THE ‘BOOK OF THE GLORY OF KINGS’

KEBRA NAGAST

Translated from the Ethiopic

by SIR E. A. WALLIS BUDGE M.A., LITT.D., D.LITT., LIT.D. F.S.A.

MCMXXXII

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON : HUMPHREY MILFORD

11. 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.”

12. 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 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) command, 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
ḲN (CAINAN) reigned, and after the death of ḲN S
(SALAH) reigned, and after him EBER reigned, and after him P (PELEG) reigned,
and after him R (REU) reigned, and after him S (SERUG) reigned, and
after him NH (NAHOR) reigned, and after him T(TERAH) reigned. And these
are they who made magical 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 sacrifice the
son whom thou lovest.” And they slaughtered their sons and their daughters to
the devils, and they poured out innocent blood to filthy devils.

13. Concerning ABRAHAM

And T(TERAH) begot a son and called him “ABRAHAM” (or, ABR). 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 deliverance”; 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 the idols from ABRAHAM because he himself
had defamed the images of his father. And as he was returning 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 answered 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
invisible; 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 ABR, and He said unto him, “Fear thou not. From
this day thou art My servant, 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 salvation 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 rejected. 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 ABR 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
S(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 S, 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 (3)18 stalwart servants, who were trained in war,
and 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 esteemed.

15. Concerning ISAAC and JACOB

And ISAAC his son became king, and he did not transgress the commandment
of God; and he was pure in 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 numerous, and his children were many; and God
blessed him and he died in honour.

16. Concerning R (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
because of this And his seed was blessed, and
his kingdom flourished, and his sons were blessed. And after him F (PHAREZ)
his son reigned. And he died and IS (HEZRON) his son reigned. And after
him his son ORNI (OREN ?) reigned, and after him AR (ARAM
 5 ) his son reigned, and after him AM his son reigned,
and after him N (NAASSON) his son reigned, and after him S(SALMON ?)
his son reigned, and after him BOS (BOAZ) his son reigned, and after him IY
(OBED) his son reigned, and after him ĔS (JESSE) his son reigned. And this
is what I say (concerning) the kingdom: The blessing of the father (was) on
the son, so that it (i.e., 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 become
the habitation of His glory upon the earth. And willing this He brought it down
to the earth, and permitted MOSES to make a likeness of it. And He said unto
him, “Make an ark (or, tabernacle) of wood that cannot be eaten by worms, and
overlay it with pure gold. And thou shalt place therein the Word of the Law,
which is the Covenant that I have written with Mine own fingers, 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 stupefieth it with wonder;
it was made by the mind of God and not by the hand of the artificer, man, but
He Himself created it for the habitation of His glory. And it is a spiritual
thing and is full of compassion; it is a heavenly 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 measure 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 had broken
it in two places, and it became three rods being (originally only) one rod.

And MOSES covered (the Ark) with pure gold, and he 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) inheritance, 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 furnishing 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, embroidered curtains
and hangings, crowns and worked vestments, purple cloths and leather work, carpets
and draperies, unguents for anointing priests and kings, hyacinthine and purple
hangings, rugs of double thickness and hangings of silk (?), skins of kids and
red hides of rams, and sardius stones, and rubies, and sapphires, and emeralds
(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 GodZION shall rest upon
themAnd thou shalt make for it a tabernacle of wood that the worms 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 with
pure gold, both the outside thereof and the inside 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 with pure gold, and in this ye shall carry the Tabernacle of the Law.

In this wise did God command MOSES on Mount SINAI, and He showed him the
work thereof, and the construction and the pattern of the Tent, according to
which he was to make it. And it (i.e., 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 commanded them to keep His Law and His commandments,
and to walk in the precepts of God.

18. How the Orthodox Fathers and Bishops Agreed

And again the Council of the Three Hundred and Eighteen answered and said,
“Amen. This is the salvation of the children of ADAM. For since the Tabernacle
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 I will bless her priests, and I will make her poor
to be glad. And unto DAVID 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.'”

19. How this Book came to be found

And DĔMĔY (the Patriarch TIMOTHEUS (?) who sat from 511 to 517), the
Archbishop of R (i.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 R and the Emperor of ETHIOPIA.”

20. Concerning the Division of the Earth

From the middle of JERUSALEM, and from the north thereof to the south-east
is the portion of the Emperor of R; 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 R is the son of SOLOMON, and the Emperor of ETHIOPIA is the firstborn and
eldest son of SOLOMON.