The Kebra Nagaśt in the Light of Recent Research

Shahîd, Irfan

doi:10.4324/9781315250854-15

Cited by 4 publications

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“…The focus on Kaleb enhances the perception regarding ancient Ethiopian church-state relations. The reality of a monarchical-ecclesiastical establishment defines in essence the Christian narrative of Ethiopia; Ezana stands out as the first Christian monarch, whilst Kaleb stands out for his external geopolitical Christian policy (Kaplan 1982;Shahid 1976). However, whilst the preceding deductions have received aggregate attention and focus, it seems the dynamic of ecclesiastical-imperial politics has been perceived as to have been a significant feature later during medieval Ethiopia (Binns 2017:40-44;Tamrat 1972).…”

Section: Positioning a Constantinian Kaleb Within The Kebra Naghast: mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thereby, the Kebra Naghast was an attempt by the clerical establishment of Ethiopia to compose a narrative of Christian orthodoxy and political dominance. However, there is a hint for a later 7th century CE dating that is proposed by Bowersock, Shahid; the respective view derives from the prominence of Kaleb and the Himyarite war (Bowersock 2010;Shahid 1971Shahid , 1976. Emphatically, Kaleb and the Himyarite war are attestable through epigraphic and http://www.hts.org.za Open Access archaeological data.…”

Section: Positioning a Constantinian Kaleb Within The Kebra Naghast: mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Religious statecraft: Constantinianism in the figure of Nagashi Kaleb

Rukuni

2020

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

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The Himyarite invasion of 525 CE by Kaleb of Aksum was a definitive war in the narrative of global religion and politics. The accounts surrounding the war corroborate the notion of an impressed Constantinian modus of establishing religious statecraft. Whereas there has been much anthropological and archaeological work on the South Arabian–Aksumite relations from the 4th to the 6th centuries, revisionism in perspective of literary sources and respective evidence retains significance given the dynamism of Ethiopianism as a concept. Implicative document analysis, cultural historiography and archaeology of religion are relevant methods used in this study. There are parallels between Kaleb’s new Zion agenda and Constantine’s nova Roma persona, both resembling an emergent Christian-religious state. It is from this religious (Christian) state that a geopolitical policy that defined the trajectory of their respective nations emerged. The replete epigraphy and literary evidence on Ethiopia and its Byzantine connection aggregately affirms the explicit existence of a Christianised foreign policy.Contribution: The research revises the narrative of Ethiopian Christianity with a lens of political-religious dynamics thereby contributing to the field of theology and history.

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Section: Positioning a Constantinian Kaleb Within The Kebra Naghast: mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Positioning a Constantinian Kaleb Within The Kebra Naghast: mentioning

confidence: 99%

Religious statecraft: Constantinianism in the figure of Nagashi Kaleb

Rukuni

2020

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

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“…The Syriac Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius, written in the late 7 th century 42 , includes some interesting narratives, which could be compared to some information given by Muslim apocalypses. Some scholars have shown the influence of this apocalypse on the writing of the Kebra Nagast, or The Glory of the Kings, an apocryphal Abyssinian text, reassembling a great compilation of legends and traditions, to glorify Caleb 43 . On the other hand, the writing of the apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius is deeply connected to the coming of Islam and its expansion in the Near East 44 .…”

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Al-Ḥabasha in Miṣr and the End of the World: Early Islamic Egyptian Apocalypse Narratives Related to Abyssinia

Bouderbala¹

2019

Northeast African Studies

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Islamic narratives sources report little information on the relationship between Egypt and Abyssinia-called al-Ḥabasha in Arabic sources-in early Islam 2. According to the oldest Egyptian one, Futūḥ Miṣr wa akhbāruhā, written by Ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam (d. 257/871), the Umayyad governor of Egypt, Maslama b. Mukhallad al-Anṣārī (47/668-62/682) sent an embassy to the master of Abyssinia (ṣāḥib al-Ḥabasha) 3 , while al-Kindī (d. 350/961), in his History of Governors of Egypt, relates an Egyptian expedition in Abyssinia in 150/767 against a Muslim Kharijite group 4. The topographical literature of Egypt, called al-Ḫiṭaṭ 5 , adds more information: al-Maqrīzī (d. 845/1442), according to al-Quḍā'ī (d. 454/1063), mentions Abyssinian elements in the army of ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ who conquered Egypt in 20/641 6. The presence of Abyssinians in the beginning of Islamic rule in Egypt seems confirmed by the toponymy of the new city of al-Fusṭāṭ: in the Southeast, a pond was called Birkat al-Ḥabash, the Pond of the Abyssinians, by the newcomers, which is a serious indication of Abyssinian groups living in the new capital of Egypt 7. 1 This paper is part of a project that has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 726206). 2 Ullendorff, "Ḥabash, Ḥabasha", 3. See also Cuoq, L'Islam en Ethiopie, des origines au XVIe siècle, 6. The term Ḥabash, used by Muslim historians and geographers, designates especially the population of Abyssinia. They often add the term land to speak about the country, arḍ al-Ḥabasha. One can note the elasticity of the term Ethiopia, used by historians to define the lands from South Egypt to the African Horn, including Nubia. On these questions,

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“…Polotsky (1961, 10), to the Pre-Christian "Jewish leaven in Ethiopian culture", many other elements would appear to be later, even much later. While some have dated the Solomonic legend Kǝbrä Nägäśt as early as the sixth century CE (Shahid 1976 Aescoly (1951), Leslau (1951), Ullendorff (1961), and Wurmbrand (1961Wurmbrand ( , 1962Wurmbrand ( , 1963aWurmbrand ( , 1963bWurmbrand ( , 1964, produced editions and translations of their key works. Although these publications were based on an extremely limited corpus of manuscripts, they played a major role in shaping the image of the Meinardus 1966, cf.…”

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confidence: 99%

Groundwork, Fieldwork and Transnational Research - Christians and Jews in Ethiopia

Kaplan¹

2018

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The Kebra Nagaśt in the Light of Recent Research

Cited by 4 publications

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Religious statecraft: Constantinianism in the figure of Nagashi Kaleb

Religious statecraft: Constantinianism in the figure of Nagashi Kaleb

Al-Ḥabasha in Miṣr and the End of the World: Early Islamic Egyptian Apocalypse Narratives Related to Abyssinia

Groundwork, Fieldwork and Transnational Research - Christians and Jews in Ethiopia

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