The QUEEN of SHEBA MENYELEK (I)

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The Sabaean letter = B. With the circles and lines added to it by the Abyssinians we have: ` = b, e = b, a = bû, d = bê, c = bâ, b = bî, f = bô. The Sabaean letter = D. With the change of position from perpendicular to horizontal, and the circles and lines added we have: ð = d, õ = d, ñ = dû, ò = dî, ó = dâ, ô = dê, ö = dô. p. xii Thus the ABYSSINIANS provided for the expression of the "o" sound, which the ASSYRIANS and BABYLONIANS failed to do. The translators of the Bible into GZ rejected HABESH, the old name of ABYSSINIA, and in their version definitely gave the name of ETHIOPIA (ÎTYÔPYÂ ) to the region, the capital of which was AKSÛM . They read that the "eunuch of great authority under CANDACE queen of the ETHIOPIANS 'was called' a man of ETHIOPIA" (Acts viii. 27), and as the country over which that queen ruled was the KÛSH of the Old Testament, they rendered that name by "ETHIOPIA" (e.g. Psalms lxviii. 32.; lxxxvii. 4). Strictly speaking KÛSH was UPPER NUBIA. The name HABESH was disliked by the indigenous peoples of the country , and though in the modern Amharic dictionaries HABASHÂ is still to be found, the present-day native hates to be called "HABASHIYY", for by him it is regarded as an abusive epithet. Thus the Abyssinian Christian gained a new national name, a new script, and a new literature. As Christianity spread southwards the idea of the Solomonic ancestry of the kings of ETHIOPIA in the period between the sixth and the thirteenth centuries gained ground everywhere. During this period many kings who were not of the Solomonic line reigned, and a group of them called the ZÂGUÊ were masters of ETHIOPIA for about 330 years. At length there appeared a member of the Solomonic line called YEKUENÔ AMLÂK (1270-85) in SHOA, and with the help of the great saint TAKLA HAYMÂNÔT he expelled the ZÂGUÊ and became "King of the Kings of ETHIOPIA". In return for this help of the saint, YEKUENÔ AMLÂK agreed to give to the Church one-third of the revenues of his kingdom, and his successors have, on the whole, followed his example. The Introduction and Translation given in the first edition of the Queen of Sheba are repeated herein practically unaltered. The readings of two or three passages have been, I hope, improved, and a few references added. To write the literary history of the KEBRA NAGAST I believe to be impossible at present, owing to the lack of material. We can never expect to find out what was the original form of the Legend of the Queen of SHEBA, and it is impossible to assign dates to the various recensions of it which have been made in Coptic, Arabic, and Ethiopic. The sources of many of the legends reproduced in the great work are untraceable at present, and the unauthorized additions made to it by generations of scribes cannot with certainty be identified. It would be very interesting to know when the KEBRA NAGAST (all vowels short) began to be politically important, and regarded as the source of the invincibility of the ABYSSINIANS. The success of the British Expedition under GENERAL NAPIER in 1868 disturbed their equanimity somewhat, but they comforted themselves by remembering that it was directed against THEODORE, who was after all only an impostor. The natives everywhere helped the British Army because they wished to see the usurper smashed. Had they been hostile the result of the expedition would have been different. The battle of ADWA showed how the ABYSSINIANS could deal with an army of European soldiers, and "unconquered ABYSSINIA" is now the fiery, passionate cry of every patriot of ETHIOPIA from AKSÛM to the Equator. 48 Bloomsbury Street Bedford Square, W.C. 1 file:///I|/mythology/africa/15/15.html (4 of 206) [01/25/2004 3:27:20 PM]
August 22, 1932 p. vii Footnotes 1 For his authentic history see Sidney Smith, Early History of Assyria, p. 34. p. viii 1 See the Epic of Gilgamish (British Museum), London, 1929. 2 See the "Legend of Etana" in Jastrow, Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, p. 519f. p. xv PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION This volume contains a complete English translation of the famous Ethiopian work, The "KEBRA NAGAST", i.e. the "Glory of the Kings [of ETHIOPIA]". This work has been held in peculiar honour in ABYSSINIA for several centuries, and throughout that country it has been, and still is, venerated by the file:///I|/mythology/africa/15/15.html (5 of 206) [01/25/2004 3:27:20 PM]
Page 1 and 2: The QUEEN of SHEBA AND HER ONLY SON
Page 3: AG ÂZIYÂN ", i.e. the "free", and
Page 7 and 8: the least, nay he gloried in them,
Page 9 and 10: gods. On high days and holy days th
Page 11 and 12: THE CHAPTERS OF THE KEBRA NAGAST 1.
Page 13 and 14: 79. The King of AMALEK, a descenden
Page 15 and 16: popularity which the book enjoyed i
Page 17 and 18: NAGAST, they are due chiefly to the
Page 19 and 20: But CHRIST also was descended from
Page 21 and 22: chapters which now form part of the
Page 23 and 24: made itself manifest, and the goat'
Page 25 and 26: "Verily thou hast now become my wif
Page 27 and 28: young man covered the case with dra
Page 29 and 30: turn aside afterwards and wait for
Page 31 and 32: and seated him upon his throne, whi
Page 33 and 34: ox of acacia wood two and a half cu
Page 35 and 36: called her son BAYNA-LE$KEM, i.e. I
Page 37 and 38: priest. The Queen of SHEBA had aske
Page 39 and 40: type of CHRIST, and as he committed
Page 41 and 42: music and singing and dancing and g
Page 43 and 44: answer to a further question of the
Page 45 and 46: 1 Several examples of such wooden t
Page 47 and 48: 2. Concerning the Greatness of King
Page 49 and 50: 5. Concerning the Kingdom of SETH A
Page 51 and 52: 9. Concerning the Covenant of NOAH
Page 53 and 54: p. 8 11. The Unanimous Declaration
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13. Concerning ABRAHAM And TÂRÂ (
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p. 12 15. Concerning ISAAC and JACO
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gold. And thou shalt place therein
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p. 15 1 Psalm ix. 11. Footnotes 19.
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22. Concerning TÂMRÎN, the Mercha
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24. How the Queen made ready to set
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answering, and the sweetness of thy
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found favour before thee, and befor
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29. Concerning the Three Hundred an
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And the King went up on his bed on
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unto it a sign; and if it be a man
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p. 41 34. How the young man arrived
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p. 43 35. How King SOLOMON sent to
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36. How King SOLOMON held intercour
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consent to remain [in JERUSALEM] wi
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unto them priests, and we will orda
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hearkened to His word. And the heav
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thou shalt do thy work, and on the
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ASTARAYÔN , the son of ASÂ , mess
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p. 66 45. How those who were sent a
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46. How they made a plan concerning
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present and directing. And had it n
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51. How he said unto ZADOK the Prie
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more wilt thou rejoice over the Lad
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Law of God, salvation be whither th
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asunder, and it roared even as a li
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came back to thee to-day [which is]
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women shed tears and our city is la
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61. How SOLOMON Returned to JERUSAL
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wherein thou hast built for us a ho
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sacrifices, and her worship, and he
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p. 104 1 1 Kings ii. 5 ff. p. 105 1
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3 Psalms lxxii. 1 ff.; cx. 4. 67. C
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shall make you to dwell without toi
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people in their envy have crucified
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which they themselves have imagined
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and upon earth He granted to reign
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72. Concerning the King of RÔMÊ (
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judgment that ought to be passed ac
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76. Concerning lying witnesses And
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handmaiden said unto her, "Why hast
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is more righteous than I"; and he l
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p. 137 1 See chapters xv. xvi. Foot
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the habits of the EGYPTIANS are law
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ETHIOPIA, and EDOM, and PHILISTIA,
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ETHIOPIA. For wheresoever God is pl
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these days as wise as thyself, exce
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90. How AZARIAH praised the Queen a
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p. 156 1 Compare Deuteronomy iv. 1.
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and p. 162 she hath illumined thee
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94. The first war of the King of ET
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Faith shall be upon our throne, and
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they failed to look at it they died
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p. 171 1 Numbers xii. 2. 2 Numbers
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p. 176 1 Compare Exodus xvii. 4; Nu
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distinguished between his disciples
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6 Exodus x. 21, 22. 7 Exodus vii. 1
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Thou, the Knower of hearts, knowest
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p. 185 1 Genesis ii. 17. p. 187 1 C
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And what shall we say? Let us weep
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7 Psalm cix. 5. p. 194 1 Isaiah xxi
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104. More concerning the Ark and th
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p. 198 1 Compare Matthew xii. 49; M
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Counsellor is His name." 1 Now the
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p. 205 Thus GIDEON prophesied and s
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p. 201 1 Isaiah ix. 6. 2 Isaiah xli
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2 Psalm lxxii. 5, 17. 3 Proverbs vi
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mighty through their horns," 1 whic
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willingly maketh to come destructio
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109. Concerning His Crucifixion And
Page 195 and 196:
110. Concerning His Resurrection An
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111. Concerning His Ascension and H
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112. How the Prophets foreshadowed
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113. Concerning the Chariot and the
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114. Concerning the return of ZION
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King of ETHIOPIA PIN$AS (PHINEHAS);
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The QUEEN of SHEBA MENYELEK (I)

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