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
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