Flying Together 2-ethiopia

ETHIOPIA
M. M. NINAN
FETHA NAGAST: THE LAW OF THE KINGS
The Fetha Nagast ("Law of the Kings") is a legal code compiled around 1240 by the Coptic
Egyptian Christian writer, 'Abul Fada'il Ibn al-'Assal, in Arabic that was later translated into Ge'ez
in Ethiopia and expanded upon with numerous local laws. 'Ibn al-Assal took his laws partly from
apostolic writings, and partly from former law codes of the Byzantine rulers.
The first part of Fetha Nagast deals with mostly ecclesiastic affairs, outlining the structure of the
Church hierarchy, sacraments, and such matters. It was compiled from the Bible, writings of
early Church fathers including St. Basil and St. Hippolytus, and various canons adopted at the
Council of Nicaea, the Council of Antioch, and others.
The second part, concerning issues pertaining to the laity, such as family law, debt, civil
administration etc., also drew on these sources, but is attributed in large part to four books
referred to as "The Canons of the Kings". Various scholars have identified these books as:
1.The Procheiros Nomos, a Byzantine law code enacted by Emperor Basilius the Macedonian
between 870 and 878;
2.The Arabic version of a work commonly known as "The Syro-Roman Law Book", originally
written in Greek around 480;
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