Kebra Nagast — The Glory of the Kings

THE GLORY OF KINGS

IN PRAISING GOD THE FATHER, THE SUSTAINER OF THE

UNIVERSE, AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST, THROUGH WHOM

EVERYTHING CAME INTO BEING, AND WITHOUT WHOM

NOTHING CAME INTO BEING, AND THE HOLY TRIUNE

SPIRIT, THE PARACLETE, WHO GOETH FORTH FROM THE

FATHER, AND DERIVETH FROM THE SON, WE BELIEVE IN

AND ADORE THE TRINITY, ONE GOD, THE FATHER, AND

THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.

I. CONCERNING THE Gtory or KINGs

HE interpretation and explanation of the Three

Hundred and Eighteen Orthodox [Fathers] con-

cerning splendour, and greatness, and dignity, and how

God gave them to the children of Adam, and especially

concerning the greatness and splendour of Zion, the

Tabernacle (tábót) of the Law of God, of which He

Himself is the Maker and Fashioner, in the fortress

of His holiness before all created things, [both] angels

and men. For the Father, and the Son, and the

Holy Spirit with good fellowship and right good will

and cordial agreement together made the Heavenly

Zion to be the place of habitation of their Glory.

And then the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit

said, ^ Let Us make man in Our similitude and like-

ness,” ! and with ready agreement and good will They

were all of this opinion. And the Son said, “I will

put on the body of Adam,” and the Holy Spirit said,

“I will dwell in the heart(s] of the Prophets and

the Righteous”; and this common agreement and

covenant was [fulfilled] in Zion, the City of their Glory.

! Genesis i, 26,

A I

And David said, “ Remember Thine agreement which

Thou didst make of old for salvation, the rod of Thine

inheritance, in Mount Zion wherein Thou dost dwell.’”?

And He made Adam in His own image and likeness,

so that He might remove Satan because of his pride,

together with his host, and might establish Adam—His

own plant—together with the righteous, His children,

for His praises. For the plan of God was decided upon

and decreed in that He said, “SI will become man,

and I will be in everything which I have created, I will

abide in flesh.” And in the days that came after, by

His good pleasure there was born in the flesh of the

Second Zion the second Adam, Who was our Saviour

Christ. This is our glory and our faith, our hope and

our life, the Second Zion.?

2. CONCERNING THE GREATNESS OF KINGs

Come then, let us go back, and let us consider, and

let us begin [to state] which of the kings of the earth,

from the first even unto the last, in respect of the Law

and the Ordinances and honour and greatness, we should

magnify or decry.

Gregory, the worker of wonders and miracles,? who

was Cast into a cave because of [his] love for the martyr-

dom of Christ and suffered tribulation for fifteen years,

said, “ When I was in the pit I pondered over this

matter, and over the folly of the Kings of Armenia,

and I said, In so far as I can conceive it, [in] what

doth the greatness of kings [consist]? Is it in the mul-

titude of soldiers, or in the splendour of worldly posses-

sions, or in extent of rule over cities and towns? ‘This

was my thought each time of my prayer, and my thought

! Psalm ixxiv, 2.

3 I.e., the Virgin Mary, who is identified in Chapter 11 with the

* 'Tabernacle of the Law of God, the heavenly and spiritual Zion."

* The Gregory here referred to is not Thaumaturgus, but the

* Illuminator,” #.¢., Gregor Lusavoritch, who flourished in the first

quarter of the fourth century.

Concerning the Kingdom of Adam

stirred me again and again to meditate upon the great-

ness of kings. And now I will begin.”

3. CONCERNING THE KINGDOM oF ADAM

And I go up from Adam and I say, God is King in

truth, for Him praise is meet, and He appointed under

Him Adam to be king over all that He had created.

And He drove him out of the Garden, because of his

apostasy through the sin of the Serpent and the plot-

ting of the Devil. And at that sorrowful moment

Cain was born, and when Adam saw that the face of

Cain was ill-tempered (or, sullen) and his appearance

evil he was sad. And then Abel was born, and when

Adam saw that his appearance was good and his face

good-tempered he said, “ This is my son, the heir of

my kingdom."

4. Concerninc Envy

And when they had grown up together, Satan had

envy of him, and he cast this envy into the heart of

Cain, who was envious [of Abel] first, because of the

words of his father Adam, who said, ‘‘ He who hath

the good-tempered face shall be the heir of my king-

dom”; and secondly, because of his sister with the

beautiful face, who was born with him and who had

been given unto Abel, even as God commanded them

to multiply and fill the earth—now the face of the

sister who had been born with Abel resembled that of

Cain, and their father had transferred them (1.¢., the

two sisters) when giving them [in marriage] ;—and

thirdly, because when the two [brothers] offered up

sacrifice, God accepted the offering of Abel and rejected

the offering of Cain. And because of this envy Cain

killed Abel. 'Thus fratricide was first created through

Satan's envy of the children of Adam. And having

killed his brother, Cain fell into a state of trembling

and horrible fright, and he was repulsed by his father

and his Lord. And [then] Seth was born, and Adam

A 2 3

looked upon him and said, “ Now hath God shown

compassion upon me, and He hath given unto me the

light of my face. In sorrowful remembrance I will

console myself (?) with him. The name of him that

shall slay my heir shall be blotted out, even to his

ninth generation.”

5. CONCERNING THE KiNcpoM oF SETH

And Adam died, and Seth reigned in righteousness.

And Seth died, and Hénós (Enos) reigned. And Hénós

(Enos) died, and Kâynân (Cainan) reigned. And

Káynán (Cainan) died, and Malálél (Mahalaleel)

reigned. And Malal’él (Mahalaleel) died, and Yáród

(Jared) reigned. And Yaréd died, and Hénókh (Enoch)

reigned in righteousness, and he feared God, and [God]

hid him so that he might not see death. And he

became a king in his flesh in the Land of the Living.

And after Enoch disappeared Mátüsálà (Methuselah)

reigned. And Mâtûsâlâ died, and Lámékh (Lamech)

reigned. And Lámékh died, and Nóh (Noah) reigned

in righteousness, and he pleased God in all his works.

6. CONCERNING THE SIN OF CAIN

And that accursed man Cain, the murderer of his

brother, multiplied evil, and his seed did likewise, and

they provoked God to wrath with their wickedness.

They had not the fear of God before their eyes, and

they never kept in mind that He had created them,

and they never prayed to Him, and they never wor-

shipped Him, and they never called upon Him, and

they never rendered service to Him in fear ; nay, they

ate, and they drank, and they danced, and they played

upon stringed instruments, and sang lewd songs there-

to, and they worked uncleanness without law, without

measure, and without rule. And the wickedness of

the children of Cain multiplied, until at length in the

greatness of their filthiness they introduced the seed of

Concerning Noah

the ass into the mare, and the mule came into being,

which God had not commanded—even like those who

give their children who are believers unto those who

deny God, and their offspring become the seed of the

filthy Gomorraites, one half of them being of good and

one half of them of evil seed. And as for those who do

[this] wickedness, their judgment is ready, and their error

in lasting.

7. CoNcERNING Noan

Now Noah was a righteous man. He feared God, and

kept the righteousness and the Law which his fathers

had declared unto him—now Noah was the tenth

generation from Adam—and he kept in remembrance

and did what was good, and he preserved his body from

fornication, and he admonished his children, bidding

them not to mingle with the children of Cain, the

arrogant tyrant, the divider of the kingdom, [who]

walked in the counsel of the Devil, who maketh evil to

flourish. And he taught them everything that God

hated—pride, boastfulness of speech, self-adulation,

calumniation, false accusation, and the swearing of

false oaths. And besides these things, in the wickedness

of their uncleanness, which was unlawful and against

rule, man wrought pollution with man, and woman

worked with woman the abominable thing.

8. CONCERNING THE FLoop

And this thing was evil before God, and He destroyed

them with the water of the Flood, which was colder

than ice. He opened the doors of heaven, and the

cataracts of the Flood poured down ; and He opened

the fountains that were under the earth, and the

fountains of the Flood appeared on the earth. And

the sinners were blotted out, for they reaped the fruit

of their punishment. And with them perished all

beasts and creeping things, for they were all created

for the gratification of Adam, and for his glory, some

to provide him with food, and some for his pleasure,

and some for the names to the glorification of his

Creator so that he might know them, even as David

saith, * And Thou hast set everything under his

feet ";! for his sake they were created, and for his

sake they were destroyed, with the exception of Eight

Souls, and seven of every kind of clean beasts and

creeping things, and two of every kind of unclean

beast and creeping thing.

9. CONCERNING THE CovENANT oF Noan

And then Noah the righteous man died, and Shem

reigned in wisdom and righteousness, for he was

blessed by Noah, saying, ‘‘ Be God to thy brother.”

And to Ham he said, “‘ Be servant to thy brother.”

And he said unto Japhet, ** Be thou servant to Shem

my heir, and be thou subject unto him."? And again,

after the Flood, the Devil, our Enemy, did not cease

from his hostility against the children of Noah, but

stirred up Canaan, the son of Ham, and he became the

violent tyrant (or usurper) who rent the kingdom from

the children of Shem. Now they had divided the earth

among them, and Noah had made them swear by the

Name of his God that they would not encroach on

each other's boundaries, and would not eat the beast

that had died of itself or had been rent [by wild

animals] and that they would not cultivate harlotry

against the law, lest God should again become angry

with them and punish them with a Flood. And as for

Noah, he humbled himself, and offered up sacrifice,

and he cried out, and groaned, and wept. And God

held converse with Noah, who said [unto Him], “ If

Thou wilt destroy the earth a second time with a Flood,

blot Thou me out with those who are to perish.” And

God said unto him, * I will make a covenant with thee

that thou shalt tell thy children they shall not eat

1 Psalm viii, 6. * Compare Genesis ix, 25-27.

Concerning Zion

the beast that hath died of itself or that hath been

torn by wild beasts, and they shall not cultivate

harlotry against the law ; and I, on My part, [covenant]

that I will not destroy the earth a second time with a

Flood, and that I will give unto thy children Winter and

Summer, Seedtime and Harvest, Autumn and Spring.!

Io. CONCERNING ZION

* And I swear by Myself and by Zion, the Tabernacle

of My covenant, which I have created for a mercy seat

and for the salvation of men, and in the latter days

I will make it to come down to thy seed, that I will

have pleasure in the offerings of thy children upon

earth, and the Tabernacle of My covenant shall be

with them for ever. And when a cloud hath appeared

[in the sky], so that they may not fear and may not

imagine that a Flood [is coming] I will make to come

down from My habitation of Zion the Bow of My

Covenant, that is to say, the rainbow, which shall

crown the Tabernacle of My Law. And it shall come

to pass that, when their sins spar gh and I am

wishful to be wroth with them, I will remember the

Tabernacle of My Covenant, and I will set the rainbow

[in the sky], and I will put away Mine anger and will

send My compassion. And I will not forget My word,

and that which hath gone forth from My mouth I will

not overlook. Though heaven and earth pass away

My word shall not pass away."?

And the Archbishops who were there answered and

said to the blessed Gregory, ‘‘ Behold now, we under-

stand clearly that before every created thing, even the

angels, and before the heavens and the earth, and before

the pillars of heaven, and the abysses of the sea, He

created the Tabernacle of the Covenant, and this

which is in heaven goeth about upon the earth.”

1 Genesis viii, 21 ; and compare Genesis 1x, 4.

2 Matthew xxiv, 35.

II. THe Unanimous DECLARATION OF THE

THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN ORTHODOX FATHERS

And they answered and said unto him, “ Yea, verily

the Tabernacle of the Covenant was the first thing to

be created by Him, and there is no lie in thy word ; it

is true, and correct, and righteous, and unalterable. He

created Zion before everything else to be the habitation

of His glory, and the plan of His Covenant was that

which He said, ‘I will put on the flesh of Adam, which

is of the dust, and I will appear unto all those whom

I have created with My hand and with My voice.’ And

if it had been that the heavenly Zion had not come

down, and if He had not put on the flesh of Adam,

then God the Word would not have appeared, and our

salvation would not have taken place. The testimony

(or proof) is in the similitude ; the heavenly Zion is to

be regarded as the similitude of the Mother of the

Redeemer, Mary. For in the Zion which is builded

there are deposited the Ten Words of the Law which

were written by His hands, and He Himself, the

Creator, dwelt in the womb of Mary, and through Him

everything came into being.”

I2. ConcERNING CANAAN!

Now, it was Canaan who rent the kingdom from the

children of Shem, and he transgressed the oath which

his father Noah had made them to swear. And the

sons of Canaan were seven mighty men, and he took

seven mighty cities from the land of Shem, and set his

sons over them; and likewise he also made his own

portion double. And in later days God took vengeance

upon the sons of Canaan, and made the sons of Shem

to inherit their country. These are the nations whom

they inherited: the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the

Hivites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Jebusites, and

1 The son of Ham (Genesis x, 6).

PLATE Jil

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451, fol.

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From Brit,

Moses receiving the Table of the Law from the hand of God on Sinai

Digitized by Google

Concerning Abraham

the Girgasites ; these are they whom Canaan seized by

force from the seed of Shem. For it was not right for

him to invade [his] kingdom, and to falsify the oath,

and because of this they ceased to be, and their

memorial perished, through transgressing [God’s] com-

mand, and worshipping idols, and bowing down to those

who were not gods. | !

And after the death of Shem Arphaxad reigned, and

after the death of Arphaxad KĶâynân! (Cainan)

reigned, and after the death of Káynán Sala (Salah)

reigned, and after him Eber reigned, and after him

Palék (Peleg) reigned, and after him Rágáw (Reu)

reigned, and after him Séróh (Serug) reigned, and after

him Nákhór (Nahor) reigned, and after him Tri

(Terah) reigned. And these are they who made magi-

cal images, and they went to the tombs of their fathers

and made an image (or, picture) of gold, and silver, and

brass, and a devil used to hold converse with them out

of each of the images of their fathers, and say unto

them, ** O my son So-and-so, offer up unto me as a sacri-

fice the son whom thou lovest.” And they slaugh-

tered their sons and their daughters to the devils, and

they poured out innocent blood to filthy devils.

I3. CoNcERNING ABRAHAM

And Tara (Terah) begot a son and called him “ Abra-

ham ” (or, Abram). And when Abraham was twelve

years old his father Terah sent him to sell idols. And

Abraham said, ** These are not gods that can make de-

liverance ” ; and he took away the idols to sell even as

his father had commanded him. And he said unto

those unto whom he would sell them, ** Do ye wish to

buy gods that cannot make deliverance, [things] made of

wood, and stone, and iron, and brass, which the hand of

an artificer hath made?” And they refused to buy

1 There is some confusion here; Cainan was the son of Enos

(Gen. v, 9).

the idols from Abraham because he himself had de-

famed the images of his father. And as he was return-

ing he stepped aside from the road, and he set the

images down, and looked at them, and said unto them,

* I wonder now if ye are able to do what I ask you at

this moment, and whether ye are able to give me bread

to eat or water to drink?” And none of them an-

swered him, for they were pieces of stone and wood ;

and he abused them and heaped revilings upon them,

and they spake never a word. And he buffeted the face

of one, and kicked another with his feet, and a third he

knocked over and broke to pieces with stones, and he

said unto them, “‘ If ye are unable to deliver yourselves

from him that buffeteth you, and ye cannot requite

with injury him that injureth you, how can ye be called

‘gods’? ‘Those who worship you do so in vain, and as

for myself I utterly despise you, and ye shall not be my

gods.” ‘Then he turned his face to the East, and he

stretched out his hands and said, ** Be Thou my God, O

Lord, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Creator of

the sun and the moon, Creator of the sea and the dry

land, Maker of the majesty of the heavens and the

earth, and of that which is visible and that which is in-

visible; O Maker of the universe, be Thou my God. I

place my trust in Thee, and from this day forth I will

place my trust in no other save Thyself.” And then

there appeared unto him a chariot of fire which

blazed, and Abraham was afraid and fell on his face

on the ground; and [God] said unto him, * Fear

thou not, stand upright"! And He removed fear

from him..

14. CONCERNING THE COVENANT OF ABRAHAM

And God held converse with Abram, and He said unto

him, “ Fear thou not. From this day thou art My ser-

1 Compare Genesis xv, I.

IO

Concerning the Covenant of Abraham

vant, and I will establish My Covenant with thee and

with thy seed after thee, and I will multiply thy seed,

and I will magnify thy name exceedingly. And I will

bring down the Tabernacle of My Covenant upon the

earth seven generations after thee, and it shall go round

about with thy seed, and shall be salvation unto thy

race; and afterwards I will send My Word for the sal-

vation of Adam and his sons for ever. And at this

moment these who are of thy kinsmen are evil men (or,

rebels), and My divinity, which is true, they have rejec-

ted. And as for thee, that day by day they may not

seduce thee, come, get thee forth out of this land, the

land of thy fathers, into the land which I will show thee,

and I will give it unto thy seed after thee.” And

Abrám made obeisance to God, and was subject to his

God. And [God] said unto him, ** Thy name shall be

Abraham ? ; and He gave him the salutation of peace

and went up into heaven. And Abraham returned to

his abode, and he took Sárá (Sarah) his wife, and went

forth and did not go back to his father, and his mother,

and his house, and his kinsfolk ; and he forsook them all

for God's sake. And he arrived in the city of Sálém,

and dwelt there and reigned in righteousness, and did

not transgress the commandment of God. And God

blessed him exceedingly, and at length he possessed

who stood before him and performed his will. And

they wore tunics richly embroidered with gold, and they

had chains of gold about their necks, and belts of gold

round their loins, and they had crowns of gold on their

heads ; and by means of these men Abraham vanquished

[his] foe. And he died in glory in God, and was more

gracious and excellent than those who were before him.

He was gracious, and held in honour, and highly es-

teemed.

! Compare Genesis xii and xiii, 14-17.

IT

I5. CoNnceRNING Isaac AND JacoB

And Isaac his son became king, and he did not trans-

his soul and in his body, and he died in honour. And

his son Jacob reigned, and he also did not transgress the

commandment of God, and his possessions became nu-

merous, and his children were many ; and God blessed

him and he died in honour.

16. ConcERNING Rós£L (REUBEN)

And after him, Jacob’s firstborn son transgressed the

commandment of God, and the kingdom departed from

him and from his seed, because he had defiled his father’s

wife! ; now it is not right to transgress the law which

God hath commanded. And his father cursed him, and

God was wroth with him, and he became the least

among his brethren, and his children became leprous

and scabby ; and although he was the firstborn son [of

Jacob] the kingdom was rent from him.* And his

younger brother reigned, and he was called Judah be-

cause of this. And his seed was blessed, and his king-

dom flourished, and his sons were blessed. And after

him Fárés (Pharez) his son reigned. And he died and

'"Isáróm (Hezron) his son reigned. And after him his

son 'Orni(Oren*?) reigned, and after him Aram (Aram?)

his son reigned, and after him Amínádáb his son reigned,

and after him Nasón (Naasson) his son reigned, and after

him Sala (Salmon ?) his son reigned, and after him

Bá*ós (Boaz) his son reigned, and after him ?'Iyübéd

(Obed) his son reigned, and after him E’séy (Jesse) his

son reigned. And this is what I say [concerning] the

kingdom: The blessing of the father [was] on the son,

1 Genesis xxxv, 22; xlix, 4. 3 t Chronicles v, 1.

* Here the name Judah is considered to be derived from the

Ethiopic root 52d, “ to carry off by force.”

* See r Chronicles ii, 25. 5 Matthew i, 4; Luke iii, 33.

Concerning the Glory of Zion

so that it (1.7., the kingdom) was blessed with prosperity.

And as for the kingship over Israel, after the death of

Jesse David reigned in righteousness, and in integrity,

and in graciousness.

17. CONCERNING THE GLORY OF ZION

And as concerning Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law

of God: at the very beginning, as soon as God had

stablished the heavens, He ordained that it should be-

come the habitation of His glory upon the earth. And

willing this He brought it down to the earth, and per-

mitted Moses to make a likeness of it. And He said unto

him, ** Make an ark (or, tabernacle) of wood that cannot

thou shalt place therein the Word of the Law, which is

the Covenant that I have written with Mine own fin-

gers, that they may keep My law, the Two Tables of

the Covenant." Now the heavenly and spiritual

[original] within it is of divers colours, and the work

thereof is marvellous, and it resembleth jasper, and the

sparkling stone, and the topaz, and the hyacinthine

stone (?), and the crystal, and the light, and it catcheth

the eye by force, and it astonisheth the mind and stupe-

fieth it with wonder ; it was made by the mind of God

and not by the hand of the artificer, man, but He Him-

self created it for the habitation of His glory. And it

is a spiritual thing and is full of compassion ; it is a hea-

venly thing and is full of light ; it is a thing of freedom

and a habitation of the Godhead, Whose habitation is in

heaven, and Whose place of movement is on the earth,

and it dwelleth with men and with the angels, a city of

salvation for men, and for the Holy Spirit a habitation.

And within it are a Gomor of gold [containing] a mea-

sure of the manna which came down from heaven ; and

the rod of Aaron which sprouted after it had become

withered though no one watered it with water, and one

1 See Exodus xxv, 10 ff.

I3

had broken it in two places, and it became three rods

being [originally only] one rod.

made for it poles wherewith to carry it and rings [in

which to place them], and they carried it before the

people until they brought it into the land of [their] in-

heritance, which is Jerusalem, the City of Zion. And

when they were crossing the Jordan and the priests were

carrying it, the waters stood upright like a wall until all

the people had passed over, and after all the people had

passed over the priests passed over bearing the Ark, and

they set it down in the city of Judah, the land of [their]

inheritance. And prophets were appointed over the

children of Israel in the Tabernacle of Testimony, and

the priests wore the ephod, so that they might minister

to the Tabernacle of Testimony, and the high priests

offered up offerings, so that they might obtain remission

of their own sins and of the sins of the people likewise.

And God commanded Moses and Aaron to make holy

vessels for the Tabernacle of Testimony for the furnish-

ing of the Holy of Holies, namely, vessels of gold, bowls

and pots, pitchers and sacred tables, netted cloths and

tops for pillars lamps and vessels for filling them, torch-

holders and snuffers, tongs, candlesticks, and rings and

rods for carrying them, large bowls and lavers, embroi-

dered curtains and hangings, crowns and worked vest-

peries, unguents for anointing priests and kings, hyacin-

hangings of silk (?), skins of kids and red hides of rams,

and sardius stones, and rubies, and sapphires, and emer-

alds [and to place them] in the Tabernacle of Witness,

where dwelleth Zion, the habitation of His glory.

[And God told them] to make for it the “ belly of a

ship " with the Two Tables, which were written by the

fingers of God—Zion shall rest upon them—And thou

shalt make for it a tabernacle of wood that the worms

Orthodox Fathers and Bishops Agreed

cannot eat, whereon Zion shall rest, two cubits and half

a cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and half

a cubit the breadth thereof, and thou shalt cover it

thereof. And thou shalt make the fittings and the

cover thereof of fine gold, and there shall be rings round

about it; and thou shalt make in the four sides four

holes for the carrying-poles. And thou shalt make it of

wood that the worms cannot eat, and thou shalt cover it

of the Law.

In this wise did God command Moses on Mount

Sinai, and He showed him the work thereof, and the con-

struction and the pattern of the Tent, according to

which he was to make it. And it (1.¢., Zion) was revered

and had exceedingly great majesty in Israel, and it was

acknowledged by God to be the habitation of His glory.

And He Himself came down on the mountain of His

holiness, and He held converse with His chosen ones,

and He opened to them [a way of] salvation, and He

delivered them from the hand of their enemies. And

he spake with them from the pillar of cloud, and com-

manded them to keep His Law and His commandments,

and to walk in the precepts of God.

18. How THE OnTHopox FATHERS AND BISHOPS

AGREED

And again the Council of the Three Hundred and

Eighteen answered and said, * Amen. This is the sal-

vation of the children of Adam. For since the Taber-

nacle of the Law of God hath come down, they shall be

called, ‘ Men of the house of God,’ even as David saith,

* And His habitation is in Zion! And again he saith

by the mouth of the Holy Ghost, ‘ And My habitation

is here, for I have chosen it. And TI will bless her priests,

1 í Psalm ix, 11.

ET

will I give seed in her, and upon the earth one who shall

become king, and moreover, in the heavens one from

his seed shall reign in the flesh upon the throne of the

Godhead. And as for his enemies they shall be gathered

together under his footstool, and they shall be sealed

with his seal.’ ”

I9. How THis Book CAME TO BE FOUND

And Démátéyós (Domitius), the Archbishop of Róm

(1.e., Constantinople, Byzantium), said, ** I have found

in the Church of [Saint] Sophia among the books and

the royal treasures a manuscript [which stated] that

the whole kingdom of the world [belonged] to the

Emperor of Róm and the Emperor of Ethiopia."

20. CONCERNING THE DIVISION or THE EARTH

From the middle of Jerusalem, and from the north

thereof to the south-east is the portion of the Emperor

of Róm ; and from the middle of Jerusalem from the

north thereof to the south and to Western India is the

portion of the Emperor of Ethiopia. For both of them

are of the seed of Shem, the son of Noah, the seed of

Abraham, the seed of David, the children of Solomon.

For God gave the seed of Shem glory because of the

blessing of their father Noah. The Emperor of Róm is

the son of Solomon, and the Emperor of Ethiopia is

the firstborn and eldest son of Solomon.

21. CoNCERNING THE QUEEN or THE SOUTH

And how this Queen was born I have discovered

written in that manuscript, and in this manner also

doth the Evangelist mention that woman. And our

Lord Jesus Christ, in condemning the Jewish people,

the crucifiers, who lived at that time, spake, saying:

** 'The Queen of the South shall rise up on the Day of

Judgment and shall dispute with, d condemn, and

overcome this generation who would not hearken unto

ipd ovt

M

PEATE IV

From Brit. Mus. MS. Orient. No. 481, fol. 73b

l'he Angel of God appearing to Moses

r

Concerning T émrin, the Merchant

the preaching of My word, for she came from the

ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon."!

And the Queen of the South of whom He spake was

the Queen of Ethiopia. And in the words “ ends of

the earth ? [He maketh allusion] to the delicacy of the

constitution of women, and the long distance of

the journey, and the burning heat of the sun, and

the hunger on the way, and the thirst for water. And

this Queen of the South was very beautiful in face, and

her stature was superb, and her understanding and in-

telligence, which God had given her, were of such high

character that she went to Jerusalem to hear the

wisdom of Solomon ; now this was done by the com-

mand of God and it was His good pleasure. And more-

over, she was exceedingly rich, for God had given her

glory, and riches, and gold, and silver, and splendid

apparel, and camels, and slaves, and trading men (or,

merchants). And they carried on her business and

trafficked for her by sea and by land, and in India, and

in 'Aswán (Syene). 7

l e

22. CoNcznNING TAmrin, THE MERCHANT

And there was a certain wise man, the leader of a

merchant's caravan, whose name was Tamrin, and he

used to load five hundred and twenty camels, and he

possessed about three and seventy ships.

Now at that time King Solomon wished to build

the House of God, and he sent out messages among all

the merchants in the east and in the west, and in the

north and in the south, bidding the merchants come

and take gold and silver from him, so that he might

take from them whatsoever was necessary for the work.

And certain men reported to him concerning this rich

Ethiopian merchant, and Solomon sent to him a message

and told him to bring whatsoever he wished from the

country of Arabia, red gold, and black wood that could

1 Matthew xii, 42; Luke ri, 31.

B 17

not be eaten by worms, and sapphires. And that mer-

chant, whose name was Tamrin, the merchant of the

Queen of Ethiopia, went to Solomon the King; and

Solomon took whatsoever he desired from him, and he

gave to the merchant whatsoever he wished for in great

abundance. Now that merchant was a man of great

understanding, and he saw and comprehended the

wisdom of Solomon, and he marvelled [thereat], and

he watched carefully so that he might learn how the

King made answer by his word, and understand his

judgment, and the readiness of his mouth, and the

discreetness of his speech, and the manner of his life,

and his sitting down and his rising up, and his occu-

pations, and his love, and his administration, and his

table, and his law. To those to whom Solomon had to

give orders he spake with humility and graciousness,

and when they had committed a fault he admonished

them [gently]. For he ordered his house in the wisdom

and fear of God, and he smiled graciously on the fools

; and set them on the right road, and he dealt gently

with the maidservants. He opened his mouth in

honey; his whole behaviour was admirable, and his

whole aspect pleasant. For wisdom is beloved by men

of understanding, and is rejected by fools.

And when that merchant had seen all these things

he was astonished, and he marvelled exteedingly. For

those who were wont to see Solomon held him in

complete affection, and he [became] their teacher ; and

because of his wisdom and excellence those who had

once come to him did not wish to leave him and go

away from him. And the sweetness of his words was

like water to the man who is athirst, and like bread to

the hungry man, and like healing to the sick man, and

like apparel to the naked man. And he was like a

ness and accepted the person of no man (t.¢., he was

How the Merchant Returned to Ethiopia

impartial). He had glory, and riches, which God had

given unto him, in great abundance, namely, gold, and

silver, and precious stones, and rich apparel, and cattle,

and sheep, and goats innumerable. Now in the days of

Solomon the King gold was as common as bronze, and

silver as lead, and bronze and lead and iron were as

abundant as the grass of the fields and the reeds of the

desert ; and cedarwood was also abundant. And God

had given unto him glory, and riches, and wisdom, and

grace in such abundance that there was none like unto

him among his predecessors, and among those who

came after him there was none like unto him.

23. How THE MERCHANT RETURNED TO ETHIOPIA

And it came to pass that the merchant Tamrin

wished to return to his own country, and he went to

Solomon and bowed low before him, and embraced

him, and said unto him, “ Peace be to thy majesty !

Send me away and let me depart to my country to

my Lady, for I have tarried long in beholding thy

glory, and thy wisdom, and the abundance of dainty

meats wherewith thou hast regaled me. And now

I would depart to my Lady. Would that I could abide

with thee, even as one of the very least of thy servants,

for blessed are they who hear thy voice and perform

thy commands! Would that I could abide here and

never leave thee! but thou must send me away to my

Lady because of what hath been committed to my

charge, so that I may give unto her her property.

And as for myself, I am her servant." And Solomon

went into his house and gave unto him whatever

valuable thing he desired for the country of Ethiopia,

and he sent him away in peace. And Tamrin bade

him farewell, and went forth, and journeyed along his

road, and came to his Lady, and delivered over to her

all the possessions which he had brought. And he re-

lated unto her how he had arrived in the country of

B 2 19

Judah [and] Jerusalem, and how he had gone into the

presence of Solomon the King, and all that he had

heard and seen. And he told her how Solomon admin-

istered just judgment, and how he spake with authority,

and how he decided rightly in all the matters which he

enquired into, and how he returned soft and gracious

answers, and how there was nothing false about him,

and how he appointed inspectors over the seven hun-

dred woodmen who hauled the timber and the eight

hundred masons who hewed the stone, and how he

sought to learn from all the merchants and dealers

concerning the cunning craft and the working thereof,

and how he received information and imparted it

twofold, and how all his handicraft and his works were

performed with wisdom.

And each morning Tamrin related to the Queen

[about] all the wisdom of Solomon, how he adminis-

tered judgment and did what was just, and how he

ordered his table, and how he made feasts, and how he

taught wisdom, and how he directed his servants and

all his affairs on a wise system, and how they went on

their errands at his command, and how no man

property of his neighbour, and how there was neither

a thief nor a robber in his days. For in his wisdom he

knew those who had done wrong, and he chastised

them, and made them afraid, and they did not repeat

their evil deeds, but they lived in a state of peace

which had mingled therein the fear of the King.

All these things did Tamrin relate unto the Queen,

and each morning he recalled the things that he had

seen with the King and described them unto her.

And the Queen was struck dumb with wonder at the

things that she heard from the merchant her servant,

and she thought in her heart that she would go to

him; and she wept by reason of the greatness of her

pleasure in those things that Tamrin had told her.

How the Queen made ready for her Journey

And she was exceedingly anxious to go to him, but

when she pondered upon the long journey she thought

that it was too far and too difficult to undertake. And

time after time she asked TAamrin questions about

Solomon, and time after time Tamrin told her about

him, and she became very wishful and most desirous to go

that she might hear his wisdom, and see his face, and

embrace him, and petition his royalty. And her heart

inclined to go to him, for God had made her heart

incline to go and had made her to desire it.

24. How THE QUEEN MADE READY TO SET OUT ON HER

JouRNEY

And the Queen said unto them, “ Hearken, O ye

who are my people, and give ye ear to my words. For I

desire wisdom and my heart seeketh to find understand-

ing. I am smitten with the love of wisdom, and I am

constrained by the cords of understanding ; for wisdom

is far better than treasure of gold and silver, and wisdom

is the best of everything that hath been created on the

earth. Now unto what under the heavens shall wisdom

be compared ? It is sweeter than honey, and it maketh

one to rejoice more than wine, and it illumineth more

than the sun, and it is to be loved more than precious

stones. And it fatteneth more than oil, and it satis-

fieth more than dainty meats, and it giveth [a man]

more renown than thousands of gold and silver. It is

a source of joy for the heart, and a bright and shining

light for the eyes, and a giver of speed to the feet, and a

shield for the breast, and a helmet for the head, and

chain-work for the neck, and a belt for the loins. It

maketh the ears to hear and hearts to understand, it is

a teacher of those who are learned, and it is a consoler of

those who are discreet and prudent, and it giveth fame

to those who seek after it. And as for a kingdom, it

cannot stand without wisdom, and riches cannot be

preserved without wisdom ; the foot cannot keep the

2I

place wherein it hath set itself without wisdom. And

without wisdom that which the tongue speaketh 1s not

acceptable. Wisdom is the best of all treasures. He

who heapeth up gold and silver doeth so to no profit

without wisdom, but he who heapeth up wisdom—no

man can filch it from his heart. That which fools heap

up the wise consume. And because of the wickedness

of those who do evil the righteous are praised; and

because of the wicked acts of fools the wise are beloved.

Wisdom is an exalted thing and a rich thing: I will love

her like a mother, and she shall embrace me like her

child. I will follow the footprints of wisdom and she

shall protect me for ever ; I will seek after wisdom, and

she shall be with me for ever; I will follow her foot-

rints, and she shall not cast meaway ; I willlean upon

er, and she shall be unto me a wall of adamant ; I will

seek asylum with her, and she shall be unto me power

and strength ; I will rejoice in her, and she shall be

unto me abundant grace. For it is right for us to follow

the footprints of wisdom, and for the soles of our feet to

stand upon the threshold of the gates of wisdom. Let

us seek her, and we shall find her ; let us love her, and

her, and we shall overtake her ; let us ask, and we shall

receive; and let us turn our hearts to her so that we

may never forget her. If [we] remember her, she will

have us in remembrance ; and in connection with fools

thou shalt not remember wisdom, for they do not hold

her in honour, and she doth notlovethem. Thehonour-

ing of wisdom is the honouring of the wise man, and the

loving of wisdom is the loving of the wise man. Love

the wise man and withdraw not thyself from him, and by

the sight of him thou shalt become wise ; hearken to the

utterance of his mouth, so that thou mayest become

like unto him ; watch the place whereon he hath set his

foot, and leave him not, so that thou mayest receive the

remainder of his wisdom. And I love him merely on

How the Queen came to Solomon the King

hearing concerning him and without seeing him, and the

whole story of him that hath been told me is to me as

the desire of my heart, and like water to the thirsty man.”

And her nobles, and her slaves, and her handmaidens,

and her counsellors answered and said unto her, * O our

Lady, as for wisdom, it is not lacking in thee, and it is

because of thy wisdom that thou lovest wisdom. And

as for us, if thou goest we will go with thee, and if thou

sittest down we will sit down with thee ; our death shall

be with thy death, and our life with thy life.” Then

the Queen made ready to set out on her journey with

great pomp and majesty, and with great equipment and

many preparations. For, by the Will of God, her heart

desired to go to Jerusalem so that she might hear the

wisdom of Solomon ; for she had hearkened eagerly. So

she made ready to set out. And seven hundred and

ninety-seven camels were loaded, and mules and asses

innumerable were loaded, and she set out on her journey

and followed her road without pause, and her heart had

confidence in God.

25. How THE QuEEN CAME TO SOLOMON THE KING

And she arrived in Jerusalem, and brought to the King

very many precious gifts which he desired to possess

greatly. And he paid her great honour and rejoiced,

and he gave her a habitation in the royal palace near

him. And he sent her food both for the morning and

evening meal, each time fifteen measures by the £órí of

finely ground white meal, cooked with oil and gravy and

sauce in abundance, and thirty measures by the £677 of

crushed white meal wherefrom bread for three hundred

and fifty people was made, with the necessary platters

and trays, and ten stalled oxen, and five bulls, and

fifty sheep, without (counting) the kids, and deer, and

gazelles and fatted fowls, and a vessel of wine containing

sixty gerrdt measures, and thirty measures of old wine,

and twenty-five singing men and twenty-five singing

women, and the finest honey and rich sweets, and

some of the food which he himself ate, and some of the

wine whereof he drank. And every day he arrayed her

in eleven garments which bewitched the eyes. And he

visited her and was gratified, and she visited him and

was gratified, and she saw his wisdom, and his just judg-

ments and his splendour, and his grace, and heard the

eloquence of his speech. And she marvelled in her

heart, and was utterly astonished in her mind, and she

recognized in her understanding, and perceived very

clearly with her eyes how admirable he was; and she

wondered exceedingly because of what she saw and

heard with him—how perfect he was in composure, and

wise in understanding, and pleasant in graciousness,

and commanding in stature. And she observed the

subtlety of his voice, and the discreet utterances of his

lips, and that he gave his commands with dignity, and

that his replies were made quietly and with the fear of

God. All these things she saw, and she was astonished

at the abundance of his wisdom, and there was nothing

whatsoever wanting in his word and speech, but every-

thing that he spake was perfect.

And Solomon was working at the building of the

House of God, and he rose up and went to the right

and to the left, and forward and backward. And he

showed the workmen the measurement and weight and

the space covered [by the materials], and he told the

workers in metal how to use the hammer, and the drill,

and the chisel (?), and he showed the stone-masons the

angle [measure] and the circle and the surface [measure].

And everything was wrought by his order, and there

was none who set himself in opposition to his word ; for

the light of his heart was like a lamp in the darkness, and

his wisdom was as abundant as the sand. And of the

speech of the beasts and the birds there was nothing

hidden from him, and he forced the devils to obey him

by his wisdom. And he did everything by means of the

PLAZEJK

| MEN

HM

lt HAL MM

T — i (641 TL " i

Th c

II 177

‘<<

From Brit. Mus. MS. Orient. No. 481, fol. 345

Aaron holding in his left hand his rod which blossomed

How the King held converse with the Queen

skill which God gave him when he made supplication to

Him ; for he did not ask for victory over his enemy, and

he did not ask for riches and fame, but he asked God to

give him wisdom and understanding whereby he might

rule his people, and build His House, and beautify the

work of God and all that He had given him [in] wisdom

and understanding.

26. How THE KING HELD CONVERSE WITH THE QUEEN

And the Queen Makéda spake unto King Solomon,

saying, ** Blessed art thou, my lord, in that such wisdom

and understanding have been given unto thee. For

myself I only wish that I could be as one of the least

of thine handmaidens, so that I could wash thy feet,

and hearken to thy wisdom, and apprehend thy under-

standing, and serve thy majesty, and enjoy thy wisdom.

O how greatly have pleased me thy answering, and the

sweetness of thy voice, and the beauty of thy going, and

the graciousness of thy words, and the readiness thereof.

The sweetness of thy voice maketh the heart to rejoice,

and maketh the bones fat, and giveth courage to hearts,

and goodwill and grace to the lips, and strength to the

gait. I look upon thee and I see that thy wisdom is

immeasureable and thine understanding inexhaustible,

and that it is like unto a lamp in the darkness, and like

unto a pomegranate in the garden, and like unto a pearl

in the sea, and like unto the Morning Star among the

stars, and like unto the light of the moon in the mist,

and like unto a glorious dawn and sunrise in the heavens.

And I give thanks unto Him that brought me hither and

showed thee to me, and made me to tread upon the

threshold of thy gate, and made me to hear thy voice.”

And King Solomon answered and said unto her,

* Wisdom and understanding spring from thee thyself.

As for me, [I only possess them] in the measure in which

the God of Israel hath given [them] to me because I

asked and entreated them from Him. And thou, al-

though thou dost not know the God of Israel, hast this

wisdom which thou hast made to grow in thine heart,

and [it hath made thee come] to see me, the vassal and

slave of my God, and the building of His sanctuary

which I am establishing, and wherein I serve and move

round about my Lady, the Tabernacle of the Law of the

God of Israel, the holy and heavenly Zion. Now, I am

the slave of my God, and I am not a free man; I do

not serve according to mv own will but according to

His Will. And this speech of mine springeth not from

myself, but I give utterance only to what He maketh

me to utter. Whatsoever He commandeth me that I

do; wheresoever He wisheth me to go thither I go;

whatsoever He teacheth me that I speak; that con-

cerning which He giveth me wisdom I understand. For

from being only dust He hath made me flesh, and from

being only water He hath made me a solid man, and from

being only an ejected drop, which shot forth upon the

ground would have dried up on the surface of the earth,

He hath fashioned me in His own likeness and hath made

me in His own image."

27. CoNcERNING THE LABOURER

And as Solomon was talking in this wise with the

Queen, he saw a certain labourer carrying a stone upon

his head and a skin of water upon his neck and shoulders,

and his food and his sandals were [tied] about his loins,

and there were pieces of wood in his hands; his gar-

ments were ragged and tattered, the sweat fell in drops

from his face, and water from the skin of water dripped

down upon his feet. And the labourer passed before

Solomon, and as he was going by the King said unto

him, * Stand still ? ; and the labourer stood still. And

the King turned to the Queen and said unto her, ** Look

at this man. Wherein am I superior to this man ? And

in what am I better than this man ? And wherein shall

I glory over this man? For I am a man and dust and

Concerning the Labourer

ashes, who to-morrow will become worms and corrup-

tion, and yet at this moment I appear like one who will

never die. Who would make any complaint against

God if He were to give unto this man as He hath given to

me, and if He were to make me even as this man is ?

Are we not both of us beings, that is to say men? As is

his death, [so] is my death; and as is his life [so] is my

life. Yet this man is stronger to work than I am, for

God giveth power to those who are feeble just as it

kno Him to do so.” And Solomon said unto the

abourer, * Get thee to thy work.”

And he spake further unto the Queen, saying, ** What

is the use of us, the children of men, if we do not exer-

cise kindness and love upon earth? Are we not all

nothingness, mere grass of the field, which withereth in

its season and is burnt in the fire? On the earth we

provide ourselves with dainty meats, and [we wear]

costly apparel, but even whilst we are alive we are stink-

ing corruption ; we provide ourselves with sweet scents

and delicate unguents, but even whilst we are alive we

are dead in sin and in transgressions ; being wise, we

become fools through disobedience and deeds of in-

iquity ; being held in honour, we become contemp-

tible through magic, and sorcery, and the worship of

idols. Now the man who is a being of honour, who was

created in the image of God, if he doeth that which is

good becometh like God ; but the man who is a thing

of nothingness, if he committeth sin becometh like unto

the Devil—the arrogant Devil who refused to obey the

command of his Creator—and all the arrogant among

men walk in his way, and they shall be judged with him.

And God loveth the lowly-minded, and those who prac-

tise humility walk in His way, and they shall rejoice in

Hiskingdom. Blessed is the man who knoweth wisdom,

that is to say, compassion and the fear of God."

And when the Queen heard this she said, * How th

voice doth please me! And how greatly do thy words

and the utterance of thy mouth delight me! Tell

me now: whom is it right for me to worship? We

worship the sun according as our fathers have taught us

to do, because we say that the sun is the king of the

gods. And there are others among our subjects [who

worship other things]; some worship stones, and some

worship wood (t.e., trees), and some worship carved

figures, and some worship images of gold and silver.

And we worship the sun, for he cooketh our food, and

moreover, he illumineth the darkness, and removeth

fear; we call him ‘ Our King,’ and we call him ‘ Our

Creator,’ and we worship him as our god ; for no man

hath told us that besides him there is another god. But

we have heard that there is with you, Israel, another

God Whom we do not know, and men have told us that

He hath sent down to you from heaven a Tabernacle

and hath given unto you a Tablet of the ordering of the

angels, by the hand of Moses the Prophet. This also

we have heard—that He Himself cometh down to you

and talketh to you, and informeth you concerning His

ordinances and commandments.”

28. How SoLoMON GAVE COMMANDMENTS TO THE

QUEEN

And the King answered and said unto her, “ Verily,

it is right that they (t.e., men) should worship God,

Who created the universe, the heavens and the earth,

the sea and the dry land, the sun and the moon, the stars

and the brilliant bodies of the heavens, the trees and

the stones, the beasts and the feathered fowl, the wild

beasts and the crocodiles, the fish and the whales, the

hippopotamuses and the water lizards, the lightnings

and the crashes of thunder, the clouds and the thunders,

and the good and the evil. It is meet that Him alone

we should worship, in fear and trembling, with joy and

with gladness. For He is the Lord of the Universe, the

Creator of angels and men. And it is He Who killeth

Solomon gave Commandments to the Queen

and maketh to live, it is He Who inflicteth punishment

and showeth compassion, Who raiseth up from the

from the dust, Who maketh to be sorrowful and Who

maketh to rejoice, Who raiseth up and Who bringeth

down. No one can chide Him, for He is the Lord

of the Universe, and there is no one who can say unto

Him, * What hast Thou done ?? And unto Him it is

meet that there should be praise and thanksgiving from

angels and men. And as concerning what thou sayest,

that ‘He hath given unto you the Tabernacle of the Law,’

verily there hath been given unto us the Tabernacle of

the God of Israel, which was created before all creation

by His glorious counsel. And He hath made to come

down to us His commandments, done into writing, so

that we may know His decree and the judgment that

He hath ordained in the mountain of His holiness,”

And the Queen said, ** From this moment I will not

worship the sun, but will worship the Creator of the

sun, the God of Israel. And that Tabernacle of the

God of Israel shall be unto me my Lady, and unto my

seed after me, and unto all my kingdoms that are under

my dominion. And because of this I have found favour

before thee, and before the God of Israel my Creator,

Who hath brought me unto thee, and hath made me to

hear thy voice, and hath shown me thy face, and hath

thade me to understand thy commandment.” Then

she returned to [her] house.

And the Queen used to go [to Solomon] and return

continually, and hearken unto his wisdom, and keep it

in her heart. And Solomon used to go and visit her,

and answer all the questions which she put to him, and

the Queen used to visit him and ask him questions, and

he informed her concerning every matter that she wished

to enquire about. And after she had dwelt [there] six

months the Queen wished to return to her own country,

and she sent a message to Solomon, saying, *' I desire

greatly to dwell with thee, but now, for the sake of all

my people, I wish to return to my own country. And

as for that which I have heard, may God make it to bear

fruit in my heart, and in the hearts of all those who have

heard it with me. For the ear could never be filled with

the hearing of thy wisdom, and the eye could never

be filled with the sight of the same."

Now it was not only the Queen who came [to hear the

wisdom of Solomon], but very many used to come from

cities and countries, both from near and from far ; for

in those days there was no man found to be like unto

him for wisdom (and it was not only human beings who

came to him, but the wild animals and the birds used to

come to him and hearken unto his voice, and hold

converse with him), and then they returned to their

own countries, and every one of them was astonished at

his wisdom, and marvelled at what he had seen and heard.

And when the Queen sent her message to Solomon,

saying that she was about to depart to her own country,

he pondered in his heart and said, “ A woman of such

splendid beauty hath come to me from the ends of the

earth! What do I know? Will God give me seed in

her?" Now,asitissaid in the Book of Kings, Solomon

the King was a lover of women.! And he married wives

of the Hebrews, and the Egyptians, and the Canaanites,

and the Edomites, and the lyóbáwiyán (Moabites ?),

and from Rif? and Kuérgué,? and Damascus, and Sürest

(Syria), and women who were reported to be beautiful.

And he had four hundred queens and six hundred con-

cubines. Now this which he did was not for [the sake

of] fornication, but as a result of the wise intent that

God had given unto him, and his remembering what

God had said unto Abraham, “I will make thy seed

like the stars of heaven for number, and like the sand of

the sea."* And Solomon said in his heart, ** What do

! 1 Kings xi, I. 2 Upper Egypt.

> See Yáküt, IV, p. 250. * Genesis xxii, 17.

Three Hundred and Eighteen Patriarchs

I know ? Peradventure God will give me men children

from each one of these women." Therefore when he

did thus he acted wisely, saying, ** My children shall

inherit the cities of the enemy, and shall destroy those

who worship idols.”

Now those early peoples lived under the law of the

flesh, for the grace of the Holy Spirit had not been

given unto them. And to those [who lived] after

Christ, it was given to live with one woman under the

law of marriage. And the Apostles laid down for them

an ordinance, saying, ‘‘ All those who have received His

flesh and His blood are brethren. ‘Their mother is the

Church and their father is God, and they cry out with

Christ Whom they have received, saying, * Our Father,

Who art in heaven. " And as concerning Solomon no

law had been laid down for him in respect of women,

and no blame can be imputed to him in respect of

marrying [many] wives. But for those who believe, the

law and the command have been given that they shall

not marry many wives, even as Paul saith, “ Those who

marry many wives seek their own punishment. He who

marrieth one wife hath no sin."! And the law re-

straineth us from the sister [-in-law],? in respect of the

bearing of children. The Apostles speak [concerning

it] in the [Book of] Councils.?

29. CONCERNING THE THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN

[PaTRIARCHS |

Now we ordain even as did they. We know well

what the Apostles who were before us spake. We the

Three Hundred and Eighteen have maintained and laid

down the orthodox faith, our Lord Jesus Christ being

with us. And He hath directed us what we should

teach, and how we should fashion the faith.

* Compare 1 Corinthians, vii. 3 Compare Leviticus xviii, 18.

3 Guidi (apud Bezold) compares No. 19 of the Apocryphal Canones

Apostolorum.

[THe NARRATIVE oF SOLOMON AND THE QUEEN

OF SHEBA CONTINUED |

And King Solomon sent a message unto the Queen,

saying, “‘ Now that thou hast come here why wilt thou

go away without seeing the administration of the king-

dom, and how the meal[s] for the chosen ones of the

kingdom are eaten after the manner of the righteous,

and how the people are driven away after the manner of

sinners ? From [the sight of] it thou wouldst acquire

wisdom. Follow me now and seat thyself in my splen-

dour in the tent, and I will complete thy instruction,

and thou shalt learn the administration of my kingdom ;

for thou hast loved wisdom, and she shall dwell with

thee until thine end and for ever." Now a prophecy

maketh itself apparent in [this] speech.

And the Queen sent a second message, saying, ** From

being a fool, I have become wise by following thy wis-

dom, and from being a thing rejected by the God of

Israel, I have become a chosen woman because of this

faith which is in my heart ; and henceforth I will wor-

ship no other god except Him. And as concerning that

which thou sayest, that thou wishest to increase in me

wisdom and honour, I will come according to thy

desire." And Solomon rejoiced because of this [mes-

sage] and he arrayed his chosen ones [in splendid

apparel], and he added a double supply to his table, and

he had all the arrangements concerning the manage-

ment of his house carefully ordered, and the house of

King Solomon was made ready [for guests] daily. And

he made it ready with very great pomp, in joy, and in

peace, in wisdom, and in tenderness, with all humility

and lowliness; and then he ordered the royal table

according to the law of the kingdom.

And the Queen came and passed into a place set apart

in splendour and glory, and she sat down immediately

behind him where she could see and learn and know

PLATE VI

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From Brit. Mus. MS. Orient. No. 481, fol. 994

The Archangel Gabriel appearing to Zacharias as he ministered at the altar

in the Sanctuary

Digitized by Google

How King Solomon swore to the Queen

everything. And she marvelled exceedingly at what

she saw, and at what she heard, and she praised the God

of Israel in her heart ; and she was struck with wonder

at the splendour of the royal palace which she saw. For

she could see, though no one could see her, even as

Solomon had arranged in wisdom for her. He had

beautified the place where she was seated, and had

and decorated it with miskat (moschus), and marbles,

and precious stones, and he burned aromatic powders,

and sprinkled oil of myrrh and cassia round about, and

scattered frankincense and costly incense in all direc-

tions. And when they brought her into this abode, the

odour thereof was very pleasing to her, and even before

she ate the dainty meats therein she was satisfied with

the smell of them. And with wise intent Solomon sent

to her meats which would make her thirsty, and drinks

that were mingled with vinegar, and fish and dishes made

with pepper. And this he did and he gave them to the

Queen to eat. And the royal meal had come to an end

three times and seven times,! and the administrators,

and the counsellors, and the young men and the servants

had departed, and the King rose up and he went to the

Queen, and he said unto her—now they were alone to-

gether— Take thou thine ease here for love’s sake until

daybreak.” And she said unto him, ** Swear to me by

thy God, the God of Israel, that thou wilt not take me

by force. For if I, who according to the law of men am

a maiden, be seduced, I should travel on my journey

[back] in sorrow, and affliction, and tribulation.”

30. CONCERNING How KinG SOLOMON SWORE TO THE

QUEEN

And Solomon answered and said unto her, ** I swear

unto thee that I will not take thee by force, but thou

must swear unto me that thou wilt not take by force

1 i.e., three courses and seven courses had been consumed.

s 33

anything that isin my house.” And the Queen laughed

and said unto him, “ Being a wise man why dost thou

speak as a fool ? Shall I steal anything, or shall I carry

out of the house of the King that which the King hath

not given tome? Do not imagine that I have come

hither through love of riches. Moreover, my own king-

dom is as wealthy as thine, and there is nothing which I

wish for that I lack. Assuredly I have only come in

quest of thy wisdom.” And he said unto her, “ If thou

wouldst make me swear, swear thou to me, for a swearing

is meet for both [of us], so that neither of us may be

unjustly treated. And if thou wilt not make me swear

I will not make thee swear." And she said unto him,

* Swear to me that thou wilt not take me by force, and

I on my part will swear not to take by force thy pos-

sessions ? ; and he swore to her and made her swear.

And the King went up on his bed on the one side

[^f the chamber], and the servants made ready for her a

ed on the other side. And Solomon said unto a young

manservant, * Wash out the bowl and set in it a vessel of

water whilst the Queen is looking on, and shut the doors

and go and sleep." And Solomon spake to the servant

in another tongue which the Queen did not under-

stand, and he did as the King commanded, and went and

slept. And the King had not as yet fallen asleep, but he

only pretended to be asleep, and he was vicine the

Queen intently. Now the house of Solomon the King

was illumined as by day, for in his wisdom he had made

shining pearls which were like unto the sun, and moon,

and stars [and had set them] in the roof of his house.

And the Queen slept a little. And when she woke

up her mouth was dry with thirst, for the food which

Solomon had given her in his wisdom had made her

thirsty, and she was very spun A indeed, and her mouth

was dry ; and she moved her lips and sucked with her

mouth and found no moisture. And she determined

to drink the water which she had seen, and she looked

How King Solomon swore to the Queen

at King Solomon and watched him carefully, and she

thought that he was sleeping a sound sleep. But he

was not asleep, and he was waiting until she should

rise up to steal the water to [quench] her thirst. And

she rose up and, making no sound with her feet, she

went to the water in the bowl and lifted up the jar to

drink the water. And Solomon seized her bod before

she could drink the water, and said unto her, “ Why

hast thou broken the oath that thou hast sworn that

thou wouldst not take by force anything that is in my

house?" And she answered and said unto him in

fear, * Is the oath broken by my drinking water ? ”

And the King said unto her, “ Is there anything that

thou hast seen under the heavens that is better than

water ?" And the Queen said, “ I have sinned against

myself, and thou art free from [thy] oath. But let me

drink water for my thirst." Then Solomon said unto

her, * Am I perchance free from the oath which thou

hast made me swear ? " And the Queen said, “‘ Be free

from thy oath, only let me drink water.” And he per-

mitted her to drink water, and after she had drunk water

he worked his will with her and they slept together.

And after he slept there appeared unto King Solo-

mon [in a dream]a brilliant sun, and it came down from

heaven and shed exceedingly great splendour over

Israel. And when it had tarried there for a time it

suddenly withdrew itself, and it flew away to the

country of Ethiopia, and it shone there with exceed-

ingly great brightness for ever, for it willed to dwell

there. And [the King said], “‘ I waited [to see] if it

would come back to Israel, but it did not return.

And again while I waited a light rose up in the heavens,

and a Sun came down from them in the country of

Judah, and it sent forth light which was very much

stronger than before.” And? Israel, because of the

1 The remainder of this paragraph is a comment by the author of

this work.

c 2 35

flame of that Sun entreated that Sun evilly and would

not walk in the light thereof. And that Sun paid no

heed to Israel, and the Israelites hated Him, and it

became impossible that peace should exist between

them and the Sun. And they lifted up their hands

against Him with staves and knives, and they wished

to extinguish that Sun. And they cast darkness upon

the whole world with earthquake and thick darkness,

and they imagined that that Sun would never more

rise upon them. And they destroyed His light and

cast themselves upon Him and they set a guard over

His tomb wherein they had cast Him. And He came

forth where they did not look for Him, and illumined

the whole world, more especially the First Sea and

the Last Sea, Ethiopia and Róm. And He paid no

heed whatsoever to Israel, and He ascended His former

throne. |

And when Solomon the King saw this vision in his

sleep, his soul became disturbed, and his understanding

was snatched away as by [a flash of] lightning, and he

woke up with an agitated mind. And moreover, Solo-

mon marvelled concerning the Queen, for she was

vigorous in strength, and beautiful of form, and she

was undefiled in her virginity; and she had reigned

for six years in her own country, and, notwithstand-

ing her gracious attraction and her splendid form, had

olomon, “ Dismiss me, and let me depart to my own

country." And he went into his house and gave unto

her whatsoever she wished for of splendid things and

riches, and beautiful apparel which bewitched the eyes,

and everything on which great store was set in the

country of Ethiopia, and camels and wagons, six thou-

sand in number, which were laden with beautiful things

of the most desirable kind, and wagons wherein loads

were carried over the desert, and a vessel wherein one

could travel over the sea, and a vessel wherein one

Concerning the sign Solomon gave the Queen

could traverse the air (or winds), which Solomon had

made by the wisdom that God had given unto him.

31. CONCERNING THE SIGN WHICH SOLOMON GAVE THE

EN

And the Queen rejoiced, and she went forth in order

to depart, and the King set her on her way with great

pomp and ceremony. And Solomon took her aside so

that they might be alone together, and he took off the

ring that was upon his little finger, and he gave it to

the Queen, and said unto her, “ Take [this] so that

thou mayest not forget me. And if it happen that

I obtain seed from thee, this ring shall be unto it a

sign; and if it be a man child he shall come to me;

and the peace of God be with thee! Whilst I was

sleeping with thee I saw many visions in a dream,

[and it seemed] as if a sun had risen upon Israel, but

it snatched itself away and flew off and lighted up the

country of Ethiopia; peradventure that country shall

be blessed through thee; God knoweth. And as for

thee, observe what I have told thee, so that thou

mayest worship God with all thy heart and perform

His Will. For He punisheth those who are arrogant,

and He showeth compassion upon those who are

humble, and He removeth the thrones of the mighty,

and He maketh to be honoured those who are needy.

For death and life are from Him, and riches and

poverty are bestowed by His Will. For everything is

His, and none can oppose His command and His judg-

ment in the heavens, or in the earth, or in the sea, or

in the abysses. And may God be with thee! Go in

peace.” And they separated from each other.

32. How THE QUEEN BROUGHT FORTH AND CAME TO

HER OWN COUNTRY

And the Queen departed and came into the country

of Bala Zadisáréyà nine months and five days after she

had separated from King Solomon. And the pains of

childbirth laid hold upon her, and she brought forth

a man child, and she gave it to the nurse with great

p and delight. And she tarried until the days of

own country with great pomp and ceremony. And

her officers who had remained there brought gifts to

their mistress, and made obeisance to her, and did

homage to her, and all the borders of the country

rejoiced at her coming. Those who were nobles among

them she arrayed in splendid apparel, and to some she

and she gave them all manner of things that could be

desired. And she ordered her kingdom aright, and

none disobeyed her command ; for she loved wisdom

and God strengthened her kingdom.

And the child grew and she called his name Bayna-

Lebkem. And the child reached the age of twelve

years, and he asked his friends among the boys who

were being educated with him, and said unto them,

* Who is my father?" And they said unto him,

* Solomon the King." And he went to the Queen his

mother, and said unto her, * O Queen, make me to

know who is my father." And the Queen spake unto

him angrily, wishing to frighten him so that he might

not desire to go [to his father] saying, “ Why dost

thou ask me about thy father? I am thy father and

thy mother; seek not to know any more." And the

boy went forth from her presence, and sat down. And

a second time, and a third time he asked her, and he

importuned her to tell him. One day, however, she

told him, saying, “ His country is far away, and the

road thither is very difficult ; wouldst thou not rather

be here?” And the youth Bayna-Lehkem was hand-

some, and his whole body and his members, and the

bearing of his shoulders resembled those of King Solo-

mon his father, and his eyes, and his legs, and his

How the King of Ethiopia Travelled

whole gait resembled those of Solomon the King. And

when he was two and twenty years old he was skilled

in the whole art of war and of horsemanship, and in

the hunting and trapping of wild beasts, and in every-

thing that young men are wont to learn. And he said

unto the Queen, “ I will go and look upon the face of

my father, and I will come back here by the Will of

God, the Lord of Israel."

33. How tue Kinc or ETHIOPIA TRAVELLED

And the Queen called Tamrin, the chief of her

caravan men and merchants, and she said unto him,

* Get ready for thy journey and take this young man

with thee, for he importuneth me by night and b

day. And thou shalt take him to the King and shale

bring him back hither in safety, if God, the Lord of

Israel, pleaseth.” And she prepared a retinue suitable

to their wealth and honourable condition, and made

ready all the goods that were necessary for the journey,

and for presenting as gifts to the King, and all that

would be necessary for ease and comfort by the way.

And she made ready everything for sending him away,

and she gave to the officers who were to accompany

him such moneys as they would need for him and for

themselves on the journey. And she commanded them

that they were not to leave him there, but only to take

him to the King, and then to bring him back again to

her, when he should assume the sovereignty over her

land.

Now there was a law in the country of Ethiopia that

[only] a woman should reign, and that she must be a

virgin who had never known man, but the Queen said

[unto Solomon], “ Henceforward a man who is of thy

seed shall reign, and a woman shall nevermore reign ;

only seed of thine shall reign and his seed after him

from generation to generation. And this thou shalt

inscribe in the letters of the rolls in the Book of their

Prophets in brass, and thou shalt lay it in the House

of God, which shall be built as a memorial and as a

prophecy for the last days. And the people shall not

worship the sun and the magnificence of the heavens,

or the mountains and the forests, or the stones and the

trees of the wilderness, or the abysses and that which

is in the waters, or graven images and figures of gold,

or the feathered fowl which fly; and they shall not

. make use of them in divining, and they shall not pay

adoration unto them. And this law shall abide for

ever. And if there be anyone who shall transgress this

law, thy seed shall judge him for ever. Only give us

the fringes of the covering of the holy heavenly Zion,

the Tabernacle of the Law of God, which we would

embrace (or, greet). Peace be to the strength of thy

kingdom and to thy brilliant wisdom, which God, the

Lord of Israel our Creator, hath given unto thee.”

And the Queen took the young man aside and when

he was alone with her she gave him that symbol which

Solomon had given her, that is to say, the ring on

his finger, so that he might know his son, and might

remember her word and her covenant which she had

made [with him], that she would worship God all the

days of her life, she and those who were under her

dominion, with all [the power] which God had given

her. And then the Queen sent him away in peace.

And the young man [and his retinue] made straight

their way and they journeyed on and came into the

country of the neighbourhood of Gaza. Now this is

the Gaza which Solomon the King gave to the Queen

of Ethiopia. And in the Acts of the Apostles Luke

the Evangelist wrote, saying, “ He was the governor

of the whole country of Gázàá, an eunuch of Queen

Hendaké, who had believed on the word of Luke the

Apostle.” 1

1 Acts viii, 27.

PLATE VII

From Brit. Mus. MS. Orient. No. 481, fol. 101b

I. An angel bringing food to Mary when she was living in the Temple

2. The high priest addressing Hanna and Joachim and their daughter Mary

diia

er L_NnHOTC

Digitized by Kt OO Q ILC

How the Young Man Arrived

34. How THE YOUNG MAN ARRIVED IN HIS MOTHER’S

COUNTRY

And when the young man arrived in his mother’s

country he rejoiced there in the honour [which he

received], and in the gifts [that were made] to him.

And when the people saw him they thought him to be

the perfect likeness of Solomon the King. And they

made obeisance to him, and they said unto him,

* Hail, the royal father liveth!” And they brought

unto him gifts and offerings, fatted cattle and food, as

to their king. And [the people of] the whole country

of Gaza, as far as the border of Judah, were stirred up

and they said, “ This is King Solomon.” And there

were some who said, “ The King is in Jerusalem

building his house "—now he had finished building the

House of God—and others said, ** This is Solomon the

King, the son of David.” And they were perplexed, and

they disputed with one another, and they sent off spies

"Dd on horses, who were to seek out King Solomon

and to find out if he were actually in Jerusalem, or if he

were with them [in Giza]. And the spies came to the

watchmen of the city of Jerusalem, and they found

King Solomon there, and they made obeisance to him,

and they said unto him, “ Hail, may the royal father

live! [Our] country is disturbed because there hath

come into it a merchant who resembleth thee in form

and appearance, without the smallest alteration or

variation. He resembleth thee in noble carriage and in

splendid form, and in stature and in goodly appearance ;

he lacketh nothing in respect of these and is in no way

different from thyself. His eyes are gladsome, like unto

those of a man who hath drunk wine, his legs are

graceful and slender, and the tower of his neck is like

unto the tower of David thy father. He is like unto

thee exactly in every respect, and every member of his

whole body is like unto thine.”

And King Solomon answered and said unto them,

* Where is it then that he wisheth to go ? " And they

answered and said unto him, ** We have not enquired

of him, for he is awesome like thyself. But his own

people, when we asked them, * Whence have ye come

and whither do ye go?” said, * We have come from

the dominions of Hendaké (Candace) and Ethiopia, and

we are going to the country of Judah to King Solo-

mon.’ " And when King Solomon heard this his heart

was perturbed and he was glad in his soul, for in those

days he had no children, except a boy who was seven

years old and whose name was 1yórbe'ám (Rehoboam).

It happened to Solomon even as Paul stateth, saying,

* God hath made foolishness the wisdom of this

world,"! for Solomon had made a plan in his wisdom

and said, * By one thousand women I shall beget one

thousand men children, and I shall inherit the countries

of the enemy, and I will overthrow [their] idols.” But

[God] only gave him three children. His eldest son was

the King of Ethiopia, the son of the Queen of Ethiopia,

and was the firstborn of whom [God] spake prophetic-

ally, ** God sware unto David in righteousness, and

repented not, * Of the fruit of thy body will I make to

sit upon thy throne? "3 And God gave unto David

His servant grace before Him, and granted unto him

that there should sit upon the throne of Godhead

One of his seed in the flesh, from the Virgin, and should

judge the living and the dead, and reward every man

according to his work, One to whom praise is meet,

our Lord Jesus Christ, for ever and ever, Amen. And

He gave him one on the earth who should become king

over the Tabernacle of the Law of the holy, heavenly

Zion, that is to say, the King of Ethiopia. And as for

those who reigned, who were not [of] Israel, that was

due to the transgression of the law and the command-

ment, whereat God was not pleased.

1 1 Corinthians i, 20. 2 rr Samuel vii, 12 ; Psalm cxxxii, 11.

How King Solomon sent to his Son

35. How KiNc SOLOMON SENT TO HIS SON THE COM-

MANDER OF HIS ARMY

And Solomon the King sent the commander of his

army, on whose hand he was wont to lean, with gifts

and meat and drink to entertain that traveller. And

the commander set out with a great number of wagons,

and he came to Bayna Lehkem, and embraced him, and

gave him everything that Solomon the King had sent

unto him. And he said unto him, ** Make haste and

come with me, for the heart of the King is burnt up

as with fire with the love of thee. Peradventure he

will find out for himself whether thou art his own son

or his brother; for in thine appearance and in thy

conversation (or, manner) thou art in no way different

from him. And now, rise up quickly, for my lord the

King said unto me, * Haste and bring him hither to me

in honour, and comfort, and with suitable service, and

in joy and gladness.’ " And the young man answered

and said unto him, “ I thank God, the Lord of Israel,

that I have found grace with my lord the King without

having seen his face ; his word hath rejoiced me. And

now I will put my trust in the Lord of Israel that He

will show me the King, and will bring me back safely

to my mother the Queen, and to my country Ethiopia."

And Joas (?), the son of Yódáhé,! the commander of

the army of King Solomon, answered and said unto

Bayna Lehkem, ** My lord, this is a very small matter,

and thou wilt find far greater joy ad pleasure with

my lord the King. And as concerning what thou

sayest, ‘my mother’ and ‘ my country,’ Solomon the

King is better than thy mother, and this our country

is better than thy country. And as for thy country,

we have heard that it is a land of cold and cloud, and

1 There is a mistake here. The author had in his mind Joab,

the captain of David’s host. Several of the MSS. have the reading

** Benyàs," i4, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada (see 1 Kings ii, 35),

who was put in Joab's room.

a country of glare and burning heat, and a region of

snow and ice. And when the sons of Noah, Shem, and

Ham, and Japhet, divided the world among them, they

looked on thy country with wisdom and saw that,

although it was spacious and broad, it was a land of

whirlwind and burning heat, and [therefore] gave it to

Canaan, the son of Ham, as a portion for himself and

his seed for ever. But the land that is ours is the land

of inheritance (1.¢., the promised land), which God

hath given unto us according to the oath that He

swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and

honey, where sustenance is [ours] without anxiety, a

land that yieldeth fruit of every kind in its season

without exhausting labour, a land which God keepeth

watch over continually from one year to the beginning

of the revolution of the next. All this is thine, and

we are thine, and we will be thine heirs, and thou shalt

dwell in our country, for thou art the seed of David,

the lord of my lord, and unto thee belongeth this

throne of Israel.”

And the headmen of the merchant Tamrin answered

and said unto Benaiah, “ Our country is the better.

The air (.¢., climate) of our country is good, for it is

without burning heat and fire, and the water of our

country is asad, and sweet, and floweth in rivers,

moreover the tops of our mountains run with water.

And we do not do as ye do in your country, that is

to say, dig very deep wells [in search of] water, and

we do not die through the heat of the sun; but even

at noonday we hunt wild animals, namely, the wild

buffaloes, and gazelles, and birds, and small animals.

And in the winter God taketh heed unto us from [one]

year to the beginning of the course of the next. And

in the springtime the people eat what they have trodden

with the foot as [in] the land of Egypt, and as for our

trees they produce good crops of fruit, and the wheat,

and the bacs and all our fruits, and cattle are good

How King Solomon sent to his Son

and wonderful. But there is one thing that ye have

wherein ye are better than we are, namely wisdom,

and because of it we are journeying to you.”

And Joas (read Benaiah), the commander of the army

of King Solomon, answered [saying], ** What is better

than wisdom ? For wisdom hath founded the earth,

and made strong the heavens, and fettered the waves

of the sea so that it might not cover the earth. How-

ever, rise up and let us go to my lord, for his heart is

greatly moved by love for thee, and he hath sent me

to bring thee [to him] with all the speed possible.”

And the son of the Queen rose up, and arrayed Joas

(Benaiah), the son of Yédahé, and the fifty men who

were in his retinue, in gorgeous raiment, and they rose

up to go to Jerusalem to Solomon the King. And when

they came nigh unto the place where the horses were

exercised and trained, Joas (Benaiah), the son of

Yódáhé, went on in front, and came to the place

where Solomon was, and he told him that [the son of

the Queen] was well-favoured in his appearance, and

that his voice was pleasant, and that he resembled him

in form, and that his whole bearing was exceedingly

noble. And the King said unto him, “ Where is he ?

Did I not send thee forth to bring him as quickly as

possible ? " And Joas (Benaiah) said unto him, “ He

1s here, I will bring him quickly." And Joas (Benaiah)

went and said unto the young man, “ Rise up, O my

master, and come”; and making Bayna Lehkem to go

quickly he brought him to the King’s Gate. And when

all the soldiers saw him they made obeisance unto him,

and they said, ** Behold, King Solomon hath gone forth

from his abode.” And when the men who were inside

came forth, they marvelled, and they went back to their

places, and again they saw the King upon his throne ;

and wondering they went forth again and looked at the

young man, and they were incapable of speaking and of

saying anything. And when Joas (Benaiah), the son of

Yódàhé, came in again to announce to the King the

arrival of the young man, there was none standing

before the King, but all Israel had thronged outside to

see him.

36. How Kinc SOLOMON HELD INTERCOURSE WITH HIS

SON

And Joas (Benaiah), the son of Yódáhé, went out and

brought Bayna Lehkem inside. And when King Solo-

mon saw him he rose up, and moved forward to welcome

him, and he loosed the band of his apparel from his

shoulder, and he embraced him, with his hands [resting]

on his breast, and he kissed his mouth, and forehead,

and eyes, and he said unto him, “ Behold, my father

David hath renewed his youth and hath risen from the

dead.” And Solomon the King turned round to those

who had announced the arrival of the young man, and

he said unto them, ** Ye said unto me, * He resembleth

thee,’ but this is not my stature, but the stature of

David my father in the days of his early manhood, and

he is handsomer than I am.” And Solomon the King

rose up straightway, and he went into his chamber, and

he arrayed the young man in apparel made of cloth

embroidered with gold, and a belt of gold, and he set

a crown upon his head, and a ring upon bis finger. And

having arrayed him in glorious apparel which bewitched

the eyes, he seated him upon his throne, that he might

be equal in rank to himself. And he said unto the

nobles and officers of Israel, ** O ye who treat me with

contumely among yourselves and say that I have no

son, look ye, this is my son, the fruit that hath gone

forth from my body, whom God, the Lord of Israel,

hath given me, when I expected it not.”

And his nobles answered and said unto him, ** Blessed

be the mother who hath brought forth this young man,

and blessed be the day wherein thou hadst union with

the mother of this young man. For there hath risen

How Solomon held intercourse with his Son

upon us from the root of Jesse a shining man who shall

be king of the posterity of our posterity of his seed.

Concerning his father none shall ask questions, and

none shall say, ‘ Whence is his coming ?? Verily he is

an Israelite of the seed of David, fashioned perfectly in

the likeness of his father’s form and appearance ; we

are his servants, and he shall be our king.” And they

brought unto him gifts, each according to his greatness.

And the young man took that ring which his mother

had given him when they were alone together, and he

said unto his father, “ Take this ring, and remember the

word which thou didst speak unto the Queen, and give

unto us a portion of the fringe of the covering of the

Tabernacle of the Law of God, so that we may worship

it all our days, and all those who are subject unto us,

and those who are in the kingdom of the Queen." And

the King answered and said unto him, “‘ Why givest

thou me the ring as a sign ? Without thy giving me a

sign I discovered the likeness of thy form to myself, for

thou art indeed my son."

And the merchant Támrin spake again unto King

Solomon, saying, ** Hearken, O King, unto the message

which thy handmaiden, the Queen my mistress, sent by

me: ‘ Take this young man, anoint him, consecrate

him, and bless him, and make him king over our coun-

try, and give him the command that a woman shall

never again reign [in this country], and send him back

in peace. And peace be with the might of thy kingdom,

and with thy brilliant wisdom. As for me, I never

wished that he should come where thou art, but he

urged me exceedingly that he should be allowed to come

tothee. And besides, I was afraid for him lest he should

fall sick on the journey, either through thirst for water,

or the heat of the sun, and I should bring my grey

hairs down to the grave with sorrow. Then I put my

trust in the holy, heavenly Zion, the Tabernacle of the

Law of God, that thou wilt not withhold it in thy wis-

dom. For thy nobles cannot return to their houses and

look upon their children, by reason of the abundance of

wisdom and food which thou givest them, according to

their desire, and they say, The table of Solomon is

better for us than enjoying and gratifying ourselves in

our own houses. And because of this I, through my

fear, sought protection so that thou mightest not stab-

lish him with thee, but mightest send him [back] to me

in peace, without sickness and suffering, in love and in

peace, that my heart might rejoice at having encoun-

tered thee.’ ”

And the King answered and said unto him, “ Besides

travailing with him and suckling him, what else hath a

woman to do with a son? A daughter belongeth to

the mother, and a boy to the father. God cursed Eve,

saying, ‘ Bring forth children in anguish! and with

sorrow of heart, and [after] thy bringing forth shall take

place thy return to thy husband’; with an oath He

said, * Bring forth,’ and having sworn, thy return to

thy husband [shall follow]. As for this my son, I will

not give him to the Queen, but I will make him ling

over Israel. For this is my firstborn, the first of my

race whom God hath given me.”

And then Solomon sent unto the young man evening

and morning dainty meats, and apparel of honour, and

gold and silver. And he said unto him, “ It is better

for thee to dwell here in our country with us, where the

House of God is, and where the Tabernacle of the Law

of God is, and where God dwelleth.”” And the young

man his son sent a message unto him, saying, “‘ Gold,

and silver, and [rich] apparel are not wanting in our

country. But I came hither in order to hear thy wis-

dom, and to see thy face, and to salute thee, and to pay

homage to thy kingdom, and to make obeisance to thee,

and then [I intended thee] to send me away to my

: mother and to my own country. For no man hateth

1 See Genesis iii, 16.

PLATE VIII

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From the Book of the Miracles of the Virgin Mary (edited by Budge, London, 1900, frontispiece)

Portrait of Our Blessed Lady Mary, the two-fold Virgin, and Child. By

her side stand the Archangels Michael and Gabriel

How Solomon asked His Son Questions

the place where he was born, and everyone loveth the

things of his native country. And though thou givest

me dainty meats I do not love them, and they are not

suitable for my body, but the meats whereby I grow

and become strong are those that are gratifying to me.

And although [thy] country pleaseth me even as doth

a garden, yet is not my heart gratified therewith ; the

mountains of the land of my mother where I was born

are far better in my sight. And as for the Tabernacle

of the God of Israel, if I adore it where I am, it will

give me glory, and I shall look upon the House of God

which thou hast builded, and I will make offering

and make supplication to it there. And as for Zion,

the Tabernacle of the Law of God, give me [a por-

tion of] the fringe of the covering thereof, and I will

worship it with my mother and with all those who

are subject to my sovereignty. For my Lady the Queen

hath already rooted out all those who served idols,

and those who worshipped strange objects, and stones

and trees, and she hath rooted them out and hath

brought them to Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law

of God. For she had heard from thee and had

learned, and she did according to thy word, and we wor-

ship God." And the King was not able to make his

son consent to remain [in Jerusalem] with all [his

persuadings ].

37. How Sotomon asken His Son Questions

And again Solomon held converse with his son when

he was alone, and he said unto him, ** Why dost thou

wish to depart from me? What dost thou lack here

that thou wouldst go to the country of the heathen ?

And what is it that driveth thee to forsake the kingdom

of Israel?” l

And his son answered and said unto him, “ It is

impossible for me to live here. Nay, I must go to

my mother, thou favouring me with thy blessing. For

D 49

thou hast a son who is better than I am, namely

yórbe'ám (Rehoboam) who was born of thy wife law-

fully, whilst my mother is not thy wife according to

the law.”

And the King answered and said unto him, “ Since

thou speakest in this wise, according to the law I myself

am not the son of my father David, for he took the

wife of another man whom he caused to be slain in

battle, and he begot me by her; but God is compas-

sionate and He hath forgiven him. Who is wickeder

and more foolish than men ? and who is as compassion-

ate and as wise as God? God hath made me of my

father, and thee hath He made of me, according to His

Will. And as for thee, O my son, thou fearer of our

Lord God, do not violence to the face of thy father, so

that in times to come thou mayest not meet with vio-

lence from him that shall go forth from thy loins, and

that thy seed may prosper upon the earth. My son

Rehoboam is a boy six years old, and thou art my first-

born son, and thou hast come to reign, and to lift up

the spear of him that begot thee. Behold, I have been

reigning for nine and twenty years, and thy mother

came to me in the seventh year of my kingdom ; and

please God, He shall make me to attain to the span

of the days of my father. And when I shall be gathered

to my fathers, thou shalt sit upon my throne, and thou

shalt reign in my stead, and the elders of Israel shall love

thee exceedingly ; and I will make a marriage for thee,

and I will give thee as many queens and concubines as

thou desirest. And thou shalt be blessed in this land of

inheritance with the blessing that God gave unto our

fathers, even as He covenanted with Noah His servant,

and with Abraham His friend, and the righteous men

their descendants after them down to David my father.

Thou seest me, a weak man, upon the throne of my

fathers, and thou shalt be like myself after me, and

thou shalt judge nations without number, and families

How the King planned to send away his Son

that cannot be counted. And the Tabernacle of the

God of Israel shall belong to thee and to thy seed,

whereto thou shalt make offerings and make prayers to

ascend. And God shall dwell within it for ever and

shall hear thy prayers therein, and thou shalt do the

good pleasure of God therein, and thy remembrance

shall be in it from generation to generation.”

And his son answered and said unto him, “O my

lord, it is impossible for me to leave my country and

my mother, for my mother made me to swear by .

her breasts that I would not remain here but would

return to her quickly, and also that I would not marry

a wife here. And the Tabernacle of the God of Israel

shall bless me wheresoever I shall be, and thy prayer

shall accompany me whithersoever I go. I desired

to see thy face, and to hear thy voice, and to receive

thy blessing, and now I desire to depart to my mother

in safety.”

38. How THE KING PLANNED TO SEND AWAY HIS SON

WITH THE CHILDREN OF THE NOBLES

And then Solomon the King went back into his

house, and he caused to be gathered together his coun-

cillors, and his officers, and the elders of his kingdom,

and he said unto them, * I am not able to make this

young man consent [to dwell here]. And now, hearken

ye unto me and to what I shall say unto you. Come, let

us make him king of the country of Ethiopia, together

with your children ; ye sit on my right hand and on my

left hand, and in like manner the eldest of your children

shall sit on his right hand and on his left hand. Come,

O ye councillors and officers, let us give [him] your first-

born children, and we shall have two kingdoms ; I will

rule here with you, and our children shall reign there.

And I put my trust in God that a third time He will

give me seed, and that a third king will be to me. Now

Baltásór, the King of Róm, wisheth that I would give

D 2 51

my son to his daughter, and to make him with his

daughter king over the whole country of Róm. For

besides her he hath no other child, and he hath sworn

that he will only make king a man who is of the seed

of David my father. And if we rule there we shall be

three kings. And Rehoboam shall reign here over

Israel. For thus saith the prophecy of David my

father : * The seed of Solomon shall become three heads

of kingdoms upon the earth And we will send unto

them priests, and we will ordain laws for them, and they

shall worship and serve the God of Israel under the three

royal heads. And God shall be praised by the race of

His people Israel, and be exalted in all the earth, even

as my father wrote in his Book, saying, ‘ Tell the

nations that God is king?! ; and again he said, * An-

nounce to the peoples His work, praise Him and sing

ye unto Him’; and again he saith, * Praise God with a

new song. His praise is in the congregation of the

righteous, Israel shall rejoice in his Creator? Unto us

belongeth the glory of sovereignty and we will praise

our Creator. And the nations who serve idols shall

look upon us, and they shall fear us, and make us kings

over them, and they shall praise God and fear Him.

And now, come ye, let us make this young man king,

and let us send him away with your children, ye who

possess wealth and position. According to the position

and wealth that ye have here shall your children [rule]

there. And they shall see the ordering of royalty, and

we will establish them according to our law, and we will

direct them and give them commands and send them

away to reign there.”

And the priests, and the officers, and the councillors

answered and said unto him, “ Do thou send thy first-

born, and we will send our children also according to

thy wish. Who can resist the commandment of God

and the king ? They are the servants of thee and of thy

1 Compare Psalm xcv. * Compare Psalm xcvi.

How they made the Son of Solomon King

seed as thou hast proclaimed. If thou wishest, thou

canst sell them and their mothers to be slaves ; it is not

for us to transgress thy command and the command of

the Lord thy God.” And then they made ready to do

for them (1.¢., their children) what it was right to do,

and to send them into the country of Ethiopia, so that

they might reign there and dwell there for ever, they

and their seed from generation to generation.

39. How THEY MADE THE Son oF Sotomon KING

And they made ready the ointment of the oil of king-

ship, and the sounds of the large horn, and the small

horn, and the flute and the pipes, and the harp and

the drum filled the air; and the city resounded with

cries of joy and gladness. And they brought the young

man into the Holy of Hollies, and he laid hold upon the

horns of the altar, and sovereignty was given unto him

by the mouth of Zadok the priest, and by the mouth of

Joas (Benaiah) the priest, the commander of the army

of King Solomon, and he anointed him with the holy oil

of the ointment of kingship. And he went out from

the house of the Lord, and they called his name David,

for the name of a king came to him by the law. And

they made him to ride upon the mule of King Solomon,

and they led him round about the city, and said, ** We

have appointed thee from this moment”; and then

they cried out to him, “ Bah [Long] live the royal

father!" And there were some who said, ** It is meet

and right that thy dominion of Ethiopia shall be from

the River of Egypt to the west of the sun (1.¢., to the

setting sun); blessed be thy seed upon the earth !—

and from Shoa to the east of India, for thou wilt please

[the people of these lands]. And the Lord God of

Israel shall be unto thee a guide, and the Tabernacle of

the Law of God shall be with all that thou lookest

upon. And all thine enemies and foes shall be over-

thrown before thee, and completion and finish shall be

unto thee and unto thy seed after thee; thou shalt

judge many nations and none shall judge thee." And

again his father blessed him and said unto him, “ The

blessing of heaven and earth shall be thy blessing,”

and all the congregation of Israel said, “ Amen.” And

his father also said unto Zadok the priest, ** Make him to

know and tell him concerning the judgment and de-

cree of God which he shall observe there " [in Ethiopia].

40. How ZADOK THE PRIEST GAVE COMMANDS TO

Davip THE KiNG

And Zadok the priest answered and said unto the

young man, “‘ Hearken unto what I shall say unto thee.

And if thou wilt perform it thou shalt live to God, and —

if thou dost not God will punish thee, and thou shalt

become the least of all the nations, and thou shalt be

vanquished by thy foes. And God shall turn away His

face from thee, and thou shalt be dismayed, and sad, and

sorrowful in thy heart, and thy sleep shall be without

refreshing and health. And hearken unto the word of

God, and perform it, and withdraw not thyself either to

the right hand or the left, in respect of that which we

command thee this day ; and thou shalt serve no other

god. And if thou wilt not hear the word of God, then

hearken to all the curses here mentioned which shall

come upon thee. Cursed shalt thou be in the field,

cursed shalt thou be in the city. Cursed shall be the

fruit of thy land, cursed shall be the fruit of thy belly,

and the herds of thy cattle, and the flocks of thy sheep.

And God shall send upon thee famine and pestilence,

and He shall destroy that whereto thou hast put thine

hand, until at length He shall destroy thee, because

thou hast not hearkened to His word. And the heavens

which are above thee shall become brass, and the earth

which is beneath thee shall become iron ; and God shall

make the rain [which should fall upon] thy land to be

darkness only, and dust shall descend from heaven upon

How Zadok gave commands to King David

thee until it shall cover thee up and destroy thee. And

thou shalt be smitten in battle before thine enemies.

Thou shalt go forth to attack them by one road, and by

seven ways shalt thou take to flight before their faces,

and thou shalt be routed ; and thy dead body shall be-

come food for the fowl of the heavens, and there shall

be none to bury thee. And God shall punish thee with

sores (or, leprosy), and with the wasting disease, and

with the fever that destroyeth, and with the punish-

ments (1.¢., plagues) of Egypt, and with blindness and

terror of heart ; and thou shalt grope about by day like

a blind man in the darkness, and thou shalt find none to

help thee in [thy] trouble. Thou shalt marry a wife,

and another man shall carry her away from thee by force.

Thou shalt build a house, and shalt not dwell therein.

And thou shalt plant a vineyard and shalt not harvest

the grapes thereof. Men shall slay thy fat oxen before

thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat of their flesh. Men

shall snatch away thine ass, and shall not bring him back

tothee. Thy sheep shall run to the slaves and to thine

enemy, and thou shalt find none to help thee. And thy

sons and thy daughters shall follow other people, and

thou shalt see with thine own eyes how they are smitten,

and shalt be able to do nothing. An enemy whom thou

knowest not shall devour the food of thy land and thy

labour, and thou shalt not be able to prevent him ;

and thou shalt become a man of suffering and calamity.

When the day dawneth thou shalt say, * Would that the

evening had come!’ and when the evening cometh thou

shalt say, ‘ Would that the morning had come ! ! through

the greatness of thy fear.—[All these things shall come

upon thee] if thou wilt not hearken to the word of the

Lord. Butifthou wilt truly hearken unto the word of

the Lord—hear thou—the goodness of God shall find

thee, and thou shalt rule the countries of the enemy,

and thou shalt inherit everlasting glory from the Lord

God of Israel, Who ruleth everything. For He hon-

oureth him that honoureth Him, and He loveth him

that loveth Him, for He is the Lord of death and of life,

and He directeth and ruleth all the world with His

wisdom, and His power, and His [mighty ] arm.”

41. CONCERNING THE BLESSING OF KINGs

* Hearken thou now to the blessing that shall come

upon thee, if thou wilt do the Will of God. Thou

shalt be blessed in all thy ways, blessed shalt thou be

in the city, blessed shalt thou be in the field, blessed

shalt thou be in thy house, blessed shalt thou be

outside it, and blessed shall be the fruit of thy belly.

And those who were gathered together said, Amen.

Blessed shall be the fruit of thyland. Amen. Blessed

shall be the fountains of thy waters. Amen. Blessed

shall be the fruit that thou hast planted. Amen.

Blessed shall be thy cattle-runs and the flocks of thy

sheep. Amen. Blessed shall be thy granaries and thy

barns. Amen. Blessed shalt thou be in thy coming

in. Amen. Blessed shalt thou be in thy going forth.

Amen.

* And God shall bring to thee thine enemies who

have risen up against thee, and they shall be trodden

small beneath thy feet. Amen. And God shall send

His blessing on thy houses and on everything to which

thou hast put thine hand. Amen. And God shall

multiply for thee good things, namely, children of thy

body, produce of thy land, and births among thy flocks

and herds. Amen. And in the land which He swore

[to give to] thy fathers, He will give thee according to

the days of heaven. Amen. And God shall open for

thee the storehouse of the blessing of the heavens, and

He shall give thee blessed rain, and shall bless the fruit

of thy labour. Amen. Thou shalt lend unto many

peoples, but thou shalt not borrow. Amen. Thou

shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule

over thee. Amen. And God shall set thee at the head

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From Brit. Mus. MS. Orient. No. 620, fol. 4a

St. Luke the Evangelist painting the portraits of Christ and

the Virgin Mary

Concerning the Blessing of Kings

and not at the tail, and thou shalt be at the top and not

at the bottom. Amen. And thou shalt gather toge-

ther of every blessing of the land for thy flocks and herds,

and thou shalt take the spoil of the nations for thine

army, and they shall bow down to thee to the face of the

earth, to thy sovereignty, because of the greatness of thy

glory. Thine honour shall rise up like the cedar, and

like the Morning Star, the brilliance of thy glory shall be

before all the nations of the earth, and before every

tribe of thy people Israel.

* For God. shall be with thee in all thy ways, and He

will perform thy will in everything that thou deter-

minest. And thou shalt inherit the countries of thine

enemy, and the greatness of thy people shall be praised

because of the greatness of thine awesomeness, and

because of the multitude of thy soldiers. And all those

who do not perform the Will of God will fear thee

because thou dost do His Will, and dost serve Him, and

therefore He will give thee great majesty in the sight of

those who see thee. Their hearts shall tremble before

the bridle of thy horses, and the quiver of thy bow, and

the glitter of thy shield, and they shall bow down to the

face of the earth, for their hearts shall be terrified at the

sight of thy majesty. And when those who are in the

mountains see thee afar off they shall come down to the

plain, and those who are on the seas and in the deep

waters shall come forth, so that the Lord may bring

them into thy hand, because they have transgressed the

command of God. And thou, when thou doest His

Will, shalt receive from Him everything for which thou

hast asked ; for if thoulovest Him He will love thee, and

if thou keepest His commandment He will grant thee the

petition of thy heart, and everything that thou seekest

thou shalt receive from Him. For He is the Good

One to the good, and the Compassionate to the com-

passionate, and He doeth the will of those who fear Him,

and He giveth a reward to those who wait patiently

for Him. Be patient in respect of wrath, and at the

end He will make thee to rejoice; love righteousness

and He will make life to blossom for thee. Be a good

man to the good, and a reprover of sinners. And put

aside the wickedness of the evil man by rebuking and

correcting him, and condemn and disgrace the evil man

who doeth violence to his neighbour in the court of

doeth them wrong. And deliver him that is forsaken

and the man who is in misery, and release him from the

hand of him that causeth him tosuffer. Judge not with

partiality, and have no respect of persons, but judge

righteously. When thou undertakest to judge, love not

gifts (1.¢., bribes) and accept not persons. And admon-

ish thy governors (or, judges) that they be free from the

taking of gifts, and that they accept not the persons of

giving judgment; and they shall surely judge their

neighbours in righteousness, and with a just judgment.

42. CoNCERNING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

* And hear ye, Israel, that which God commandeth

you to keep; He saith, ‘ I am the Lord thy God Who

hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt and out of

the house of bondage. There shall be no other gods

besides Me, and thou shalt not make any god that is

graven, and no god that is like what is in the heavens

above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water which is

under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them,

and thou shalt not serve them, for I the Lord thy God

am a jealous God. [I am He] Who visiteth the sin of

the father on the children to the third and fourth gener-

ation of those who hate Me, and I perform mercy to a

thousand (or, ten thousand) generations of those who

love Me and keep My commandments.

* "Thou shalt not swear a false oath in the Name of

Concerning the Ten Commandments

the Lord thy God, for the Lord will not hold innocent

the man who sweareth a false oath in His Name.

** And observe the day of the Sabbath to sanctify it,

even as the Lord thy God commanded. Six days thou

shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day, the Sabbath

of the Lord thy God, thou shalt do no work at all,

neither thyself, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy

servant, nor thine ass, nor any beast, nor the stranger

that abideth with thee. For in six days God made the

heavens and the earth, and the sea and all that is in

them, and rested on the seventh day, and because of this

God blessed the seventh day and declared it free [from

work].

* Honour thy father and thy mother so that may

be good to thee the many days that thou shalt find

in the land which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

“Thou shalt not go with the wife of [another] man.

* 'Thou shalt not slay a life.

“Thou shalt not commit fornication. Thou shalt

not steal.

** Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neigh-

bour.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor

his house, nor his land, nor his manservant, nor his

maidservant, nor his ox, nor his cattle, nor his ass, nor

any of the beasts that thy neighbour hath acquired."

This is the word which God hath spoken, His Law

and His Ordinance. And those who sin He rebuketh,

so that they may not be confirmed in error, and may

restrain themselves from the pollution wherewith God

is not pleased. And this is the thing with which God

is not pleased, and it is right that men should abstain

from it.

** No man shall uncover the shame of one with whom

he hath kinship ; for I am the Lord your God. The

shame of thy father and mother thou shalt not uncover,

for it is thy mother. Thou shalt not uncover the shame

of thy father’s wife, for it is the shame of thy mother.

Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy sister who

was begotten by thy father or thy mother. Whether

she was born unto him from outside or whether she is

a kinswoman of thine thou shalt not uncover her shame.

Thou shalt not uncover the shame either of thy son’s

daughter, or the shame of the daughter of thy daughter,

for it is thine own shame. Thou shalt not uncover the

shame of the daughter of thy father’s wife, for she is

thy sister, the daughter of thy mother, and thou shalt

not uncover her shame. Thou shalt not uncover the

shame of thy father’s sister, for she is of thy father’s

house. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy

mother’s sister, for she is of thy mother’s house. Thou

shalt not uncover the shame of the wife of thy father’s

brother, for she is thy kin[swoman]. Thou shalt not

uncover the shame of thy son’s wife, for she is thy

son’s wife. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy

daughter and the wife of thy brother’s son, for it is

thine own shame. Thou shalt not uncover the shame

of thy brother’s wife, for it is thy brother’s shame as

long as thy brother liveth. Thou shalt not uncover

the shame of a woman and that of her daughter, nor

that of the daughter of her son, nor that of the daughter

of her daughter. Thou shalt not cause their shame to

be uncovered ; it is thy house and it is sin.

* And thou shalt not take to wife a maiden and her

sister so as to make them jealous each of the other, and

thou shalt not uncover their shame, nor the shame of

the one or the other as long as the first sister is alive.

Thou shalt not go to a menstruous woman, until she is

And thou shalt not go to the wife of thy neighbour

to lie with her, and thou shalt not let thy seed enter

her.

* And thou shalt not vow thy children to Moloch to

defile the Name of the Holy One, the Name of the Lord.

How the Army of Israel received orders

* And thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman,

for it is pollution.

* And thou shalt not go to a beast and thou shalt

not lie with it so as to make thy seed go out upon it,

that thou mayest not be polluted thereby. And a

woman shall not go to a beast to lie with it, for it is

pollution. And ye shall not pollute yourselves with any

of these things, for with them the nations whom I have

driven out before you have polluted themselves, and

with them ye shall not pollute your bodies.

* And sanctify ye your souls and your bodies to God,

for He is the Holy One, and He loveth those who

sanctify their souls and their bodies to Him. For He

is holy, and to be feared, and He is high, and merciful,

and compassionate. And to Him praise is meet for

ever and ever. Amen.”

43. How THE MEN OF THE Army or IsRAEL RECEIVED

[THEIR] ORDERS

And the city rejoiced because the King had made

his son King, and had appointed him King from his

own territory to that of another. But the city sorrowed

also because the King had commanded that they should

give their children who were called “ firstborn.” And

those who were on the right hand should sit in the

same way as their fathers sat with King Solomon, even

so should they sit at the right hand of his son David,

the King of Ethiopia ; and those who were on the left

hand should sit as their fathers sat with King Solomon,

even so should they sit on the left hand of his son

David, the King of Ethiopia; and their rank should

be like that of their fathers, and their names should

be like those of their fathers. And each should be

according to his ordinance, and each according to his

greatness, and each according to his position of autho-

rity, and each according to his wages, and each according

to his rank ; in this wise shall they be. As Solomon did

to his nobles so shall David do to his nobles; and as

Solomon ordained for his governors so shall David order

the direction of his house.

And the names of those who were appointed to be

sent

away were these :—

"Azáryás (Azariah), the son of Zádók, the priest,

who was the high priest.

' Élyás, the son of ’Arni the Archdeacon; now the

father of ’Arni was the Archdeacon of Nathan

the prophet.

"Adrám, the son of 'Ardérónes, leader of the

peoples.

Fankérá, the son of Sóbáà, scribe of the oxen.

'"Akónhél, the son of Tófél, the youth.

Sàmnéyàs, the son of ’Akitalam, the recorder.

Fikárós, the son of Néyá, commander of the armed

men, that is to say, chief of the troops.

Léwáàndós, the son of ’Akiré, commander of the

recruits (?).

Fákátén, the son of 'Adráy, commander on the sea.

Matan, the son of Benyás, chief of the house.

Ad‘araz, the son of Kirém, servant of decorations.

Dalakém, the son of Mátrém, chief of the horse-

soldiers.

"Adaryós, the son of Nédrós, chief of the foot-

soldiers.

"Awstérán, the son of Yôdâd, bearer of the “glory.”

"Astar'ayón, the son of 'Asá, messenger of the

palace (1).

mi, the son of Matátyás, commander of the host(?).

Mákri, the son of 'Abisá, judge of the palace.

"Abis, the son of Káryós, assessor of taxes (tithes ?).

Lik Wendeyós, the son of Nélenteyós, judge of

assembly.

Karmi, the son of Hadnéy4as, chief of the royal

workmen.

Serányás, the son of "Akáz'él, administrator of the

King's house.

How the Army of Israel received orders

These are all those who were given to David, king of

Ethiopia, the son of Solomon, King of Israel. And

Solomon also gave him horses, and chariots, and riding-

camels, and mules, and wagons for carrying loads, and

gold, and silver, and splendid apparel, and byssus, and

he gave his son everything that would be wished for in

the country of Ethiopia.

And then they made ready to set out, and [though]

there was great joy with the nobles of the King of

Ethiopia, there was sadness with the nobles of the King

of Israel, because through the firstborn son of Solomon,

King of Israel, that is to say, the King of Ethiopia,

the firstborn sons of the nobles of Israel were given

to rule over the country of Ethiopia with the son of

Solomon the King. Then they assembled together and

Me: together with their fathers, and their mothers,

and their relations, and their kinsfolk, and their peoples,

and their countrymen. And they cursed the King

secretly and reviled him because he had seized their

sons against their will. But unto the King they said,

* Because of this thou hast done well. Thy wisdom

is so good that the kingdom of Israel, by the Will of

God and by thy wisdom, extendeth to the country of

Ethiopia. And God will gather together the other

kingdoms [of the world] into thy hand, for thou hast a

right mind towards God, and thou wishest that, they

shall serve the God of Israel, and that idols may be des-

troyed out of the world."

And they praised him and said unto him, “ Now know

we that God spake concerning thee to our father Abra-

ham [when He said], * In thy seed shall all the nations of

the earth be blessed. " And they made their faces to

appear happy, and they jested before him, and they

praised him exceedingly (1.¢., fulsomely) because of his

wisdom. And when they said these things unto him,

he understood them in [his] wisdom, and bore with them

patiently ; now God beareth with us patiently knowing

wellall oursins. And the whole earth, and the heavens,

and the ends of the world, and the sea, and the dry land,

are the kingdom of God. He judgeth. And He hath

given the earth to the king to be subject unto him, that

he may judge (or, rule), as He doth, those who do evil

so that he may requite them with evil, and those who

do good so that he may reward them with good. For

the Spirit of God resteth in the heart of the king, and

His hands are in his mind, and His knowledge is in his

understanding.

44. How IT Is NOT A SEEMLY THING TO REVILE THE

KING

Now it is not a seemly thing to revile the king, for he

is the anointed of God. It is neither seemly nor good.

If he doeth that which is good he will not suffer loss

in three kingdoms: First, God shall overthrow for

him his enemy, and he shall not be seized by the hand of

his enemy. SEcoNDLY, God shall make him reign with

Him and with His righteousness, and shall make him to

sit on His right hand. ‘Turrpty, God shall make him

to reign upon earth with glory and joy, and shall direct

his kingdom for him, and shall bring down the nations

under his feet. And if he treateth God lightly, and

doth not do that which is good, and doth not himself

walk in the path of uprightness, God shall work as He

duced against him ; on earth He will make his days to

e few, and in heaven (sic) his place of abode shall be

the habitation of Sheól with the Devil. And on earth

he shall enjoy neither health nor gladness [and he shall

live] in fear and terror, without peace and with per-

turbation.

It is not a good thing for any of those who are under

the dominion of a king to revile him, for retribution

belongeth to God. Now the priests are like the pro-

phets, only better than the prophets, for the mysteries

PLATE X

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How it is not seemly to revile the King

are given unto them, so that they may lay hold upon the

sun of righteousness, whilst the Seraphim, who were

created out of fire, are only able to lay hold upon the

mysteries with tongs. As for the priests He named

them “salt,” and moreover, He named the priests

“lamp ” and also “ light of the world,” and also ** the

sun that lighteneth the darkness," Christ, the Sun of

righteousness, being in their hearts. And a priest, who

hath in him understanding, rebuketh the king concerning

the work that he hath seen; and that which he hath

not seen God will enquire into, and there is none who

can call Him to account. Moreover, the people must

not revile the bishops and the priests, for they are the

children of God ind the men of His house, for which

reason they must rebuke [men] for their sins and errors.

And thou, O priest, if thou seest sin in a well-known man,

shalt not hesitate to rebuke him ; let neither sword nor

exile make thee afraid. And hear how angry God was

with Isaiah because he did not rebuke King 'Uzyàn

(Uzziah) And hearken also concerning Samuel the

Prophet, how he rebuked Saul! the king, being in no

way afraid of him, and how he rent his kingdom [from

him] by his word; and [hearken also] how Elijah

[rebuked] Ahab.? Do thou then fear not, and rebuke

and teach him that transgresseth. |

And Israel from of old reviled their kings and provoked

their prophets to wrath, and in later times they cruci-

fied their Saviour. But believing Christian folk dwell

in peace, without sickness and suffering, without hatred

and offence, with our king . . .? who loveth God

and who removeth not from his heart the thing of

righteousness, and faith in the Churches and in the

believers. And his enemies shall be scattered by the

might of the Cross of Jesus Christ.

! See 1 Samuel, chap. xv.

3 1 Kings, chap. xvii.

3 The name of the reigning king to be added by the copyist.

E 65

45- How THOSE WHO WERE SENT AWAY WEPT AND MADE

A PLAN

And the children of the nobles of Israel, who were

commanded to depart with the son of the king, took

counsel together, saying, * What shall we do? For we

have left our country and our birth-place, and our kins-

folk and the people of our city. Now, come ye, let us

establish a covenant between us only, whereof our kins-

folk shall know nothing, that we will love each other in

that country: none shall hasten or tarry here, and we

will neither fear nor have any doubt. For God is

here, and God is there, and may God’s Will be done!

And to Him be praise for ever and ever! Amen.”

And ’Azaryas and ’Elmiy4s, sons of the priests, an-

swered, ** Let not the other matter—that our kinsfolk

hate us—cause us sorrow, but let us sorrow on account

of our Lady Zion, because they are making us to leave

her. For in her they have committed us to God, and

we have served her to this day ; and let us be sorrowful

because they have made us to leave her. It is because of

her and because of this that they have specially made

us to weep.” And the others answered and said unto

them, “ Verily she is our Lady and our hope, and our

object of boasting, and we have grown up under her

blessedness. And how is it possible for us to forsake

Zion our mistress ? For we have been given to her.

And what shall we do? If we resist his command the

king will kill us, and we are unable to transgress the word

of our fathers or the king's command. And what shall

we do concerning Zion our Lady ? ”

And 'Azáryás, the son of Zadok the priest, answered

and said, * I will counsel you what we shall do. But

make a covenant with me to the end of your lives ;

and swear to me that ye will not repeat it whether we

live or whether we die, or whether we be taken captive

or whether we go forth [unhindered] And they

How those who were sent away wept

swore an oath to him in the Name of the Lord God of

Israel, and by the heavenly Zion, the Tabernacle of the

Law of God, and by what God had promised unto

and by His making Jacob to arrive in and inherit a land

whereto he was a stranger, and his seed after him.

And when they had sworn thus to him, he answered

and said unto them, ** Come now, let us take [with us]

our Lady Zion; but how are we to take her? I will

show you. Andcarry ye out my plan and if God willeth

we shall be able to take our Lady with us. And if

they should gain knowledge of our doings and slay us,

that shall not trouble us, because we shall die for our

Lady Zion." And they all rose up, and kissed his head,

and his face, and his eyes, and they said unto him, ** We

will do everything that thou hast counselled us to do ;

whether we die or whether we live, we are with thee

for the sake of our Lady Zion. If we die it will not

cause us sorrow, and if we live—the Will of God be

done!" And one of them, the son of Yéas (Benaiah),

whose name was Zechariah, said, ** I cannot sit down

because of the great gladness that is in my heart.

Tell me, moreover, canst thou indeed carry her off,

and is it not a lie? Thou canst go into the House

of God in the place of thy father Zadok, and the

keys are continually in thy hand. But ponder well

what we counsel thee before they take the keys out of

thy hand. Thou knowest the hidden openings (or,

windows) which King Solomon made; but none of the

priests may enter therein except thy father once each

year in order to offer up sacrifice in the Holy of Holies

on behalf of himself and on behalf of the people. Pon-

der, consider, and sleep not in the matter of thy wish

to carry away Zion. And we will depart with her as

soon as she hath been committed to our care, and we

shall have joy and our fathers sorrow when she arriveth

with us in the country of Ethiopia.”

E 2 67

And Azáryás said unto them, “ Do ye what I tell

you, and we shall succeed. Give ye to me each of you

ten didracbmas,! and I will give them to a carpenter

so that he will make haste to prepare for me good

planks of wood—now because of his love of money he

will fasten them together very quickly—of the height,

and breadth, and length and size of our Lady [Zion].

And I will give him the dimensions of myself, and I

will say unto him, ‘‘ Prepare for me pieces of wood for

a framework (?) so that I may make a raft therefrom ;

for we are going to travel over the sea, and in the event

of the ship sinking I shall be able to get up on the raft,

and we shall be saved from the sea. And I will take

the framework without the pieces of wood thereof being

fixed together, and I will have them put together in

Ethiopia. And I will set them down in the habitation

of Zion, and will drape them with the draperies of

Zion, and I will take Zion, and will dig a hole in the

ground, and will set Zion there, until we journey and

take it away with us thither. And I will not tell the

matter to the king until we have travelled far."

And they each gave him ten didrachmas, and this

money amounted to one hundred and forty didrachmas,

and he took them and gave them to a carpenter, who

straightway fashioned a good piece of work from the

remains of the wood of the house of the sanctuary,

and Azary4s rejoiced and showed it to his brethren.

46. How THEY MADE A PLAN CONCERNING ZION

And while Azáryás was asleep at night the Angel of

the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, “‘ Take

to thee four goats, each a yearling—now they shall be

for your sins, thyself, and ’Elmey4s, and ’Abis, and

ox whereon no vale hath ever been laid. And thou

shalt offer up the ox as a sacrifice on the east side of her

1 I.e. double drachmas.

How they made a plan concerning Zion

(t.e. Zion), and the sheep and the goats to the right,and

left thereof, and at the west of it, which is close to its

exit. And your Lord David shall speak to Solomon

the King and shall say unto him, * One thing I ask from

thee, O father, I would offer up a sacrifice to the holy

city Jerusalem, and to my Lady Zion, the holy and

heavenly Tabernacle of the Law of God.’ And Solo-

mon shall say unto him, ‘ Do so) And David shall

say unto him, ‘ Let the son of the priest offer up sacri-

fice on my behalf, even as he knoweth’; and he will

give thee the command, and thou shalt offer up the

sacrifice. And thou shalt bring forth the Tabernacle

of the Law of God after thou hast offered up the sacri-

fice, and I will again show thee what thou shalt do in

respect of it as to bringing it out ; for this is from God.

For Israel hath provoked God to wrath, and for this

reason He will make the Tabernacle of the Law of God

to depart from him."

And when Azáryás awoke from his dream he rejoiced

greatly, and his heart and his mind were clear, and he

remembered everything that the Angel of the Lord had

shown him in the night, and how he had sealed him

[with the sign of the Cross], and given him strength and

heartened him. And he went to his brethren, and ©

when they were gathered together he told them every-

thing that the Angel of God had shown him: how the

Tabernacle of the Law of God had been given to them,

and how God had made blind His eye in respect of the

kingdom of Israel, and how its glory had been given to

others, and they themselves were to take away the

Tabernacle of the Law of God, and how the kingdom

of Solomon was to be seized by them—with the excep-

tion of two “ rods," and how it was not to be left to

lyórbétám (Rehoboam) his son, and how the kingdom

of Israel was to be divided. And [Azâryâs said], “ Re-

joice with me. I rejoice because it hath been shown

unto me thus; for the grace of their priesthood and

kingdom shall depart with us, and it shall be by the

Will of God. Thus said he (t.¢. the Angel) unto me.

And now come ye, and let us go and tell David our

Lord so that he may say to his father, * I will offer up a

sacrifice." ?

And they went and told [David, the son of Solomon]

and he rejoiced, and he sent to Y6‘as (Benaiah), the son

of Yódáhé, to come to him, that he might send him

to his father, and he came. And David sent him to his

father Solomon, and he said unto him, “ Send me away,

for I will depart to my own country, together with

everything that thy goodness hath given me ; and may

thy prayers accompany me always whithersoever I shall

go. But now there is one petition which I would make

unto thee, if peradventure I have found grace with

thee, and turn not away thy face from me. For I thy

servant am going to depart, and I wish to offer up a

sacrifice of propitiation (or, salvation) for my sins in this

thy holy city of Jerusalem and of Zion, the Tabernacle

of the Law of God. And peace [be] with thy majesty.”

47. CONCERNING THE OFFERING OF AzAryAs (AZARIAH)

AND THE KING

And Yóàs (Benaiah), the son of Yédahé, went and

told King Solomon, and the King rejoiced over it and

commanded them to make ready the altar of offering so

that his son might sacrifice. And he brought and gave

unto him that which he had vowed to God, one hundred

bulls, one hundred oxen, ten thousand sheep, ten thou-

sand goats, and ten of every kind of animal that may be

eaten, and ten of every kind of clean bird, so that he

might offer libations and sacrifices to the God of Israel ;

and twenty silver sâġal of fine white flour, each weighing

twelve shekels, and forty baskets of bread. All these

things did Solomon the King give unto his son David.

And again David sent a message saying, “ Let Azáryás

the priest offer up sacrifice on my behalf " ; and Solo-

How they carried away Zion

mon said unto him, * Do that which thou wishest.”

And Azáryás rejoiced because of this thing, and he

went and brought from his father’s flock an ox whereon

never yoke had been laid, and four yearlings of the goats

and four clean yearlings of the sheep. And the king

went to offer up sacrifice, and the priests made them-

and the birds of the heavens rejoiced, and they were all

united in their great gladness that day. And Azáryás

mingled [his offerings] with the offerings of the king,

and he made an offering with his vessels, even as the

Angel of God had commanded him to do by night.

And then, after they had offered up their sacrifices, they

went back to their houses and slept.

48. How THEY CARRIED AWAY ZION

And behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared again

to Azaryas and he stood up above him like a pillar of

fire, and he filled the house with his light. And he

raised up Azáryás and said unto him, “ Stand up, be

strong, and rouse up thy brother Elméy4s, and 'Abésá,

and Makari, and take the pieces of wood and I will open

for thee the doors of the sanctuary. And take thou

the Tabernacle of the Law of God, and thou shalt

carry it without trouble and discomfort. And I, inas-

much as I have been commanded by God to be with it

for ever, will be thy guide when thou shalt carry it

away." |

And Azáryás rose up straightway, and woke up the

three men his brethren, and they took the pieces of

wood, and went into the house of God—now they

found all the doors open, both those that were outside

and those that were 1nside—to the actual place where

Azáryás found Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law of

God; and it was taken away by them forthwith, in

the twinkling of an eye, the Angel of the Lord being

present and directing. And had it not been that

God willed it Zion could not have been taken away

forthwith. And the four of them carried Zion away,

and they brought it into the house of Azaryas, and

they went back into the house of God, and they set

the pieces of wood on the place where Zion had been,

and they covered them over with the covering of Zion,

and they shut the doors, and went back to their houses.

And they took lamps and set them in the place where

[Zion] was hidden, and they sacrificed the sheep thereto,

and burned offerings of incense thereto, and they

for seven days and seven nights.

49. How uis FATHER BLESSED HIS SON

And then the King of Ethiopia rose up to depart to

his country, and he came to his father that he might

pray on his behalf, and he said unto him, “‘ Bless me,

father " ; and he made obeisance unto him. And the

King raised him up, and blessed him, and embraced his

head, and said, ** Blessed be the Lord my God Who

blessed my father David, and Who blessed our father

Abraham. May He be with thee always, and bless

thy seed even as He blessed Jacob, and made his seed

to be as many as the stars of heaven and the sand of the

sea. And as Abraham blessed Isaac my father even so

shall thy blessing be—the dew of heaven and the spa-

ciousness of the earth—and may all animals and all the

birds of the heavens, and all the beasts of the field, and

the fish of the sea, be in subjection unto thee. Be

thou full, and not lacking in fullness ; be thou perfect,

and not lacking in perfection; be gracious, and not

obstinate; be in good health, and not suffering; be

be righteous, and not a sinner; be merciful, and not

oppressive ; be sincere, and not perverse; be long-

suffering, and not prone to wrath. And the enemy

shall be afraid of thee, and thine adversaries shall cast

FLATE

From Brit. Mus. MS. Orient. No. 481, fol. 100b

1. The angels appearing to Mary at the birth of Christ

2. The oxen bowing before Christ

How they bad: farewell to his Father

themselves under the sole of thy foot. And my Lady

Zion, the holy and heavenly, the Tabernacle of the Law

of God, shall be a guide unto thee at all times, a guide

in respect of what thou shouldst think in thy heart

and shouldst do with thy fingers, whether it be far

or near to thee, whether it be low or high to thee,

whether it be strong or weak to thee, whether it be

outside or inside thee, whether it be to thee in the

house or in the field, whether it be visible or invisi-

ble to thee, whether it be away from or near to thee,

whether it be hidden from or revealed to thee, whether

it besecret or published abroad to thee—unto thee our

of the Law of God, shall bea guide." And David was

blessed, and he made obeisance, and departed.

50. How THEY BADE FAREWELL TO HIS FATHER AND

HOW THE CITY MOURNED

And they bade [the king] farewell and departed. And

first of all they set Zion by night upon a wagon together

with a mass of worthless stuff, and dirty clothes, and

stores of every sort and kind. And [when]all the wagons

were loaded, and the masters of the caravan rose up, and

the horn was blown, and the city became excited, and

the youths shouted loudly, awesomeness crowned it

and grace surrounded it(t.e. Zion). And theold men

wailed, and the children cried out, and the widows

wept, and the virgins lamented, because the sons of their

nobles, the mighty men of Israel, had risen up to depart.

But the city did not weep for them alone, but because

the majesty of the city had been carried off with them.

And although they did not know actually that Zion

had been taken from them, they made no mistake in

their hearts and they wept bitterly ; and they were

then even as they were when God slew the firstborn

of Egypt. There was not a house wherein there was

not wailing, from man even to the beast; the dogs

howled, and the asses screamed, and all those who were

left there mingled their tears together. It was as

though the generals of a mighty army had besieged the

great city, and had captured it by assault, and looted it,

and taken its people prisoners and slain them with the

edge of the sword; even thus was that city of Zion—

Jerusalem.

And King Solomon was dismayed at the weeping and

outcry of the city, and he looked out from the roof of

the palace, the fort of the king’s house, and saw the

whole city weeping and following them. And asa child,

whom his mother hath removed from her breast and

left, followeth in her footsteps crying out and weeping,

even so did the people cry out and weep ; and they cast

dust upon their heads, and they shed tears with their

eyes. And when Solomon saw the majesty of those

who had departed, he was deeply moved and he trem-

bled, and his bowels quaked, and his tears fell drop by

drop upon his o and he said, “ Woe is me! for

my glory hath departed, and the crown of my splendour

hath fallen, and my belly is burned up because this my

son hath departed, and the majesty of my city and the

freemen, the children of my might, are removed. From

this moment our glory hath passed away, and our king-

dom hath been carried off unto a strange people who

know not God, even as the prophet saith, ‘ The people

who have not sought Me have found Me?! From this

time forth the law, and wisdom, and understanding shall

be given unto them. And my father prophesied con-

cerning them, saying, * Ethiopia shall bow before Him,

and His enemies shall eat the dust)? And in another

[place] he saith, * Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands

to God, and He shall receive her with honour, and the

kings of the earth shall praise God? And in a third

[place] he saith,, * Behold, the Philistines,* and the

1 Isaiah lxv, 1. ° 2 Psalm Ixxii, 9, 10.

3 Psalm Ixviii, 31. 4 Psalm lxxxiii, 7 (?).

His Command unto Zadok the Priest

Tyrians, and the people of Ethiopia, who were born

without the Law. The Law shall be given unto them,

and they shall say unto Zion, * our mother ! because

of a man who shall be born.’ Will this man then be

my son who is begotten of me ? ”

*1. How HE saip UNTO ZapoK THE PRIEST, “ Go AND

BRING THE COVERING (on, CLOTHING) WHICH IS

UPON IT (1.¢. ZION) ”

And he said unto Zadok the priest, ** Go, bring that

covering which is upon Zion, and take thee this cover-

ing which is better than that, and lay it over the two

[cherubs] which are below it." (Now this covering was

made of threads of the finest gold wirework twisted to-

gether and hammered out into a pattern, and they were

mice? which were given to Zion, and the ten? figures of

their shame (1.¢. the emerods) which the nobles of the

Philistines made for their redemption—now on the

fringes are figures of gold that came forth from the land

of Kádés, which Moses in Sinai commanded should be

made (or, worked) in the fringe of the apparel of Aaron

his brother—gather [all these] together in the covering

of Zion and give [them] to my son David. For his

mother said in [her] message by Tamrin her servant,

* Give us some of the fringe of the covering of Zion, so

that we may worship it, we and those who are in sub-

jection unto us and all our kingdom.’ And now, give

it to him, and say unto him, ‘ Take [and] worship this

covering of Zion, for thy mother sent a message con-

cerning this, and hath said unto thee thyself, ‘ Give

us some of the fringe of its covering, which we can wor-

ship, so that we may not, like the heathen, worship an-

other [god]? And Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law of

God, shall be unto thee a guide wheresoever thou art.

* Compare Psalm Ixxxvii, 2-4 ; Isaiah li, 16. * I Samuel vi, 4.

* The text of Samuel (vi, 4) gives “ five emerods.”

But it must remain with us perpetually, although we

have not paid it all the honour which 1s its due; and

you, although it be not with you, must honour it, and

revere it according to what is due to it and what is meet.

For God said unto Eli by the mouth of Samuel the

Prophet, ‘I wished you to remain, thou and thy

father's house, to offer up incense to the Tabernacle of

My Law, and to dwell before Me for ever, but now I

have repented. I will turn My face away from thee

because thou hast treated My offerings with contempt,

and hast preferred thy sons to Me. And now, him that

honoureth Me I will honour, and him that esteemeth Me

lightly I will esteem lightly ; and I will destroy all thy

seed! This He said because the Levites had esteemed

Him lightly. And say unto him: Take this covering of

Zion, and this votive gift shall be in the place of it, and

place it in thy sanctuary. And when thou takest an

oath and makest another to take an oath, swear thou

and make him to swear by it, so that thou dost not make

mention of the names of other gods of the heathen.

And when thou sacrificest let thy face be towards us,

and sacrifice to Jerusalem and the holy Zion ; and when

thou prayest let thy face be towards Jerusalem, and

pray towards us.”

52. How ZADOK THE Prizst DEPARTED

And Zadok the priest went and gave David the cover-

ing of Zion, and he delivered unto him all the com-

mands which Solomon had spoken. And David, the

son of Solomon, rejoiced because of this, and he mar-

velled and held himself to be blessed exceedingly, and

said, when the covering of the Tabernacle of the Law

of God was committed to his charge, ** This shall be to

me my Lady.” And Azaryas answered and said before

his father, “ Thou rejoicest over the covering, but how

very much more wilt thou rejoice over the Lady of the

1 I Samuel ii, 29-34.

How Zadok the Priest departed

covering!” And his father said unto him, “ Verily he

rejoiceth over the Lady of the covering, and he might

subjugate all of us if he were not going to his own

country.” And he said unto the king, * Make now a

covenant with me that thou wilt give to this my son

this possession for his Lady and his sponsor and his pro-

tection, that he may guard it all the days of his life, for

himself and for his seed after him ; and that thou wilt

give him tithe, and that thou wilt give him a city of

refuge in thy kingdom, and also the tenth of the cities

in all thy kingdom; and that he shall be unto thee

priest, and seer, and prophet, and teacher to thee and

to thy seed after thee, and the anointer with oil

of thy kingdom for thy children and thy children’s

children." And he said, * I agree." And they struck

(i.e. made) a covenant, and he received from his father

the votive offering, and the covering of Zion, and a chain

of gold.

And they loaded the wagons, and the horses, and the

mules in order to depart, and they set out on their

journey prosperously, and they continued to travel on.

And Michael the [Arch] Angel marched in front, and he

spread out [his wings] and made them to march through

the sea as upon dry land, and upon the dry land he cut

a path for them and spreading himself out like a cloud

over them he hid them from the fiery heat of the sun.

And as for their wagons, no man hauled his wagon, but

he himself (t.e. Michael) marched with the wagons, and

whether it was men, or horses, or mules, or loaded

camels, each was raised above the ground to the height

of a cubit; and all those who rode upon beasts were

lifted up above their backs to the height of one span of

a man, and all the various kinds of baggage which were

loaded on the beasts, as well as those who were mounted

on them, were raised up to the height of one span of a

man, and the beasts were lifted up to the height of one

span ofa man. And every one travelled in the wagons

like a ship on the sea when the wind bloweth, and like

a bat through the air when the desire of his belly urgeth

him to devour his companions, and like an eagle when

his body glideth above the wind. Thus did they

travel; there was none in front and none behind, and

they were disturbed neither on the right hand nor

on the left.

53. How THE Wacon was GIVEN TO ETHIOPIA

And they halted by Gazi, the city of the mother of

the king, which Solomon the king had given to the

Queen of Ethiopia when she came to him. And from

there they came in one day to the border of Gébés

(Egypt), the name of which is “ Mesrin.” And when

the sons of the warriors of Israel saw that they had come

in one day a distance of thirteen days’ march, and that

they were not tired, or hungry, or thirsty, neither man

nor beast, and that they all [felt] that they had eaten

and drunk their fill, these sons of the warriors of Israel

knew and believed that this thing was from God. And

they said unto their king, * Let us let down the wagons,

for we have come to the water of Ethiopia. This is the

Takkazi which floweth down from Ethiopia, and

watereth the Valley of Egypt" ; and they let down

their wagons there, and set up their tents.

And the sons of the warriors of Israel went and drove

away all the people, and they said unto [David] their

king, * Shall we tell thee a matter ? Canst thou hold

it [secret] ?? And the King said unto them, “ Yes, I

can [hold it secret]. And if ye will tell it to me I will

never let it go forth or repeat it to the day of my death."

And they said unto him, “ The sun descended from

heaven, and was given on Sinai to Israel, and it became

the salvation of the race of Adam, from Moses to the

seed of Jesse, and behold, it is with thee by the Will of

God. It is not through us that this hath been done,

but by the Will of God ; it is not through us that this

How the Wagon was given to Ethiopia

hath been done, but by the Will of Him that fashioned

it and made it hath this happened. We wished, and

God hath fulfilled [our wish]; we agreed concerning

it, and God made it good ; we held converse [concern-

ing it], and God performed ; we meditated [upon it],

and God devised the plan ; we spoke, and God was well

pleased ; we directed our gaze, and God directed it

rightly ; we meditated, and God hath justified. And

now God hath chosen thee, and is well pleased with thy

city, to be the servant of the holy and heavenly Zion,

the Tabernacle of the Law of God; and it shall be to

thee a guide for ever, to thee and thy seed after thee if

thou wilt keep His command and perform the Will of

the Lord thy God. For thou wilt not be able to take

it back, even if thou wishest, and thy father cannot

seize it, even if he wisheth, for it goeth of its own free

will whithersoever it wisheth, and it cannot be removed

from its seat if it doth not desire it. And behold, it

is our Lady, our Mother and our salvation, our fortress

and our place of refuge, our glory and the haven of our

safety, to those who lean upon it.”

And Azáryás made a sign to Élmeyás, and he said

unto him, ** Go, beautify, and dress our Lady, so that

our King may see her." And when Azáryás had said

this, King David was perturbed and he laid both hands

upon his breast, and he drew breath three times and

said, ** Hast thou in truth, O Lord, remembered us in

Thy mercy, the castaways, the people whom Thou hast

is in heaven, the holy and heavenly Zion ? With what

shall we requite the Lord in return for all the good

things which He hath done for us ? there being with

Him no glory and praise! He hath crowned us with

His grace, so that we may know upon earth His praise

and may all serve Him according to His greatness. For

He is the Good One to His chosen ones, and unto Him

belongeth praise for ever."

And King [David] rose up and skipped about like a

young sheep and like a kid of the goats that hath sucked

milk in abundance from his mother, even as his grand-

father David rejoiced before the Tabernacle of the Law

of God. He smote the ground with his feet, and re-

joiced in his heart, and uttered cries of joy with his

mouth. And what shall I say of the great joy and

gladness that were in the camp of the King of Ethiopia ?

One man told his neighbour, and they smote the ground

with their feet like young bulls, and they clapped their

hands together, and marvelled, and stretched out their

hands to heaven, and they cast themselves down with

their faces to the ground, and they gave thanks unto

God in their hearts.

54. How Davin [THe Kinc or Erniopia] PropuesiEp

AND SALUTED ZION

And King [David] came and stood up before Zion,

and he saluted it, and made obeisance thereto, and said,

* O Lord God of Israel, to Thee be praise, because

Thou doest Thy Will and not the will of men. Thou

makest the wise man to forget his wisdom, and Thou

destroyest the counsel of the counsellor, and Thou

the sole of his foot upon a strong rock. For a full cup

of glory is in Thy hand for those who love Thee, and a

full cup of shame for those who hate Thee. As for us,

our salvation shall go forth out of Zion, and He shall

remove sin from His people, and goodness and mercy

shall be poured out in all the world. For we are the

work of His hands, and who shall rebuke us if He loveth

us as Israel His people ? And who shall reprove Him if

He raiseth us up to heaven His throne ? For death and

life are from Him, and glory and dishonour are in His

hand, He hath the power to punish and to multiply

His compassion, and He can be wroth and multiply His

mercy, for it is He who trieth the heart and the reins.

PLATE XII

| MOTA!

te >. ee T. NAT

e freee

Bee P. Xu X

ler > eee d

ae, ete so E

From Brit. Mus MS. Orient. No. 620. fol. 1a

The old man Simeon carrying Christ in his arms

How King David Prophesied

He giveth and He taketh away, He planteth and He

uprooteth. He buildeth up and He throweth down.

He beautifieth and He deformeth ; for everything be-

longeth to Him, and everything is from Him, and every-

thing existeth in Him. And as for thee, O Tabernacle

of the Law of God, salvation be whither thou goest, and

from the place whence thou goest forth; salvation be

in the house and in the field, salvation be here and be

there, salvation be in the palace and in the lowly place,

salvation be on the sea and on the dry land, salvation

be in the mountains and in the hills, salvation be in the

heavens and on the earth, salvation be in the firm

grounds and in the abysses, salvation be in death and in

life, salvation be in thy coming and in thy going forth,

salvation be to our children and to the tribe of thy

people, salvation be in thy countries and in thy cities,

salvation be to the kings and to the nobles, salvation be

to the plants and to the fruits, salvation be to men and

to beasts, salvation be to the birds and to the creeping

things of the earth; be salvation, be an intercessor,

and a merciful one, and have regard for thy people.

Be unto us a wall, and we will be unto thee a fence ; be

thou a king unto us and we will be thy people; be

thou a guide unto us and we will follow after thee.

And be not impatient, and mark not closely, and be not

angry at the multitude of our sins, for we are a people

who have not the Law, and who have not learned Thy

praise. And from this time forward guide us, and

teach us, and make us to have understanding, and make

us to have wisdom that we may learn Thy praise. And

Thy name shall be praised by us at all times, and all the

day, and every day, and every night, and every hour,

and all the length of time. Give us power that we

may serve Thee. Rise up, Zion, and put on thy

strength, and conquer thine enemies, and give us

strength, our queen, and put thou to shagge those who

hate thee, and make to rejoice those who love thee.”

F 81

And then he made a circuit and said, ** Behold Zion,

behold salvation, behold the one who rejoiceth, behold

the splendour like the sun, behold the one adorned with

praise, behold the one who is decorated like a bride, not

with the apparel of fleeting glory, but the one who is

decorated with the glory and praise which are from

God, whom it is meet that [men] shall look upon with

desire and shall not forsake ; whom [men] shall desire

above all things and shall not reject ; whom [men] shall

love willingly and shall not hate; whom [men] shall

approach willingly and shall not keep afar off. We will

draw nigh unto thee, and do not thou withdraw far

from us; we will support ourselves upon thee, and do

not thou let us slip away ; we will supplicate thee, and

do not thou be deaf to us; we will cry out to thee;

hear thou our cry in all that we ask of thee, and desire

not to withdraw thyself from us, until thy Lord cometh

and reigneth over thee ; for thou art the habitation of

the God of heaven."

Thus spake David the King, the son of Solomon,

King of Israel. For the spirit of prophecy descended

upon him because of his joy, and he knew not what he

said and he was like Peter and John on the top of

Mount Tabér.! And they all marvelled and said,

“This, the son of a prophet, is he to be numbered

among the prophets ? "

55. How THE Peopre or Erniora REJOICED

And [the people of Ethiopia] took flutes, and blew

horns, and [beat] drums, and [played on] pipes, and the

Brook of Egypt was moved and astonished at the noise

of their songs and their rejoicings ; and with them were

mingled outcries and shouts of gladness. And their

idols, which they had made with their hands and which

were in the forms of men, and dogs, and cats, fell down,

and the high towers (pylons or obelisks ?), and also the

1 Matthew xvii, 4; Luke ix, 33.

How the People of Ethiopia Rejoiced

figures of birds, [made] of gold and silver, fell down also

and were broken in pieces. For Zion shone like the

sun, and at the majesty thereof they were dismayed.

And they arrayed Zion in her apparel, and they bore

the gifts to her before her, and they set her upon a

sang songs before her and behind her.

Then the wagons rose up (t.e. resumed their journey)

as before, and they set out early in the morning, and

the people sang songs to Zion, and they were all raised

up the space of a cubit, and as the people of the country

of Egypt bade them farewell, they passed before them

like shadows, and the people of the country of Egypt

worshipped them, for they saw Zion moving in the

heavens like the sun, and they all ran with the wagon

of Zion, some in front of her and some behind her.

And they came to the sea Al-Ahmar, which is the Sea

of Eritrea (t.e. the Red Sea), which was divided by the

hand of Moses, and the children of Israel marched in

the depths thereof, going up and down. Now at that

time the Tabernacle of the Law of God had not been

given unto Moses, and therefore the water only gathered

itself together, a wall on the right hand and a wall on

the left, and allowed Israel to pass with their beasts and

their children and their wives. And after they had

crossed the sea God spake to Moses and gave him the

Tabernacle of the Covenant with the Book of the Law.

And when the holy Zion crossed over with those who

were in attendance on her, and who sang songs to the

accompaniment of harps and flutes, the sea received

them and its waves leaped up as do the high mountains

when they are split asunder, and it roared even as a lion

roareth when he is enraged, and it thundered as doth

the winter thunder of Damascus and Ethiopia when the

lightning smiteth the clouds, and the sound thereof

mingled with the sounds of the musical instruments.

F 2 83

And the sea worshipped Zion. And whilst its billows

were tossing about like the mountains their wagons were

raised above the waves for a space of three cubits, and

among the sound of the songs the [noise of the] breaking

of the waves of the sea was wonderful. The breaking

of the waves of the sea was exceedingly majestic and

stupefying, and it was mighty and strong. And the

creatures that were in the sea, those that could be re-

cognized, and those that were invisible, came forth and

worshipped Zion ; and the birds that were on it flapped

their pinions and overshadowed it. And there was joy

to the Sea of Eritrea, and to the people of Ethiopia,

who went forth to the sea and rejoiced exceedingly, and

with a greater joy than did Israel when they came out

of Egypt. And they arrived opposite Mount Sinai, and

dwelt in Kádés, and they remained there whilst the

angels sang praises; and the creatures of the spirit

mingled their praises with [those] of the children of

earth, with songs, and psalms, and tambourines joyfully.

And then they loaded their wagons, and they rose up,

and departed, and journeyed on to the land of Medyám,

and they came to the country of Bélóntós, which is a

country of Ethiopia. And they rejoiced there, and

they encamped there, because they had reached the

border of their country with glory and joy, without

tribulation on the road, in a wagon of the spirit, by the

might of heaven and of Michael the Archangel. And

all the provinces of Ethiopia rejoiced, for Zion sent

forth a light like that of the sun into the darkness where-

soever she came.

56. Or THE RETURN OF ZADOK THE PRIEST, AND THE

GIVING OF THE GIFT

And when Zadok the priest returned to Solomon the

King he found him sorrowful. And the King answered

and said unto Zadok the priest, “ When the Queen

came there appeared to me by night this vision: It

Of the Return of Zadok the Priest

seemed as if I were standing in the chamber of Jerusa-

lem, and the sun came down from heaven into the land

of Judah, and lighted it up with great splendour. And

having tarried a time it went down and lighted up the

country of Ethiopia, and it did not return to the land

of Judah. And again the sun came down from heaven

to the country of Judah, and lighted it up more bril-

liantly than it did the first time ; but the Israelites paid

no heed to it, and they wished to extinguish its light.

And it rose below the earth in a place where it was not

expected, and it illumined the country of Róm, and the

country of Ethiopia, and afterwards all those who be-

lieved on it.”

And Zadok the priest answered and said unto him,

* O my lord, why didst thou not tell me before that

thou hadst seen a vision of this kind? Thou makest

my knees to tremble. Woe be unto us, if our sons have

carried off our Lady, the holy, heavenly Zion, the,

Tabernacle of the Law of God!" And the King

answered and said unto him, ** Our wisdom is forgotten

and our understanding is buried. Verily the sun that

appeared unto me long ago when I was sleeping with

the Queen of Ethiopia was the symbol of the holy Zion.

But tell me: yesterday when thou didst take off the

splendid covering that was lying upon Zion, didst thou

not make certain that Zion was [there] ? " And Zadok

the priest answered and said, ** I did not, lord; it had

three coverings over it, and I took off the outermost,

and dressed Zion in the covering which thou didst give

me, and I brought [the other] to thee.” And the King

said unto Zadok, “ Go quickly and look at our Lady and

examine her closely.” And Zadok the priest took the

keys, and went and opened the house of the sanctuary,

and he examined [the place] quickly, and he found there

nothing except the wooden boards which Azáryás had

fastened together and had made to resemble the sides

of the pedestal of Zion.

57. CONCERNING THE FALL or ZADOK THE PRIEST

And when Zadok saw this he fell forward on his face

flat upon the ground, and his spirit was poured out over

him, for he was terrified; and he became like a dead

man. And when he tarried in coming out Solomon

sent to him 1yóas (Benaiah), the son of Yódáhé, and he

found Zadok like one dead. And he lifted up the head

of Zadok, and felt his heart and his nose to find out

whether there was any sign of breath being in him ;

and he fanned him, and lifted him up, and rubbed him

and laid him out upon the table. And he rose up and

looked at the place where Zion had been set, and he

found her not, and he fell down upon the ground. And

he cast dust upon his head, and [then] rose up and went

out and wailed at the doors of the house of God; and

the sound of his cries was heard as far as the King’s

house. And the King rose up and commanded the

crier to go round, and the soldiers to blow the trumpets,

the land of Ethiopia, and if they overtook them they

were to seize his son and bring him back with Zion, and

slay the [other] men with the sword. For with his

mouth he spake and said, “‘ As the Lord God of Israel

liveth, they are men of death and not of life ; for verily

they deserve death because they have robbed the house

of the sanctuary of God, and have desired to pollute the

habitation of His Name in a land wherein there is not

the Law.”

58. How Sotomon Rose up ro Stay THEM

Thus spake King Solomon. And the King rose u

And when the King, and his nobles, and his mighty men

of war rose up (t.e. had set out), the elders of Israel,

and the widows, and the virgins gathered together in

the house of God, and they wept for Zion, for the

Tabernacle of the Law of God had been taken away

How Solomon Rose up to Slay Them

from them. Now after Zadok had remained [sense-

less] for a season, his heart returned to him. And then

the King commanded that the soldiers should go forth

on the right hand and on the left, on the chance that

some of the [fugitives] might turn aside through fear of

the theft. And the King himself rose up and followed

the track of the road of the men of Ethiopia, and he

sent out mounted horsemen, so that they might [ride

on before him and] find out where they were, and

_ might return and bring him news [of them]. And the

horsemen journeyed on and came to the country of

Mesr (Egypt), where the men of Ethiopia had en-

camped with their king, and where they had made peace

with Zion, and they rejoiced. And the soldiers of

King Solomon questioned the people, and the men of

the country of Egypt said unto them, ** Some days ago

certain men of Ethiopia passed here ; and they travelled

swiftly in wagons, like the angels, and they were swifter

than the eagles of the heavens" And the King's

soldiers said unto them, “‘ How many days ago is it

since they left you?” And the men of Egypt said

unto them, *' This day is the ninth day since they left

us." And some of the King's horsemen who returned

said unto King Solomon, ** Nine days have passed since

they left Egypt. Some of our companions have gone

to seek for them at the Sea of Eritrea, but we came back

that we might report this to thee. Bethink thyself, O

King, I beseech thee. On the second day they went

forth from thee, and they arrived on the third day at

the river T'akkazi [of] the land of Mesr (Egypt). And

we being sent forth by thee from Jerusalem, arrived

on the day of the Sabbath. And we came back

to thee to-day [which is] the fourth day of the week.

Consider in thy wisdom the distance which those men

traversed.” And the King was wroth and said,

‘< Seize the five of them, until we find out the truth of

their words.”

And the King and his soldiers marched quickly, and

they came to Gaza. And the King asked the people,

saying, * When did my son leave you?” And they

answered and said unto him, * He left us three days

ago. And having loaded their wagons none of them

travelled on the ground, but in wagons that were

suspended in the air; and they were swifter than the

eagles that are in the sky, and all their baggage

travelled with them in wagons above the winds. As

for us, we thought that thou hadst, in thy wisdom,

made them to travel in wagons above the winds."

And the King said unto them, “ Was Zion, the

Tabernacle of the Law of God, with them?” And

they said unto him, “ We did not see anything.”

59. How THE KiNc QUESTIONED AN EGYPTIAN, THE

SERVANT OF PHARAOH

And Solomon left that place, and he met a noble of

the nobles of Egypt, whom King Pharaoh had sent

unto him with a gift; and there was an abundance of

treasures with him, and he came and made obeisance

to the King. And Solomon the King made haste to

question him, even before he had presented his gift

and embassy, and said unto him, “t Hast thou seen

men of Ethiopia fleeing by this road?” And the

ambassador of Pharaoh answered and said unto the

King, * O King, live for ever! My lord, King Pharaoh,

sent me unto thee from Alexandria. And behold, I will

inform thee how I have come. Having set out from

Alexandria I came to Káhérá (Cairo), the city of the

King, and on my arrival these men of Ethiopia of

whom thou speakest arrived there also. They reached

there after a passage of three days on the Takkazi, the

river of Egypt, and they were blowing flutes, and they

travelled on wagons like the host of the heavenly

beings. And those who saw them said concerning them,

‘These, having once been creatures of earth, have

gor "Jof 'o1S ‘oN "Dnioi4Q “SIV SAW IUG vos ]

————— 2:

ogle

PLATE XIII

J

Digitized by G

How Solomon Lamented for Zion

become beings of heaven.” Who then is wiser than

Solomon the King of Judah? But he never travelled

in this wise in a wagon of the winds. And those who

were in the cities and towns were witnesses that, when

these men came into the land of Egypt, our gods and

the gods of the King fell down, and were dashed in

po and the towers of the idols were likewise

roken into fragments. And they asked the priests of

the gods, the diviners of Egypt, the reason why our

gods had fallen down, and they said unto us, * The

Tabernacle of the God of Israel, which came down

from heaven, is with them, and will abide in their

country for ever) And it was because of this that,

when they came into the land of Egypt, our gods were

broken into fragments. And thou, O King, whose

wisdom hath no counterpart under the heavens, why

hast thou given away the Tabernacle of the Law of

thee ? For, according to what we hear, that Tabernacle

used to deliver you out of the hand of your enemies,

and the spirit of prophecy, which was therein, used to

hold converse with you, and the God of heaven used to

dwell in it in His Holy Spirit, and ye are called men of

the house of God. Why have ye given your glory to

another?” And Solomon answered in wisdom and

said, * How was he (t.e. David) able to carry away our

Lady, for she is with us ? ”

60. How SoLtomon LAMENTED FOR ZION

And Solomon entered into his tent, and wept bit-

terly, and said, ** O God, willest Thou to take away the

Tabernacle of Thy Covenant from us in my days? If

only Thou hadst taken away my life before this which

Thou hast taken away in my days! For Thou canst

not make Thy word to be a lie, and Thou canst not

break Thy Covenant which Thou didst make with our

fathers, with Noah Thy servant who kept righteousness,

and with Abraham who did not transgress Thy com-

mandment, and with Isaac Thy servant who kept his

Thy holy one, whom Thou didst make many by the

Holy Spirit, and didst call ‘ Thy trace’ [sic], Israel,

and with Moses and Aaron Thy priests, in whose days

Thou didst make the Tabernacle of the Law to come

down from heaven upon earth, to the children of Jacob

Thine inheritance, with Thy Law and Thy Command-

ment, in the form of the constitution of the angels.

For Thou hadst already founded Zion as the habitation

of Thy glory upon the mountain of Thy sanctuary.

And again Thou didst give it to Moses that he might

serve it nobly upon the earth, and might make it to

dwell in the ‘ Tent of Witness,’ so that Thou Thyself

mightest come there from the mountain of Thy sanc-

tuary, and mightest make the people to hear Thy voice,

so that they might walk in Thy Cona admen

“ Now I know that Thou esteemest Thine inheritance

more lightly than Thy people Israel. And until this

present it was with us, and we did not minister unto it

rightly, and for this reason Thou art angry with us, and

Thou hast turned Thy face from us. O Lord, look not

upon our evil deeds, but consider Thou the goodness of

our forefathers. My father David, Thy servant, wished

to build a house to Thy Name, for he had heard the

word of Thy prophet, who said, ‘ Which is the house

for My habitation, and which is the place for Me to

rest in? Is it not My hands that have made all this,

saith the Lord,’ Who ruleth everything ?? And when

he had meditated upon this Thou didst say unto him,

‘It is impossible for thee to build this, but he who

hath gone forth from thy loins shall build a house for

me.’? And now, O Lord, Thy word hath not been made

a lie, and I have built Thy house, Thou being my

helper. And when I had finished building Thy house,

1 Isaiah lxvi, 1. 3 | Chronicles xxii, 8, 9.

go

How Solomon Lamented for Zion

I brought the Tabernacle of the Covenant into it, and

I offered up sacrifices to Thy thrice-holy Name, and

Thou didst look on these [benevolently]. And the house

was full of Thy glory, the whole world being filled with

Thy Godhead, and we Thy people rejoiced at the sight

of Thy glory therein. And this day it is three years since

that time, and Thou hast snatched away Thy light from

us that Thou mayest illumine those that are in darkness.

Thou hast removed our honour that Thou mayest

honour those who are unworthy; Thou hast blotted

out our majesty that Thou mayest make majestic him

that is not majestic; Thou hast taken away our life that

Thou mayest build up him whose life is far from Thee.

* Woe is me! Woe is me! I weep for myself. Rise

up, David, my father, and weep with me for our Lady,

for God hath neglected us and hath taken away our

Lady from thy son. Woe is me! Woe is me! Woe is

me! For the Sun of righteousness hath neglected me.

Woe is me! For we have neglected the command of

our God, and we have become rejected ones on the

earth. As priests we have not acted well, and as Kings

we have not done what is right in respect of judgement

What is right hath passed from us, and we are rebuked.

Woe be unto us! Our joy hath turned aside to our

enemies, and the grace that was ours hath been removed

from us. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! Our back

is turned towards the spears of our enemies. Woe be

unto us! Woe be unto us! Our children have become

the spoil and — of those whom we recently had

spoiled and made captives. Woe be unto us! Woe

beunto us! Our widows weep, and our virgins mourn.

Woe be unto us! Woe be untous! Our old men wail

and our young men lament. Woe be unto us! Woe

be unto us! Our women shed tears and our city is laid

waste. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! From this

day to the end of our days [we must mourn], and our

9I

children likewise. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us!

For the glory of the glorious daughter of Zion is re-

moved, and the glory of the daughter of Ethiopia, the

vile,? hath increased.

* God is wroth, and who shall show compassion ?

hath planned, and who shall gainsay His plan ? God

hath willed, and who shall oppose His intention ?

God speaketh, and everything shall come to pass. God

hath abased, and there is none that shall promote to

honour. God hath taken away, and there is none who

shall bring back. God hateth, and there is none who

shall make Him to love. Woe be unto us! Our name

was honoured, to-day it is nothing. Woe be unto us!

From being men of the household we have become men

of the outside, and from being men of the inner cham-

bers we have been driven out through our sins. For God

rebuked us, but we would not accept rebuke, and they

[wished to] make us hear, but we would not hear. Woe

be unto us! Through our sins we are rejected, and

because of our defection we shall be punished. Sove-

profiteth nothing without justice, and riches profit

nothing without the fear of God. The priests love the

words of fables more than the words of the Scriptures ;

and they love the sound of the harp more than the

sound of the Psalter ; and they love the service of the

world more than prayer; and they love the disputing

of the world more than the voice of the Godhead ; and

they love laughter and fornication more than the weep-

ing of life; and they love the food that passeth away

more than the fasting to God ; and they love win e an

sweet drink more than sacrificing to God; and they

1 Or, cringing, or, degraded. The ancient Egyptians often spoke of

* Kesh, the vile.”

How Solomon Lamented for Zion

love idleness more than prayer; and they love posses-

sions more than [the giving of] alms; and they love

sleeping more than praising ; and they love dozing more

than watching. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us!

* O Queen, we have been negligent in respect of the

Commandment of God. We have loved the words of

the fablemongers more than the word of the priests.

We have wished to gaze upon the face of our women

rather than upon the face of God in repentance. We

have loved to look upon our children rather than to

hear the word of God. We have consoled ourselves

more with the sardius stone than with the administering

look upon our honour rather than to hear the voice of

God. We have loved the word of foolishness more than

the words of the wise. We have loved the words of

fools more than hearing the words of the Prophets.

Woe be unto us! Of our own free will we have polluted

our life. Woe be unto us! Woe be unto us! The

repentance and mercy which God loveth we have not

done. Woe be unto us! He gave us glory, and we have

thrown it away. He made us very wise, and of our own

freewill we have made ourselves more foolish than the

beasts. He gave us riches, and we have beggared our-

selves even [to asking for] alms. We looked upon our

horses, and forgot our coming back. We have loved

fleeting things, and we have not recognized those that

abide. We have made our days to deride our life, we

have preferred the luxuriousness of food, which be-

cometh dung, to the food of life which endureth for

ever. [We have put on] the garments of apparel which

benefit not the soul, and have put off the apparel of

glory which is for ever. Our governors and the people

do what God hateth, and they love not what God

loveth, love of their neighbours, and lowliness, and

durance, and love of the house of God, and the adora-

tion of the Son. But what God hateth is, augury by

birds, and idolatry, and enquiry of witches, and

divination, and magic, and flies, and 'a£arínó,! the

animal that hath been torn, and the dead body of a

beast, and theft, and oppression, and fornication, and

envy, fraud, drink and drunkenness, false swearing

[against] neighbours, and the bearing of false testimony

[against] neighbours.

“ All these things which God hateth they do. And

it is because of them that God hath taken the Taber-

nacle of His Covenant away from us and hath given it

to the people who do His Will and His Law, and His

Ordinance. He hath turned His face from us and hath

made His face to shine upon them. He hath despised

us and hath loved them. He hath shown mercy unto

them and hath blotted us out, because He hath taken

away the Tabernacle of His Covenant from us. For He

hath sworn an oath by Himself that He will not abro-

gate winter and summer, seed time and harvest, fruit

and work, sun and moon, as long as Zion is on the earth,

and that He will not in wrath destroy heaven and earth,

either by flood or fire, and that He will not blot out

man, and beast, and reptiles and creeping things, but

will show mercy to the work of His hands, and will mul-

tiply His mercy on what He hath formed. And when

God taketh away the Tabernacle of His Covenant He

will destroy the heavens, and the earth, and all His

work ; and this day hath God despised us and taken

from us the Tabernacle of His Law." And whilst

Solomon was saying these things he ceased not to weep,

and the tears ran down his cheeks continually.

And the Spirit of Prophecy answered and said unto

him, “‘ Why art thou thus sorrowful? For this hath

happened by the Will of God. And [Zion] hath not

been given to an alien, but to thy firstborn son who shall

1 Probably a corruption of the name Ekron (2 Kings i, 2), the city-

god of which was Baal-zebub.

How Solomon Returned to Jerusalem

sit upon the throne of David thy Father. For God

swore unto David in truth, and He repenteth not, that

of the fruit of his body He would make to sit upon his

throne for ever, in the Tabernacle of His Covenant, the

Holy Zion. And I will set him above the kings of the

earth, and his throne shall be like the days of heaven and

like the ordinance of the moon for ever.! And He who

sitteth upon the throne of the Godhead in the heavens

shall rule the living and the dead in the flesh for ever.

And angels and men shall serve Him, and every tongue

shall praise Him, and every knee shall bow to Him in the

abysses and in the rivers. Comfort thyself with this

[word], and get thee back to thy house, and let not thy

heart be wholly sad.” `

And the King was comforted by this [word], and he

said, ‘“ The Will of God be done, and not the will of

man.” And again the Angel of God appeared unto

him openly, and said unto him, “ As for thyself, thou

shalt build the house of God, and it shall be glory

and as a support for thee; and if thou wilt keep His

Commandment and wilt not serve other gods thou shalt

be beloved by God, even as David thy father."

61. How Sotomon RETURNED TO JERUSALEM

And then Solomon came back to the city of Jerusalem,

and he wept there with the elders of Jerusalem a great

weeping in the house of God. And after this the King

and Zadok the priest embraced each other, and they

wept bitterly in the habitation of Zion, and they re-

mained silent for a long time. And the elders rose up

and spake unto the King, saying, ** Be not thou sorrow-

ful concerning this thing, O our Lord, for we know,

from first to last, that without the Will of God Zion will

not dwell [in any place], and that nothing happeneth

without the Will of God. And as concerning Zion in

olden time, in the days of Eli the priest, before our

1 Psalms Ixxii, 11 ; lxxxix, 3, 4, 27, 29 ; cxxxii, II-13.

fathers had asked for a king, the Philistines carried Zion

away captive into [their] camp—God having neglected

Israel in the battle, and its priests "Afni (Hophni) and

Ptnáhas(Phinehas) having fallen by the edge of thesword.

And the Philistines carried away the Tabernacle of the

Law of God, and brought it into their city, and set it in

the house of their god Dagon. And Dagon was broken

to pieces and destroyed, and became like dust, and their

land became a desert through mice, and they ate up all

the fruit of their land, and their persons became sores

and boils. And they gathered together their priests,

and magicians, and star-gazers, and they entreated them

and said unto them, * How can we relieve ourselves of

these sores and the tribulation which have come upon

us, and upon our country?’ And those magicians

meditated and withdrew themselves to be alone, and

they brought their magical instruments, and pondered,

and considered, and planned how they could relieve

them from tribulation of their city and their persons.

And they discovered that this punishment had come

upon them and their city because of Zion. And they

went to their kings and their governors, and they said

unto them, ‘ All these things have befallen you through

the heavenly Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law of God.

And now, know ye how ye will take her back into her

city, and her country, and her house. And we must by

no means send her away empty, but must give her an

offering, so that she may forgive you your sins, and do

away your tribulation when she hath returned to her

city. And if ye will not send her to her city, no good

will come of making her to live with you, but ye shall

continue to be punished until ye are destroyed.’

* And their kings and governors said untotheir priests,

* What gift now say ye that we ought to give her, and

how shall we send her back ? Find out, and tell us what

we must do.’ And the priests of the Philistines took

counsel together again, and they said unto their kings and

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PLATE

From Brit. Mus. MS. Orient. No. 510, fol. 10a

Digitized » Google

XIV

The Virgin and Child and Joseph fleeing to Egypt

How Solomon returned to Jerusalem

governors, ‘ Make for her according to the heads of

your houses, sixty figures of mice in gold, since mice

. have destroyed your land, and sixty figures of the mem-

ber of a man, since your own persons have suffered from

sores and boils on your members! And the Philis-

tines made as they commanded them one hundred and

twenty offerings of gold, and gave them to Zion. And

again they said unto the priests, * How shall we send her

away? And whom do ye say shall set her in her city ??

And again the magicians of the Philistines said unto

them, * Let them bring two she-camels? that brought

forth their firstborn at the same time, and let them

attach a wagon? to them—and they must keep back

their young ones and shut them up in the house—and

they must yoke the two she-camels together, and then

set them free and let them go where they will. Andif

they march straight for Jerusalem we shall know that

peradventure God hath had compassion on our land ;

but if they wander about, and go hither and thither, and

wish to turn back to the place whence they started, then

we shall know that God is [still] wroth with us, and that

He will not remove His punishment until He hath

blotted out ourselves and our city.’

* And the Philistines did as the priests commanded

their governors, and they sent away Zion, and prostra:

ted themselves before her. And those camels made

their way straight to the country of Judah, and they

came to the threshing floor and the house of thy kins-

folk received them. And those who did not receive

them were the men of the house of Dân, and they did

not do homage to Zion, for they regarded her in anger as

their destroyed (?) God. And they cut up the pieces oí

wood of the wagon, and they made those camels to be

sacrifices, and Zion returned to her place. And whilst

Zion was in [her] house Samuel the Prophet ministered

1 Five mice and five emerods ; see 1 Sam. vi, 4.

* “Two milch kine,” 1 Sam. vi, 7. >“ A new cart,” 1 Sam. vi, 7.

Y 97

unto her, and vision and prophecy were revealed unto

him, and he pleased God in all his actions, and he ruled

Israel for forty-eight years. l

“ And after him our people entreated God to give

them a king like the nations that were round about

them. And Samuel the Prophet anointed Saul king,

and he reigned forty years. And he was of the tribe of

Benjamin, which was the youngest branch of the peoples

of Israel. And Samuel the Prophet also anointed th

father David. And when the Philistines fought wit

Saul the King, Saul. was conquered and died with

[Yó]náthán his son. And those of his sons who were

left wished to carry away Zion, when they knew that

their father and their brother were dead. And then

when they wished to hide her and to transfer her to the

Valley of Gélábühé (Gilboa) in order that thy father

David might not carry them off, she would not let them

carry her away until thy father came and carried her

away from their city, but not with offerings, and not

with incense and burnt offerings. For it was impossible

to carry Zion away unless she wished it and God wished

it. And again, when thy father reigned rightly over

Israel he took her from the city of Samaria and brought

her here to Jerusalem, dancing on his feet before her,

and clapping his hands because of joy for her; for she

was taken by him that she might come to the city of

David thy father. And as for that which thou sayest

concerning the going of Zion to their city, to the coun-

try of Ethiopia, if God willed it and she herself willed it,

there is no one who could prevent her ; for of her own

will she went, and of her own will she will return if God

pleaseth. And if she doth not return it will be God's

good pleasure. And as for us, if God hath willed it

Jerusalem shall remain to us wherein thou hast built for

us a house of God. And now, let not thine heart be

sad, but comfort thou thyself with what we have said

unto thee. And the wisdom, which the Lord God of

The answer which Solomon made to them

Israel hath given thee, hath sprouted from thee. For

wisdom is a strange thing. As a lamp is not the sun,

and as vinegar and aloes are neither profitable nor useful

additions to honey, even so the words of fools are not

beneficial to the wise man. And as smoke is to the eye,

and unripe fruit to the tooth, even so the words of fools

are not beneficial to the wise.”

62. CoNCERNING THE ANSWER WHICH SOLOMON MADE

i TO THEM

And Solomon the King answered and said unto them,

* Hearken ye unto me and to what I shall say unto you.

Supposing He had taken me away whilst I was carrying

Zion—what is impossible to God ? And supposing He

had taken you away whilst ye were carrying her—what

is impossible to God? And supposing He were to

make them to inherit our city, and destroy us—what is

impossible to God ? For everything is His, and none

can gainsay His Will, and there is none who can trans-

gress His command in heaven above or on earth below.

He is the King Whose kingdom shall never, never pass

away, Amen. But now let us go and kneel in the House

of God."

And the elders of Israel together with their King went

into the House of God, and they entered the Holy of

Holies, and they made supplication, and prostrated

themselves, and ascribed blessing to God. And Solo-

mon wept in the habitation of the heavenly Zion, the

Tabernacle of the Law of God, and they all wept with

him, and after a little while they held their peace. And

Solomon answered and said unto them, “ Cease ye, so

that the uncircumcised people may not boast themselves

over us, and may not say unto us, * Their glory is taken

away, and God hath forsaken them. Reveal ye not

anything else to alien folk. Let us set up these hoards,

which are lying here nailed together, and let us cover

them over with gold, and let us decorate them after

c2 99

"EUM QUEM i.

OXFORD

MuseuM

the manner of our Lady Zion, and let us lay the Book of

the Law inside it. Jerusalem the free that is in the

heavens above us, which Jacob our father saw, is with

us, and below it is the Gate of Heaven, this Jerusalem on

the earth. If we do the Will of God and His good

pleasure, God will be with us, and will deliver us out of

the hand of our enemy, and out of the hand of all those

who hate us ; God’s Will, and not our will, be done, and

God’s good pleasure, and not our good pleasure, be

done. Through this He hath made us sorrowful.

Henceforward His wrath will cool in respect of us, and

He will not abandon us to our enemies, and He will not

remove His mercy far from us, and He will remember

the covenant with our fathers Abraham, and Isaac,

and Jacob. He will not make His word to be a lie,

and will not break His covenant so that our fathers’

seed shall be destroyed.”

63. How THE NOBLES oF IsRAEL AGREED [WITH THE

; Kinc]

And then the elders of Israel made answer and said

unto him, ‘‘ May thy good pleasure be done, and the

good pleasure of the Lord God! As for us, none of us

will transgress thy word, and we will not inform any

other people that Zion hath been taken away from us."

And they established this covenant in the House of

God—the elders of Israel with their King Solomon unto

this day. And Solomon lived [thus] for eleven years

after the taking away of Zion from him, and then his

heart turned aside from the love of God, and he forgot

his wisdom, through his excessive love of women. And

he loved very greatly the daughter of Pharaoh, the king

of Egypt, whose name was Mákshárá, and he brought

her into the house which he had made ; and there were

figures of the sun, moon, and stars in the roof thereof,

and it was illumined by night as brightly as by day. Its

beams were made of brass, and its roof of silver, and its

The Nobles of Israel agree with the King

panels (?) of lead, and its walls of stone, red with black,

and brown with white [and] green ; and its floor was of

blocks of sapphire stone and sardius. And he used to

go and dwell therein through his love for his house and

his wife Makshara, the daughter of Pharaoh the king of

Egypt. - |

ow the queen possessed certain idols which her

father had given her to bow down before, and because,

when Solomon saw her sacrificing to them and wor-

shipping them, he did not rebuke her or forsake her,

God was wroth with him, and made him to forget his

wisdom. And she multiplied her sacrifices, and her

worship, and her folly, according to the stupidity of the

Egy ptians, and all the people of her house worshipped

the idols, and learned the foolish service of idols. And

enjoying the pleasure of their foolish service they wor-

shipped with the daughter of Pharaoh, and the children

of Israel joined themselves to her, and the women and

their handmaidens joined themselves unto her in the

worship and foolish service of idols. And Solomon

himself found pleasure in hearing their foolish service

and folly. And when she saw that he loved her, and

hearkened, and held his peace, and asked many ques-

tions about the foolish service of the gods of the Egypt-

lans, she made herself exceedingly agreeable to him,

and she spoke to him with honeyed words, and with the

tender speech of women, and with the sweet smile

that accompanieth the presentment of an evil deed,

and with the turning of the face and the assump-

tion of a look of good intent, and with the nodding

of the head. With actions of this kind she caused

his heart to turn away from his good intent, and she

enticed him to the evil of her work, wishing to drag

him down into the folly of the foolish service of idols

through carelessness. And as the deep sea draweth

down into its depths the man who cannot swim, until

the water overwhelmeth him and destroyeth his life,

IOI

even so did that woman wish to submerge Solomon

the King.

64. How THE DAUGHTER OF PHARAOH SEDUCED SOLOMON

And then the daughter of Pharaoh appeared before

Solomon, and said unto him, “ It is good to worship the

gods like my father and all the kings of Egypt who were

before my father." And Solomon answered and said

unto her, “ They call gods the things which have been

made by the hands of the worker in metal, and the car-

enter, and the potter, and the painter, and the hewer

in stone, and the sculptor ; these are not gods, but the

work of the hand of man, in gold, and silver, in brass

and lead, in iron and earthenware, and in stone, and ye

call * our gods’ the things that are not your gods. But

we worship none else than the Holy God of Israel and

our Lady, the holy and heavenly Zion, the Tabernacle

of the Law of God, whom He hath given us to worship,

us and our seed after us.”

And she answered and said unto him, “ Thy son hath

carried away thy Lady Zion, thy son whom thou hast

begotten, who springeth from an alien people into

which God hath not commanded you to marry, that is

to say, from an Ethiopian woman, who is not of thy

colour, and is not akin to thy country, and who is, more-

over, black." And Solomon answered and said unto

her, ** Though thou speakest thus art thou not thyself

of [that race] concerning which God hath not comman-

ded us that we should take wives from it ? And thy kin

is her kin, for ye are all the children of Ham. And

God, having destroyed of the seed of Ham seven kings,

hath made us to inherit this city, that we and our seed

after us may dwell therein for ever. And as concerning

Zion, the will of God hath been performed, and He hath

given her unto them so that they may worship her.

And as for me, I will neither sacrifice to nor worship

thine idols, and I will not perform thy wish."

IO2

How Pharaoh's Daughter seduced Solomon

And though she spake in this wise unto him, and

though she shewed herself gracious unto him evening

and morning, and night and day, he continued to refuse

her [request]. And one day she beautified and scented

herself for him, and she behaved herself haughtily

towards him, and treated him disdainfully. And he

said unto her, ** What shall I do? Thou hast made thy

face evil towards me, and thy regard towards me is not

as it was formerly, and thy beautiful form is not as

enticing as usual. Ask me, and I will give thee whatso-

ever thou wishest, and I will perform it for thee, so

that thou mayest make thy face (or, attitude) gracious

towards me as formerly ? ; but she held her peace and

answered him never a word. And he repeated to her

the words that he would do whatsoever she wished, and

she said unto him, ** Swear to me by the God of Israel

that thou wilt not play me false." And he swore to her

that he would give her whatsoever she asked for, and

that he would do for her everything that she told him.

And she tied a scarlet thread on the middle of the door

of [the house of] her gods, and she brought three locusts

and set them in the house of her gods. And she said

unto Solomon, * Come to me without breaking the

scarlet thread, bend thyself and kill these locusts before

me and pull out their necks? ; and hedidso. Andshe

said unto him, * I will henceforward do thy will, for

thou hast sacrificed to my gods and hast worshipped

them." Now he had done thus because of his oath, so

that he might not break his oath which she had made

him to swear, even though he knew that it was an

offence (or, sin) to enter into the house of her gods.

Now God had commanded the children of Israel,

saying, ** Ye shall not marry strange women that ye may

not be corrupted by them through their gods, and

through the wickedness of their works and the sweetness

of their voices; for they make soft the hearts of simple

young men by the sweetness of their gentle voices, and

by the beauty of their forms they destroy the wisdom

of the foolish man." Who was wiser than Solomon?

yet he was seduced by awoman. Who was more righ-

teous than David? yet he was seduced by a woman. Who

was stronger than Samson ? yet he was seduced by a

woman. Who was handsomer than 'Amnón ? yet he

was seduced by Tamar the daughter of David his father.

And Adam was the first creation of God, yet he was

seduced by Eve his wife. And through that seduction

death was created for every created thing. And this

seduction of men by women was caused by Eve, for we

are all the children of Eve.

65. CoNcERNING THE SIN OF SOLOMON

Now Solomon sinned an exceedingly great sin through

the worship of idols, and from being a wise man he

became a fool, and his sin is written down in the Book

of the Prophets. And the Archbishops who were

there answered and said, * Hath God had mercy on

Solomon for this error which is written down [as] his

sin ?" Yea, God hath had mercy upon him, and his

name is numbered with [the names of] Abraham, Isaac,

and Jacob, and David his father in the Book of Life in

heaven. For God is a forgiver of those who have

sinned. Come now, and consider, which was the

greater of the two, the sin of his father David or the

sin of his son Solomon? David caused Uriah to be

slain in battle by means of a plan of deceit so that he

might take his wife Bérsábéh (Bathsheba), the mother

of Solomon ; and he repented, and God had compassion

on him, And when he was dying he advised his son

Solomon, saying, “ Kill Joab as he killed ’Amér (Abner),

and kill Shimei because he cursed me?! ; and he per-

formed the will of his father and slew them after the

death of David his father. And Solomon killed no one

except his brother when he wished to marry the

1 1 Kings ii, 5 ff.

PLATE XV

M.

-—

IE

MN, ay

if zw MI AN

“AW SSAA

ATEN

From Brit. Mus. MS. Orient. No. 481, fol. 101b

The Baptism of Christ by John. Immediately above His halo is the

dove; on the left of Christ are the three chief Archangels

Concerning the Prophecy of Christ

Saménáwit,! the wife of his father David whose name

was ’Abis (Abishag). And as concerning the error of

Solomon which is written down I will reveal it to you,

even as God hath revealed it to me.

66. CoNCERNING THE PROPHECY OF CHRIST

Now, according to the interpretation of prophecy,

the name Solomon signifieth in the secret speech

* Christ." And as Solomon built the house of God, so

Christ raised up His Body and made it into the Church.

And when He said unto the Jews, ‘‘ Throw down this

house, and in three days I will build it up [again],’’?

He spake to them of the house of His Body. And as

Solomon multiplied wives from alien peoples because of

their beauty and winsomeness, and desires [arose] in

him in his feigning love [for them], so Christ gathered

together from alien peoples those who had not the Law,

but who believed on Him. And there was no uncir-

cumcised man to Him, and no pagan ; and there was

no slave, and no Jew, and no servant and no free man? ;

but He gathered them all into His heavenly kingdom by

His Flesh and Blood. And in the Song of Songs Solo-

mon himself sang and said, “‘ There are sixty mighty

men round about the bed of Solomon, all of them

trained in war and holding swords, each man with his

sword upon his thigh.”* The number sixty indicateth

the number of the righteous Patriarchs, and the

Prophets, and the Apostles, and the Martyrs, and the

Believers, and the Saints, and the Monks who have

resisted the evil thought and the war of Satan. Andthe .

word “‘ sword ” is, being interpreted, the word of the

Scriptures. The word of the Lord cutteth like a straight

sharp razor, and in like manner the Scriptures cut from

men's hearts the danger caused by lying dreams by

1 I.e. the “ Shunammite woman ” (see 1 Kings i, 3).

2 John ii, 19. * Galatians iii, 28.

* Song of Solomon iii, 7 ff.

night. And the words “ bed of Solomon ” are, being

interpreted, the Church of Christ.

And again Solomon sang, saying, * King Solomon

hath made a litter for himself," ! and these words are to

be interpreted that Christ hath put on our body. The

name Solomon in the language of the Hebrews is, being

interpreted, * Christ.” And the foolish Jews imagine

that the words of David, “ The Lord said unto me,

‘Thou art my son and I this day have begotten thee,’ ” ?

were spoken concerning Solomon his son. “O God,

give Thy judgment to the king, and Thy righteousness

to the son of the king, so that he may judge thy people

with righteousness and thy needy ones with justice.

And he shall live and they shall give him of the gold of

Arabia, and shall pray for him continually, and shall

follow him [with good words], and he shall be a support

for the whole earth on the tops of the mountains, and

his fruit shall be greater than the cedar, and he shall

flourish in the city like the grass of the earth, and his

name shall be blessed for ever, and his name shall be

before the sun. I have brought thee forth from the

belly before the Morning Star. God hath sworn, and

He will not repent, thou art His priest for ever, after

the appointment of Melchizedek.” 3

And concerning this prophecy and others like there-

unto, which David prophesied concerning Christ, the

foolish Jews, who are blind of heart, say that what

David said in the beginning of his book was spoken con-

cerning his son Solomon; this do the Jews say, and

they make Christ to be Solomon because of the similar-

ity of name, and the wisdom, and because He was the

Son of David in the flesh. And although those who

came after David and Solomon, namely Elijah and

Elisha, knew this, they ascribed Solomon's sin to him

in the Book of Kings in order that they might put to

! Song of Solomon iii, 9. 2 Psalm ii.

3 Psalms lxxii, 1 ff. ; cx, 4.

Concerning the Lamentation of Solomon

shame the Jews, who are blinded in heart and the

enemies of righteousness. And Solomon the King, the

son of David the King and Prophet, was himself also

King and Prophet, and he prophesied many similitudes

concerning Christ and concerning the Church, and he

wrote four books of prophecy, and is numbered with

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and David his father in the

kingdom of the heavens.

67. CONCERNING THE LAMENTATION OF SOLOMON

And now I will tell you how he died. His days were

sixty [years], when a sickness attacked him. And his

days were not as the days of David his father, but they

were twenty [years] shorter than his, because he was

under the sway of women and worshipped idols. And

the angel of death came and smote him [in] the foot,

and he wept and said, “ O Lord God of Israel, I am

conquered by the terrestrial law, for there is no one

free from blemish before Thee, O Lord, and there is

no one righteous and wise before Thee, O Lord. For

Thou dost scrutinize and try the heart. Nothing is

hidden from Thee. Thou lookest upon the hidden

things [as if they were] revealed, and Thou searchest

out the heart. Have mercy upon me, Lord. 'Thou

examinest the heart of man and dost try the reins.

Have mercy upon me, Lord. Thou hearest both the

whisper and the thunderclap. Have mercy upon me,

Lord. And if Thou hast mercy upon the righteous who

have not transgressed Thy commandments, what is

there wonderful in Thy mercy ? Have mercy upon me,

Lord. But if Thou shouldest show mercy upon me, a

sinner, Thy mercy would be a marvellous and gracious

thing. Have mercy upon me, Lord. And although I

have sinned remember Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,

my fathers who did not transgress Thy commandment.

Have mercy upon me, Lord, for Thou art merciful and

forgiving; for the sake of David Thy servant have

mercy upon me, Lord. O Master of the world, and of

kings and governors, have mercy upon me, Lord.

O Thou who makest fools to be wise, and the wise to

be fools, have mercy upon me, Lord. O Turner of

sinners and Rewarder of the righteous, have mercy

upon me, Lord." And as he spake these words tears

streamed down his face, and he searched for his napkin.

And the Angel of God went down to him and said

unto him, “ Hearken thou unto what I shall say unto

thee, for the sake of which God hath sent me. From

being a wise man thou hast turned thyself into a fool,

and from being a rich man thou hast turned thyself

turned thyself into a man of no account, through

transgressing the commandment of God. And the

beginning of thy evil was the taking of many wives by

thee, for through this thou didst transgress His Law,

and His decree, and the ordinance of God which Moses

wrote and gave to you, to Israel, that ye should not

marry wives from alien peoples but only from your

kinsfolk and the house of your fathers, that your seed

you. But thou didst hold lightly the Law of God,

thinking that thou wast wiser than God, and that thou

wouldst get very many male children. But the foolish-

ness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men, and He

hath only given thee three sons: the one who carried

off thy glory into an alien land, and made the habitation

of God to be in Ethiopia ; the one who is lame of foot,

who shall sit upon thy throne for the people of Israel,

the son of the kin of thy kin from Tarbána, of the house

of Judah; and the one who is the son of a Greek

woman, a handmaiden, who in the last days shall destroy

Rehoboam and all thy kin of Israel ; and this land shall

be his because he believeth in Him that shall come, the

Saviour. And the tribe of Rehoboam, and those who

are left of Israel, shall crucify Him that shall come, the

Io8

Concerning the Lamentation of Solomon

Redeemer, and the memory of you shall be blotted out

from the earth. For they shall think out a plan which

they shall not be able to establish, and He will be

wroth with them and blot out the memorial of them.

* And as for thee, Joseph, the son of Jacob, shall be

a symbol of thee. For his brethren sold him into the

land of Egypt from Syria, the country of Laba (Laban),

and on his going down into the land of Egypt there

arose a famine in Syria and in all the world. And

through his going down he called his kinsfolk and

delivered them from famine and gave them a habitation

in the land of Egypt, the name whereof is Géshén

(Goshen). For he himself was King under Pharaoh,

King of Egypt. Similarly the Saviour Who shall come

from thy seed shall set thee free by His coming, and

shall bring thee out of Sheól, where until the Saviour

cometh thou shalt suffer pain, together with thy

fathers; and He will bring thee forth. For from thy

seed shall come forth a Saviour Who shall deliver

thee, thee and those who were before thee, and those

who shall [come] after thee, from Adam to His coming

in the kin of your kin, and He shall make thee to go

forth from Sheól as Joseph brought out his kinsfolk

from the famine, that is to say the first Sheól in the

land of famine, so also shall the Saviour bring out of

Sheól you who are His kinsfolk. And as afterwards the

Egyptians made [the kinsmen of Joseph] slaves, so also

have the devils made you slaves through the error of

idols.

“ And as Moses brought his kinsmen out of the servi-

tude [of Egypt], so shall the Saviour bring you out of

the servitude of Sheól. And as Moses wrought ten

miracles and punishments (or, plagues) before Pharaoh

the King, so the Saviour Who shall come from thy seed

shall work ten miracles for life before thy people. And

as Moses, after he had wrought the miracles, smote the

sea and made the people to pass over as it were on dry

land, so the Saviour Who shall come shall overthrow

the walls of Shedl and bring thee out. And as Moses

drowned Pharaoh with the Egyptians in the Sea of

Eritrea, so also shall the Saviour drown Satan and his

devils in Sheól; for the sea is to be interpreted by

Sheól, and Pharaoh by Satan, and his hosts of Egyptians

by devils. And as Moses fed them [with] manna in the

desert without toil, so shall the Saviour feed you with

the food of the Garden (t.e. Paradise) for ever, after

He hath brought you out from Shed]. And as Moses

made them to dwell in the desert for forty years,

without their apparel becoming worn out, or the soles

of their feet becoming torn, so the Saviour shall make

you to dwell without toil after the Resurrection. And

as Joshua brought them into the Land of Promise, so

shall the Saviour bring you into the Garden of Delight.

And as Joshua slew the seven Kings of Canaan, so shall

the Saviour slay the seven heads of ?'Iblis.! And as

joshua destroyed the people of Canaan, so shall the

Saviour destroy sinners and shut them up in the fortress

of Sheól. And as thou hast built the house of God, so

shall churches be built upon the tops of the moun-

tains.”

68. ConcerninG Mary, Our Lapy or SALVATION

* And again, there shall be unto thee a sign that the

Saviour shall come from thy seed, and that He shall

deliver thee with thy fathers and thy seed after thee

by His coming. Your salvation was created in the belly

of Adam in the form of a Pearl before Eve. And when

He created Eve out of the rib He brought her to Adam,

and said unto them, ‘ Multiply you from the belly of

Adam. The Pearl did not go out into Cain or Abel,

but into the third that went forth from the belly of

Adam, and it entered into the belly of Seth. And

then passing from him that Pearl went into those who

1], Satan, the Devil.

IIO

Concerning Mary, Our Lady of Salvation

were the firstborn, and came to Abraham. And it did

not go from Abraham into his firstborn Ishmael, but

did not go into his firstborn, the arrogant Esau, but it

went into Jacob the lowly one. And it did not enter

from him into his firstborn, the erring Reuben, but into

Judah, the innocent one. And it did not go forth from

Judah until four sinners had been born, but it came to

Farés (Perez), the patient one. And from him this

Pearl went to the firstborn until it came into the belly

of Jesse, the father of thy father. And then it waited

until six men of wrath had been born, and after that it

came to the seventh, David,! thy innocent and humble

father; for God hateth the arrogant and proud, and

loveth the innocent and humble. And then it waited

in the loins of thy father until five erring fools had

been born, when it came into thy loins because of thy

wisdom and understanding. And then the Pearl waited,

and it did not go forth into thy firstborn. For those

good men of his country neither denied Him nor

crucified Him, like Israel thy people; when they saw

Him Who wrought miracles, Who was to be born from

the Pearl, they believed on Him when they heard the

report of Him. And the Pearl did not go forth into

thy youngest son 'Adrámi. For those good men neither

crucified Him nor denied Him when they saw the

working of miracles and wonders by Him that was to

be born from the Pearl, and afterwards they believed in

Him through His disciples.

** Now the Pearl, which is to be your salvation, went

forth from thy belly and entered into the belly of

‘J yérbé‘4m (Rehoboam) thy son, because of the wicked-

ness of Israel thy people, who in their denial and in

their wickedness crucified Him. But if He had not been

crucified He could not have been your salvation. For

! David was the eighth of Jesse's sons.

III

He was crucified without sin, and He rose [again}

without corruption. And for the sake of this He went

down to you into Sheól, and tore down its walls, that

He might deliver you and bring you out, and show

mercy upon all of you. Ye in whose bellies the Pearl shall

be carried shall be saved with your wives, and none of

you shall be destroyed, from your father Adam unto

him that shall come, thy kinsman ‘Kyakém (Joachim),

and from Eve thy mother, the wife of Adam, to Noah

and his wife Tarmiza, to Tara (Terah) and his wife

'"Aminyá, and to Abraham and his wife Sara (Sarah),

and to Isaac and his wife Rébkà (Rebecca), and to Jacob

and his wife Léya (Leah), and to Yahüdà and his bride

Té‘emar (Tamar), and to thy father and his wife

Bérsabéh (Bathsheba), and to thyself and Tarbana thy

wife, and to Rehoboam thy son and his wife ’AmisA,

and to lyó'akém (Joachim) thy kinsman, who is to

come, and his wife Hanna.

* None of you who shall have carried the Pearl shall

be destroyed, and whether it be your men or your

women, those who shall have carried the Pearl shall not

be destroyed. For the Pearl shall be carried by the

men who shall be righteous, and the women who have

carried the Pearl shall not be destroyed, for they shall

and for its sake and for the sake of Zion He hath

created the whole world. Zion hath taken up her

abode with thy firstborn and she shall be the salvation

of the people of Ethiopia for ever ; and the Pearl shall

be carried in the belly of ’Ayérbé‘4m (Rehoboam) thy

son, and shall be the saviour of all the world. And

when the appointed time hath come this Pearl shall be

from the seat of His Godhead, and shall dwell upon

her, and shall put on her flesh, and straightway thou

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Concerning Mary, Our Lady of Salvation

thyself shalt announce to her what my Lord and thy

Lord speaketh to me.

* [ am Gabriel the Angel, the protector of those who

shall carry the Pearl from the body of Adam even to the

belly of FIanná, so that I may keep from servitude and

aver you wherein the Pearl shall dwell. . And

ichael hath been commanded to direct and keep Zion

wheresoever she goeth, and Uriel shall direct and keep

the wood of the thicket! which shall be the Cross of

the Saviour. And when thy people in their envy have

crucified Him, they shall rush upon His Cross because

of the multitude of miracles that shall take place

through it, and they shall be put to shame when they

see its wonders. And in the last times a descendant of

thy son ’Adramis shall take the wood of the Cross, the

third [means of] salvation that shall be sent upon the

earth. The Angel Michael is with Zion, with David

thy firstborn, who hath taken the throne of David thy

shall reign for ever, with Rehoboam thy second son ;

and the Angel Uriel is with thy youngest son ’Ad-

rámí[s]. This have I told thee, and thou shalt not make

thy heart to be sad because of thine own salvation and

that of thy son."

And when Solomon had heard these words, his

strength came [back] to him on his bed, and he pros-

trated himself before the Angel of God, and said, “I

give thanks unto the Lord, my Lord and thy Lord,

O thou radiant being of the spirit, because thou hast

made me to hear a word which filleth me with glad-

ness, and because He doth not cut off my soul from the

inheritance of my father because of my sin, and because

my repentance hath been accepted after mine affliction,

and because He hath regarded my tears, and hath heard

my cry of grief, and hath looked upon my affliction, and

hath not let me die in my grief, but hath made me to

1 Compare Gen. xxii, 13.

H = 113

rejoice before my soul shall go forth from my body.

Henceforward [the thought of] dying shall not make me

sorrowful, and I will love death as I love life. Hence-

forward I will drink of the bitter cup of death as if it

were honey, and henceforward I will love the grave as if

it were an abode of costly gems. And when I have

descended and have been thrust down deep into Sheól

because of my sins, I shall not suffer grief, because I have

heard the word which hath made me glad. And when

I have gone down into the lowest depth of the deepest .

deep of Sheól, because of my sins, what will it matter

tome? Andif Hecrush me to powder in His hand and

scatter me to the ends of the earth and to the winds

because of my sins, it will not make me sorrowful,

because I have heard the word that hath made me to

rejoice, and God hath not cut my soul off from the

inheritance of my fathers. And my soul shall be with

the soul of David my father, and with the soul of

Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob my fathers. And the

Saviour shall come and shall bring us out from Sheól

with all my fathers, and my kinsmen, old and young.

And as for my children, they shall have upon earth three

mighty angels to protect them. I have found the king-

dom of the heavens, and the kingdom of the earth. Who

is like unto God, the Merciful, Who showeth mercy

to His handiwork and glorifieth it, Who forgiveth the

sins of the sinners and Who doth not blot out the

memorial of the penitent ? For His whole Person is

forgiveness, and His whole Person is mercy, and to Him

belongeth praise." Amen.

69. CONCERNING THE QUESTION or SOLOMON

And Solomon turned and looked at the Angel and

stretched out both his hands, and said, ** My lord, is the

coming of the Saviour of which thou speakest near or far

off?" And the Angel answered and said unto him, “ He

will come three and thirty generations from thy kin and

pr een pe ee oe F- |

Concerning the Question of Solomon

from thy seed and will deliver you. But Israel will

hate their Saviour, and will be envious of Him because

He will work signs and miracles before them. And they

will crucify Him, and will kill Him, and He shall rise

up again and deliver them, for He is merciful to the

penitent and good to those who are His chosen ones.

And behold, I tell you plainly that He will not leave in

Sheól His kinsmen of Israel by whom the Pearl hath

been carried.” |

And when the Angel of God had spoken these words

unto Solomon, he said unto him, ** Peace be unto thee."

And Solomon answered and said unto him, “ My lord,

I beseech thee, I would ask thee one question ; be not

unheedful of my cry." And the Angel said unto him,

* Speak, ask me thy question, and I will make thee to

know what I have heard and seen." And Solomon said

unto him, ** Now I am grieved because of Israel, His

people, whom He hath chosen as His firstborn from

among all the ancient tribes of His inheritance; tell

me, will they be blotted out after the coming of the

Saviour?” And the Angel of God answered him

again and said unto him, “ Yea, I have told thee that

they will crucify the Saviour. And when they have

poured out His blood on the wood of the Cross they

shall be scattered all over the world." And Solomon

said, “ I weep for my people. Woe to my people!

who from first to last have always provoked their

Creator to wrath. I and those who have been before

me are unworthy to have mercy shown unto us because

of the evil of our works, for we are a faithless generation.

Woe unto those who shall pour out innocent blood, and

calumniate the righteous man, and divide his spoil, and

who neither believe on His word nor walk in His Com-

mandment! Their judgement is waiting, and their

error abideth; great is their punishment. And their

sin is waiting, and it shall never be forgiven to them,

and the sin of their fathers shall be remembered ; for

H 2 115

their work was sin, and they shall be destroyed by that

which they themselves have imagined. And woe also

unto my soul! for I who have been honoured shall on

my death be treated with contempt; and I who have

been renowned for wisdom upon the earth shall become

dust. In what way is the king superior if he hath not

into the grave is the same, and their path in the deep 1s

the same. Of what benefit (or, use) are we who are

men? We are created in vain, and after a little time

we become as if we had never been created. As for the

breath which we breathe, if it cease for a short time, our

soul passeth away, and if the beat of the spark of our

heart which moveth in our mind passeth away we be-

come dust, and our friends and acquaintances hold us to

be a loathsome thing. And the understanding of our

mind which is above [in] our heads [is destroyed] when

our soul is poured out, and we become worms and filth ;

and when the heat of our body hath passed away we

become nothingness and we pass away like the dissolving

of a cloud. What then? To multiply speech is use-

less, and the goodliness of the stature is destroyed, and

the strength of kings is blotted out, and the might of

governors is destroyed and is no more found. And we

all pass away like shadows, and when we have passed

away in death our name is forgotten, and the trace of

us cannot be found; after three generations of our

children there is none who will remember our name."

And straightway he turned his face to Rehoboam his

son, and he said unto him, ** O my son, withhold thyself

from evil and do the things that are good, so that thou

mayest find many days upon earth. And do not bow

down to strange gods, and do not worship them, but

fear and honour God only, so that thou mayest conquer

thy foes and thy adversaries, and mayest inherit the

oe of thy father in the heavens, and also eternal

ife.”

How Rehoboam Reigned

And he said unto him, “ Write me in the roll of the

Book, and lay it in the chest.” And he said unto Zadok

the priest, * Anoint my son and make him king. As

my father David, my lord, made me king whilst he was

alive, even so do I make my son Rehoboam king. And

his seed shall be the salvation of myself and of my fathers

for ever, according to what the Angel of the Lord spake

unto me.”

70. How REHOBOAM REIGNED

Then Zadok the priest took Rehoboam and made him

king, and he anointed him and performed for him what-

soever the Law demanded. And Rehoboam laid a

tablet of wood upon the Tabernacle, and he found it

with the name of his father Solomon [written upon]

it, and then they set him upon the king’s mule, and said

unto him, * All hail! Long live the royal father!”

and the city resounded with cries, and the trumpet was

blown. And before Rehoboam could return to his

father Solomon died. And they laid Solomon in the

tomb of his father David, and they mourned for him

with great mourning, for there was not found his like

in wisdom in those days.

And when seven days had passed Rehoboam made the

mourning for his father to cease. And the people of

Israel gathered themselves together to Rehoboam, and

they said unto him, “ Lighten for us [our] labour, for

thy father made it very heavy in the hewing of wood,

and in the dressing of stone, and in making wagons for

bringing down cedarwood.” And Rehoboam took

counsel with the councillors and the elders of the house

of the king, and they said unto him, “‘ Answer them

graciously. For at this present thou art like a young

animal and thy loins are not able to bear the yoke.

And now, speak -unto them graciously, and say unto

them, ‘I will do for you everything ye wish. And

when thy hand hath gotten power over them thou

canst do with thy people what thou wishest.” And

Rehoboam drove out the elders and brought in the

foolish young men who had been brought up with him.

And he took counsel with them, and told them of the

message which the house of Israel had sent to him and

what the elders of the house of the king had counselled

him to do. And those foolish young men said unto

him, ** An aged man giveth the counsel of an aged man,

and the elder giveth the counsel of an elder, and a man

stricken in years giveth the counsel of the man whois

stricken in years, and a young man like thyself giveth

the counsel which appertaineth to youth. As for these

men who are stricken in years, their loins are as tender

as those of a young animal that cannot walk. And as

concerning this matter of which thou speakest, who can

dispute the command of our Lord the King?” And

one of them leaped up into the air before Rehoboam,

and another drew his sword, and another brandished his

spear, and another seized his bow and quiver. And

when they had made an end of their playing they

counselled him, saying, “ O our lord, may we be with

thee, and thou with us! Now thy father in wisdom

gave us, the sons of men of Israel who are learned in the

art of war, to grow up with thee that thy kingdom might

be strong after him. O our lord, show not a timid face

to those men, lest they think that thou art weak and

art not able to make war against them and against thine

enemies. For if they see in us an attitude of weakness

in word and in deed, we shall be held in contempt by

them, and they will not give us gifts, or presents, or

slaves, or tribute, and thy kingdom will be destroyed.

But address them with bold words, and speak unto cher

haughtily, saying, ‘In respect of my father ye say in

wood and in stone, but I will make you to serve me with

flank shall be stronger than the thickest part of my

father’s body, and my counsel is greater than the counsel

How Rehoboam Reigned

of my father who begot me. None shall diminish for

you the labour and the forced service, nay it shall be

increased for you in every particular. And if ye will

not do my command, I will make your cattle my plun-

der, and your children shall be captives, and my knife

of slaughter shall consume you. And I will seize your

cities and your fields, and your plantations, and your

wells, and your gardens, and your lands, and your fruit

(or, crops), and I will bind your honourable ones in

chains of iron, and your riches shall [provide] food for

my servants, and your women shall be for the adorn-

ment of the house of my nobles. And I will not alter

this my decision, and will not diminish it, and I will

neither make it to be a lie nor to have no effect ; and

I will carry it out quickly, and will write it down for

ever. For the whol of this land was given to David

my grandfather for his kingdom, and to my father

Solomon after him. And [God] hath given it to me

after my fathers as to them, and I will make you to

serve me as ye served them ; and now take counsel and

obey me.’ ”

And thus also did Rehoboam speak unto the elders of

Israel. And the people all rose up together in their

full number, ad they said, “ Get back to [your]

house[s] O Israel. Have we none else whom we can

make king save in the house of Judah and in the house

of Benjamin? We will reject their houses and the

men of both of them, and we will make as our king and

governor the man whom we wish for and in whom our

soul delighteth.” And they took up their weapons of

war, and fled in a body, and came to the city of Samaria

of Béth Éfrátá, where they took counsel and were

gathered together in a body. And the house of Israel

cast lots among themselves so that they might make

king the man whom they chose from the house of the

father of the man wherein the lot fell. And the lot fell

on the house of Ephraim, on the son of Nábát, and they

II9

chose a man from the house of his father, and made

Jeroboam king. And thus was the kingdom separated

from Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, and there were

. left to it only the house of Benjamin and the house of

Judah his father.

And the word which God spake unto David His

servant was not made a lie, ** Of the fruit of thy body

I will make to sit upon thy throne"! ; and again He

said, ** Ordained like the moon for ever "? ; and again

He said, * God sware unto David truly and will not

repent.”® He Who reigned on the throne of David His

father was Jesus Christ, his kinsman in the flesh by a

virgin, Who sat upon the throne of His Godhead ; and

"in earth He granted to reign upon His throne the

ing of Ethiopia, Solomon's firstborn. To Rehoboam

God gave only two stems (or, roots) ; and the King of

Rómé is the youngest son of Solomon. And God did

this in order that foolish people might not call us

Jews, because of Solomon and because of Rehoboam

is son—now God knoweth the heart—and He did this

that they might not imagine such a thing. They called

Rehoboam “ King of Judah,” and they called the King

of Samaria “ King of Israel.” And of the generations

of Rehoboam, from Rehoboam to ’lyakém (Joachim)

were forty-one generations. And there were born to

Malki two children, Levi and Shem, the begetter of

Hónásé. And Hónásé begat Kalamyés, and Kalámyós

begat Joachim, and Joachim begat Mary, the daughter

of David. And again fli begat Malki, and Malkí begat

Mati, and Mati begat ' Él, and Jacob, and Hanna, the

wife of Joachim. And ’Elf took a wife and died without

children. And Jacob took to wife Yéhad4, the wife of

'Élí, and he begat by her Joseph the carpenter, who was

the betrothed of Mary. And Joseph was the son of

Jacob in the flesh and the son of Elf according to the

1 2 Samuel vii, 12 ; Psalm cxxxii, 11.

2 Psalm Ixxxix, 37. 3 Psalm lxxxix, 55.

I20

PLATE XVII

339} Jo ptojisur smejo pue ‘iri ‘suIOY ‘sgum tnra uew v

QTI *Jof “OIS "ON "2140 "STI SNIE "nag tuota

Digitized by Google

Concerning Mary, the Daughter of David

Law; now God had commanded Moses that the

Israelites were to marry their kinsfolk, each in the house

of his fathers, and that they were not to marry alien

women.

71. CONCERNING Mary, THE DAUGHTER OF Davip

And from this it is evident that Mary was the

daughter of David, and that Joseph was the son of

David. ‘Therefore was Mary betrothed to Joseph her

kinsman, as it is said in the Gospel, ** O Joseph, son of

David, fear thou not to take to wife Mary thy betrothed,

for that which is to be born of her is of the Holy Spirit,

the Word of God."! And there was born of her God,

the Word, Light of Light, God of God, Son of the

Father, Who came and delivered His creation; from

the hand of Sheól, and from Satan, and from death He

hath delivered all of us who have believed in Him, He

hath drawn us to His Father and hath raised us up into

heaven His throne to become His heirs ; for He is a

lover of man, and unto Him praise belongeth for ever.

Amen.

72. CONCERNING THE KiNc or ROmE (CONSTANTINOPLE)

And we will begin to tell you what we have heard,

and what we have found written, and what we have

seen concerning the King of Rémé. The kingdom of

Rómé was the portion and dominion of Japhet, the son

of Noah. And sitting down they made twelve great

cities, and Darius built the greatest cities of their

kingdoms: 'Antókyá (Antioch), Díresyà (Tyre ?), and

Bártonyá (Parthia ?), and Rámyá (Roma ?), and those

who reigned dwelt there; and King Constantine built

Constantinople after his own name. Now the sign of

the Cross having appeared to him during the battle in

the form of stars cut in the heavens, he was delivered

out of the hands of his enemy ; and from that time

1 Matthew i, 20.

I2I

onwards the Kings of Rómé made their habitation

there. And that Darius had many descendants ; and

from Darius to the days of Solomon were eighteen

generations. And of his seed was born ^ man whose

name was Zanbarés, and he made in wisdom a drawing

of the astrolabe, and placed stars therein, and [he made

also] a balance (1.¢., clock) for the sun. And he [fore saw

what would come after, and that the kingdom would

not remain to the children of Japhet, but would depart

to the seed of David, of the tribe of Shem. And when

he thus saw, he sent a message to David the King,

saying, ‘ Take my daughter for thy son? ; and David

the King took her and gave her to Solomon his son, and

Solomon begat a son by her and called his name

*"Adràmi" And Zanbarés died before [this] and

Baltasór, who was of his kinsmen, became king. And

he lacked male offspring to reign after him upon his

throne, and he was jealous lest the children of his

father should reign after him. And he sent a written

message to Solomon the King, saying, “‘ Hail to the

greatness of thy kingdom, and to thine honourable

wisdom! And now, give me thy son, whom I will

make king over the city of Rómé. For I have not been

able to beget male children, but only three daughters.

And I will give him whichever of my daughters he

rv and I will give him my throne, and he shall

e king, he and his seed after him in the city of Rómé

for ever."

And when King Solomon had read this letter, he

meditated, saying, ** If I keep back my son he will send

to the King of the East, who will give him his son, and

that which I have planned will be made void ; therefore

I will give him my son.” And he took counsel with his

counsellors of the house of Israel, and he said unto

them, ** We have already given our son and our children

to the country of Ethiopia, and Israel hath a kingdom

there. And now, so that we may have a third kingdom,

Concerning the King of Rómé

the country of Rómé, I will send thither 'Ardámís my

youngest son. Hold ye not it against me as an evil thing

that formerly I took away your sons, for it is a pleasing

thing to God that the men of Ethiopia have learned

His Name, and have become His people. In like man-

ner, the men of Rémé, if we give them our children,

will become the people of God, and unto us moreover

shall be given the name of ‘ People of God,’ being

spoken of thus and called thus: The people of Israel

have taken the kingdom of Ethiopia and the kingdom of

Rómé. Give ye your youngest sons as before [ye gave

the eldest], and let those of middle age stay in our city."

And they rose up, and took counsel, and returned,

and said unto him, ** We will speak this matter funto

the King, and he shall do his will.” And he said unto

them, * Make me hear what ye would say.” And they

said unto him, “ Thou hast already taken the eldest of

our houses, and nowtake the youngest of their children.”

And he was pleased with this counsel, and he did for

them as they wished. And he set forward 'Adrámi his

son, who took some of the nobles of the lower grades of

the house of Israel, and the lot fell upon him in the

name of his father Solomon; and they gave him a

priest of the tribe of the Levites whose name was

?Akimthél, and they set 'Adrámi upon the king’s mule,

and cried out to him, “ Hail! [Long] live the royal

father!” And all the people said, “It is right and

proper.” And they anointed him with the oil of

kingship, and commanded him to keep all the laws of

the kingdom, and they made him to swear that he

would worship no other god except the God of Israel.

And they blessed him as they had blessed David his

brother, and admonished 'Adrámí even as they had

admonished David, and they accompanied him on his

way as far as the sea coast.

And Solomon the King wrote and sent a letter,

saying, “‘ Peace be to Baltasór, the King of Rómé!

Vin

Take my son 'Adrámi, and give him thy daughter, and

make him king in the city of Rómé. Thou didst wish

for a king of the seed of David my father, and I have

done thy will. And I have sent unto thee his nobles,

fourteen on his right hand and fourteen on his left,

who shall keep the Law with him and be subject unto

thee according to thy will."

And they arrived there with the ambassadors of the

King of Rómé, together with much splendour and all ~

the equipment that was requisite for the country of

Rómé. And they came to the city of Rómé, to Baltasar

the King, and they repeated all that Solomon had sent

them to say, and delivered over to him his son. And

Baltásár rejoiced exceedingly, and gave him his eldest

daughter, whose name was 'Adlónyá ; and he made a

great marriage feast according to the greatness of his

kingdom, and established him over all his city of Rómé.

And he blessed him, for he was noble in stature, and his

wisdom was marvellous, and he was exceedingly mighty

in his strength.

And one day Baltasar wished to test his knowledge in

the trying of cases, a man, the possessor of a vineyard,

having come to him and appealed to him, saying, “ My

lord, ’Arsani, the son of Yodad, hath transgressed thy

word, and hath laid waste my vineyard with his sheep.

And behold, I have seized his sheep and they are in my

house ; what decision wilt thou come to in respect of

me ?" And the owner of the sheep came to the King

and made an appeal to him, saying, “‘ Give me back my

sheep, for he hath carried them off because they went

into his vineyard.” And the King said unto them,

“ Go ye and argue your case before your King 'Adrámi,

and whatsoever he shall say unto you that do." And

they went and argued their case before him. And

*Adrami asked him, saying, * How much of the vine-

yard have the sheep eaten ? The leaves, or the tendrils,

or the young grapes, or the shoots by the roots ? "

Concerning the first Judgment of ’Adrami

And the owner of the vineyard answered and said unto

him, “ They have eaten the tendrils and the branches

that had grapes upon them, and there is nothing left

of the vines except the twigs by the root.” And

*Adrami asked the owner of the sheep, saying, “ Is this

true?” And the owner of the sheep answered and

said unto him, ‘‘ My lord, they ate [only] the tendrils

with leaves on them." And 'Adrámi answered and said,

“ This man saith that they ate the grapes: is this

true?" And the owner of the sheep answered and

said, “ No, my.lord, but they ate the blossoms before

they had formed into grapes."

73. CONCERNING THE FIRST JUDGMENT OF ’ApRAMf},

Kinc or RômÊ

And ’Adrami said unto them, “ Hearken ye to the

judgment which I will declare unto you. If the sheep

have destroyed all the shoots from the root of the

vine, then they all belong to thee. And if they have

eaten the leaves of the branches, and the blossoms of

the grapes, take the sheep, shear their wool, and [take

also] the young of those which have not yet brought

forth. But the sheep which have already brought forth

young for the first time leave to the owner of the

sheep.” And all those who heard the judgment which

he pronounced marvelled, and Baltasar said, “ Verily, `

this judgment is a judgment of the people of the God

of Israel. Henceforward judge him that hath a case at

law, wage war with him that would wage war, rule him

that would be ruled, keep alive him that should be kept

alive, and pass the judgment that ought to be passed

according as men would be judged, and take this city

to thyself and to thy seed after thee.” And all the men

of the city of Rómé were well pleased, and they made

? Adrámi king over them, and they rejoiced in him with

a great joy ; for it happened thus by their will and by

the Will of God. And [then] a fever seized Baltasar,

and thereupon he sent 'Adrámi to the war, and into

everything that he wished, whilst he himself remained

in the city ; and after this Baltasar died, and ’Adrami :

directed the kingdom. And the city of Rómé became

the possession of 'Adrámi and of his generations after

him, for by the Will of God the whole of the kingdom

of the world was given to the seed of Shem, and slavery

to the seed of Ham, and the handicrafts to the seed of

Japhet.

74. CONCERNING THE KiNc or MEDYÂM

The king of Medyám was of the seed of Shem. For

of the seed of Isaac was Esau, who went forth from his

mother's womb with Jacob clinging to the sole of his

foot ; and Jacob carried away the right of the firstborn

from Esau for the sake of a mess of pottage. And the

name of Esau’s kingdom was called, according to his

name of contempt, ‘‘ Edom,” for the interpretation of

* Edom ” is “ lentiles " ; and because of this the seed

of Esau were called “ Edomites.” For through the

greed of his belly he forsook and lost the right of the

firstborn of the seed of Shem. For unless the soul be

testrained by temperance, it will bring down into a net

the whole of the lust of the belly which is of the body.

For the body is greedy, but temperance restraineth the

soul, and therefore Paul said, ** That which the soul doth

not wish the body wisheth ; and that which the body

doth not wish the soul wisheth, and each contendeth

againsttheother."! Ifaman willeth a thing, and hfs soul

bandeth itself with the desire of his body he becometh

like the Devil ; but if he restraineth his body, and his

soul bandeth itself with his desire he becometh like

Christ. For the Apostles say that Christ is the Head of

every man who travelleth upon the straight road. And

our Lord said unto His disciples, * Walk in the Spirit,

and perform ye not the lust of your bodies.”* And

1 Galatians v, 17. 3 Galatians v, 16.

Concerning the King of Babylon

when they heard this they forsook all the lust of the

flesh, and they said unto our Lord, ** Behold now, we

have forsaken everything and followed Thee ; what is

our reward ? " And our Saviour said unto them, “ Ye

have made your bodies like unto those of the angels, and

ye shall do mighty deeds even as do I. And behold, I

have given you authority to raise the dead, and I have

given you power to heal the sick, and ye shall trample

upon all the an of the Enemy. And at My second

coming ye shall judge and shall put to shame the

Twelve Tribes of Israel, because they have not believed

on Me, and have treated My glory with contempt. And

as for those who believe in Me, ye shall magnify them

and shall make them to rejoice with you in My king-

dom.?1

75. CONCERNING THE KiNc or BABYLON

Now the King of Babylon is of the seed of Shem, and

we will show you clearly that the King of Babylon is of

the seed of Shem. It came to pass in days of old that

there lived in the kingdom of Manasseh, the King of

Israel, a certain man whose name was Karmín, and he

was a fearer of God, and he gave many alms and obla-

to the house of God, he did so with sincerity, and his

tithe he gave twofold ; and he was good in all his ways,

and there was no evil whatsoever before him. And

Satan, the enemy of all good, became envious of him,

for he saw that his course of life was good. And that

man was exceedingly rich in camels and horses, and

flocks of sheep, and herds of cattle, and gold and silver,

and fine apparel, and he used to feed the mule of the

king in 'Armátém, a city of Israel. Now his native

lace was the country of Judah, his fathers’ portion, but

Decaue of [his] love for wealth he departed into 'Armá-

tém to dwell there, and Israel allowed him to settle

1 Compare Matthew x, 8; xix, 28; Luke x, 19.

there because of his riches ; for he was exceedingly rich

and had many possessions, and the governors [of Judah]

were afraid of him.

76. CONCERNING LYING WITNESSES

And there was a certain depraved man of the seed

of Benjamin, whose name was Benyás, who used to lead

the mule of the King of Israel, and Karmin used to

feed him, together with the mule of King Manasseh.

And among the neighbours of Karmin there were cer-

tain men who were envious of him because of [his] pas-

tures and wells, and because of the multitude of his

flocks and herds and servants, for the region [where he

had settled] was the inheritance of their fathers, and

for this reason they wished to drive him away from

their country. And they kept watch upon Benyás, the

leader of the king's mule, with evil intent, and they

abused Karmin, and said unto Benyás, **'This Karmin

blasphemeth, and he hath blasphemed the King of

Israel, the anointed of God, saying, ‘ This king is not

the son of a free woman, but the son of an old woman

servant whom [a certain man] bought for two Kór-

measures [of grain] to work at the mill and brick-

making. Do thou take thy case against him to the king

and accuse him, for we will be thy witnesses before the

king, and we will not let thee be put to shame.” And

they made a covenant together, and they swore to him

that they would bear false witness against Karmín, by

whose tongue such a word had never been uttered, and

into whose mind such a thought had never entered.

And Benyás went to his lord, the King, and told him

all this matter. And the King said unto him, “ Is

there any man who hath heard this with thee ? " And

Benyás answered and said unto him, “ Yea, there are

some who have heard—two of the nobles of Israel who

belong to’Armatém.” And the King said unto him, “Go

now and bring them hither secretly so that we may find

PLATE XVIII

From Brit. Mus. MS, Orient. No. 510, fol. 22a

The Gadarene swine rushing down into the sea

Concerning Lying Witnesses

out whether they agree with thy words; [and if they

do] we will cut off the head of Karmin.” And Benyás

departed and brought Zaryós and Kármélós, of the

ie of Manasseh, for it had been agreed between them

that they would not put him to shame before the King

in the matter of their lying testimony. And these two

men agreed together and planned when they were on

[their] way, saying, ‘‘ When we have spoken to the King

if he shall ask us afterwards separately (so that he may

find out the truth of our words), saying, ‘ Where did you

hear these words ? * we will each of us answer and say

unto him, * When we were drinking wine with him.’

And when he shall say unto us, * What day [was this] ? '

we will say, * Five days after the new moon.’ An

when he saith unto us, * What time [of the day] ? * we

will say unto him, ‘ At the ninth hour, when he was

. sitting with us, and we were drinking wine together.’

And when he shall ask us, saying, * What did ye drink

out of ? and where were ye sitting?’ we will say unto

him, * Out of cups of zold, and our seats were in the

hall of his house where the cushions for reclining upon

were placed." And they agreed together on this evil

plot [whilst they were] on their way.

And when they arrived in the presence of the King

Benyás brought them forward, and the King ques-

tioned them, and they repeated to him all their lying

counsel. And he asked them—according as they had

surmised on the road—the occasion, and the day, and

the hour of their drinking [wine] and their sitting [in

the hall] and they told him. Now, God hath commanded

that kings, and governors, and all those who occupy a

high position shall investigate an accusation, even as

God commanded Moses.

And when the King had enquired into all this matter,

he called the captain of his host who stood before him,

and said unto him, “ Go at dawn of day to-morrow and

surround the house of Karmin and let not anyone of his

I 129

eople escape thee, neither man nor woman, and slay

qe all] with the sword. And as for Karmin, cut off

his head, and bring hither all his possessions, and his

goods, and all his flocks and herds, and his gold and

silver."

And those liars rejoiced and returned to their district,

and they went into the house of Karmín and held

converse with him with words of peace, and they paid

him compliments, and they made jests before his face,

evil being in their hearts. And then was fulfilled on

them the prophecy of David, who said, “ ‘Those who

speak oh of peace with their neighbour, and [have]

evil in their hearts, reward them according to the evil

of their works and according to the evil of their

thoughts.” ! And they drank themselves drunk in the

house of Karmin, and they slept together with him.

And when they had fallen asleep, behold, the Angel of

God was sent to Karmin, and he awoke him and said

unto him, “ Leave all thy possessions and save thyself,

for men have been commanded by Manasseh the King

to cut off thy head. Take as much of thy riches as

thou canst carry, and flee into another country, for this

Manasseh is a slayer of the prophets, and a seeker after

the blood of innocent men."

Then Karmin rose up straightway, and sought out

his treasure in gold and took it, and he awoke his wife

and his two sons, and he also awoke his chosen servants,

and loaded them with possessions of great value, and

went forth by night. And he sent off his wife and his

sons with two servants to go to Jerusalem, and departed

with two of his servants to a remote country—a distance

of three months! journey—and he arrived at Babylon.

And he came to Balá*ón, the King of Babylon, and gave

him a gift, and related unto him what had happened

to him. And Balá'ón loved Karmin, and gave him

a habitation near the house of his merchant, who

2 Psalm xxviii, 3, 4-

Concerning Lying Witnesses

had departed to a far country for a period of three

years.

And those men who had borne lying testimony they

killed in bed in Karmin’s house.

And the wife of the merchant loved Karmin, and she

was seduced by him, and became with child ; now the

behaviour of women is bad. And the husband of the

woman had left her when she was with child, and she

brought forth and gave the child to a nurse who

brought it up. And in the second year she went astray

and became with child by Karmin, for the person of

Karmin was exceeding goodly in Israel. And the

woman wished to throw the child whom she had con-

ceived into the river when he was born and to wait for

the merchant her husband as if she had not gone astray,

and had not done anything [wrong] Even as Solomon

the wise man saith, ** There are three things which are

difficult to me in my mind, and the fourth of these I

cannot comprehend :—The track of the eagle in the

heavens, the path of the serpent on the rock, the track of

a ship on the sea.”! Now the fourth of them of which

he speaks concerneth the wicked woman, who, having

wronged her husband, and washed herself, sitteth down

like a woman who hath done nothing, and she sweareth

an oath falsely. j

And at that time the wife of Bala‘én, the King of

Babylon, conceived and brought forth something which

was like unto an eagle, a perfect bird but altogether

without wings. And she called a handmaiden who was

a favourite, and sent the thing away in a wicker-basket

and commanded her to cast it into the sea (t.e. river),

without letting anyone know about it. And the time

for the bringing forth of the wife of the merchant

arrived, and she brought forth a man-child, comely in

form [and worthy of] compassion. And without suck-

ling it she called to a handmaiden who was a favourite,

1 Proverbs xxx, 18.

I 2 I3I

and put it into the inner part of a box and commanded

her to throw him into the sea (t.e. river), without any-

one knowing about it; for she was afraid of her hus-

band. And in the same night two women brought

forth, [the merchant's wife] and the wife of the King,

and at daybreak the two women sent their handmaidens

to cast their children into the river.

And by the Will of God these two handmaidens met

each other before they had thrown the children into the

river, and they talked together. And the handmaiden of

the King asked the handmaiden of the merchant, saying,

* What is in thy box ? " and she showed her the beauti-

ful child. And the King's handmaiden said unto her,

* Why hast thou brought him here?" And the

merchant's handmaiden said unto her, * Because the

wife of my lord hath gone astray with a certain Israelite,

and she conceived and brought forth a child, and she

hath commanded me to throw him into the river.”

And the King's handmaiden said unto her, ** Why doth

she not bring up a child who is so beautiful ? " And

the merchant's Edd said unto her, ** Her hus-

band left her with child, and she brought forth a child,

and is rearing him ; how then can she rear this child

who is of strange and alien seed ? " And the mer-

chant's handmaiden asked the King's handmaiden,

saying, “ What hast thou in thy box?" And the

King's handmaiden said unto her, “ My lady hath

brought forth a child that hath not the appearance of a

man but of a wingless eagle, and she hath commanded

me to throw it into the river. And now, give me this

child of thine that I may give it to my mistress, and

do thou take this bird, and cast it into the river ? ; and

they did so. And the handmaiden of the King took the

child [of Karmin] to her mistress, and the Queen re-

joiced, and it was reported to the King that the Queen

had borne a son. And the Queen gave the boy to the

nurses, and he grew up in the house of the King, and

Concerning the King of Persia

she called his name ** Nábükédnásar?" (Nebuchad-

nezzar), which is, being interpreted, * By the luck of

the bird.”

And through this it is well known that the King of

Babylon is the seed of Shem. And he came and over-

threw Jerusalem by the Will of God, and he carried

away captive the children of Israel, and he made them

to wander in the town of Babylon with the grand-

children of Manasseh. And he was so very rich that he

set up a pillar of gold on the plain of Babylon sixty

cubits high, and he was very arrogant, and he used to

say, ‘“‘ I make the sun to shine in the heavens? ; and

he worshipped idols. And God abased him so that he

might know Him, and He set his portion with the beasts

of the field. And when he knew the Name of the Lord

after seven years He had compassion upon him, and

brought him back in repentance. And the kingdom of

Babylon was his, and it belonged to those who were of

his seed for ever.

77. CONCERNING THE KING or PERSIA

And the King of Persia is likewise of the seed of Shem,

and we will inform you concerning the matters that

relate to him. Judah begot two sons, and he brought

in Té‘mar (Tamar) for his eldest son, and he died.

And Judah sent his younger son to her that he might

raise up seed to his brother by his brother's wife. And

he did that which God hated, and he did not wish to

raise up seed to his brother as his father Judah had

commanded him. Now when he lay with Tamar he

made his seed to go into the ground, so that it might

not germinate in her womb and be called the seed of

his brother, but he wished to raise up seed by his own

wife in his own name. And when God saw his evil act

He turned His face away from him and slew him. And

Judah, the father-in-law of Tamar, brought her back,

and set her in the house of her father, and said unto her

kinsfolk, ** Keep carefully this Israelitish woman, and

let her not defile herself with an alien. For I have a

little son, and if God will let him grow up I will give

him to her.” And whilst Tamar was living as a widow

in her father’s house, behold; Judah her father-in-law

came to the place where his sheepfolds were to shear

wool with great satisfaction and pleasure. And when

Tamar heard that her father-in-law had come, she cast

away froin her the apparel of widowhood, and she put

herself in splendid apparel, and she veiled herself after

the manner of a harlot, and she followed him and sat

down. And he sent a message to her, saying, “‘ I wish

to company with thee.” And she said unto him,

* What wilt thou give me for my hire ? " And he said

unto her, * I will send to thee in the morning early a

sucking lamb " ; and she said unto him, ** Give me a

pledge until thou givest me the lamb.” And he gave

er [his] staff, and ring, and the close-fitting cap that

was under his headdress. And he companied with her,

and she took [the things] and departed unto her house.

And he sent the lamb unto her early in the morning.

And his servants enquired and aid, * Where is the

house of the harlot?” And they said unto him,

* "There is no harlot in our town ” ; and they returned

into their city and told him that there was no harlot

in their town. And Judah said, “‘ Leave ye [it]; the

Will of God be done.” |

Then Tamar conceived and they told her father-in-

law that she had conceived. And he went and took the

elders of Israel to the father of Tamar, and he said

unto him, *' Bring to me thy daughter who hath con-

ceived that we may stone her with stones even as Moses

commanded, for she hath brought reproach upon the

house of Israel.” And the father and kinsfolk of Tamar

told her that her father-in-law spake thus. And she

brought out the ring, and the staff, and the cap, and

gave [them] to her father and her kinsfolk, and she said

Concerning the King of Moab

unto them, “‘ The owner of these things hath seduced

me; let them stone me with him with stones.” And

when Judah saw his possessions he recognized [them],

and he said, “‘ Tamar is more righteous than I”; and

he left her and came to his house. And Tamar brought

forth twins, two nations, Fárés (Perez) and Zara. And

Fars (Persia) was founded in the name of Fárés, and he

ruled over it and his seed after him, and they were

called ** Farasáwiyán ” (Persians). Behold now, it is

proved that the King of Persia is of the seed of Shem.

78. CONCERNING THE KiNc or Moab

And the King of Moab is of the seed of Shem, and

we will inform you how this hath come to pass. When

God made Abraham to depart from his father's country

into the land of Kárán (Harran), He made Lot to pass

over into the land of Sodom and Gomorrah. And when

God wished to blot out the people of Sodom and

Gomorrah, He sent His Angels Michael and Gabriel to

bring out Lot and to burn up the cities of Sodom and

Gomorrah ; and they destroyed them and brought out

Lot with his children. And his wife turned round so

that she might see the city of her father and her mother.

Now the wrath of God came down on the city of Sodom

[in the form of]a rain of fire from heaven, which burned

up mountains, and hills, and stones, and earth. And

lightnings, and forked lightnings, and peals of thunder

came down mingled with the crashing of the wrath of

God, and a cloud of fire which made the heat to emit

smoke. And when all this uproar was being heard

the Angels said unto Lot, “ Turn not round after ye

have gone forth from the city, turn not round that ye

die not the death.” But when 'Akmábá, the wife of

Lot, heard this, she turned round, and she became a

pillar of salt, and she existeth to this day, to this very

day. And as for Lot, God made him to dwell in the

mountains of Ararat. And he planted a new vineyard,

and his daughters made their father to drink wine, and

they plotted a wicked plot, and they said, “ How

(i.e. why) shall the possession of our father be wasted

(or, blotted out) ? Our mother hath been destroyed

on the road, and there is no one to marry us here.”

And they made their father drunk, and his elder

daughter lay with him whilst his mind was clouded

with wine, and Lot the righteous man did not know

when his daughter lay with him and when she rose up

from him, for his mind was clouded with strong drink.

And Noah was drunk and naked before his wife and

children, and he cursed his son who laughed at him ;

and [the act of lying with his daughter] was not

reckoned against Lot as sin, for he did it unknowingly.

And his elder daughter conceived and brought forth

a child, and she called him ** Moab,” which is, being

interpreted, ** From my father on my knee." And he

was the father of the Moabites and the Agarenes.

Behold now, it is clear that the King of Moab is of the

seed of Shem.

79. CONCERNING THE KING oF AMALEK

And it came to pass that when the elder daughter of

Lot had brought forth her son, she said untothe younger

daughter, * Come now, let us make our father drink

wine, so that thou also mayest company with him that,

peradventure, thou mayest get offspring." And again

they prepared wine, and again they spoke to him the

words of foolishness, and said unto him, ** Drink wine,

O our father, so that thy heart may be comforted ” ;

and he, the simple man, drank and became drunk.

And again, when he had drunk and his mind was

clouded with wine, the younger daughter came and lay

with him, and again he did not know of her lying with

him, or of her rising up from him. And she also con-

ceived and gave birth to a son, and she called his name

“ Ammon," and he is the father of the Amalekites.

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PLATE. XIX

From Brit. Mus. MS, Orient. No. 510, fol. 31a

Christ casting a devil out of a man in the presence of the Jews and His Apostles

Concerning the King of the Philistines

Behold now, it is clear that the King of Amalek is of

the seed of Shem.

80. CoNCERNING THE KING OF THE PHILISTINES

And behold, the seed of Samson reigned over the

Philistines. And Samson was of the seed of Dan, [one]

of the twelve sons of Jacob, and he was the son of a

handmaiden of Jacob; and we will inform you how

this Samson came into being. The Angel of the Lord

appeared to the mother of Samson and said unto her,

* Keep thyself from all pollution, and company with

no man except thy husband, for he who shall be born

of thee shall be a Nazarite, holy to the Lord, and he

shall be the deliverer of Israel from the hand of the

Philistines.” And then she brought forth Samson.

And again the Angel appeared unto her and said unto

her, “ Thou shalt not let a razor go upon his head, and

he shall neither eat flesh nor [drink] wine, and he shall

marry no strange woman but only a woman of his own

kin and from the house of his father.” And how God

gave him strength ye have heard in the Book of Judges. 4

But he transgressed the commandment of God, and

came and married a daughter of the uncircumcised

Philistines. And because of this God was wroth, and

He delivered him into the hands of men of the uncir-

cumcised Philistines, and they blinded his eyes, and

they made him act the buffoon in the house of their

king. And he pulled the roof down upon them, and

slew seven hundred thousand of them, and during his

life he slew seven hundred thousand of them with

iron, and stone, and [his] staff, and the jaw-bone of an

ass. For their number was as that of the locusts, until

he released Israel from the service of the Philistines.

And then Dalila (Delilah) conceived by Samson, and

whilst she was with child Samson died with the Philis-

tines; and Delilah brought forth a son and she called

1 See chapters xv, xvi.

his name “ Menahem,” which is, being interpreted,

* Seed of the strong man." Now Delilah was the sister

of Maksábá, the wife of the King of the Philistines, and

when Samson slew the King of the Philistines in the

house with his people and his household, and he died

with him, Delilah went to her sister Maksaba, the

Queen of the Philistines. Now both women were

beautiful, and they had no children, but both had

conceived ; Maksábá had been with child six months

by Kwólásón, the King of the Philistines, and Delilah

had been with child four months by Samson ; and the

husbands of both were dead. And the two women

loved each other exceedingly. And their love for each

other was not like the love of sisters, but like that of

the mother for the child, and of the child for the

mother; even so was their love. And they lived

together. And the dominion over those who were left

of the slaughter [made] by Samson in the house of the

king was in the hands of Maksaba, for none of the

mighty men of war of the kingdom of the Philistines

were left, and therefore Maksaba ruled over those that

were left. And they spake unto her morning and

evening, saying, ** We have no other king except thy-

self, and except that one that shall go forth from thy

belly. If our Lord Dâgôn will do a favour unto us that

which is in thy belly shall be a son, who shall reverence

our god Dâgôn and shall reign over us. And if it be a

daughter we will make her to reign over us, so that thy

name and the name of Kwôlâsôn our lord shall be your

memorial over us."

And then Maksâbâ brought forth a man-child and all

the men of the Philistines rejoiced, and they did homage

to her and sang, saying, ** Dágón and Bêl have honoured

her and loved Maksábá, and the seed of Kwólásón is

found again from Maksaba.” And Delilah also bore

a son, and the two women brought up the children in

great state and dignity. And when the children were

How Akamhél slew T ebrlés

five years old they ate and played together before them,

and the mothers made garments of costly stuff for them,

and [set] daggers above their loins, and chains on their

necks. And the people seated the son of Maksaba on

the throne of his father, and made him king over the

Philistines.

81. How THE sON OF SAMSON SLEW THE SON OF THE

KING OF THE PHILISTINES

Now that other son Akamhél, the son of Samson,

spake unto his mother Delilah, saying, “ Why am I not

reigning and sitting upon this throne ?”’ And his mother

said unto him, “‘ Cease, my son. This throne did not

belong to thy father, and this city was not thy father’s

city ; when the God of thy father hath let thee grow up

thou shalt go to thy father's throne." And her son said

unto her, “ Nay, I will neither forsake thee, my mother,

nor Maksab4 my mother, and I will be king here.”

And one day the two youths were drunk after [their]

meal was ended, and the doors were shut. And the

two women were sitting together about to eat flesh,

and the two youths were playing before them, and they

ate with them, and a idc cis held the dish between

them. And ’Akéméhél, the son of Delilah, took from

the dish [a piece of] flesh, which would fill both his

hands, and put it to his mouth, and Tebrélés, the son of

Maksábá, the King of the Philistines, snatched away

that part of the flesh that was outside his mouth. And

"Akéméhél drew his sword and cut off his head, and it

fell into the dish before he could swallow what he had

seized ; and his body fell upon the paving of the house ;

and his hands and his feet twitched convulsively, and

he died straightway. And fear and dismay laid hold

upon their two mothers, and they spake never a word to

anyone because.they were afraid, but they swallowed

the food which was in their mouths, and they looked at

each other, not knowing what to do.

And that handmaiden rose up from them, and she

took the head of Tebrélés out of the dish, and put it

back on its neck and covered it over with her garment.

And Delilah rose up and seized the sword of the dead

son of her sister, and went to kill 'Akéméhél, but he

saved himself by hiding behind a pillar. And he made

ready to kill his mother. And her sister rose up and

seized her, saying, ‘‘ Why should we be destroyed

through their [quarrel ?]. This [youth] is [sprung]

from a bad root, and cannot [bear] good fruit; come,

my sister, let him not destroy thee also.” And she

took the sword from her hand, and drew up from her

she gave it to him, and she spake kindly words unto him,

saying, ‘‘ Take the apparel, my son, and thou thyself

shalt sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Philis-

tines.” And ’Akéméhél raged like a savage bear, for

he wished to slay both women, until he made them to

leave the house. And they went out, and when he had

and went out. And the two women came back, and

made the dead body ready for burial, and they buried

it secretly.

And when the time for the evening meal had come,

the young men and the stewards sought for [their

king] and found him not, and they asked about him,

and his mother said unto them, ** Your king is sick, and

this man will sit in place of him.” And they took him

and set him on the throne, and they prepared a feast,

and rejoiced. And from that time onward the son of

Samson reigned over them, and there was none who

transgressed his commandment—now he committed

this act [of murder] fif[teen] winters after he was born

—and the kingdom of the Philistines became his and his

seed's after him. "Therefore, beloved, it is well known

that the kingdom of the Philistines belongeth to the

seed of Shem. |

T he going down of Abraham into Egypt

82. CONCERNING THE GOING DOWN OF ABRAHAM INTO

EGYPT

And we could also inform you that when God had

given unto Abraham glory and riches, he lacked a son.

And Sarah and Abraham talked together on their bed,

and he said unto her, ‘‘ Thou art barren,” and she said

unto him, “ It is not I who am barren but thyself ”; and

they continued to discuss the matter and to dispute to-

gether about it. And there came a famine in the land

of Canaan, and Abraham heard that there was some food

in the land of Egypt, the country of Pharaoh. And

when he had spent all his possessions in charity to the

for the morrow, the famine waxed strong in the land of

Canaan, and he lacked food to eat. And he said, “ I

give thanks unto God that what He hath given unto me

I have expended on my servants. But as for thee, my

sister Sáráh, come, let us go into the land of Egypt in

order to save ourselves from death by famine.” And

she said unto him, “‘ Thy will be done, O my lord, and if

thou die I will die with thee, and if thou live I will live

with thee; it is not for me to gainsay thy word for

ever.” And then they rose up and set out on their

journey.

And when they drew nigh [to Egypt] Abraham said

unto Sáráh, ** One thing I must ask of thee, and do thou

what I ask of thee " ; and Sáráh said, “‘ Speak, my lord.”

And he said unto her, ** I have heard that the habits of

the Egyptians are lawless, and that they live in idolatry

and fornication. And when they have seen thee they

will plot evil against me, and slay me because of the

cines of thy beautiful form ; for there is among

them no one that can be compared unto thee. And

now, in order that thou mayest save my life, do thou

say, if they happen to ask thee questions about me, * I

am his sister,’ so that thou mayest save my soul from

14I

death by the hand of the strangers." And Sârâh said,

“Thy will shall be done. The word which thou tellest

me I will speak, and what thou tellest me to do I will

do.” And they wept and worshipped God, and they

came into the great city of the King of Egypt.

And when the Egyptians saw Abraham and Sarah

they marvelled at the beauty of their appearance, for

they imagined that they had been brought forth by the

same mother. And they said unto Abraham, “ What is

this woman to thee ?” And Abraham said unto them,

* She is my sister.” And they also asked Sarah “ What

is this man to thee ? " And she said unto them, ** He

is my brother.” ‘Therefore did the people make a

report to Pharaoh that a pair of goodly form had arrived,

one a woman and the other a young man, and that there

was no one like unto them in all the land. And Pharaoh

rejoiced, and he sent a message to Abraham, saying,

* Give me thy sister that I may betroth her to myself."

And Abraham pondered in his mind, saying, ** If I keep

her back he will kill me and take her; and he said,

* Do so, provided that thou dost make me well con-

tent.” And Pharaoh gave him one thousand silver

laíláhet,! and took Sáráh to make her his wife. And he

brought her into his house, and set her upon his bed and

Pharaoh the King of Egypt would have companied with

her. But the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him by

night carrying a sword of fire, and he drew nigh unto

him, and he lighted up the whole chamber with his

fiery flame, and he wished to slay Pharaoh. And

Pharaoh fled from one wall of the chamber to the other,

and from one corner of the chamber to the other ;

wheresoever he went the Angel followed him ; and

there was no place left whereto he could flee and hide

himself. Then Pharaoh stretched out his hands and

said unto the Angel, “ O lord, forgive me this my sin.”

And the Angel said unto him, ** Why dost thou attack

1 Pieces of money in silver.

T he going down of Abraham into Egypt

the wife of [another] man?” And Pharaoh said unto

him, “ O lord, slay thou not innocent blood. For he

said unto me ' She is my sister,’ and therefore I took

her to myself innocently. What shall I do to deliver

myself from thy hands?” And the Angel said unto

him, ** Give Abraham’s wife back to him, and give him a

gift, and send him away to his own country.” And

straightway Pharaoh called Abraham, and gave unto

him his wife Sarah, together with a handmaiden whose

name was 'Agár (Hagar), and he gave unto him gold,

and silver, and costly apparel, and sent him away in

eace.

And Abraham and his wife returned to their country

in peace. And Sáráh said unto Abraham, “I know

that I am barren. Go thou in to this my handmaiden

whom Pharaoh gave unto me; peradventure God will

give thee seed in her. As for me, my person is shrunk

and withered, and the flower of my body hath dried

up." And she gave 'Agár unto him. And Abraham

went in to "Agár, and she conceived by him, and she

brought forth a son and called his name Ishmael, which

is, being interpreted, “God hath heard me." And

afterwards God gave Abraham seed from his wife Sarah

and he begat Isaac. And afterwards Sarah became

jealous of Ishmael, the son of her handmaiden, because

he would reach manhood before her son, and she said,

* Peradventure he will slay my son and inherit his

father's house." And Abraham offered up offerings to

God and said, ** Lord, what shall I do in respect of

Ishmael, my son, my firstborn ? I wish him to live for

me before Thee, but Sârâh, my sister, is jealous because

Thou hast given me seed in her old age.” Now Ishmael

was fourteen years old before Isaac was born. And God

said unto Abraham, ** What Sáráh saith is true; cast

out the handmaiden with her son Ishmael. Let Ish-

mael live before Me, and I will make him a great nation,

and he shall beget twelve nations and shall reign over

them. And I will establish My covenant with Isaac

My servant, the son of Sarah, and in him I will bless al]

the nations of the earth, and I will make for him a great

kingdom over all the nations of the earth, and in the

heavens also I will make him king.”

83. CONCERNING THE KING or THE ISHMAELITES

And therefore the children of Ishmael became kings

over Tereb, and over Kebet, and over Nóbà, and Sóba,

and Kuergue, and Kifi, and Maka, and Mórná, and

Fînķânâ, and ' Arsibana, and Liba, and Mase'a, for they

were the seed of Shem. And Isaac reigned over

Judah and over 'ÁAmóréwón, and over Kétéwón, and

']yábüséwón, and Férzéwón, and 'Eéwéwón, and

Kékédéwoén, and Rómyá, and 'Ansókyá (Antiochia),

and Séry4 (Syria), and Armenia, and Felesteém (Pales-

tine, and Ethiopia, and Edom, and Philistia, and

lyóáb, and Amalek, and Phrygia, and Babylon, and

Yónánest, and'Ebráyast. For as God sware He gave all

kingdoms to the seed of Shem, and an exalted throne

and dominion to the seed of Shem, even as his father

Noah, by the word of God, blessed his son Shem, saying,

* Be lord to thy brethren and reign over them." And

this that he said had reference to the Redeemer, the

King of us all, Jesus Christ the King of heaven and

earth, Who magnifieth kings, and Who when He pleas-

eth abrogateth their power; for unto Him belong

power and dominion over all created things for ever

and ever. Amen.

84. CONCERNING THE KiNc or ETHIOPIA AND HOW

HE RETURNED TO HIS COUNTRY

And the King of Ethiopia returned to his country

with great joy and gladness ; and marching along with

their songs, and their pipes, and their wagons, like an

army of heavenly beings, the Ethiopians arrived from

1 Genesis xii ff.

PLATE XX

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From Brit, Mus. MS. Orient. No. 481, fol. 102b

The Transfiguration. Christ in converse with Moses and Elias on

Mount Tabor

Digitized by Google

Concerning the rejoicing of Queen Makéda

Jerusalem at the city of Wakérém in a single day. And

they sent messengers in ships to announce [their

arrival] to Makéda, the Queen of Ethiopia, and to

report to her how they had found every good thing,

and how her son had become king, and how they had

brought the heavenly Zion. And she caused all this

glorious news to be spread abroad, and she made a

herald to go round about in all the country that was

subject unto her, ordering the people to meet her son

and more particularly the heavenly Zion, the Taber-

nacle of the God of Israel. And they blew horns before

her, and all the people of Ethiopia rejoiced, from the

least to the greatest, men as well as women ; and the

soldiers rose up with her to meet their King. And she

came to the city of the Government, which is the chief

city of the kingdom of Ethiopia ; now in later times this

[city] became the chief city of the Christians of Ethio-

pia. And in it she caused to be prepared perfumes in-

numerable from India, and from Bâltê to Gâltêt, and

from’Alsâfu to ’Azazat, and had them brought together

there. And her son came by the ’Azyaba road to

Wakéróm, and he came forth to Masas, and ascended to

Bûr, and arrived at the city of the Government, the

capital [city] of Ethiopia, which the Queen herself

had built and called ** Dabra Mâkědâ,” after her own

name.

85. CONCERNING THE REJOICING OF Queen MAKEDA

And David the King came with great pomp unto his

mother’s city, and then he saw in the height the

heavenly Zion sending forth light like the sun. And

when the Queen saw this she gave thanks unto the

God of Israel, and praised Him. And she bowed low,

and smote her breast, and [then] threw up her head and

gazed into the heavens, and thanked her Creator ;

and she clapped her hands together, and sent forth

shouts of laughter from her mouth, and danced on the

x 145

ground with her feet ; and she adorned her whole body

with joy and gladness with the fullest will of her inward

mind. And what shall I say of the rejoicing which took

place then in the country of Ethiopia, and of the joy of

the people, both of man and beast, from the least to the

greatest, and of both women and men? And pavilions

and tents were placed at the foot of Dabra Makéda on

the flat plain E the side of good water, and they

slaughtered thirty-two thousand stalled oxen and bulls.

And they set Zion upon the fortress of Dabra Makéda,

and made ready for her three hundred guards who

wielded swords to watch over the pavilion of Zion,

together with her own men and her nobles, the mighty

men of Israel. And her own guards were three hundred

men who bore swords, and in addition to these her son

David had seven hundred [guards]. And they rejoiced

exceedingly with great glory and pleasure[being arrayed |

in fine apparel, for the kingdom was directed by her

from the Sea of 'Alébá to the Sea of ’Osék4, and every-

one obeyed her command. And she had exceedingly

great honour and riches ; none before her ever had the

like, and none after her shall ever have the like. In

those days Solomon was King in Jerusalem, and

Makéda was Queen in Ethiopia. Unto both of them

were given wisdom, and glory, and riches, and gracious-

ness, and understanding, and beauty of voice (or,

eloquence of speech), and intelligence. And gold and

silver were held as cheaply as brass, and rich stuffs

wherein gold was woven were as common as linen

garments, and the cattle and the horses were innumer-

able.

86. How Queen MAKEDA MADE HER SON KING

And on the third day Makéda delivered over to her

son seventeen thousand and seven hundred chosen

horses, which were to watch the army of the enemy,

and would again plunder the cities of the enemy, and

How the Nobles of Ethiopia took the Oath

seven thousand and seven hundred mares that had

borne foals, and one thousand female mules, and seven

hundred chosen mules, and apparel of honour, gold and

silver measured by the gómór, and measured by the £or,

some six and some seven, and she delivered over to her

son everything that was his by law, and all the throne

of her kingdom.

87. How THE NOBLES (OR GOVERNORS) OF ETHIOPIA

TOOK THE OATH

And the Queen said unto her nobles: ‘‘ Speak ye

now, and swear ye by the heavenly Zion that ye will

not make women queens or set them upon the throne

of the kingdom of Ethiopia, and that no one except the

male seed of David, the son of Solomon the King, shall

ever reign over Ethiopia, and that ye will never make

women queens." And all the nobles of the king’s house

swore, and the governors, and the councillors, and the

administrators,

And she made Elméy4s and 'Azáryás (Azariah) the

chief of the priests and the chief of the deacons, and

they made the kingdom anew, and the sons of the

mighty men of Israel performed the Law, together

with their King David, in the Tabernacle of Witness,

and the kingdom was made anew. And the hearts of

the people shone at the sight of Zion, the Tabernacle

of the Law of God, and the people of Ethiopia cast

aside their idols, and they worshipped their Creator,

the God Who had made them. And the men of

Ethiopia forsook their works, and loved the righteous-

ness and justice that God loveth. They forsook their

was in the sight of the heavenly Zion. They forsook

divination and magic, and chose repentance and tears

for God’s sake. They forsook augury by means of birds

and the use of omens, and they returned to hearken

unto God and to make sacrifice unto Him. They

K 2 147

forsook the pleasures of the gods who were devils, and

chose the service and praise of God. The daughters

of Jerusalem suffered disgrace, and the daughters of

Ethiopia were held in honour ; the daughter of Judah

was sad, whilst the daughter of Ethiopia rejoiced ; the

mountains of Ethiopia rejoiced, and the mountains of

Lebanon mourned. The people of Ethiopia were chosen

[from] among idols and graven images, and the people

of Israel were rejected. The daughters of Zion were

rejected, and the daughters of Ethiopia were honoured ;

the old men of Israel became objects of contempt, and

the old men of Ethiopia were honoured. For God ac-

cepted the peoples who had been cast away and re-

jected Israel, for Zion was taken away from them and

she came into the country of Ethiopia. For wheresoever

God is pleased for her to dwell, there is her habitation,

and where He is not pleased that she should dwell she

dwelleth not; He is her founder, and Maker, and

Builder, the Good God in the temple of His holiness,

the habitation of His glory, with His Son and the Holy

Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

And Mákédá, the Queen of Ethiopia, gave the king-

dom to her son David, the son of Solomon, the King of

Israel, and she said unto him, ** Take [the kingdom].

I have given [it] unto thee. I have made King him

whom God hath made King, and I have chosen him

whom God hath chosen as the keeper of His Pavilion.

I am well pleased with him whom God hath been

yemas to make the envoy of the Tabernacle of His

ovenant and His Law. I have magnified him whom

God hath magnified [as] the director of His widows,

and I have honoured him whom God hath honoured

And the King rose up and girded up his apparel, and

he bowed low before his mother, and said unto her,

“ Thou art the Queen, O my Lady, and I will serve

thee in every thing which thou commandest me,

How the Nobles of Ethiopia took the Oath

whether it be to death or whether it be to life. Where-

soever thou sendest me I will be sent, and wheresoever

thou orderest me to be there will I be, and whatsoever

thou commandest me to do that will I do. For thou

are the head and I am the foot, and thou art the Lady

and I am thy slave; everything shall be performed

according to thy order, and none shall transgress thy

commandment, and I will do everything that thou

wishest. But pray for me that the God of Israel may

deliver me from His wrath. For He will be wroth—

according to what they tell us—if we do not make our

hearts right to do His Will, and if we do not readily

observe all His commands in respect to Zion, the

habitation of the glory of God. For the Angel of His

host is with us, who directed us and brought us hither,

and he shall neither depart from us nor forsake us.

* And now, hearken unto me, O my Lady. If I and

those who are after me behave rightly and do His Will,

God shall dwell with us, and shall preserve us from all

evil and from the hand of our enemy. But if we do not

keep our hearts right with Him He will be wroth with

us, and will turn away His face from us, and will punish

us, and our enemies will plunder us, and fear and

trembling shall come to us from the place whence we

expect them not, and they will rise up against us, and

will overcome us in war, and will destroy us. On the

other hand, if we do the Will of God, and do what is

right in respect of Zion, we shall become chosen men,

and no one shall have the power to treat us evilly in the

mountain of His holiness whilst His habitation is with

us.

* And behold, we have brought with us the whole

Law of the kingdom and the commandment of God,

which Zadok the high priest declared unto us when he

anointed me with the oil of sovereignty in the house of

the sanctuary of God, the horn of oil, which is the

unguent of priesthood and royalty, being in his hand.

And he did unto us that which was written in the Law,

and we were anointed ; Azariah to the priesthood and

I to the kingdom, and ’Alméy4s, the mouth of God,

keeper of the Law, that is to say, keeper of Zion, and

the Ear of the King in every path of righteousness.

And they commanded me that I should do nothing

except under their advice, and they set us before the

King and before the elders of Israel, and all the people

heard whilst Zadok the priest was giving us the com-

mands. And the horns and the organs were blown, and

the sounds of their harps and musical instruments, and

the noise of their outcries which were made at that

time were in the gates of Jerusalem. But what shall

I tell unto you, O ye who were present there? It

seemed to us that the earth quaked from her very

foundations, and that the heavens above our heads

thundered, and the heart trembled with the knees.”

88. How HE HIMSELF RELATED TO HIS MOTHER HOW

THEY MADE HIM KING

* And when these had become silent there rose up

the priest who gave us the Commandments, with the

fear of God, and he shed tears whilst our bodies quaked

and our tears flowed down. God 1s indeed, without

falsehood, in our hearts, and He dwelleth in His com-

mandment. And His commandment is uttered, and it

removeth itself not from those who love Him and who

keep His commandment, and He is with them con-

tinually. And now, hearken to the judgment and laws

which the elders and the sons of the mighty men of

Israel brought, which they wrote before King Solomon

and have given unto us, so that we may not turn aside

either to the right hand or to the left from what they

have commanded us. And also they told us and made

us to understand that we bear death and life, and that

we are like unto a man who hath fire in his left hand

and water in his right, and who can put his hand into

He tells his Mother how they made him King

whichever he pleaseth. For punishment and life are

written therein ; for those who have done evil, punish-

ment, and for those who have done good, life.”

And ’Elméy4s and Azariah brought forth that writing

which was written before God and before the King of

Israel, and they read it before Makéda and before the

great men of Israel. And when they heard these words

all those who were round about, both small and great,

bowed down and made obeisance, and they glorified

God Who had made them hear these words and had

given them this commandment, so that they might

perform the justice and judgment of God. And

moreover, He made them members of His house, for

Zion was among them, and she is the habitation of the

glory of God, and she delivered them from all evil, and

blessed the fruit of their lands, and multiplied their

sheep and cattle, and blessed their wells of water, and

blessed their labours, and the fruit of their gardens, and

made their children to grow up, and protected their

aged men, and became the foreguard and rearguard

wheresoever they dwelt, and vanquished their enemies

wheresoever they went. And all the people of Ethiopia

rejoiced.

And the Queen said unto her son, “ My son, God

hath given unto thee the right, walk thou therein and

withdraw not thyself from it, neither to the right hand

nor the left. And love thou the Lord thy God, for He

is merciful unto the simple-minded. For His way is

known from His commandment, and His goodness is

comprehended through the guidance of His word.”

Then she turned towards ?Elméyás and Azariah and

all the mighty men of Israel [saying], “ Do ye protect

him and teach him the path of the kingdom of God,

and the honour of our Lady Zion. And whatsoever

our Lady loveth not let us not do. Tell us [this] truly

and carefully for ever and from generation to genera-

tion, so that she may not be wroth with us, if we do not

IGI

perform her service well, so that God may dwell with

us. And thou, my son, hearken unto the word of thy

fathers, and walk in their counsel. And let not drink

make thee foolish, nor women, nor pride of apparel, nor

the bridles and trappings of horses, nor the sight of the

weapons of war of those who are at the head or at the

rear. But let thy confidence be in God and in Zion, the

Tabernacle of the Law of God, thy Creator, so that

thou mayest vanquish thine enemy, and so that thy

seed upon the earth may multiply, and so that thy foes

and adversaries, near and far, may be overthrown.”

And those sons of mighty men answered and said

with one voice, “ O our Lady, we are with you always,

and we will remember the lord, the King. Behold,

what is written and the performance thereof shall take

place if the God of Israel shall be unto him a helper, and

if he hearkeneth to the word of his mother ; and we will

inform him about the path of doing good works. For

there is no one to be found in these days as wise as

thyself, except our lord the King. Thou hast drawn

us hither as thy servants with our Lady, the heavenl

Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law of the Lord our God,

just as a man draweth a camel that is loaded with

valuable possessions with a little piece of thin, tough

cord fastened over his nose. And now, reject us not

and treat us not as strange people, but make us like

unto thy slaves who wash thy feet, for whether we die or

whether we live we are with thee ; we have no longer

any hope in the country of our birth, but only in thee

and in our Lady, the heavenly Zion, the habitation of

the glory of God."

89. How THE QUEEN TALKED TO THE CHILDREN OF

IsRAEL

And the Queen answered and said unto them, *^ Not

as servants as ye say, but as a father and a teacher will

we treat you. For ye are the guardians of the Law of

PLATE XXI

From Brit. Mus. MS. Orient. No, 481, fol. 1045

The cock crowing after St. Peter's denial of our Lord. The figures to

the left are those of Mary and John

The Queen talks to the Children of Israel

God, and the guides of the commandment of the God of

Israel, and the men of the house of God, and the

guardians of Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law of God,

and we do not wish to transgress your commandments,

for ye shall be unto us a guide to the path of God away

from all evil. At your words we will withdraw from

that wherewith God is not well-pleased, and we will

draw nigh unto every good thing wherewith God is

well-pleased at your commandment. Only do ye in-

struct all this people, and teach them the words of

knowledge, for never before have they heard such things

as they have heard this day. It is only those who have

understanding in them that wisdom and understanding

illumine like the light of thesun. As for me, up to

this present I have not drunk deeply of the water of

knowledge. Now it is sweeter than honey, and quench-

eth the thirst more than wine, and it satisfieth and

maketh wisdom to bubble up, and it stimulateth the

understanding, and maketh a man to pour forth words

like a drunken man, and maketh the unsteady man like

one who flieth, and maketh a man as hot as he that

carrieth a heavy load on a difficult road in a parched

land that is burnt up by a blazing sun. When the

hearts of the wise are open to prophecy and to know-

ledge, they do not fear the king Pu of the greatness

of his glory if he turneth himself aside from the way of

God. And mark this: The word of the Law, which

hath been uttered, is indeed understanding unto those

who wish for it, and who drink it in and soak themselves

therein. I pray Thee, O Lord God of Israel, Thou

Holiest of the Holy, grant unto me that I may follow

wisdom, and may not become a castaway ; grant unto

me that I may make her a wall unto myself, and may

never fall down ; grant that I may make her a founda-

tion for me, and may never be overthrown ; grant that

I may stand upon her as [firmly as] a pillar, and may

never shake; grant that I may hide in her, and never

have her stripped from me; grant that I may build

myself upon her, and may not topple over ; grant that

I may become vigorous through her, and not suffer

from exhaustion ; grant that I may stand through her,

and may not fall; grant that I may lay hold upon her,

and may not slip away; grant that I may grasp her

firmly, and may not slide; grant that I may dwell in

her in her peace ; [grant that] I may be satisfied at her

table, and may not vomit, and drink her and not get

drunk upon her, and may be satisfied with her and not

spit her out."

* [ have drunk of her, but have not tottered; I

have tottered through her, but have not fallen ; I have

fallen because of her, but have not been destroyed.

Through her I have dived down into the great sea and

have seized in the place of her depths a pearl whereby I

am rich. I went down like the great iron anchor

whereby men anchor ships for the night on the high

seas, and I received a lamp which lighteth me, and

I came up by the ropes of the boat of understanding. I

went to sleep in the depths of the sea, and not being

Missile uf mi with the water I dreamed a dream. And

it seemed to me that there was a star in my womb, and I

marvelled thereat, and I laid hold upon it and made it

strong in the splendour of the sun; [ laid hold upon it,

and I will never let it go. I went in through the doors

of the treasury of wisdom and I drew for myself the

waters of understanding. I went into the blaze of the

flame of the sun, and it lighted me with the splendour

thereof, and I made of it a shield for Edi and I

saved myself by confidence therein, and not myself only

but all those who travel in the footprints of wisdom, and

not myself only but all the men of my country, the king-

dom of Ethiopia, and not those only but those who

travel in their ways, the nations that are round about.

For the Lord hath given us seed in Zion and a habita-

tion in Jerusalem. And moreover, there hath come to

Azariah praises the Queen and her City

us a portion with those whom He hath chosen, the seed

of Jacob, for He hath set His habitation to abide with

us. From this time forth they are set down, and from

this time forth we are set upright. From this time

forth they are despised and rejected, and from this time

forth we shall be honoured and loved for ever and ever

and throughout all the generations that are to come.

* And ye, O noble ones, hearken unto me, and learn

well what cometh forth from my mouth and my words.

Love ye what is right and hate falsehood, for what is

right 1s righteousness and falsehood is the head of ini-

quity. And ye shall not use fraud and oppression

among yourselves, for God dwelleth with you, and the

habitation of His glory is among you; for ye have be-

come members of His household. And from this time

onward cease ye to observe your former customs,

[namely] making auguries from birds, and from signs,

and the use of charms, and incantations, and portents,

and magic. And if after this day there be found any

man who observeth all his former customs, his house

shall be plundered, and he and his wife and his children

shall be condemned."

And the Queen said unto Azariah, ** Speak and de-

clare how much thou lovest our Lady with her Heavenly

King."

go. How AZARIAH PRAISED THE QUEEN AND HER CITY

And Azariah rose up and said unto the Queen, “O

our Lady, verily there is no one like unto thee in wisdom

and understanding—the which have been given unto

thee by God—except my lord the King, who hath

brought us unto this fand with our Lady Zion, the holy

and heavenly Tabernacle of the Law of God. Now we

and our fathers of olden time have said, God hath chosen

none except the House of Jacob, us hath He chosen, us

hath He multiplied, us hath He held to please Him, and

He hath made us kings and made us members of His

I55

household, and councillors of His glory and of the

Tabernacle of His covenant. And as for a country, we

say that He hath chosen no country except ours, but

now we see that the country of Ethiopia is better than

the country of Judah. And from the time that we

arrived in your country everything that we have seen

hath appeared good to us. Your waters are good and

they are given without price (or, payment), and [we

have] air without fans, and wild honey is as [plentiful as]

the dust of the market place, and cattle as the sand of the

sea. And as for what we have seen there is nothing de-

testable, and there is nothing malign in what we hear,

and in what we walk upon, and in what we touch, and

in what we taste with our mouths. But there is one

matter that we would mention: ye are black of face,

and I only mention this because iu seen it, and if

God lighteth up your hearts there is nothing that can do

you harm.”

* And withdraw ye yourselves from meat that dieth

of itself, and from blood, and from bodies torn by wild

animals, and from fornication, and from everything that

God hateth, so that we may rejoice in you when we see

you fearing God and trembling at His word ; even as

God commanded our fathers and said unto Moses,

* Give them commands about everything, and tell them

to keep My Law and My Ordinance.?' And turn ye not

aside, neither to the right hand nor to the left, from

that which we command you this day ; and now [we

command] you that ye worship God, the Holy One of

Israel, and do His good pleasure ; for He hath rejected

our nation even as our prophets prophesied, and hath

chosen you. Doth not God your Creator belong to all

ofyou? In what will God find it difficult if He loveth

us and hateth them? For everything belongeth to

Him, and everything is His handiwork, and there is

nothing impossible for the Lord God of Israel.

1 Compare Deuteronomy iv, I.

Azariah praises the Queen and her City

* And hearken ye unto His command, which I will

declare unto you. Let not one overcome his fellow by

violence. Plunder not the possessions of your neigh-

bours. Ye shall not revile each other, and ye shall not

oppress each other, and ye shall not quarrel with each

other. And if by chance an animal belonging to your

neighbour come among your property, be not blind to

the fact but make it go back to him. And if ye do not

know who is the owner of the property, take care of it

for him, and as soon as one hath found out to whom it

belongeth return his property tohim. And if the pro-

perty of your neighbour hath fallen into a pit, or into a

well, or into a hollow or into a ravine, do not pass on and

go not by it until ye have told him and helped him to

drag out the animal. And if a man hath dug a well or

hath built a tower (or, shelter), he shall not leave the

well without a cover nor the tower without a roof. And

if there is a man who is carrying a heavy load, or if the

load hath slipped from the man who is carrying it, ye

shall not pass on your way until ye have helped him to

lift it up or to lighten it for him ; for he is your brother.

Ye shall not cook a young animal in the milk of his

ye shall not take bribes to turn aside the right and bear

false witness.

* And when ye find a bird in your land with her

young ones, ye shall spare her life and shall not take

away her young, so that your days may be long upon the

earth, and your seed may be blessed with (or, for) length

of days. And when ye reap the harvest of your food, ye

shall not be careful to reap all of it. Gather not up

what falleth from it, and the sheaves which ye have for-

gotten leave when ye go back, and take them not up, but

leave them for the stranger in your city, sothat God

may bless the fruit of your land. And ye shall not work

ye shall not deal oppressively with one another in any-

thing, so that ye may be blessed, and so that the fruit of

your land may increase, and so that ye may be saved from

the curse of the Law which God hath commanded, say-

ing, ‘ They shall curse the worker of evil) And He

wrote, saying, * He who leadeth the blind man out of his

path is accursed. And he who addresseth vile words to

a deaf (or, dumb) manis accursed. And he who defileth

his father's bed is accursed. And he who beateth his

neighbour with fraud is accursed. And he who perver-

teth justice for the alien so that he may slay innocent

blood is accursed. And he who treateth his father and

his mother lightly is accursed. And he who maketh a

filthy graven image of stone or smelted metal, the work

of a man's hand, and setteth it up and hideth it in his

house, and worshippeth it as a god, not believing that

God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who

made Adam in His own image and likeness, and set him

over everything which He had created, we all being His

work—the man who doth not believe [this] accursed

lethim be! Amen. And he who lieth with a beast, let

him be accursed. And he who lieth with a man as with

a woman, let him be accursed. And he who slayeth a

life, innocent blood, with fraud and violence, let him be

accursed.’ 1

* And over and above all these things ye shall wor-

ship no other gods, for God is jealous concerning those

who despise Him and do thus, and He setteth His face

upon them until He rooteth out their lives from the

earth, and blotteth out their memory for ever. Blessed

are those who hearken to the voice of God, and perform

and keep [His commandments]. And blessed are those

who turn aside from those who do evil, so that none of

the punishments which shall come upon sinners shall

fall upon them. And if it be that thou wilt keep the

word of God, withdraw thyself from the way of sinners,

1 Deuteronomy xxvii, 15 ff.

T his is what ye shall eat

so that thou mayest not be beaten with the rod where-

with they shall be beaten. Even as David the grand-

father of our lord David saith, * God will not let the

rod of sinners [fall] upon the portion of the righteous,’

so that the righteous may not lift up their hands in vio-

lence (or, oppression). When a man hath the power to

do that which is good, and he watcheth himself and

telleth his neighbour, he becometh as it were the

owner of two talents,! and yet other two talents are

added to him, and he getteth abundant reward from

God. For he hath done it himself and taught his

neighbour to do it, and because of this his reward

shall be exceedingly great. And again, blessed shall

ye be if yegive your possessions, without usury and not

as loans."

9I. THIS I* WHAT YE SHALL EAT: THE CLEAN AND THE

UNCLEAN

* And this is what ye shall eat: the clean and that

which is not clean. "The ox, the sheep, the goat, the

ram, the stag, the gazelle, the buffalo, the deskéna ante-

lope, the we‘ela antelope, the oryx, the zérát gazelle, and

every creature with a cleft hoof and nails eat ye, and the

creatures that chew the cud. And these which ve

shall not eat among those that chew the cud and have a

cleft hoof are the camels and the hare and the kargélyon

(coney 1), for they chew the cud but their hoofs are not

cleft. The wolf and the pig ye shall not eat, for their

hoofs are cleft but they do not chew the cud : ye shall

not eat what is unclean. Whatsoever is in the waters

with fins and scales eat ye; whatsoever is unclean

therein eat ye not. Among birds everything that is

clean eat ye, but ye shall not eat the following: the

eagle, the vulture, the ?"/lyá/án eagle, the osprey, the

hawk, and the like, the raven, ostrich, the owl, the sea-

gull, the heron, the swan, the ibis, the pelican, the hawk,

1 Compare Matthew xxv, 22.

the hoopoe, the night raven, the hornbill, the water-

piper, the water-hen, and the bat; these are unclean.

And ye shall not eat the locust nor anything of his kind,

nor the 'a£á/án nor anything of his kind, nor the grass-

hopper nor anything of his kind, nor the field locust nor

anything of his kind. Of the things that fly (or, spring)

and have two or four or six feet, their flesh is unclean,

ye shall not eat thereof. And ye shall not touch their

dead bodies, and whosoever toucheth them shall be

unclean until thé evening.

* Now these things we have declared unto you in

order that ye may keep and perform the fear of God so

that ye may be blessed in this your country, which God

hath given unto you because of the heavenly Zion, the

Tabernacle of the Law of God, for because of her have

ye been chosen. And our fathers have been rejected,

because God took from them Zion, the Tabernacle of

the Law of God, to keep you and your seed for ever.

And He will bless the fruit of your land, and He will

multiply your cattle, and will protect them in every-

thing wherein they are to be protected. |

* And as for thee, O my Lady, thy wisdom is good,

and it surpasseth the wisdom of men. "There is none

that can be compared with thee in respect of thy intelli-

gence, not only in the matter of the intuition of the

women who have been created up to this present, but

the understanding of thine heart 1s deeper than that of

men, and there is none who can be compared with thee

in the abundance of thine understanding, except my

lord Solomon. And thy wisdom so far exceedeth that

of Solomon that thou hast been able to draw hither the

mighty men of Israel, and the Tabernacle of the Law of

God, with the ropes of thine understanding, and thou

hast overthrown the house of their idols, and destroyed

their images, and thou hast cleansed what was unclean

among thy people, for thou hast driven away from

them that which God hateth.

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PLATE AXII

From Brit. Mus, MS. Orient. No. 510, fol. 52a

Christ riding into Jerusalem on an ass on the * Day of Hosanna" (Palm Sunday)

T his is what ye shall eat

“ And as concerning thy name, God hath prepared it

[especially] for He hath called thee * Makéda,’ whereof

the interpretation is * Not thus.’ Consider thou [the

people] of thy nation with whom God was not well

pleased, and thou wilt say * Not thus [is it] good, but it

is right that we should worship God’; * Not thus is it

good to worship the sun, but it is right to worship God,’

thou wilt say. * Not thus is it good to enquire of the

* diviner, but it is better to trust in God,’ thou wilt say.

* Not thus is it good to resort to the working of magic,

but it is better to lean upon the Holy One of Israel,’

thou wilt say. * Not thus is it good to offer up sacrifices

to stones and trees, but it is right to offer up sacri-

fices to God,’ thou wilt say. * Not thus is it good to

seek augury from birds, but it is right to put confidence

in the Creator,’ thou wilt say.

“ And besides, inasmuch as thou hast chosen wisdom

she hath become to thee a mother ; thou didst seek her, -

and she hath become unto thee a treasure. Thou hast

made her a place of refuge for thyself, and she hath

become to thee a wall. Thou hast desired her eagerly,

and she hath loved thee above everything. Thou hast

placed thy confidence in her, and she hath taken thee to

her bosom like a child. ‘Thou hast loved her, and she

hath become unto thee as thou didst desire. Thou hast

laid hold upon her, and she will not let thee go until the

day of thy death. Thou hast been sorrowful on her

account, and she hath made thee to rejoice for ever.

Thou hast toiled for her sake, and she hath made thee

vigorous for ever. Thou hast hungered for her sake, and

she hath filled thee with food for ever. Thou hast

thirsted for wisdom, and she hath given thee drink in

abundance forever. Thou hast suffered tribulation for

the sake of wisdom, and she hath become unto thee a

healing for ever. Thou hast made thyself deaf for the

sake of wisdom, and she hath made thee to hear for ever.

Thou hast made thyself blind for the sake of wisdom, and

L I6I

she hath illumined thee more than the sun for ever.

And all this hath happened from God because thou hast

loved wisdom for ever. For wisdom, and knowledge,

and understanding are from the Lord. Understanding

and knowledge, and the beginning of wisdom, and the

fear of the Lord, and knowledge, and the perception of

good, and sympathy, and compassion that existeth for

ever, all these things thou hast found, O my Lady, with

the God of Israel, the Holy of the holiest, the Knower

of hearts, Who searcheth out what is in the heart of

man ; from Him everything is. And it came to pass by

the Will of God, that Zion hath come unto this country

of Ethiopia, and it shall be a guide to our King David,

the lover of God, the guardian of her pavilion, and the

director of the habitation of His glory.”

92. How THEY RENEWED THE KINGDOM OF Davip

And Azariah said, ** Bring hither the jubilee trum-

pets, and let us go to Zion, and there we will make new

the kingdom of our lord David.” And he took the oil

of sovereignty and filled the horn [therewith], and he

anointed David with the unguent, that is to say, with

the oil of sovereignty. And they blew horns and pipes

and trumpets, and beat drums, and sounded all kinds of

musical instruments, and there were singing and dancing

and games, and [displays] with horses and shield [-men],

and all the men and women of the people of the country

of Ethiopia were present, small and great, and the little

Blacks, six thousand in number, and virgin women

whom Azariah had chosen for the women of Zion by the

law, whom David the King had destined for [the service

of] the table and banquets in the royal fortress when he

should goup thereto [clad in] raiment of fine gold. And

in this wise was renewed the kingdom of David, the son of

Solomon the king of Israel, in the capital city, in Mount

Makéda, in the House of Zion, when the Law was

established for the first time by the King of Ethiopia.

How the men of ‘Romé destroyed the Faith

And then when he had completed the stablishing of

the Law, they made, according to what they had seen

in Jerusalem, the Law in the House of Zion for the

nobles of the kingdom, and for those who were inside,

and for those that were outside, and for the people, and

for the islands, and for the cities, and for the provinces ;

and for all the inhabitants and for all their tribal kins-

folk they made ordinances in the same manner. And

thus the eastern boundary of the kingdom of the King

of Ethiopia is the beginning of the city of G4z4 in the

land of Judah, that is, Jerusalem ; and its boundary is

the Lake of Jericho, and it passeth on by the coast of its

sea to Léba and Saba; and its boundary goeth down

to Bísis and 'Asnét ; and its boundary is the Sea of the

Blacks and Naked Men, and goeth up Mount Kébéré-

néyón into the Sea of Darkness, that 1s to say, the place

where the sun setteth ; and its boundary extendeth to

Féné’él and Lasifala; and its borders are the lands

[near] the Garden (1.¢. Paradise), where there is food in

plenty and abundance of cattle, and [near] Fénékén ;

and its boundary reacheth as far as Zawél and passeth on

to the Sea of India; and its boundary is as far as the

Sea of Tarsis, and in its remote (?) part lieth the Sea of

Medyám, until it cometh to the country of Gaza ; and

its boundary is the place where [our enumeration began.

And moreover, the dominion of the King of Ethiopia

belongeth to him and to his seed for ever.

93. How THE MEN OF ROME DESTROYED THE FAITH

And after they had waited for three months—now

Zion came into the country of Ethiopia at the be-

ginning of the first month in the language of the Heb-

rews, and in Greek Tarmén and in Gé’éz (Ethiopic)

Miyázyá, on the sixth (or, seventh) day—they wrote

down the Law and the names, and they deposited [the

writing] for a memorial for the later days, so that what

was right should be done for the pavilion [of Zion]

L 2 163

thereby, and so that the glory of the kings of Ethiopia '

and the glory of the kings of Rómé might be well

known. For the kings of Ethiopia and the kings of

Rómé were brethren and held the Christian Faith. Now

first of all they believed in an orthodox manner in the

preaching of the Apostles up to [the time of] Constan-

tine, and' Eléni (Helena) the Queen, who brought forth

the wood of the Cross, and they (t.¢. the kings of Rómé)

continued [to believe for] one hundred and thirty years.

And afterwards, Satan, who hath been the enemy of

man from of old, rose up, and seduced the people of the

country of Rómé, and they corrupted the Faith of

Christ, and they introduced heresy into the Church of

God by the mouth of Nestorius. And Nestorius, and

Arius, and Yabâsô (?) were those into whose hearts he

cast the same jealousy as he had cast into the heart of

Cain to slay his brother Abel. In like manner did their

father the Devil, the enemy of righteousness and the

hater of good, cast jealousy, even as David saith, ** They

speak violence in the heights of heaven, and set their

mouths in the heavens, and their tongue waggeth on the

earth.”! And those same men who know not whence

they came, and know not whither they are going, revile

their Creator with their tongues, and blaspheme His

glory, while He is God, the Word of the Lord. He

came down from the throne of His Godhead, and put on

the body of Adam, and He is God the Word. d in

that body He was crucified so that He might redeem

Adam in his iniquity, and He went up into the heavens,

and sat upon the throne of His Godhead in that body,

which He had taken. And He shall come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead, and shall reward

every man according to his work, for ever and ever.

Amen.

And we believe thus and we adore the Holy Trinity.

And those who do not believe thus are excommunicated

1 Psalm lxxiii, 8, 9.

164 |

— 00 —

T he first war of the King of Ethiopia

by the Word of God, the King of heaven and earth,

both in this world and in that world which is to come.

And we are strong in the Orthodox Faith which the

Fathers the Apostles have delivered unto us, the Faith

of the Church. And thus Ethiopia continued to abide

in her Faith until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

toWhom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

94. THE FIRST WAR OF THE KING or ETHIOPIA

And after three months they (t.e. David and his

soldiers) rose up to wage war from the city of the

Government, with Makéda his mother and Zion his

Lady. And the Levites carried the Tabernacle of the

Law, together with the things that appertained to their

office, and they marched along with great majesty,

and as in times of old when God on Mount Sinai made

Zion to come down 1n holiness to Moses and Aaron,

even so did Azariah and ’Elmiy4s bear along the Taber- :

nacle of the Law. And the other mighty men of war of

Israel marched on the right side of it and on the left,

and close to it, and before it and behind it, and although

they were beings made of dust they sang psalms and

songs of the spirit like the heavenly hosts. And God

gave them beautiful voices and marvellous songs, for He

was well pleased to be praised by them.

And they came from the city of the Government, and

encamped at Maya ’Abaw, and on the following morn-

ing they laid waste the district of Zawa with Hadéya,

for enmity had existed between them from olden time ;

and they blotted out the people and slew them with

the edge of the sword. And they passed on from that

place and encamped at Gérrá, and here also they laid

waste the city of vipers that had the faces of men, and

the tails of asses attached to their loins.

And [the Queen] returned and encamped in the city

of Zion, and they remained therein three months, then

their wagons moved on and came to the city of the

Government. And in one day they came to the city of

Saba, and they laid waste Nóbà ; and from there they

camped round about Sábá, and they laid it waste as

far as the border of Egypt. And the majesty (or, awe)

of the King of Ethiopia was so great that the King of

Médyám and the King of Egypt caused gifts to be

brought unto him, and they came into the city of the

Government, and from there they encamped in ’Ab‘at,

and they waged war on the country of India, and the

King of India brought a gift and a present (or, tribute),

and himself did homage to the King of Ethiopia. He

(i.e. David) waged war wheresoever he pleased; no

man conquered him, on the contrary, whosoever

attacked him was conquered. And as for those who

would have played the spy in his camp, in order to hear

some story and relate it in their city, they were unable

torun by the wagons, for Zion herself made the strength

of the enemy to be exhausted. But King David, with

his soldiers, and the armies of his soldiers, and all those

who obeyed his word, ran by the wagons without pain

or suffering, and without hunger or thirst, and without

sweat or exhaustion, and travelled in one day a distance

which [usually] took three months to traverse. And

they lacked nothing whatsoever of the things which

they asked God through Zion the Tabernacle of the

Law of God to give them, for He dwelt with her, and

His Angel directed her, and she was His habitation.

And as for the king who ministered to His pavilion—

if he were travelling on any journey, and wished some-

thing to be done, everything that he wished for and

thought about in his heart, and indicated with his

finger, everything [I say] was performed at his word ;

and everyone feared him. But he feared no one, for the

hand of God was with him, and it protected him by day

and by night. And he did His Will, and God worked

for him and protected him from all evil for ever and

ever. Amen.

How the King’s estate was accepted

This I found among the manuscripts of the Church

of Sophia in Constantinople. And the Archbishops

who were there said unto him [Domitius ?], “ This is

what is written from the days of Solomon the King.”

And Domitius of Antioch said, ** Yea, that which is

written up to the day of the death of Solomon is to be

accepted, and that which hath been written by other

prophets after his death is to be accepted likewise.”

95. How THE HONOURABLE ESTATE OF THE KING OF

ETHIOPIA WAS UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED

Now through the Kesra Nacast we know and

have learned that of a surety the King of Ethiopia is

honourable, and that he is the King of Zion, and the

firstborn of the seed of Shem, and that the habitation

of God is in Zion, and that He there breaketh the

might and power of all his enemies and foes. And after

him the King of Rómé was the anointed of the Lord

because of the wood of the Cross. And as concerning

the kingdom of Israel—when the Pearl was born of

them, and of the Pearl again was born the Sun of

Righteousness, Who hid Himself in her body—now had

He not hidden Himself in the body of a man He could

not haye been seen by mortal eyes—and having put

on our body He became like unto us, and He walked

about with[men]. And He wrought signs and wonders

in their midst. He raised their dead, and He healed

their sick folk, and He made the eyes of their blind to

see, and He opened the ears of their deaf folk, and He

cleansed the lepers, and He satisfied the hungry with

food, and He performed many miracles, some of which

are written down and some of which are not, even as

saith John the Evangelist, the son of Zebedee, “ If

everything which Jesus did were written down, the

whole world would not be able to hold all the writings

that would have to be written.” !

1 John xxi, 25.

And when the wicked children of Israel saw all this

they thought that He was a man, and they were envious

of Him because of what they saw and heard, and they

crucified Him upon the wood of the Cross, and they killed

Him. And He rose from the dead on the third day,

and went up into heaven in glory, [and sat] on the

throne of the Godhead. And He received from the

Father a kingdom incorruptible for ever and ever over

the beings of the spirit, and the beings of earth, and

over every created being, so that every tongue shall

adore His Name, and every knee bow to Him; and He

shall judge the living and the dead and reward every

man according to his work. So therefore when the

Gp shall see Him they shall be put to shame, and shall

e condemned to the fire which is everlasting. But we

who believe in the Orthodox Faith shall be upon our

throne, and we shall rejoice with our teachers the

Apostles, provided that we have walked in the way of

Christ and in His commandments. And after the Jews

crucified the Saviour of the world, they were scattered

abroad, and their kingdom was destroyed, and they

were made an end of and rooted out for ever and ever.

And all the saints who were gathered together said,

“ Assuredly, in very truth the King of Ethiopia is

more exalted, and more honourable than any other king

upon the earth, because of the glory and greatness of

the heavenly Zion. And God loveth the people of

Ethiopia, for without knowing about His Law, they des-

icy their idols, whereas those unto whom the Law of

God had been given made idols and worshipped the

gods which God hateth. And in the later times when

He was born to redeem Adam He wrought signs and

wonders before them, but they did not believe in Him,

neither in His preaching nor in the preaching of His

fathers. But the people of Ethiopia believed in one

trustworthy disciple, and for this reason God hath loved

exceedingly the people of Ethiopia."

-—

PLATE XXIII

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How the King’s estate was accepted

And the Bishops answered and said unto him

(Gregory), ** Well hast thou spoken, and thy word is

true, and what thou hast expounded and interpreted to

us is clear. Even as Paul saith, ‘ Hath not the seed of

Abraham exalted the seed of Shem?’ They are all

kings of the earth, but the chosen ones of the Lord are

the people of Ethiopia. For there is the habitation of

God, the heavenly Zion, the Tabernacle of His Law and

the Tabernacle of His Covenant, which He hath made

into a mercy-seat through [His] mercy for the children

of men ; for the rains and the waters from the sky, for

the planted things (or, vegetation) and the fruits, for the

peoples and the countries, for the kings and nobles, for

men and beasts, for birds and creeping things."

And Gregory the Bishop, the worker of wonders,

answered and said unto them, “ Verily, salvation hath

been given unto all of us Christian people, unto those

who have believed in our Lady Mary, the likeness of the

heavenly Zion. For the Lord dwelt in the womb of

the Virgin, and was brought forth by her without carnal

union. And the Ten Words (Decalogue) of the Law were

written by the Finger of God, and made (1.¢. placed)

in Zion, the Tabernacle of the Law of God. And now,

come ye, and we. will declare from the Law of Moses

the prophecies of the Prophets our Fathers, the holy

men of olden time, and the prophecies concerning

Christ our Redeemer, so that the generations of pos-

terity may hear the interpretation (or, explanation) of

the story, and we will relate unto them the narrative

of the interpretation of the Scriptures. We will begin

then with the beginning of the Book, and we will make

[you] to understand in the Spirit, as David saith,

through the Holy Spirit, * In the beginning the Book

was written because of me.’ ?!

And one answered and said, ** What is the beginning

ofthe Book?” And they answered and said unto him,

1 Psalm xl, 7.

* [t is the Law which was written concerning Christ,

the Son of God. And it saith, * In the beginning God

made the heavens and the earth?! ; and they existed

fromolden time. Now the earth was formless, but there

were mixed together darkness, and winds, and water,

and mist, and dust; all of these were mixed together.

And the Spirit of God hovered above the waters.

This meaneth that by the Word of God the heavens

and the earth were created ; and these words mean

that the Spirit of God dwelt over all creation."

96. CONCERNING THE PROPHECY ABOUT CHRIST

Moreover Moses proclaimed in the Law and said,

* A prophet like myself shall rise up for you from your

brethren, and hearken ye unto him; and every soul

that will not hearken unto that prophet ye shall root

out from among the people."* And this he said con-

cerning Christ the Son of God. And he also prophesied

concerning His Crucifixion, and said, ** When the ser-

pents afflicted the children of Israel they cried out to

Moses, and Moses cried out to God to deliver them

from the serpents. And God said unto him, Make an

image of brass of a serpent and suspend it in a place

where it can be known as a sign, and let every one

whom a serpent hath bitten look upon that image of

brass, and he shall live. And when they failed to look

at it they died, and those who looked on it and believed

lived."* And in like manner was it with Christ ; those

who paid no heed to Him and did not believe in Him

perished in Sheól, and those who believed and hearkened

unto Him inherited the land of everlasting life, where

there will never be pain or suffering.

And now we will make known unto you how they

paid no heed to Christ, the Word of God. When the

children of Israel spake against Moses, saying, “ Is it

! Genesis i, I. * Compare Deuteronomy xviii, 15.

* Numbers xxi, 7.

Concerning the Prophecy about Christ

that God hath spoken to Moses only ? How is it that

we also do not hear the Word of God that we may

believe on Him ? "! And God, Who knoweth the hearts

of men, heard the murmuring of the children of Israel,

and He said unto Moses, ** Thou dost ask forgiveness

for thy people, and yet they murmur against thee,

saying, Why doth not God speak with us? And now,

if they believe in Me, let them come hither to Me with

their apparel, and let the great men of Israel go up

to hear what commands I will give them, and let them

hear My voice and perform the commandments which

I shall give them." And Moses told the children of

Israel what he had been commanded, and the people

on the third day. And the seventy elders of Israel’

went up into Mount Sinai, and they departed from the

encampment and ascended Mount Sinai. And they

were distant from each other the space of the flight of

an arrow, and they stood still, each facing his neigh-

bour. Now, though there were many of them and they

used their endeavours, they were not able to ascend

into the cloud with Moses, and fear and trembling

seized upon them, and the shadow of death enveloped

them; and they heard the sound of the horn and

pipes, and [they felt] the darkness and the winds. And

Moses went into the cloud and held converse with God,

and all the great men of Israel heard that Voice of

God, and they were afraid and quaked with terror, and

because of the overwhelming terror which was in their

hearts they were unable to stand up. And when Moses

came forth they said unto him, “ We will not hear this

word of God so that we may not die of terror. And

behold, we know that God holdeth converse with thee.

And if there be anything that He would say unto us,

do thou hearken thereto and declare it unto us. Be

1 Numbers xii, 2. 23 Numbers xi, 16-24; Exodus xix.

17!

thou unto us a mouth in respect of God, and we will

be unto Him His own people.” Do ye not see that they

denied Christ and said, ** We will not hearken to that

Voice so that we may not die in terror ? ? Now Christ

was the Word of God, and therefore when they said,

* We will not hearken to that Voice,” they meant, “ We

do not believe in Christ."

And again Moses spake unto God and said, “ Shew

me Thy Face.”! And God said unto Moses, ** No one

can look upon My Face and live, but only as in a

mirror. Turn thy face to the west and thou shalt see in

the rock the mirroring of My Face." And when Moses

saw the shadow of the Face of God, his own face shone

with a brightness which was seven times brighter than

the sun, and the light was so strong that the children

of Israel could not look upon his face except through a

veil. And thereupon he saw that they did not desire to

look upon the Face of God, for they said unto him,

* Make unto us a veil so that we may not see thy face."

And having said these words it is evident that they

wen the hearing of His words and the sight of His

ace.

And moreover, when Abraham took his son Isaac up

into Mount Karméléwós (Carmel), God sent down from

heaven a ram for the redemption of Isaac. And Isaac

was not slaughtered, but the ram which had come down

from heaven was slaughtered. Now Abraham is to be

interpreted God the Father, and Isaac is to be inter-

preted as a symbol of Christ the Son. And when He

came down from heaven for the salvation of Adam and

his sons, the Godhead which had come down from

heaven was not slain, but His body which He had put

on for our sakes, that earthly body which He had put on

from Mary, was slain. Can ye understand and know

that likeness and similitude for the earthly being Isaac,

the son of Abraham, who was an offering of the will of

1 Exodus xxxiii, 18-23. 3 Exodus xxxiv, 33.

Concerning the Prophecy about Christ

his father ? The heavenly ram became a redemption

(or, substitute), and the son of Abraham was redeemed.

And as for Him Who came down, the Son of God, He-

became the redemption of the Godhead, His body for

the earthly, and He died in His body, the Godhead

suffering in no wise and remaining unchanged ; and the

mortal became living in the Resurrection with the God-

head. And it is clearly manifest: in that Christ, the

Son of God, hath redeemed us, He hath magnified us

men. And we must honour especially, both upon the

earth and in heaven, this our Lady Mary the Virgin,

the Mother of God.

And hearken ye to this explanation concerning the

first man, who is our father Adam. Eve was created

from a man, from a bone in his side, without carnal

embrace and union, and she became his companion.

And having heard the word of guile, from being the

helpmeet of Adam she became a murderess by making

him to transgress the command. And in His mercy

God the Father created the Pearl in the body of Adam.

He cleansed Eve's body and sanctified it and made for

it a dwelling in her for Adam's salvation. She [i.e.

Mary] was born without blemish, for He. made her

without carnal union and embrace. She brought forth

in heavenly flesh a King, and He was born of her, and

corruption, and He hath raised us up with Him to

immortality, the throne of divinity, and He hath raised

us up to Him, and we have exchanged life in our mortal

body and found the life which is immortal. Through

the seduction of Adam we suffered affliction, and by the

patient endurance of Christ we are healed. Through

the transgression of Eve we died and were buried, and

exalted to the heights.

And Ezekiel also prophesied concerning Mary and

said, ** I saw a door in the east which was sealed with a

great and marvellous seal, and there was none who

went into it except the Lord of hosts; He went in

through it and came forth therefrom.”! Hear ye now

this explanation: When he saith, “ I saw a door,” it

was the door of the gate of heaven, the entrance of the

saints into the kingdom of the heavens. And when he

saith that it was '*in the east" he referreth to her

Salvation," and also “ the East” whereunto the saints

look with joy and gladness. And the “ closedness ” of

which he speaketh referreth to her virginity and her

body. And when he saith that she was sealed with

* à great, wonderful seal," this showeth plainly that

she was sealed by God, the Great and Wonderful,

through the Holy Ghost. And when he saith, ** None

goeth through it except the Lord of hosts, He goeth in

and cometh out," [he meaneth] the Creator of the

heavens and the earth, the Creator of the angels and

men and the lords. The Lord of hosts is the fruit of

the Godhead, Who put on our body from her, Christ.

He went into and came forth from her without pollut-

ing her.

And Moses also prophesied concerning Mary, saying,

“I saw a bramble bush on Mount Sinai which the

devouring fire consumed not.”? And the signification

of this fire is the Godhood of the Son of God ; and the

bramble bush, which burned without the leaves thereof

being shrivelled, is Mary.

97. CONCERNING THE MURMURING oF ISRAEL

And once again the children of Israel murmured con-

cerning the ministration of the priests before the Lord,

saying, ‘‘ Are we not Israel, we the seed of Abraham,

and why cannot we also offer up sacrifice like them in

1 Ezekiel xliii, 1. * Exodus iii, 2.

Concerning the murmuring of Israel

the Tent of Witness by the Tabernacle of the Law of

God, the holy Zion, with censers and incense and the

holy instruments ? Why should Moses, and his brother

Aaron, and their children alone do this ? Are we not

people whom God hath chosen as much as they are,

and shall we not do His Will?" And when Moses

heard [this] he said unto them, ** Do ye whatsoever ye

will.” And the elders of Israel went and had made

seventy censers wherewith to cense Zion and to praise

God, and they took incense and coals in the censers,

and went and came into the Holy of Holies to offer up `

incense. And immediately they threw the incense into

the censers, at the first swing of them fire came forth

from the censers, and they were burned up straightway

and melted away. And as wax melteth before the face

of the fire, even so did they melt away; and as grass

withereth when flame approacheth it, even so were they

consumed, together with their instruments, and there

was nothing left of them except their censers. And

God said, ** Sanctify to Me these censers for My Tent

(or, Pavilion), and they shall be used for My offerings,

for they are consecrated by the death of those men."

Now the censer is Mary, and Christ, the Son of God,

the Godhead, is the coals, and the odour of the incense

is the perfume of Christ, and through the perfume of

Him Apostles, and Prophets, and Martyrs, and Monks,

have rejected the world and inherited the kingdom of

heaven. And the chains of the censers are the ladder

which Jacob saw, to which [the angels] clung as they

went up and came down; and upon the perfume of

of God.

And when the flame had burned up the sinners, the

people who were kinsmen of these who had been

destroyed reviled Moses and Aaron, and said unto

them, * Ye have made our elders to perish ? ; and they

1 See Numbers xvi.

took up stones to stone Moses and Aaron.! And God

^ was exceedingly wroth with Israel, and He abominated

as a filthy rag the counsel of Dathan and Abiram, the

sons of Korah. And the Word of God made a sign to

the earth, and the earth opened her mouth and swal-

lowed them up, together with all their companions,

and their wives, and their children, and their beasts.

They went down into Sheól alive, and the earth shut

herself up over them. And as for the people who had

been associated with them and had heard their revilings

[of Moses] God sent upon them a plague, and they died

forthwith. And Moses and Aaron came with incense and

censers, and they wept before God, and entreated Him for

forgiveness for the people, saying, ** Remember, O Lord,

Abraham Thy friend, and Isaac T'hy servant, and Israel

Thy holy one, for we are their seed, and the children of

Thy people. Cool Thy wrath in respect of us, and make

haste to hear us, destroy us not, and remove Thy punish-

ment from upon Thypeople.” And God the Merciful saw

the sincerity of Moses, and had compassion upon them.

And God spake unto Moses and said unto him,

* Speak thou to this people and say unto them,

* Sanctify ye yourselves, and bring ye for each of the

houses of your fathers a rod,’ and write ye[the name]

upon it so that ye may know their rods, thou and thy

brother Aaron. Now of your houses let Aaron write

upon his rod, but upon thine own rod make no mark,

for it shall be a perfect miracle for the children of thy

people, a vindication for the wicked, and a sign of life

for all those who believe. If thou didst write[thy

name] now with them, they would say unto thee, * This

hath been a worker of miracles from of old bv the word

of God’; let them say this when I have shown them a

miracle by it (t.e. the rod). But for the house of thy

father write upon the rod of Aaron.” ?

! Compare Exodus xvii, 4; Numbers xvi, 41.

2 Numbers xvii, 8.

PLATE XXIV

From Brit. Mus. MS, Orient. No. 481, fol, 1054

The soldiers binding Christ

Concerning the Rods of Moses and Aaron

98. CONCERNING THE Rop or Moses AND THE Ron or

AARON

And Moses spake these words unto them, and they

brought a rod into each of the houses of their fathers

rods. And Moses wrote upon their rods the names of

their fathers: on the rod of Aaron was written the

name of Levi, and on the rod of Karmin was written

the name of Judah, and on the rod of Adónyás was

written the name of Reuben, and on the rod of every

man of all the houses of Israel was written in like manner

the name of his father. And God said unto Moses,

* Carry [the rods] to Zion, to the Tent of Witness, and

shut them up therein until the morning, and [then] take

them out before the men and give unto each of them his

rod, according to the houses of their fathers whose names

are written on the rods, and the man on whose rod a

mark shall be found is he whom I have chosen to be

priest to Me.” And Moses told the people these words,

and they did according as God had commanded them.

And then, when the morning had come, Moses took

the rods, and all the elders of Israel and Aaron came.

And Moses came before them, and he lifted up the rods

and brought them before all the people, and the rod

of Aaron was found with the fruit and flower of an

almond which emitted a fragrant perfume. And Moses

said unto them, ** Look ye now. ‘This is the rod which

the Lord your God hath chosen, fear ye Him and wor-

"a Him ” ; and all the people bowed down before

God.

Now this rod is Mary. And the rod which without

water burst into bloom indicateth Mary, from whom

was born, without the seed of man, the Word of God.

And that He saith ** I have chosen, I will make manifest

a miracle, and he shall be priest to Me," meaneth that

God chose Mary out of al the congregation of Israel,

M 177

even as David her father prophesied, saying, “ The

Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the habi-

tations of Jacob,”?! and he further said, ** Marvellous is

His speech concerning thee, O city of God.”? And

when he saith, ** more than all the habitations of Israel ^

and * her gates” [he referreth to] the silence of her

goeth forth from her mouth, like honey which floweth

and holy, and so shall it be, even as it was, unto all

eternity. And in the heavens she goeth about with the

liveth in Zion with the pot which is filled with manna,

and with the two tables that were written with the

Finger of God. And the heavenly, spiritual Zion is

above them, the Zion, the making and constitution of

which are wonderful, of which God Himself is her

Maker and Fashioner for the habitation of His glory.

And God spake unto Moses [saying], ‘‘ Make a

Tabernacle of wood which is indestructible [by worms

and rot ], and cover it over with plates of fine gold, every

part thereof."3 And the gold is the fineness of the

Godhead that came down from heaven, for the Godhead

comprehendeth all heaven and earth; and in like

manner is plated with gold the Tabernacle, the abode of

the heavenly Zion. And the Tabernacle is to be inter-

preted as Mary, and the wood which is indestructible is

to be interpreted as Christ our Redeemer. And the

Gomor,* which is the pot of gold inside the Tabernacle,

is to be interpreted as Mary, and the manna which is

in the pot is to be interpreted as the Body of Christ

1 Psalm Ixxxvii, 2. 2 Psalm Ixxxvii, 3.

* Exodus xxv, 10, “an ark of shittim wood.”

€ Exodus xvi, 33, “ take a pot, and put an omer full of manna

therein.”

Concerning the Rods of Moses and Aaron

which came down from heaven, and the Word of God

which is written upon the two tables is to be interpreted

as Christ, the Son of God. And the spiritual Zion is to

be interpreted as the light of the Godhead. The

spiritual Pearl which is contained in the Tabernacle is

like a brilliant gem of great price, and he who hath ac-

quired it holdeth it tightly in his hand, grasping it and

hiding it in his hand, and whilst the gem is in his hand

its owner goeth into the Tabernacle, and he is an in-

mate therein. And he who possesseth the Pearl is inter-

preted as the Word of God, Christ. And the spiritual

Pearl which 1s grasped is to be interpreted as Mary, the

Mother of the Light, through whom **'Akrátós," the

* Unmixed," assumed a body. In her He made a

born the Light of Light, God of God, Who was born of

His own freewill, and was not made by the hand of

another, but He made a Temple for Himself through

an incomprehensible wisdom which transcendeth the

mind of man.

And on another occasion, when God brought Israel

out of Egypt, they thirsted for water in Kádés, and

they murmured and wept before Moses ; and Moses

went to God and made Him to know this. And God

said unto him, “ Take thy rod and smite this rock”? ;

and Moses smote the rock lengthwise and breadthwise

in the form of the Cross, and water flowed forth, twelve

streams. And they drank their fill of the water, their

people and their beasts, and when they had drunk that

rock followed after them. And the rock is to be inter-

preted as Christ, and the streams of water as the

Apostles, and that which they drank as the teaching of

the Apostles, and the rod is the wood of the Cross.

. And the rock is stable, as it saith in the Gospel, “ He

who buildeth upon a rock shall not be moved by the

demons."3 And again He saith, “ I am the gate," and

1 Exodus xvii, 6. 2 Matthew vii, 24, 25.

M 2 179

again He saith, “ I am the door."! And observe ye

that when speaking He distinguished between his

disciples even as He did between those who [came] after

them, the Bishops and the Christian Community.

“ Thou art the rock," He said unto Peter, “ and upon

thee I will build the Christian people.” ? And again He

said, * Iam the Shepherd of the sheep,” 3 and He said

unto him thrice, “ Feed my sheep.?* And again He

said, ** I am the stem of the vine," and unto them He

said, * ^ Ye are its branches and its clusters of fruit." *

And the rod of Moses by means of which he per-

formed the miracle is to be interpreted as the wood of

the Cross, whereby He delivered Adam and his children

from the punishment of devils. And as Moses smote

the water of the river therewith, and turned it into

blood, and slew their fish, in like manner Christ slew

Death with His Cross, and brought them out of Sheól.

And as Moses smote in the air with his rod, and the

whole land of Egypt became dark for three days and

three nights* with a darkness which could be felt so

that [the Egyptians] could not rise from their couches,

so also Christ, being crucified upon the Cross, lightened

the darkness of the hearts of men, and rose up from the

dead on the third day and third night. And as the rod

of Moses changed itself and transformed itself’ by the

Word of God, being dry yet possessing life, and possess-

ing life yet became a dry thing, even so Christ with the

wood of His Cross made life for the Christian people

who believed on Him, and with the Sign of the Cross

made them to drive away devils. For the demons and

the Christians became changed; the spiritual beings

became reprobates, and through transgressing the

commandment of their Lord they became exiled ones

bythe might of His Cross. And we have become spiri-

1 John x, 7, 9. * John xxi, 17. * Exodus vii, 10.

2 Matthew xvi, 18. * John xv, 5, 16.

* John x, 11, 14. * Exodus x, 21, 22.

Concerning the Rods of Moses and Aaron

tual beings through receiving His Body and Blood in the

place of those spiritual beings who were exiled, and we

have become beings worthy of praise who have believed

in His Cross and in His holy Resurrection. And as

Moses smote the mountains by stretching out his hands

with his rod, and brought forth punishments by the

command of God, even so Christ, by stretching out His

hands upon the wood of the Cross, drove out the

demons from men by the might of His Cross. When

God said unto Moses, “ Smite with thy rod," He

meant, * Make the Sign of the Cross of Christ,” and

when God said unto Moses, “ Stretch out thy hand,"!

He meant that by the spreading out of His hand Christ

hath redeemed us from the servitude of the enemy,

and hath given us life by the stretching out of His

hand upon the wood of the Cross.

And when Amalek fought with Israel, Moses went

up into the mountain, and Aaron was with him ; they

went up to pray because Amalek was prevailing. And

God commanded Moses and said unto him, “ Stretch

out thy hand until Israel obtaineth the power [over

Amalek]?'? And it saith in the Tóráh that the hands

of Moses were held out until the sunset; but the

hands of Moses became heavy, and being aweary he

dropped his hands that had been stretched out, and then

p ceased to prevail and their enemies overcame

them. And when Moses kept his hand up and stretched

out straight, Amalek was overcome, and Israel put to

flight and vanquished their enemy Amalek. And-when

Aaron and Hór (Hur) saw this, they piled up stones on

the right and on the left of Moses, and they made the

hands of Moses to rest on the stones which they had

built up, and Aaron on his right and Hôr on his

left held Moses up with their shoulders, so that

his hands might not drop from their stretched out

position,

1 Exodus vii, 19 ; viii. 3 Exodus xvii, 11, 12 ff.

I8I

And now I will explain this to you. The war of

Amalek against Israel is the war of believers against the

demons, and before Christ was crucified the demons

conquered the believers. But when He stretched out

His hand on the wood of the Cross because of the sin of

Adam and his children, and when He stretched out His

hand and His palm was pierced [with the nails], those

who were sealed with the Sign of the Cross of Christ

conquered them (t.e. the demons). The stretching out

of the hand of Moses indicateth the Cross of Christ ; and

that Aaron and Hôr builded up stones indicateth the

wood of the Cross and the nails. And Aaron indicateth

the thief on the right, and Hór the thief on the left ;

and Amalek indicateth the demons, and the king of

Amalek indicateth Satan. And as concerning that they

(the Amalekites) were conquered, this indicateth that

we have conquered the demons and Satan by the Resur-

rection of Christ and by His Cross.

And again when Israel went out of Egypt they came

to bitter water, and they lacked drink because the water

was bitter; and first of all they murmured because of

the bitterness of the water. And God said unto

Moses, “ Lift up thy rod, and cast it into the water,!

and sign it with the Sign of the Cross right and left."

Now mark what followeth. Had God said unto him,

* Let it become sweet," then would the water not

have become sweet ? But He made manifest that by

the Sign of the Cross everything becometh good, and

bitter water becometh sweet, and that by the might of

the Cross of Jesus Christ every polluted thing becometh

good and pleasant.

And here I will declare unto thee yet other matters

from the rest of the Prophets concerning His Cruci-

fixion. David saith, “ They have pierced for me my

hands and my feet ??; now this referreth clearly to

the nails of His hands and His feet. And again he saith,

1 Compare Exodus xv, 25. 3 Psalm xxii, 16.

Concerning the Two Servants

“ They made me drink vinegar for my thirst,” ! and this

showeth clearly that He drank vinegar because of the

sin of Adam. The Breath of Life that had breathed

upon Adam drank vinegar, and the Hand that had

founded the earth was pierced with a nail. He Who

for the sake of Adam abased Himself was born, and took

the form of a servant.

99. CoNCERNING THE T'wo SERVANTS

Now [it is said] that a certain king had two slaves : the

one was arrogant and strong, and the other was humble

and weak. And the arrogant slave overcame the hum-

ble one, and smote him and all but slew him, and robbed

him, and the king upon his throne saw them. And the

king descending seized the arrogant slave, and beat

him, and crushed him, and bound him in fetters, and

cast him into a place of darkness. And he raised up his

humble and weak slave, and embraced him, and brushed

away the dust from him, and washed him, and poured

oil and wine into his wounds, and set him upon his ass,

and brought him into his city and set him up on his

throne, and seated him on his right hand. Now the

king is in truth Christ, and the arrogant servant whom

I have mentioned is Satan, and the humble servant is

Adam. And when Christ saw how the arrogant servant

overcame the humble one, and cast him down in the

dust, He came down from His throne and raised up

Adam, His servant, and bound Satan in fetters in the

terror of Sheól. And He seated the body of Adam upon

the throne of His Godhead, and magnified him, and

exalted him, and honoured him ; and he was praised

by all the beings whom He had created, the angels and

the archangels, thousands of thousands, and tens of

thousands of thousands of spiritual beings. For He

brought low the arrogant and raised up the humble, and

reduced the arrogant to shame and exalted to honour

1 Psalm lxix, 21.

the humble, and rejected the arrogant and loved the

humble, and scorned the haughty and had pity on the

lowly. He cast down the arrogant from his high place,

away the mighty one from his honour, and raised up the

disgrace. Whom He wisheth to honour He honoureth,

and whom He wisheth to disgrace He disgraceth.

100. CoNCERNING THE ANGELS WHO REBELLED

And there were certain angels with whom God was

wroth—now He, the Knower of the heart knew them—

and they reviled Adam, saying, ** Since God hath shown

love to him He hath set us to minister unto him, and

the beasts and creeping things, and the fish of the sea,

and the birds of the air, and all fruits, and the trees of

the field, and the heavens and the earth also ; and He

hath appointed the heavens to give him rain, and the

earth to give him fruits. And the sun and the moon

also hath He given him, the sun to give him light by

day and the moon to give him light in the night season.

He hath fashioned him with His fingers, and He hath

created him in His own image, and He hath kissed him

and breathed upon him the spirit of life; and He saith

unto him, * My son, My firstborn, My beloved. And

He hath set him in a garden to eat and enjoy himself

without sickness or suffering, and without toil or labour,

but He hath commanded him not to eat from one tree.

And being given all these things by God, Adam hath

transgressed and eaten of that tree, and he hath become

hated and rejected, and God hath driven him out of the

Garden, and from that time Adam hath abandoned his

hope, for he hath transgressed the commandment of

his Creator."

And God answered the angels who reviled Adam in

this wise, and He said unto them, ** Why do ye revile

Adam in this wise? For he is flesh, and blood, and

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PLATE XXV

me

From Brit. Mus. MS. Orient. No. 510, fol. 68a

The soldiers tying Christ's hands and spitting in His face

Digitized by Google

Concerning the Angels who rebelled

ashes and dust." And the angels answered and said

unto Him, “‘ May we declare before Thee the sin of

Adam?” And God said unto them, “ Declare ye [his

sin] and I will hearken unto you, and I Myself will

answer you in respect of Adam My servant.” For God

had worked on behalf of Adam. And God said, * I

created him out of the dust, and I will not cast away

that which I have fashioned. I brought him forth out

of non-existence, and I will not make My handiwork a

laughingstock for his enemies." And those angels said,

* Praise be unto Thee, O Lord. For Thou, the