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Kebra Nagast TheQueenofShebaand HerOnlySonMenyelek (KëbraNagast) translatedby SirE.A.WallisBudge InparenthesesPublications EthiopianSeries Cambridge,Ontario2000 Preface ThisvolumecontainsacompleteEnglishtranslationofthe famousEthiopianwork,“TheKëbraNagast,”i.e.the“Gloryof theKings[ofEthiopia].”Thisworkhasbeenheldinpeculiar honourinAbyssiniaforseveralcenturies,andthroughoutthat countryithasbeen,andstillis,veneratedbythepeopleas containingthefinalproofoftheirdescentfromtheHebrew Patriarchs,andofthekinshipoftheirkingsoftheSolomonic linewithChrist,theSonofGod.Theimportanceofthebook, bothforthekingsandthepeopleofAbyssinia,isclearlyshown bytheletterthatKingJohnofEthiopiawrotetothelateLord GranvilleinAugust,1872.Thekingsays:“Thereisabook called’KiveraNegust’whichcontainstheLawofthewholeof Ethiopia,andthenamesoftheShûms[i.e.Chiefs],and Churches,andProvincesareinthisbook.IÊprayyoufindout whohasgotthisbook,andsendittome,forinmycountrymy peoplewillnotobeymyorderswithoutit.”Thefirstsummary ofthecontentsofthe KëbraNagast waspublishedbyBruceas farbackas1813,butlittleinterestwasrousedbyhissomewhat baldprécis.And,inspiteofthelaboursofPrætorius,Bezold, andHuguesleRoux,thecontentsoftheworkarestill practicallyunknowntothegeneralreaderinEngland.Itis hopedthatthetranslationgiveninthefollowingpageswillbe ii Preface ofusetothosewhohavenotthetimeoropportunityfor perusingtheEthiopicoriginal. TheKëbraNagast isagreatstorehouseoflegendsand traditions,somehistoricalandsomeofapurelyfolk-lore character,derivedfromtheOldTestamentandthelater Rabbinicwritings,andfromEgyptian(bothpaganand Christian),Arabian,andEthiopiansources.Oftheearlyhistory ofthecompilationanditsmaker,andofitssubsequenteditors weknownothing,buttheprincipalgroundworkofitsearliest formwasthetraditionsthatwerecurrentinSyria,Palestine, Arabia,andEgyptduringthefirstfourcenturiesofthe Christianera.Weighingcarefullyallthathasbeenwrittenby Dillmann,Trump,Zotenberg,Wright,andBezold,andtaking intoaccounttheprobabilitiesofthematter,itseemstomethat weshallnotbefarwrongifweassignthecompositionofthe earliestformofthe KëbraNagasttothesixthcenturyA.D.Its compilerwasprobablyaCopticpriest,forthebooksheused werewritingsthatwereacceptedbytheCopticChurch. WhetherhelivedinEgypt,orinAksûm,orinsomeotherpart ofEthiopiamatterslittle,butthecolophonsoftheextant EthiopicMSS.ofthe KëbraNagast suggestthathewrotein Coptic. Inthesucceedingcenturies,probablyasaresultofthe widespreadconquestsofMu˙ammadandhisKhalîfahs,the CoptictextwasinwholeorparttranslatedintoArabic,and duringtheprocessoftranslationmanyadditionsweremadeto it,chieflyfromArabicsources.LastofallthisArabicversion wastranslatedintoEthiopic,andpropernamesunderwent curioustransformationsintheprocess.Accordingtothe colophonsoftheMSS.intheBritishMuseum,Oxford,and Paris,theArabictranslationwasmadefromtheCopticinthe 409th“yearofmercy,”whenGabraMas˚al,commonlyknown asLâlîbalâ,wasreigningoverEthiopia,i.e.betweenA.D.1314 and1344.AndthesameauthoritiessaythattheEthiopic iii KëbraNagast translationwasmadesubsequentlybyoneIsaac,ofwhom nothingisknownsavethathewasanenthusiasticChristian visionaryandpatriot.Hisknowledgeofhistoryand chronologywasdefective,andhiscomparativephilologyis unusuallypeculiar,evenfortheperiodinwhichhelived. InthecolophonsIsaacsays:“Ihavetoiledmuchforthe gloryofthekingdomofEthiopia,andforthegoingforth (manifestation?)oftheheavenlyZion,andforthegloryofthe KingofEthiopia.”ThesewordsthrowsomelightuponIsaac’s motiveintranslatingthebook,andsupplythereasonforhis devotedlabour.Hefirmlybelieved:1.Thatthelawfulkingsof EthiopiaweredescendedfromSolomon,KingofIsrael.2.That theTabernacleoftheLawofGod,i.e.theArkoftheCovenant, hadbeenbroughtfromJerusalemtoAksûmbyMenyelek, Solomon’sfirstbornson,accordingtotheEthiopians.3.That theGodofIsraelhadtransferredHisplaceofabodeonearth fromJerusalemtoAksûm(Aksum),theecclesiasticaland politicalcapitalofEthiopia.ThemeansemployedbyMenyelek forobtainingpossessionoftheArkoftheCovenantdidnot disturbIsaac’sconscienceintheleast,nayhegloriedinthem, formanifestlyMenyelekwasperformingtheWillofGodin removingthetabernacleofZionfromJerusalem.God, accordingtoIsaac,wassatisfiedthattheJewswereunworthy tobecustodiansoftheArkwhereinHisPresencewas,andthe Arkwishedtodepart.Ethiopiahadstretchedoutherhandsto God(Psalmlxviii,31),andHewenttoher,withtheArk,to presideoverMenyelek’skingdom,whichwasestablishedin accordancewiththecommandsthatHehadgiventoMoses andtheprophetsandpriestsofIsrael. Itwillberememberedthatthelineofkingsfoundedby SolomoncontinuedtoreignevenaftertheEthiopiansbecame ChristiansundertheteachingofFrumentiusandAdesius,the slavesofthemerchantMeropius,andthatthelinecontinued unbrokenuntilthetenthcenturyofourera.Isaacknewthat iv Preface Godthenpermittedthelinetobebroken,andallowedthe ZâguêkingstoreignoverEthiopiauntilthereignofYëkûnô ≤Amlâk,whorestoredtheSolomoniclinein1270,andhemakes noattempttojustifyGod’sactioninthismatter,ortoexplainit. Welearn,however,fromthefirstsectionofthecolophon,that hewonderedwhyGodhadneglectedtohavetheArabic versionofthe KëbraNagast translatedintothe“speechof Abyssinia”atanearlierdate,andwhy≤Abu’l-≤Izzand≤Abu’l- Faraj,whomadetheArabictranslationfromtheCoptic,didnot makearenderingintoEthiopicalso.Intheexplanationwhich heattemptstogive,heremindsusthattheArabictranslation appearedwhilsttheZâguêkingswerestillreigning.Asthe KëbraNagast waswrittentoglorifytheSolomoniclineof kings,anditseditorsandtranslatorsregardedtheZâguêkings notonlyasnon-Israelites,butas“transgressorsoftheLaw,”the appearanceofatranslationofitinthevernacularwhilstthe Zâguêwerestillonthethronewouldbefollowedbythetorture anddeathofitsproducers,andthedestructionoftheirwork. ThereisextantinEthiopianliteraturealegendtotheeffect thatwhenGodmadeAdamHeplacedinhisbodya“Pearl,” whichHeintendedshouldpassfromitintothebodiesofa seriesofholymen,oneaftertheother,untiltheappointedtime whenitshouldenterthebodyof©annâ, 1andformthe substanceofherdaughtertheVirginMary.Nowthis“Pearl” passedthroughthebodyofSolomon,anancestorofChrist,and ChristandMenyelek,thesonofSolomonbytheQueenof Sheba,weresonsofSolomon,andaccordingtoEthiopianideas theywereakintoeachother.ButChristwastheSonofGod, and,therefore,beingthekinsmanofChrist,Menyelekwas divine.AndIsaactheEthiopian,holdingthisview,maintainsin the KëbraNagast thatthekingsofEthiopiawhowere 1SeetheHistoryofHannâ, editedandtranslatedbymyself,in Lady MeuxMSS.2-5,p.164. v KëbraNagast descendedfromMenyelekwereofdivineorigin,andthattheir wordsanddeedswerethoseofgods. NowtheideaofthedivineoriginofkingsinEthiopia,the Sûdân,andEgypt,isveryold,anditappearstohavebeen indigenous.AccordingtoalegendgivenintheWestcar PapyrusinBerlin,threeofthegreatkingsoftheVthdynastyin EgyptwerethesonsofthegodRåbyRu††et.,thewifeof Råuser,highpriestofRå,andbeforethecloseofthatdynasty everykingcalledhimself“sonofRå.”ManyakingofEgypt statesinhisinscriptionsthathereigned“intheegg,”i.e.before hewasborn,andwearetounderstandthattheeggwas depositedinhismotherbytheformoftheSun-god,whowas hisfather.SomeofthesovereignsoftheXVIIIthdynasty, certainlythosewhowerethenomineesofthepriestsofÅmen, weredeclaredtobetheactualchildrenofÅmen,andtobeof hissubstance.Onthewallsofthefamoustemplewhichthe architectSenmutbuiltforQueen©atshepsutinWestern Thebes,thereisaseriesofbas-reliefsinwhichthegodÅmenis seencompanyingwiththemotherofthatQueen,and ©atshepsutregardedherselfasÅmen’sdaughter.Inthetemple ofLuxortherearebas-reliefsofasimilarcharacter,andthegod Åmenisseenoccupyingthecouchofthequeenwhobecameby himthemotherofÅmen˙etepIII.Thiskingwassothoroughly convincedofhisdivineoriginthathecausedaneffigyof himselftobesculpturedonthewallsofthetempleofSûlbin theEgyptianSûdân,togetherwiththefiguresofthegreatgods ofEgypt.InfacthesharedtheÊworshipofthepeoplewiththe godsandgoddessesofEgypt.RamesestheGreatwasheldtobe thesonofthegodPta˙-Tanen,andintheinscriptiononastele atAbuSimbelthisgod,inaddressingtheking,says:“Iamthy father.Thymemberswerebegottenas[arethoseof]thegods.I vi Preface tooktheformoftheRam,theLordof√e†(Mendes),I companiedwiththyaugustmother”2 AthousandyearslaterastoryaroseinEgypttotheeffect thatAlexandertheGreatwasthesonofthegodÅmenof Egypt,andAlexander’scouncillorspromptlytookadvantageof ittoforwardthefortunesoftheirlord.If,theyargued, AlexanderisthesonofÅmen,heisthelawfulkingofEgypt, andtheEgyptiansmustacknowledgehimastheirking.Butit wasnecessaryfortheirpurposethatÅmenshould acknowledgeAlexanderashisson,andtheythereforetookhim totheOasisofSîwahintheLibyanDesert,andpresentedhim tothegodÅmenofLibya.ThegodadmittedthatAlexander washisson,thepriesthoodofÅmenacceptedthedeclarationof theirgod,theEgyptiansbelievedthattheholybloodofÅmen flowedinAlexander’sveins,andasaresulthebecametheking oftheSouthandtheNorth,andGovernoroftheDomainof Horuswithoutstrikingablow.Thenativenovelistsandstory- tellers, e.g.thePseudoCallisthenes,declaredthatwhen NectanebusII,thelastnativekingofEgypt,fledfromEgypthe wenttoMacedon,whereheestablishedhimselfasamagician. HerehebecameacquaintedwithQueenOlympias,whowished tofindoutfromhimifherhusband,Philip,intendedtoputher away.AnintimacysprangupbetweenNectanebusand Olympias,andheappearedtothequeenonenightintheform ofthegodÅmenofLibya,arrayedinalltheattributesofthe 2 Trans.Soc.Bibl.Arch., vol.vii,platefacingp.119,ll.3and4(ed. Naville). vii KëbraNagast god,andbegotAlexandertheGreat.Traditiontransferredthe hornsofAmentoAlexander,andancientArabwriterscall Alexander“Dhu’l-¬arnên,”i.e.“providedwithtwohorns,”a titlethattranslatesexactlyoneofthetitlesofÅmen,“Sep† åbui” . Isaac,theeditorandtranslatorofthe KëbraNagast,andhis fellowcountrymensawnothingstrangeinthefactthat Mâkëdâ,thevirginqueenofSâba,gaveherselftoSolomon,for
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