The Disputed Life of the Saintly Ethiopian Kings ʾAbrǝhā and ʾAṣbǝḥa

Abstract

The discovery of an Amharic document written by a church scholar from the monastery of Dimā Giyorgis in Eastern Goǧǧām (Ethiopia) throws fresh light on the circumstances and disputes behind the composition of the Life of the Ethiopian twin brother kings ʾAbrǝhā and ʾAṣbǝḥa, as well as on the Dǝrsāna ʿUrāʾel (‘Homily of Uriel’). The legendary characters of the Life and the events it narrates, along with its manuscript tradition, are analysed in detail. The Amharic ‘Dimā Document’ together with a royal letter concerning the Dǝrsāna ʿUrāʾel is edited with an annotated English translation.