Resumen
Resumen de The Kebra Nagast
Para quién es
For readers who love Bible-linked legends, Ethiopian Christianity and history, and stories of how a nation tells its own origin.
De qué trata este libro
The Kebra Nagast, which means The Glory of Kings, is the national epic of Ethiopia. It was written in Ge'ez, the old sacred language of the Ethiopian church, and scholars place its present form in the early fourteenth century. No author is named for certain. Tradition ties its compilation to a scribe called Yeshaq at Aksum, and the text itself says it was translated from older books in Arabic and Coptic. It was set down at a time when a new royal house was taking power and needed a story of its origins.
The book tells how the Queen of Sheba, called Makeda, travels to meet King Solomon in Jerusalem, how their son Menelik is born, and how the Ark of the Covenant comes to rest in Ethiopia. Along the way it gathers prophecy, Bible stories and Christian teaching. You will hear how it is built, what each section says, who valued it and why it stands outside the Bible. First, the question of where the book came from and what it was made to do.
En este resumen
- 1A royal origin story for a new dynastyFree
- 2The book opens with a council and a dispute
- 3Makeda hears of Solomon and goes to Jerusalem
- 4Solomon's banquet, the oath and the birth of Menelik
- 5The Ark leaves Jerusalem for Ethiopia
- 6Prophecy, Christ and the claim of a chosen nation
Idea clave 1 de 6
A royal origin story for a new dynasty
The Kebra Nagast reached its known form in the early 1300s. In 1270 a new line of rulers had taken the throne of Ethiopia, led by Yekuno Amlak. They replaced the Zagwe dynasty, whose capital was at Lalibela. The new kings said they were the true heirs of an older line that went back through the kingdom of Aksum to Solomon of Jerusalem.
The Kebra Nagast gave that claim a full story. It says that the kings of Ethiopia descend from Menelik, the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Because Solomon was of the house of David, the Ethiopian kings were therefore of David's line too. Scholars note that this idea of a Solomonic line was used by later rulers, including in the 1900s, when it was written into Ethiopian law.
The text says of itself that it was translated from Arabic, which came from Coptic, which came from Greek. Scholars treat that claim with care. Most think the book was shaped in Ge'ez from many sources, including Bible books, Jewish and Christian legends, and local tradition. The old Ethiopian church history around Aksum lies behind it.
The Kebra Nagast is not a book of the Ethiopian Bible. It is a national chronicle and a work of teaching, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has treasured it without placing it among its canonical books. Knowing this helps you read it as a story of identity and belief, not as a legal or doctrinal text.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
- Nothing to pay today · Renews every year
- We email you before you pay
- Cancel online in two clicks
Who’s who
- Makeda
- Makeda is the Queen of Sheba, who hears of Solomon’s wisdom from her merchant Tamrin.
- Solomon
- Solomon is the king in Jerusalem whom Makeda visits after hearing reports of his wisdom.
- Menelik
- Menelik is the son of Makeda and Solomon, linking his mother’s kingdom with his father’s royal house.
- Tamrin
- Tamrin is a merchant whose accounts of Solomon’s wealth and wisdom inspire Makeda to visit Jerusalem.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 14 other languages
Questions about The Kebra Nagast
What is the Kebra Nagast about?
It tells how the Queen of Sheba visits King Solomon, bears his son Menelik, and how the Ark of the Covenant comes to Ethiopia. It also gathers prophecy and teaching to argue that Ethiopia is the Second Zion.
What does Kebra Nagast mean?
It is Ge'ez for The Glory of Kings. The title points to the idea that the glory of kingship comes from God and that Ethiopian rulers inherit it through the line of Solomon and David.
When was the Kebra Nagast written?
Scholars generally date its present form to the early 1300s, in Ge'ez, though it draws on older material. It is a medieval compilation and not a record by eyewitnesses of Solomon's day.
Is the Kebra Nagast in the Bible?
No. It is not among the canonical books of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It is treasured as a national and religious chronicle, but it is a separate work from the Bible.
Is the Kebra Nagast a true story?
Believers in Ethiopia hold the Ark's presence as a matter of faith. Historians find no outside evidence for the events and read the book as a legend that gave a dynasty and a nation its origin.