101'\,1' :71'l"t'l"'l,e :huu :n.AY fl
tlOJ V(ll7l>- :1,'l" rh.OJ·h :C't:'}
:O'l}'."'I"O-/, :}',~C'}1, :V1L. :A,1'~fl
:1'1.4' : ,h'PCY ')' :OJV1L. :n.AY fl
197
h~H' MDOD'" MAM . 124r
198 " . .
h~1-A·I·'II·t';f.24r.
199 trH"'l? l 'w,h4'" ,
200 1.24r .
20 1
).'i!Ci1. IIo"Y'I'· 1.24r
, .
1I"'1,}h"; 1.25v.

148
 APPENDIX Glidlli Abba Eli/ViiS

:C7tn: ~O.Y'}-:: (J),eo,lIuoo. :01l·h.: 202 f 44rb:

~,;)11P':lIll:00~f1{) :7th',e :H nJ'rh<J:C (J) tI '} l' : 11 'l.flu :7t 'I" J': "I I. : 4' IP f}: $I' :
:'77. : OD/1,},,} :'Hl,e:: '011-;) :(J)lD'''I1I :y"oo : ~,Ol\t rr :4'7.n:
1IY..00<) :',4.{} :O'},e'r :(J)ootl? :n"'1{,:
OIPI.'7t\ :lIC'/'} :7t'l"1o,V' :11'7111.
f 44vb:
oof\'" : H,e4' P'';::: (J)~n.C' : -'l,O
(J)n;)1"IP' :~,,,}lIC,t; Ir: (J)'I>IP<J:P':20J IP I. '7t\ :,eo, :~d·l.J': :Ol1t :V11.
'}n.{' :TP't.r:: (J)~,,}II :,e'''P'<J:P' : 1"1<)00 :0I.h1· :lIhoo :oo'PolI
,eo,lIu:~,'}-/,~, :TP't.'1. 204 :O'l,e"'1<,o,1' hh'}'O :(J)hoo :rll"..00-r 208 :O:PII
: V1C :7th,-r :h<J:C,}'7. 205 :'I"J':I. : ~bt\Y{) :~O.,e::

AI"'} oAlD' :(J)M :7t00(J)+

/
f 45va:
: 0 'I ,e"'1'i'1' l\., 1'C'{} :II.'''
(h'PCY-r :: hOD : -'l.I"{)4\C'{} :tlCi>'}:
(J)h"'1, 'I :{,lIn-r :un :'}O,e
7t'l"~,J>:06- :7t{}h : V11. :fl.&.209 :/1',
'1,e"'1'i-r :C7t{}::206
fJrh,e :tlYlD'h. :hJ':CJ6-r :?~'I"

(J)?'}Y..C: (J)-'lqo-r: 2IO 7t,}01l :O'J.

f 44ra:
'I" J': C :(J) {} 'I" '} :II '} l' :liS :'I" '} -'l 0, 'I
:IIV'71. :?~'I" :<)PJ': :'}'1'P':: (J)t.~(J)
Mh- :7t&.h. :tlYJ':"I~h :~,'l",,}llr
:IP6-'f-f :(J)oo<'\f}:'}trr :hoo
A, 1'C'{}: (J)-'l.I"f14I C'{):: Moo
Y'I" 'Il 7t fD
O'l,e"'1'ir :AI",} :M~C'};J'f :~,/1

V'71. :A,1'C'{} :11.'1' :(h'PCY-r:: M f 45vb:

V'71. :y"</!4l :IIAI",} :hrhJ?o
11'7111. :001'1,'" :00/1,}~ :(J)'}Y..A::
'/,e"'1'ii>: 1IA,1'C'{}: OhOD :~'7l.207
(J)~,{}'l' ;J1I~00· :1IY..'I!4' :hCJ :I"rh,}{}
'I ,e"'1 <'0 -/. : no lD' : 7.' rft. f}: ::
7t'l"10 :'I'n-'l, :ni> :'7-'l00 :~,'litJl\
(J),}11:: (J),eo,lIuoo' ":Oll-h. :'}"}t;.'l.

tL<) :M :h.AY{} :(J),eo,AfD

202 OJ.efl,AI"'OAh.'; MAM; f.25v.
203 11"1·OC·J:U·'~fI,'I ' OJ.,.~tj:I"'; f. 25v.
204 'r.,.,...,&..t' ;f.25v.
20' h'i'C[ ]1.' ;f.25V. 20. '~M'[ ]~"; MAM; f.25r.
206 h on'P,.f"~'~[ ]~,~.'p'M <'\ ·r' "C·I,'n' '/ .e"'1<;'·)·' :; /25v. 209 U7l'!'.t-'; f.26v.
207 '/.e"'1<;'1'~'~A. 'l'C'~'C'I,6'Ohon"l7l); f.25r. 210 h!'.·~t-'~'1119"'OJP,'1" ')· ' ;f.26v.

]49
MA T hesis in Philology Dereie S ahile Woldemariam

~,A(I : ~')h9"C2 1 1 :ouq'i :CDtc'lh9"C' : f 46va:

tiM :~hA,f'll:: M :'}ll9"o :notl'l.'1 CD,en.A?> :?i ou'lto{) :11CD-7.7:
~hA,f'll :HU11. :CD'}Y,A l CDh'l
f 45ra:
~hAfll :~,7iM'f :CDAY, :7.11. 'z. :k.,1-
?,,}H :,1'.1111- : Uti.. :CD·ll1- :1~OU : 7.9"').CD_h 217:: CDH,}'/': 11 'l.fr
~,'rih" :CD,}1f:: CD~,ou :{JY,~'1 1-IPCD1. 218 :7.9":"~ou :'i'?~ :'}1'/-"
?,9"U11. :CD'}Y,A 212 :Cll:"'1 :(17.'1 :M_~ : 11llrh'/' :·nm-IIl CDMI.H·
flrl"':: 7.''/117.'''''/ :"'IC,f'9" :nar7.7: :1P1.1"
1-CDM-'1: ou'/to<'l1' 1n'" 1~9":: tlCD unof. :lIouA7.h;t'219::
CD7.9"'blfODo : ?i ou'lto{) :fI"';t''f
f 46vb:
H1-CDAY, :CD·ll1- : u1Ch :HllODo /
~hA,f'll :H.e'/lIC CDI.Mr : ,}1I1. of.: CD-ll1- :~, '}fI

ou~~, :')11'1 214 :llY,r : CD'17C'i' :tb'i' "'IC,f'9" :Y,1I~ : U71. :7.'}(Il(ll::220
: llY,')''1 .. 7.'m :.e·nA :l.hll'l : 7.ou~'rht_221 :

;t'th : ",l?~ :'}7'/-": CDou~'(ht_ 222

f 45rb:
:;t'th : HAlI'1 :~,}"JA :H.ellA
CDar7.7: :.en.tI'I :'11Ch?>: tb'i': 215
I.hll'/:: CDhOU :1-'}/-"fi,223 : "J~~
llY,'}-'1:: CDCD-7.7:~. :OU~'fl :9"1l1l.'1
CD'/'C : ourhou~ :7.'}H :.e1'lIC'ou·
CD1-U_ :arll1- :.e...e..h :CDIICD·7.7:
M"'Io;t'1- : h '} (Il(ll : H'1" ,,,
m.e.fl :'171. :M :t..A,f'll :fI"';t''f::
CD.en. :'i'?~ :'}'r/-" :~CD-o?> f46ra:

~i1')'ou· :7.9" :1n : UIICD :(17: n7.y, :"/t.~ :l.hll'i :.en.fr224

ouq'):: CD7.,}H :H,}1- :.en.frODo 1I1t?') : ~~,!P'} :'17~ '1:: CD7.9"11
119"O- :11 ou'lto<'lr: :'16

217 h9"h;)a>.eh'; MAM; f.26r.

' 18 -"IP(lJl'/,9"'l.lf on ";f.27v.
211 htlr'!,. )h9"C"; MAM ; f.26v . 2 19 l\on tlloh -)o' ;f.27v.

212II.I:I'.[ l'(IJ-)l'.tI, ;1.26v_ 220 a>M' 'h9" M' ILtlJ'~ 'Y.·fit-' " U7l' h '){1l~1: ;f.27v.
213 m""7'1 on ';f.26v. 221 lhll)'h9"~'1t.' ;f.27v.
214 on~'h'9"IIt\..t';f.26r. 222 mhaD~(ht..:;f.27v.

'" a>h -/,'.en.M')7Ch!"')7l'; f.26r. 22J (IJh""'r1~h ' ;f.27v. ;f.27v.

216 .en.I\.on.,p"on)~~ -)o:;f.26r. 224 .en.I\.'.en.I\.,; f. 27v.

150
1f?:11 :h.tl:h.A,I'll:: APPENDIX Glidlli Abba Elavas

iW"llou~ : ou,}"lru",225 :(ltIY:,}"lA ()J·ft.l'. :()J-II'Y:f' :()J.I'.~4' :()J-ft~ :

/1,}h- :~,lo,:J'I! :()Ji'oum,eh- :ou'}111 IIh1-f'::

V1Cf' ()Jh ,}11 : VII~h-

f 47vb:

M,e'}o)'f' :.I'.tJ"'l :II CO,e :()JM),:JCf'

f 46rb: Y. tJ"'l: lI,.h 'fC: 233 OU'I- : ll9"h. .

~,,}1::: ()Jh9"~,,e't : V1C :OU~hh.

1.tL :OY.Y:Cf' :~,lo"'l()J' ,n :h9"V1t-::
~,'}t: hou: rm,e:t>'l.: ~1l.234
()J h '} 11 :1-rn.,e:t> : n~' rh 'r :' )(1,f':: I
ouCf'OII.V· : MY:"'l.f':: ()J",,.h1;r'l.
()Jrltll'l. :n'}i''r- :fI.'" :11°u1l/1-'/'
1I9"f' : ()J1I9",}-'/' :OU~h h. l )ltf'
()JAY. :()JA~ :1If1.~ :~rh~r
h"ll1hr: AOAr :,eltll·'l. :au'llnr
ouC'ilCNI :~,.h &.. :ou'}tJt-'r

()J;t'ttJ; 11~1ru'r :()In()J'''IhtJ?J :h'}l1 11th:

:hllA :h()J :~nch·:229 :t> Y:ou :()J/1'}h-

: ,eM\, :~,lo,:J'I! :Y: h-ou :
f 47ra:
f 47va:
()In'l :h'l$loh. :l1h'}nll :Y:9"() :
11/1'1 :ouCf'OII : hY:"'l. f' :!()J?!()J(; :
n.O"'loh- :()In.Cn,h- 235 :1~h.:: Mou
,}ou1': 230 houCf' 011 :11Y:,}"l A :'}1' ru
:f\~f' : no,e '}-'/'f':236 nCM'1f'::
Mh :tlou'l :4·lI.lIY.1I :~,.h~h- :11,'1
()Jh9"11: 237 rltll'l. : V1Cf'O :C1-:t>
r ()J. Afl.ou, : 11'11 ru ,).:: ()J ,e>, tL'l.
()J'h"': 1I9"f'23B: ()JV1Cf': Y:'~lo
ou~hh-231 : h9"V11o :lI.1'.rf' :()J~
h 'I"lloh:: ()J9"'lI'}rf'lI: 11th :houl1
Cf'7i: tlV1lo: nJ>:9"Y:c: V~."lf'232:
'11~:: 239 hllou: &. ~()J'I.: !iou'//1l1
()J-ft Y:f':: ()J/1'} h· : M 9" 0 : II, '1

225 h oo1"1P"":; MAM; 1.27v.

226 nU,l',~: ;f.27r. 2J3 t\""P'C :: oo~·nh.:; MAM; I. 28v.
227 ~n7!': ;1. 27r. 234 oo~hh.: hun: ·r'l',l',~··I. :~1C:; I. 28v.
228 ~,hl:!l.,l',:~"t.I, :;f.27r. '" {Il/o.t\"'10/J>:1oh.:; f. 28r.
229 h')II:,l','fl,,:/,nn[ ]h";1.27r. 236 t\p!':M,l',1-rY: ; I. 28r.
230 'jOO')' :),oo: ;f.27r. "'nCM')r: :rorn. '/ :M,l',')·)OY:{Ilrn. '/ :1.9"1/:; 1.28r.
231 {Il,l',h'b'l.:un~'; I. 28v. 238 {Ilt\iI"Y:;f. 28r.
2J2 n1i1"i:·C:n!'•.'?Y: ; I. 28v. 239 ·)n,h.:h un1/:T?<':; I. 28r.

151
MA Thesis in Philology Dere;e Sahile Woldemariam

fJ,),;t''e' hOD'- +tI.'lOJ'z.' ~1t. 'OJHO(Tloo--~ '1'I'17,Y+ , , OJl'ltjA~,"}

h'7H.MIth.C:: ~,t-'e'}' ''1>,:~oo-- ' hOD'~,AU9"i·245

OJnC;).j\oo-- 'h9"10,1'246, OJM 1'OD"}

f 47rb:
'<I''l'1'm 'Ch'" ,
111'1"'10h' h9"laII'eh' 117,th'/:/1"}240,
HhOD 'h9 rh,OJ·h ' OAth
D
,"}'7/'~. '11'-1'1, f 48ra:

'Oh"}1' ' h'7l1h:"~ ''''1CY9'' ' hOD 1,9" ;t'rh1" ~9'" nOJ·?. ~' h9"H UI'I0J01r 247
n9"I\I1:: OJnOJ'''ihl1?J '1,"}H' h'OA '(I-/>' OJ 1'1 tl/. , 'f''':':: OJ/1'1' lOJl!
~,. +? OJ"l.' il "'1 'l'Ih '7l1h i·', OnOD+ ,: OJh9"lI , ,e0,1'I'z. ,"}'},
"'1CY9" , Hh"}OI'l' ;t'9"rhM. ' /..<t 'h9"OJohi> 'P9" , OJ:r/.n. '10,1"
h~'7/.h.:: Oi,,e-/; '/.hl1h.,241 fJrh;t''J,' hilD 'h"}'7Ch. ' tl 1'1 "th 1''1. 'h'7~h:'-'1
, 07ni> '~,?'fJ 'OJ~,/.~:: .; ''''1CY9'' , OJI\.II.1' 'n9"I\I1::/OJH"}1' ,

11'Lfr nOJo/.~ '1. ' h9"M'P9"

f 48va:
OJ,eo,l'I'1.' th-t, :,-o,l'Ih. '
OJ+0,242 'nOD ,n"}i>'l. 'n/."'1OJ·Y"}

'hOD ,,e'/,P,.~. 'm/.I' 'OJ"}'P,e1' ' f 48rb:

']o>1',eh·' OD"}71'1' U7/.''i,e '1'>':'l.AI' h'7l1hi·'1 ''''1CY9'' 'h9" m/. ,;).<t 711.
'Otl.lI. +::243 OJ(lhlr 'OJ·il1' 'th:rl'l 'E OJ·fIo~h. 'OJ E ~<I::rh. ',ell... -:-
~OA ' OJOOJohi> '7.119" '''t7i>'z. U7/. 'hCil '10 'I'\.:r 'Hool'\/1:'-
M·'e+ 'Otl.l'\.~}o j OJ?,OO1'~. 'I'I'/:th h9"th.OJ·h.' OJ,e~OD<.24B, 9"ilfI 'I'Il1n

9">':C 'OJM/.7-'z. ' n'7l1C:"1' '.<to OJ'7.11 'OJ1'1'I'I+ 'hilh 'noo ,tl<l'~
P9" '''to.,e :: h'7H.nl1th.C ,,eIY'!I\ '1'II1t ' mc::
OJH"}1' 'l1'Lfr 'n;)H ',e9"Cth'1. '
f 48vb:
,/:<,01" 11th./. , ';I.,e::249
OJI'IOJ·1d'·oo-- '<I'1'froo--' ~7,:: OJh"}H
~, 0 h. ' 9" ilfI ' OJ·1'1, >': I' ' 'I n. CI'
ooAoA1' '~,O'P9":: OJOD?'n, !!OD~/lil
244 an~' h'~'uP~I>Il"lDmn(lluP" ; MAM; I, 29v,
"" han' ~U?"';I, 29r,
240 lD~,"<;:I>: MAM;I, 28r, 246 1.?").Y'; f. 29r,
241 h)'7Gh'Oh,e'~'Gh'nl>';I, 29v, 247 I1Una>h";I, 29r,
242 lD'l'o~'l.' ;f. 29v, 248 lDJ:an<;";I, 30v,

243 'l'i':l.t\,e.'Oi\,~:l':;I, 29v, 249 ~ihG,~,e.:;f, 30v,

152
 APPENDIX Gadla Abba Elaviis

f 49va: f',fl,lIh :l1uolltJ+ :dD~· :{JOO'

OJt, 'Ol'.,h 'I.: OJ·tl'/;' " :Oh1tV·: 250 nt, lloo~M :11"{J'/'O,l'h. :Ot!\\" :t"t!\f{J

: I1h,}OIl :rhooC:: OJOul' :t,O,I'~. : :111.<1uo :t,7in'l : vn :h'}(11(11258

oo~' rh&. :251 ;rtn :11l'.rhl:.:,} :t,O·h:: P'OJ'C :1I"rn. ~ :h9"l]: O'JCf9°
OJ(j)·hTUO.: 259 T'}"f.i'oi7D' l OJ·I"f.i'oi7D'

oo'}n,kl': ooC~t,?,{J:: OJm~253 : :OJC4~i7D'260: nU.<l.~. :1.1t :O~;h~ :

:'ioo~;M>}':: OJ~p't,:!l'/': f1. .<ISl 254 V1l 261 : 1'1'11+::

: OJC 0/ :OJT"f1' m ::It, "lO'J II :OJ M.'\.1:

f 49rb:
OJIIE ~1:0/1' :1f.'.'100· :OJ·{J'/'
iD"'t.m·~. : 9" M :OJ· fI. Y:I' : IIh "I:}. I'
~ f'l, T i7D' . I
',"Il1k'r: T,,,..t+ 262 : OJIIT :O'JC;r
f 49vb: ,}"IP'+ :OJh ,}11 : VIIOJ'~ :941\,"

OJIIE {,~'}<;'i7D' :1ll,"lO'Jt!\ :OJILT'1. : h1'I'~~ :"l"'l.:: OJf',ht'1. :1"1'+

oh Y:"I,'r 255 :OJTool''T'~: ',9"flrh.l: ~ f',: 9"Y:l: ',Ir{J:263 OJILT~. :01'1.:: t,f','1.

:OJ"fI~rh~. :h'}l1 :f',ooCrh~.256 : (lhtr :(j)ml'4l :{JtTD :11,}r. : V1C

h{Jh:l'lC: OJtTDm?'i7D': 1I''r''llrarf'} "tJ :hC{J :f',fl,fI.'1. :M :hf',·I.::

:l' '} I] 'I + : f .<I.'; l : OJ C 'P :: OJ f', fl, fr' i7D'

f 50va:
:'~'}tr :o'-'l.1·ni7D'257 :tnT :f .<ISl :
OJh9"l1: .hctr: V1l: tTD,}l1"1 264 1
OJCo/ :OJ"fI~(h.9'i7D' :IIM· :I'lflh
OJ(lhtr :,,~f'l, 265: OJ{J~: 11'1.: tJ~

hO'J 11':266 f',fl,fI.'1. :t,tJ :hC{J:: M

f 49ra: ,,~I\,:: OJOh'}Tl1 :h ,}11 : ,,;)11'}

UO~·t, :')fl,1' :arhr. :t,1] :il,t!\f{J267 :
OJI1'}T :fI'LII" :'/,oof',m :arh'''~.

V1I. :" '}(11(11:: (j) f',fl,II'1. :lIhUO

258 I1U1 t.'h'}(I1fll'OJ·I'luu'I'NM'; MAM; f. 30r.

250 CI>~'~'" '1"O'lt' OUtlot.' Y
.17A" OJCI>h'l, '010 16 U"; 259 ~1of1tIo'h?,,10[ ]n'OJCI>hf''''' ;f. 30r.
260 Cl>h'~'OJC'~';f. 30r.
MAM; f30y.
251 ".onC'IoClor·L'on~·,h'i:,r';/,6h';f. 30v. 261 IIU1t.';f. 31v.

252 OJh?n'~o>h" f 30v 262 'l"Mr'; f. 31v.

253 OJh?,,·~CI>h' :f. ·30V .. 263 ?" .... t.'Iot.<'\';f. 31v.
254 ~I'-'t<;L.'OJc"";f. 30v. 264 U1t.'OJ,}II~'; f. 31v.

255 OI..... "l';f.30r. 265 tlP.".:;f. 31v.

256 lI-onC",",'; f. 30r. 266 1It 'h"'1U·';f. 31v.

257 6"1.'I'hon";f. 30r. 26'1.111'1>;)[ p,on~'I>")fl,r'M' ;f. 31v.

153
MA Thesis in P hilology Dere;e S ahile Woldemariam

ilUD: ?j'ro!! ""'.)'11.1': 1-NF':!>'r.268 : :{}'P&.U.277; Ilro·7d: :oo~M : ro'h-l:~,

ro.eI1I1'1. :(h·t : h9"l "/{' : V7l. :hC{) :1P(lll.'z. :1111 : ~lC :h9":> T ')' h~ 278 :
:h1,lIh, :WH' : <;::'11' :.I'O~·(hh,269 :
f 50rb:
11 'LII- : ro· h 'j,
~,CJ :(ll'h-l: :tl.-r :110011/1')' :.e1"lCh
.f 50vb: T /'l(lli. 'I.:: (llllh: .ellllh: CJfh1,
TCt. : vn :9"{}'M :cryC.I'9" :lIqm. ~ .eooro+: 00111': .1-"'1'&'1':: roM
:Oqll :~.l'.;t-: lI.eh·e 70 :.l'.'OC :roil "
:h 1,111' ; WH :<;:: 'I'" :tI~lO, I' 'I. h9"),:,,!l.: tloo', :ill.OIf. :01100', :II·:J>{)

O~fhh- : vn :hC{} :il<70 <!JV' 'iloo :~ 1I"!,IlC :OOt'lT :ol.<;::-I: :IIM

- I
Ilro'h-l:: 271 roC"! :ro7nCh· :O'tll :O~II-T :0If.1'Ji1,~ :00111' :IPII·{} :

:~J'.;t- : 0<707/1 272 : roOO~'~, :7,tI, :[ (llil1T: :'·ooro+ :iloo jj :1I~1(l·}·::

(lq.). : T1"f,1> :~,9"(lqll :,Il,O :.l'.1ll.
f 51 va:
:,IlCJ: :273
(ll(lO :/'lcryoh·: 1111': h1hCh~280
.f 50ra: (ll(llVllh~: <!Joo~fh<;::T: ;t-th
(llCJl.h: IIcry,e: (lll.1/1: 274 (ll/1~ :'"l,(l (llP''P&'V' :~71.'z. :007;'(1.&. :;t-th;

:1'0'00 1I'1?),: :~,OO :T'I'Oq :9"{}1I :71ll. :

:h1(11(11:: roh111 :hm..e-r :oo~hh' <7O/'l,fh :hoo :r, II (llC;:.281 :1'C

:111h :rol.hllh- :il~ :il7.1' :(llll-l: :nlloo~ :'1?),: :h9"~,OO :~"l1P : O?l(ll~

:II{)~ :hCM'·{} :(ll~.l'. :(ll~)':h:: q<70:/'::_ - - -::

ro7,9"I'~, :qooT :\'"(h'}{) : {}cry276
f 51 vb:
:II{}', :roll-l: :1111),:1"1~ :cryot\. :tloo~
(llh9"11 :onro:lro~ qOO1-: h9"),:"!l.
:1I00~ :hl.OIf.:: ro/1', :11<701
(ffro?lro~:282 'tOOT:: roh9"11
268 '~"'IlIY'/""Mu:>~., ; MAM; f. 31v.
269 M~·,hh.";f. 31v.
270 0.eld;';f. 31r.
271 ooo"iJ[ ]:OOJ-)"I" ; f. 31 r. 277 "'Iolt.,.'"OD~'Il'P6-U-'; MAM; f. 31r.
272 nQD1lll:;t. 31 r. 218 OOD,,Id ")'h!"';f. 32v.

273 )'9"oM' "'ICY9"' ..tn 'Y.l1l' .... ~';f. 31r. 279 0 ~fCJl1CJlg,'}oo')- ';f. 32v.

274 O"'1r'oo'?ll" ; f. 31r. 28o o '/hCh- '; f. 32v.

215 lIl-/-oorm' ;f. 31 r. 28 1noo 'MCJlC:>''l'C'; f. 32v.

276 lloo'CJl~'I";f. 31 r. 282 (troYff·OJ~ : q.O'D'l': ; f. 32r.

154
 APPENDIX Giidlii Abba El<Jviis

'}o1'\4>'-p>OD- 283 : 'h])·t\~ :HUD~~.. :: 'I f,Dll'i':":: ()Joo~,h<t::', :M :Dll.I'J~t\

()JM :;',eS.olrIlOD- :Hlhllh· :()JM,flh. Dll'l, :oot\h : ~..I',,~::
hoo~rh'{. :;t'ttJ :H~'1P'T:: ()JUI'\-
f 52va:
/1"1'\.: Mbt\)'fl: 284 flIr·(\u'}
'1'1<;.:
oo~r'h<t:,,..: ;t'ttJ: 285 H'1 P~ :",vn rofl9"'}trfl'1 :()J·hr. :M : Dll.I'J~t\

oo~,ht. :·,..Mulil :l'\h,,/'tlhT~ :H;'.\'. :7i'P :()J.\'.lIl:()J'1,,/: 288 ()J,}lIlr.:

n~,7itJl\ :()JU :()J9"~l :h'}(ll(ll :~,,}IJ :

If'JC),9'': ()Jol <t:·11 :289 fI U\-' :f,fI,

f 51ra:
tTD~rht. :;t'ttJ :~~'CP>:: ()J1'\1I()J'P>
H-I'~·r'ht. :;'00 :~()Ji(286 I'\()JC;> " '} -I' . : ()J~' '} r'h P> :/1" t\ 11 OD- : (lJ-1'\' ~!'
I

'1'~9"T :-I'()Jt\.\'. :M :~bt\;f'fl 11'1.1'1-:: ;'olt. :I'\..~ :Honl'\/lT::

/
()J''''m9''4>: , '1'9"4>'''': tJCflT'1 i roMlt. :;'00 :~ I'\'1'C :

fI,,/flCDll :.\'.lIl :M :-1'111'\ :rh'PC),:"

:;,oo!! I'\()JC;> :;t"~"fP' :()J(\00f,P> :
f 52vb:
fl<fO :~t\)'fl :flfloo :~bt\)'i1 ::~fI.f,::

ro-l'4>lIl :~Dll290 : ()J'i1-1': ~DllM':

1.1'\ :M :-I'tJl'\ :,h'PC)'T :H'1f1CDll :
hT~t.: 29 1 h'}tl :()Jt\.\'. :y()J<]j()Ji(: '}UDT :
()J~\IJ :"'l.I'J~bt\ .287
h'e'i' : 'i';>:292 6~D<f, IF:: ()J-I'oom()J'y.
f 51rb: :1."1111.:"', :;''1.1' :1'\ 11,}r. :UD~,h<t:

:()J ()J '1"/ i

()Jm. <fOrI; P>fl:.fil: ()Jt\-'\:: 293 ()J~th <t:-I'294
()JH()J'}.\'.t\ :!"rh '}i1 :M"'l.C: OD- :i1 ~

~~<j?:: hoo :~bt\)'fl :h'f'i'r. :hMI :~D<f,'1'C:() :Hoo-,\ :

()J MHr :fI UD '} t. fl : ~ -'\. fl :M :-1'111'\

'I f,Dll'N' : ()Joo 9" r'h <;. : fl9" U

288 OlOl1"1:; MAM ; /. 33v.

289 nn7i[]~ :a>- U:OlIt'I(ll(ll :1t9"M :lhA!'h:Ol6l0"::; /

28J -~A'~-:; MAM ; f. 32r. 33v -/ 33r.

284 OJut\-:lr-It':\1<;.:ItM:lhA!'h:;f. 32r. 290 II. "'l:;f. 33r.
285 nlr-It;1:00>~·,h6. :;I' t h:Ol)',n,: ~:oo>)\' ,ht,: ;rth: II"?.I:': 2911.11(&-:;/. 33r.
/ 32r. 292 '}oo-/' :h'P.<;":<;";>:; f. 33r.
286 noo:!iOJY:;f. 32r. 293 OJtn. qo-t!"h:~"''''-~:M;:>l:hCM'h : OlAYo:;! 33r.
287 OlM :IhA!'h:; f. 33v. 294OJ~,h"'-l': ;f. 33r.

155
MA Thesis in Philology Dere;e Sahile Woldemariam

f 52ra: f 53va
(]Jh?":"~OU :ou'PM :'tn?-p'
ll'Orh~ :Mdl :(]J(]J6\~ :(]Juu1t.ll
,e(]J(J"h :hou10l :"'1C.f\ll :Hllon-
:"~ll : Hnt.l'.on-~ :OP,"I'1 :Inr
1,: (]Jf'rh(]J'C :h [ p~CY :?"{Jt'I301
007\ {ht. :1L'1:: Hl'1-on-: llflrh~295
(]J'h''': 1?-p' :')0 :~fll :t'l.IJ<,"ll
(]J?,,6\I1'1 :hllh :t'I~t'I?" :~t'I?" :~,"'1,1
:(]Jf'rharC: E M;t'r: 302 h1H :,e7f1C
:(]J~,"'1,1 :t'I,eh'1 i t'I,eh·1 i 296 ~
:"lfll: I1U'!1' :(]J:''')''':~ll :~flL
h"lll~ :~,?" t'\h :~,7Y :O'NI :h?"~ :
I'I/I<;'ll: Ollflt--I::: 11.h-l: :ntJ :~flL
ooht- rr: 297 t'IP,.Y·Ot'l-ll: 7'''I6\Y::
t'l.11<;'1l Ctrll~ : M :Ctr"'1::
t'IM}'/ : [1'11'\"'1: "'16\"f'e: ]: t'I~t'Ioo:

~1'1?": ~,"'1,1 :: ........... :: ........... :: f 53vb

ht'l: ,e~fI.;.303: I1t /
:mlou~

~,l"'1arr}: h'}H : ,e7f1.;.304 :ht'l

f 52rb
,eM'~: 00: ()mm.t-: Ctrll:,·305:
Ollou : ~,1l : (]J(]J6\~: (]Juo1t.ll: :"~ll
M:: (]J,eH~'i': O:'·Ct'l.r: trCO~306::
:l! ~,?"t'\Il: 1'l?'l'1: OL~ ~br
Oh'}r1f :,eLtrl'l-: M :,e~1l';' :P,. 0307
1,"lV,·0th.C :7\m.,{. :IL'1u, :1'1''''~ll:
:~flL: t'l.11<;'1l: :"~ll:" :,eht :h'}''':
(]Jflfl-o:~6\Y1l29B:HrlIlO i houl'.·rht.
-I''''~()~ : O~(l()(]J30B :h7trr :(]JO.4'1\-
:;t'tl1 :tn7'p': 6\fI~: ~1"l6\:
: l'.fIo-l:: (]JOll~: r ;J~fIo-l:: (]JOll?"~:
(]Jh?"~"Il : Hou'}: rhou~299
'I ,e"'1 <;' -1: 309 ::
0:1(]J!;J°0 : ~ou~ :,e:"'/"fh :'}?p'
Hllou,: 7: 11.: 1,?"U'Jl :~: 11~()ou,e f 53ra
n:t.:1:: (]JO~ooo :P' ;JU' ::"p,.{J :H-I-"'flL :
11-1; :t'I;'fI ::"~ll :(]Jflfl-o :M :-1-111'1 :

301
)02 ror,hOJ-C'9"M" • MAM' I' I'
34r •

(Ilr;).I:· C'r'b~;H· ';f. 34r.

303
11,1'. \ '0';";1. 34r.
295 Ib'i'1.1:·~.OD.'~.0,h .).'; MAM; f. 34v. 304 ,e11l';""'1lt. , ~ t."'l "1 34r.
30S • ' .'
296 ro~"'1.·) '~,eh.') " ;f. 34v. 34r.
C h ·~ ' M:; f .
297 64.n ~'hODh t-U.';f. 34v. 306
tf'Cn.·· ' ;f. 34r.
)

298 M:h.tlJ'Il :;f. 34v. 307 ~'I: ' ; I. 35v.

299 1Ioo ', :,hoo.(":;f. 34v. )08 WfM(Il' I. 35v.
309 .
300 n2ro?''lOD')''; f. 34r. (Iln~9"'l"I' ?.I:' ~·· I,'ronl, ~·OD';I . 35v.

156
 APPENDIX Gadla Abba Elayas

'I W''1'r t-u

:m'l.1'l :{htpC f :hon huo?/: t-09''CT:uol'l<j>A:: ~..;.
~'l'C'I'l: (l)l\(I).~I'l:: (l)OuotpM
(I).ehT: tIL :.euo(l)·t- :M :tbAfl'l
(I)'hi: :'}'rP' 310 :h"'l.'1 :.el\,(I)(I). IJ,),;t-'e : (l)A~ : hI\, 'I. :h"l11~,1· 316
f"llltl: litp :9"I'lt'l :(I)A~ :uol'l<f:'lon· :tJlIC')' : k~ '/' :'}7'P' :I1Cq :fo·llll:
~,"lt'l : h'}OI'l:: (l)rm(J)-<;' :09"')'CtJ
' )0 : 9u~l :a;),: .e'l·0t-:: f 54vb

11'10l :~,,}11 :rh'l''1 :t'l;t-(IT :.nqt'l :

f 53rb
A~;t- :t'lh"l7/h1''1 :tT'JCf9" :(l)t'I'l.T:

(I)~,9"11 :or quo1' : .e1' UO rm· : tl9"t'ltJ :11/1"1' :P'(J)-CT : (I). I'l'"

h9"V7l : l\,tplf~ :a;),: .e'l1l<;' :: ~1Il"

.
:h'}(Tl [(Tl] :11''rf"luo.e :h9"IJ
I

(l)h9"11 :09"1'lt'l :(I)'hi: :(I)A~ tT'JCf9" :(l)t'l;t-(It-'z. :11)OlP17

uol'l<f:'l ~:311 "r'lfT)'} :f"lllh :arl'l-1': h~ :1i'P :11~lIl :hGlI'I 318 :

-'I

h9",),CtJ: 11'10<;' :0V7C: 312 (I).eoartl· (l)h~lIm:: (l)t'ltJAo;t- :;t-(It- :I1I1Cq

: 0'l'~'1 : OOm(l)·Ctlfuo· :arl'lT :fo4lll : I1h~ :1i'P : (I)"IAI'l;t-319

V7l :1i'P: : (l)oe :quot- :h9"~"rl I1'1P~ :11'10lt- : "If::

-1·uo.e(Tlf.~ :0l\,tpce313 :~Iao 't

f 54ra

ht'l :/1'1 :P'art--1· 320 :Oon'Pot'l :11h·:

'}'rW 321 :T,}IJt'l1' :OCh :(I)h9" ~"rl

f 54va 11'1. :'nc :~1l :«"1' :M : ~Afl'l

owCh :Mt- :wt'l'1'l :fl'l '''Ch. :

MIl tT'J(I)·f'}:: (l)t'l'l"lP'T :T,}IJt'lt-::
,h'J9"C'/' :htptJ'Ot- :h9"~,}&. :qt'l9":
hl'luo :.e'l"lP' :h9"I1Cq :(J)-t'l-~h :
Mh :h7.·'1 &. :qt'l9":: (l)O.eht
qO ..e :'}'rP' :tIT'OUt'l :O~CI'I'I :hOD
1\,t'l.t-314 :t'l7.0.m :MT :l~o

.ewC:": qO..e :/1hll :11-'l.0315 :CM': ::J>A :

]10 OJOov'l'ot\,Ii-"?-/"' ; MAM;f. 35v. ]J'YI/,,'}"; MAM; f. 35r.

]J 1M"U1t'lt'l''P.lI'ov' 'Q;\,'9"M'ov~'i'~"ov'';f. 35v. 3i7I1 [ lOt').,; f. 36v.
]12 U1C'")O<. ' ~-t';f. 35r. ]18 hllC"';f. 36v.
]J] ),9"lt'l''P.'' ;f. 35r. ]19 OJII"It\~;r';f. 36v.
]J4 )'9"~·,t. "lt\9" "DJo.e)'t 'on-l· ';f. 35r. 320/"CD-C-)·';f. 36v,
]IS t>hll'OJr'p,o,;f. 35r. 32J ')1'/" ' ;1. 36v.

157
 MA Thesis in Philology Dere;e Sahile Woldemariam

f 54rb f 55vb
ronun~rht. :rh9u t'l 322 :ronun~rht.
ro.ehro·,}328: 0111': P'c.,,·y.un-:
: 9" p'm.C :1I~(hb: :~IIJ :n~II·-1-
111.1\-329: h'l'»l1 :'-:: roh9" J:,.,l :1>'1
"'l.I]~\.A :ronun~·rht. :Y04l1J'e : 11,}.p: ~1l: 7oh?DCr: h'l'hll:,·330
1I.ellu n.e323 :C.pi} : '1.e"'l':7o :ronM :
n·/'-'lOTJ.: roC,.,: .e:'-t- hrr 331: !i
h9"J: ,.,l "pl'/' -=- -, :'WH: :I>h·n:
~1 P'7o :ro·flr : unC,.,1J :I1.1'.lIl
IIfl :nCM' :7oh9 "Cr :unfl." A
1I.IJ':fl :')n :il'}'1C: .l'.lIl · :~'1,
nunc,.,lJ: u,.,rrO: 332 (IJofl1:;1': ~1I~un:
h'l'»·n + :lIfl :I'\ol'\,"uv- ::"o9 "Cr :".Il.fl: 1'»11 : '1.eOTJ,::,·:333
unfl'/' A :rot..I'.A: 324 .:. Ii<
f 55ra
f 55va !
ron(IJoh.p: un'l'o A: .eUD~ ·Jl.: ,.,n-i}'}:
ro· I\- -'\- :1.9".1'.4:'" :It" :OTJC4Ifl
~
""")
~ oa
J!.
A II VII(IJo: fl (IJo t- '} : ro. flr : 334 . 1-'\UD:
"C: -G. .A.
roOllfl4l+ 335 :
--0-
+ ~/
.I'. '}fl: ro.l'.lIl: r7i
roll.l'.·fll: ?.I'.t-:-t 336 : rollV? l :h.'j::t-;1'::
ro.e." ro· 9" : ro· flr :il '} '1l :un :P 11 t u-: roll;:.:"II: ;1':-t :'1;,17i :rol'\011 :9" J: l :
11M :1'»11 : '1.eOTJ ':70 325 . :lIC V'I 'I ;,I7i: roU9" J: l: 9" rh-C:: h9".I'. 4:.,,:
:h"1\- .l'.roll :~d-r-*-y : 1I~lro·h.f'326 : illJ: "'UV-~hA: Ilro1"/: 1.9": ~I.I'.: 0'1' :
nfl~ : flllh.p - :'I'o?" +
:roC:"o:'-:: roll.l'.lIl: ~Ifl(l-).. :
roh9"11: nlro!! : II roC;:': 11'1.: 327

322 " 'h9",H: 'I '; MAM; f. 36v.

J23 ",I'.~[!']9",I'.: ;1. 36r.
32. f. 36r :
-
"1 ]!I "1 m 328 ,1'./111>')' ; MAM; f. 36r.'
to I. I. 329 ilhUD'·H ' ;f. 37v.
I. I.
330 1"H ' ~1C'/I'I'»11')- ' ;f. 37v.
331 ,I'. ')-lhO" ;f. 37v.
332 J:lll'l\'~'''~n-o'; f. 37v.
33J hl\'UD'h 'O' 'l--'l.1l 'M'~" " »II' 'I ,I'."'1 ... ·)· ' ;f. 37v.
325 ' ~M'lbtlYIl ' ; I. 36r. 334 IIUM)-'I1>Il'~ '1-'1UD';f. 37v.
326 hOJhY'jf. 36r. m OJllllt--Il')-' ; f. 37v,
327 nOJC?'II'l.';f. 36r. 336 OJII1.J:6-'1-:;1. 37v.

158
 APPENDIX Gadla Abba Elavas

f 55rb f 56vb

h9"1.1!1'346: )-,I]:LPl1': 1JC'I1

Wh',f!.UD-: :J'tI: wtI V1l.: I'lC: V7l:
W.e1: ::337Wh9": 1.1!1': ~I]: '/'W,O(fl{J~. tl7,1lao: (flm: wtl-r-t l-r: h9"1.1!1':347
348
:h9"1. 1Jl: t.:Nl. : W~:<!, .e: w1.·O l Q ~I]: <'\UD-)-btl :tIV7 l :ao' ~ :Wtl7,1J:
349 )-,9"m t-: tI-rOOD.e
~,'}{J<,\: Wh9" 1.1!1': &..tlAlJ't 338: h11]:V 71:

h9"1.' Ol: o'H": ytJ7-r :: wY."1.1 )-,,1'<;'<'\1'\,9" :h9"1.1!1' :M : ~Col'~

350
W7,1lao: ~{J{l: wO'}.,.: ~'19" ?';Jtr : h9"1.' Ol: 1.,Il: W?'1&.:t.fI7:

07ill-: wh9"1 .1!1': M: <j :1'1'1. :

wh9"1 .1!'/': M: I"m1{J : h9"Y."1J/1
wtlM : &.<}>(fl[C]: h9"O,1] i W1.1Jl h9" V7l: ~f~:r351::

,Il. 'I 339:

/
-, f 56ra

f 56va w,},Il. :h. ,Il~ :9"fh l-r :W;J.e :w1.1J l:

:.,.tJt\ :th'PC Y-r't340 .Il1m.+ :Wh9"1.1!1' :M :I"m 1{J :

wtI)-,1]
tl1.1Jl :~1t- :h9"7,1lao :Ot! :w~tlfIo:
},9"70 C"'1 : wtlW~ :Wtl7,1lao :rC
352 7C:: wh9"1.1!1' :M
-r-c:: ~,9"y.1!1'341 :~I] :Oh. qo{J Wh9"7,1lao:
353
tl7i"'1. 342: h9"V7 1 :"'1CY9" :w9"Y ."l: 01-l: "'1CY 9": h9"Y.r'I.:1''l?-r
343 wM.e : w<'\~P..:: wh9"1.1!1' :M
!-ttlh1 ': h9"O,.,. :"'1CY9" :Wtl1.1Jl
: OIl Y." ;)'1.1-: wtI 1.1Jl: "fU tI: h 9"1.1!1'344 tI<;.<!·~tI't :tl7,1lao :'PlI. :wtl1. 'Ol

M: 71Jl: "'1CY[')-?]: h9"1.1 Jl 34S: '}I].e: Wtlh9 "1.1Jl : ~1Jl1:1'1-::354

m 1 :1': w9"M lI: "'1CY9" : wao<}> 1.0:

Y."1'?tI: w~!-t : w1.'O l :ao{J'/ 'tI i

337 'IDU1L'[ ]).'..,,,; MAM; f. 37r. 346 IDh9"i'.",r'; MAM; t. 38v.

338 M'6.0.AOt';f. 37r. 347 111Poo'''ffiU 'IDII111·}·'roh9''i'.",r';t. 38v.
339 IDi'..nL'Po.Q';I. 37r. 348 M'M"'I "f 38v

340 "'ho' ""PC!,.) "; f. 37r. 349 I,9"Q'"U ;;";t. 38v.

341 ID!'.. ~r';I. 37r. 350 IDt.M')\" '16.';t. 38v.
351 h.::>['1P':;f. 38v.
342 1171"'1.:;1. 37r.
343 IDi'.llL'; f. 37r. '" IDllh9"1-'lou" t 38r
344 IDi'.'OL'' 'IUA'IDh 9''!'.",r' ;f. 38v. 353 M'O.rL'h9"~n:'H~.}.';t. 38r.
38v. 354 IDllh9"1-'l,,"'hllL');t"r:; t. 38r.
'" IDh9"i'.'OL';I.

]59
 MA Thesis in Philology Dereje Sahile Woldemariam

f 56rb h~Y.t'l.1':~ .?: h~Y.<t1'362 : ~\f}: r-(h '}il'l.:

m~,9uY.lll : hCJ:1;?, .l':C'il: 355 H1.ll00 mM: 6.IU~il: 363 HY.ill : n.H,} :my.<t'/>
t'I.ffi-r: m'}.ll.: M: .ll'}~bt\: mhll.l'.. h"l'l1' r-il'l.: 364 HU1l : ffim·l\, '}:
milt\CP : mY.il l: ?<J:fI: mH'l.fI: m:tl'}:
f 57ra
h'l"t-: : m~,~y.<t1' :M :r-t'l.<J:'l.
~ill\ :Y.<t1' :"'1.1'.. :h,}OI't :m~\'}n. '}
HU1l: C'(h: m~,,}.I':CYil : Hh'}1'}'
r;:.,ot;.. : ou'l/ll't,}. :HY.il l : 'I fbo.y
mh,}.I ':CYil :Hh<J:t-l1 :mH<l'(Tlt-t-
mrffim-t;..: V1l: 7icp:365m.l'..-'/·cpP'~\"' :
mH1i ll: 356 ~,. rt'l·il :H;rm'~ :~,<J:t-11 :
0'/.1'.."'1<;'-'/':: H',Ol- r :OHou', :M'el l:
f 57va '11;'»1' :~'.I':.p :HC'} :yo.jl il :m'l?.I': :
I
m."..fIfI :mM :h.yo.357: H1.llou : 1't.l'..1l : m'}'l- ro :'1.1'.."'1<;'1' :MIl,}.I':CY :
!
m.?.ll'} i m~,f} : il'} Y~ : H;rm; r.l'.. C'}'o'~:: m-rll -M : '/.I'.."'1<;':,,:C''''J,:366

'. C/l"iJ-'/'::

f 57rb
h<;' &.?'il :H1.llou: o..?: m"l7i..p: mflOf\
f}m-f: : .I'..-'/·'1",h :{i1.l\,: ~ilh
:~.I':l :1· :r/~: m~·.?:~· : mh9"y.<t1' :M:
'/.I'.."'1<;'·}· :O'}iJ t1' :'I'll :(hO-r ::
il.r-ilYil 359 : Hm'iit -:: m~,CJ: ou·t'I.: 36
m01.l l1' :ouCPo{,\ :Oh'}1 'l1 :.I'..mM
Hm1t- :
Or. '}ou-r :h~.I':1l :1''}P'~\ : ~1l,}
f 57vb '1.1'..<ry<;,-,/' :~~iJ :C-f: :HiJ(7I>o :Oo"l l

mh~Y.<t '/> :M :O~t'l-1' :"'1!I ~t\ flffi.l'..367 ::HUt'I- : ~ffi·t.:iJou :-'/'h~C-f::

H.?il65).: mH1.ll00: Mt'I- i mm'}' }

"'1CY~ :roM" :mh~y.<t1' : ~\CJ: il.ro.
:'I"'}~.:361 Y.lll : "'1CY~ : mMm A,<;'il:

"

35' Ol/'9".I'.<l!'I"M '·~!".f:Ch:; MAM; f. 38r. 362",h9'.I'.<l!'~;; MAM; f, 39v,

356 ",11"'m':'(r'0l11l ~'; f. 38r. ' 363Ol&.I\.Ah ' ;f. 39v,
m ""~~~,, OlM,n.Y I\.h ';f. 38r. 364 M'/' ''I'''1'I''~ 'I.' ;f, 39v,
358 Ol/'~ '/'C")' I1.1'.,:,.r , ;f. 38r. 36' n U1~ ' 7i'l" ;f, 39v,
'" /' ~ " ,.Yh·h' ; f. 39v. 366 '/ ~"'I'N"C9" ' ;f. 39r,
360 Ol/'~'ODI'l"Ol/'9".I'.,~,~,;t 39v. 367 /'''I~'Om~'; f, 39r.
36 1 Olh'I\. ' /'9".I'.'H'n.YI\'~ "l'''l).';f. 39v. 368 /,uo [ Jn~''''IC'I'n' ;f, 39r.

J60
 APPENDIX Gadla Abba Elaviis

f 58va ~ U·fI:t.an~:tl(J)C;:':'fC:: (J)nfl1'CM':

(J)yt.~fl369 :'Man :P';JIJ- :.p~,fI : tt:t.IJ-: n(J)c;:.377: t'lJt,). :(J)(J).~.."

M,n.~: 1'111\: ., .e"'1c:'-r: 370 ?"M: 11 :ih'n:"}'rp': .e~"]P' :n'}J'. :7i'P::

~1P'1' :J'.<I!4' :~;JU.I. :Ht."}nl'l :flno : n0t'l1':~"]LJ.':378 (I-J: :HC,} : f041f1 :

fio :(J)IJ~O' : no'/,: (J):371 tI(J)'~-J:: tt:: (J).eh(J)·"}: '}'rLJ.' :379 )I.' .I':.p::

~fltJ"}.I':Cf372:: (J)H(J)'~-J: :an'Po'~ :

f 58rb
.e1' an(J)'O' : O·m. :'/'"}l] II l' :(J) hl. "'l.:
(J)t•• .e-rlhfl :nan'POt'l : an'}"] P'-J: :
n~J'. :(J)-~-J: :"}'1'P' :Hfloo-: 0:
"}'rLJ.' :'/,'}l]II-r :(J)nl "'1(J)- y"} :n U'll
tI.e'). (J)ll.l': :~?" J'. '/!4'373 :yO.Jlfl
:td' t'-*, .I' :(J)~fltJ'}.I':Cy: 380 01.e~"}"}:
(J)"'1Sfl : (J).fl. .l':h374 :: i
Il'-fI": 'ltlan: Mh: -r(J).~J'.
i
f 58vb 1'(J)-~.I'::: (J)~?"-r(J). ~J'.: / n"}nl'l:381
-, .e-r~"f~: "}'1' P': tlflan·: '/; :382 t11'fI Utl:
(J)n.e~ t: 0t'l1': (J)Han"}:375 .e1'(J)tl.l':
: ill'n :'}n..el tI.e~"]P' :llll'-fl. : Oan)l.'rht.: : '1.1':ll :&,.p(OC :o"'10-r :

'}tl9": ~?,,(J)tl1': ~1I-"1':tJCfltn::

(J)~J'. :"'1C;r :flM').::

(J)ofln: 'f*4'~C :~?,,(J)-~-J: :"}'rP' :

f 59va
Hfloo-: (J)~J'. :~;J"f.:: tln"}nl'l: 0::
(J) an)l.' rh t. : 4'1\."'1. '} (0 0 : (J) .I': C 1'1 ~
~flan : ' (J).~-J: :ill'n :(J)~.r. :"}'rl-":
(M·n.~ :fl.," :anll~tJ-r :(J)~J'.
0: '}n..e: 376(J)-k" :(J)"'';'.e :~"'1"')I. ~
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161
 MA Thesis in Philolo gy Dere;e Sahile Woldemariam

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163
 MA Thesis in Philology
Dereie Sah ile Woldemariam

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164
 LISTS OF INFORMANTS

Place of Interviews
No. Name and Title Age
I Ato Aseffa Tafese 66 8HNKM
2 Mlta Erqiyhun Muche 85 8HNKM
3 Abba GlMariam Alemayehu 86 8HNKM
4 Q/G Abba GI Mikael Abera 76 8HNKM
5 Ball. Abba G/lyesus Mekonnen 71 8HNKM
6 Abba HI Gebriel 75 8HNKM
7 Bal1etawi H/Sellase 71 8HNKM
8 Memre Lissanu Wondimu 80 8HNKM
9 Ato Mulugeta Betizazu 48 8HNKM
10 Merigeta Neqatibeb Leggese 70 8HNKM
11 Qes Shewaye Deneke 61 8HNKM
12 Ato Taye Betizazu 66 8HNKM
13 Ata Tezera Warku 69 8HNKM
14 Sebate Betse'a Getal1un 75 8HNKM
15 Abba WlMika'el HlMariam 80 8HNKM
16 Dn. Zenebe Berhanu 41 8HNKM
17 Ata Zenebe Berqneh 67 8HNKM
18 Abba Dabbe 64 8HNKM
19 Dn Estifanas Haile 33 8HNKM
20 Dn. Shimelis HI Gebriel 35 8HNKM
21 Abba Berhane 72 QS C
22 Abba GlMikael 68 QSC
23 Abba Neway 43 QSC
24 Liq.T. Abba G/Giargis 44 QSC
25 Liq.S. Fekre HlSelasse 45 QSC
26 Dn. Negash GlTsadik 42 QS C
27 Qes Negusse 54 QS C

- 165 -
28 Qes Maru 55 QSC
29 Alo Tesheberu 82 QSC
30 Alo Shiferaw 63 QSC
31 Alo Mengesha 65 QSC
32 On. Benyam Abreham 35 QSC
33 On. Solomon Mazengia 36 QSC
34 Qes Zelalem 40 QSC
35 Abba Germa 44 QSC
36 Liq. Mez. W/Mika'el H/Mariam 56 MAM
37 Liq.T.Yared Abebe 50 MAM
38 Abba Beselolu 70 MAM
39 Abba G/Egziabher 72 MAM
40 On. Oagnachew 37 MAM
41 On. Oemeke 40 MAM
42 Alo Tibebu 65 MAM
43 Alo Kebede 70 MAM
44 On. Amare 30 MAM
45 Abba HlMariam 58 MAM
46 Ema WIMikael 50 MAM
47 Abba HlGebriel 60 MAM
48 Alo Sirak 68 MAM
49 Qes Merawi 68 MAM
50 Qes Yilbarek 70 MAM

- 166 -
 Lette r from Jerusalem
For those who are Grea t Elder Men and Wom en!
For those who are Smal l Breth ren and Siste rs!
For the previ ous time that called Askal la Mona stery Diibri i 8ntot
o.
On the prese nt time called Hama ra No'ah Kinda na M3hr dt Mona
stery
Assoc iation and for lay men;
How are you from the day and time that which we leave d each
other ? I
am fine Than ks to God.
I gladly for you that a great greet ing thing ! The Hagio graph y
[Gadl d] of
Abba El:Jyas is found . Abba El:Jyas of Ask:alla is a son of Empe
ror Zdr'a
Yaq'o b's sister , Quee n 9'llen i.
He was a great schol ar of Old Testa ment and New Testa ment
; on the
Coun cil of Diibr ii Barha n. He defen d the Ortho dox Chur ch from
the
heres ies, and he becam e victor ious and [winn er] . By this cause
, Abba
Elaya s was chose n and appoi nted for a great positi on as a churc
h leade r.
But, he reject ed the appo intme nt and went to Ask:alla Mona stery,
and he
lived on it as a mona stic and hcrm it life.
In this mona stery h e lived more than 200 years , and h e deeds
many
mirac les on it.
This mona stery was estab lishe d by King Abr:Jha and A~b:Jha
. You will
find all of the histo ry in this hagio graph ic [Gc'idij writte n text.
I askin g
you as a prom ise, that on every early morn ing after which you
read the
'Miracle of Jesus ', pleas e read [Giidlii EI:Jyas] it.
The Bless ing of the right eous man can prote ct you; I askin g
that if you
need to this unpu blish ed text [Giidlii El:Jyas], publi sh it. But
if you are
not publi shing it, pleas e copy the text by a good callig raphi st.

Jerus alem , Miyii zyii. 27, 1975 E.C.

Mam har Lii'ka Miirayiim Barru
[Unre ad signa ture and stamp ]

- 167 -
 1 .

• j
., .. ,,
,
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,;
• - - - •.... _- j • .. -i'..-----+

. . - - _ . . . I - ;
I
:
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:
:
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 Dec lar atio n
I, the unde r s igned , decla re that this thesi s is my origi nal
work , h as
not b een pres ente d for a d egree in any othe r univ ers ity and
that all
sour ces of m a teria l used for this th esis h ave been
duly
cckn owle d ged .

Nam e: BER EJE SAH ILE WQiPEl\1AIDAM

Sign atur e:
.Jb? -
I
,f
Plac e: A.A.U

Dat e of Sub mis sion : Nov emb er, 200 8

This thes is has bee.n ' :;ubm itted for exam inati on with
my
appr oval as univ ersit y advi sor.

Con firm ed by the Adv ispr:

Paolo Marr assin i (Prof. I

Sign atur e: ____~~

~)~_~A=A~~===~~\--
---'
--
 SAM PLE QUE STIO NNA IRE

as SOOI1 as
I would ask you to fulfil l this questionnaire form and return on time
possible, please.

J) Do you know aboul Abba El<Jyas was the Medieval centur

ies Ethiopian Saint?

DYe s o No

2) Do you ia10,v about Gtidlti EloyasJound where it is?

, o No
DYe s

3) His vi/a (Gtidl) reading mon/hely or annually on your monas tery?

DYe s o No

Ihouglll ?
4) Do you know about his monastelY, lived as monas tic life and his

DYe s o No

5) Do you know about his origin jiOI17 Ihe Royal and Levile (Pries
lly) Jamily?

DYe s 0 No

Than k you!!

- 169 -