^v^Nv:-x .,«-. ■< BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME ' ifROM THE SAGE ENDOWI^ENT FUND THE GIFT OF ft. .,-z,S'^o\v is:\x.n..![..i.V. 1357 Cornell University Library PJ 9098.B92 Lives of Maba' Seyon and Gabra Krestos. 3 1924 026 887 855 .„n,.,.a a V, Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924026887855 THE LIVES OF A MABA' SEYON AND GABRA KRESTOS. Three hundred copies only, printed for private circulation, of which this is No.ai..j4p.--.- LADY MEUX MANUSCRIPT NO. 1 . THE LIVES OF MABA' SEYON and GABRA KRESTOS. THE ETHIOPIC TEXTS EDITED WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION AND A CHAPTER ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MSS. BY E. A. WALLIS BUDGE, M.A., LiTT.D., D. LIT., F.S.A. SOMETIME SCHOLAR OF OHEIST's COLLEGE, CAMBBIDGE, AND TYEWHITT HEBEEW SCHOLAR, KEEPER OF THE EGYPTIAN AND ASSYRIAN ANTIQUITIES IN THE BRITISH MUSETTM. WITH NINETY-TWO COLOURED PLATES AND THIRTY-THREE ILLUSTRATIONS. W. GRIGGS, CHROMO-LITHOGRAPHER TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. London : 1898. [All rights reserved^. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. I. 2. 3- 4- 5- 6. 7 9- lO. 1 1. 12. 13- 14. 15- 16. 17- 18. 19. 20. 2 1. 22. 23- 24. 25- 26. 27. 28. 29. 30- 31- 32. 33- Portrait of Saint Mark ... ... XVth century Ornamental border of early MS. ... XVth The Nativity XVIIth The Massacre of the Innocents ... XVIIth The Temptation of Christ ... ...XVIIth Christ riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday XVIIth & 8. The Last Judgment XVIIth The Crucifixion ... ... ... XVIIth Border and ornaments ... ... XVIIth The Baptism of Christ XVIIth God Almighty, the Ancient of Days. XVIIth The torturing of St. George ... XVIIIth Outline illustrations ... ... . . XVIIIth Takla Haymin6t scaring away fiends. XVIIIth Scenes in the life of Takla . XVIIIth Hayman6t XVIIIth St. George slaying the dragon ... XVIIIth The Virgin and Child XVIIIth The Virgin and the painter ... XVIIIth The Virgin and the sick man ... XVIIIth Zacharias and the Virgin ... ...XVIIIth The Shipwreck XVIIIth The Virgin and the sinking monastery. XVIIIth The Virgin and the wounded man ... XVIIIth The Virgin and the scribe's soul ... XVIIIth The Virgin and the prisoner ... XVIIIth The Virgin and the nun ... ... XVIIIth The Virgin and the cannibal ... XVIIIth The Virgin and the dog ... ... XVIIIth The Annunciation ... ... ... XVIIIth St. Simeon receiving our Lord ... XVIIIth The Funeral of King John ... ... XlXth Orient. 507, fol. 461^ ,, 480, fol. I 20fl: 510, fol. 8b ,, 510, fol. lob ,, 510, fol. 12b 510, fol. 52fl ,, 5io,foll.625,63(2 510, fol. 72fl ,, 481, fol. 21a ,, 481, fol. lOI^ ,, 481, fol. I lOfl 713, fol. 48a ,, 647, fol. 1401^ ,, 728, fol. 561a: ,, 728, fol. j/\.gb ,, 728, fol. i8ia ,, 646, fol. lb ',, 646, fol. 2a 646, fol. lyb „ 646, fol. iga ,, 646, fol. 2 213 ,, 646, fol. 2^b ,, 646, fol. 27a 646, fol. 2gb „ 646, fol. T,6a ,, 646, fol. ^Sa 646, fol. 5i<^ „ 646, fol. 631^ ,, 646, fol. 71 ,, 646, fol. 8412 ,, 620, fol. la from a painted wooden panel) PREFACE. In the possession of Lady Meux of Theobald's Park, Herts, are two valuable Ethiopia vellum manuscripts. The larger and older manuscript consists of about 140 folios, which are inscribed with a selection of the Miracles of the Blessed Virgin Mary, illustrated by numerous coloured pictures ; this MS. is a work of the XVth century. On one of the early pages we find, written in Ethiopic, the words, " Belonging to the Holy Redeemer of the World," which shew that the volume came from Makdala (Magdala), and that it once belonged to Theodore, the late king of Abyssinia. It is well known that for several years before his death he had collected, both by persuasion and force, a large number of manu- scripts from the various churches, monasteries, and private houses scattered throughout his country, with the intention of endowing the church which he was about to build at Makdala in honour of the Holy Redeemer of the World, with a fine library of sacred and pro- fane literature. The manuscript is a small folio, and the large size of the very handsome writing of its pages shews that it was intended to be read from in a church ; the archaeological value of the pictures is great by reason of their antiquity. More will be said of this volume elsewhere. VI PREFACE. The smaller manuscript contains the life of Takla Maryam (also named Maba Sey6n), and the life of 'Abdu'l-Masih (surnamed Gabra Krestos). Takla Maryam was a Christian ascetic who lived in the province of Shoa, in Ethiopia, and Gabra Krest6s is said to have been a son of Theodosius, the Emperor of Constantinople. In the life of the former saint we have, I believe, a new Ethiopic text ; at all events, I can find no other copy of it. It seems to be a translation made in the XVIth century, or early in the XVIIth, from Coptic or Arabic, most probably from the latter language ; it is interesting from many points of view, and shows how the Ethiopian ascetic applied Christian dogmas and beliefs to the events of his daily life. Both compositions are profusely illustrated with coloured pictures which are remarkable for their fine state of preservation, and for the variety of the subjects which they help to explain ; they were, I believe, painted early in the XVIIth century. We owe this handsome volume to the munificence of Takla Hayamanot, who had the works in it copied by the scribe Mekh Giydrgis, and illustrated by "the sinner Ignatius," all of whom beg for God's mercy in the colophon. Apart from the importance of the texts which they contain, both manuscripts are very valuable on account of the coloured pictures with which they are illustrated. It has been the fashion to consider the pictures in Ethiopic MSS. as monstrosities, and hardly any attention has been paid to them ; indeed, the present work is the first in which an attempt has been made to reproduce a complete series of them. Many of the pictures which are to be seen in PREFACE. VII modern MSS., and in the churches in Abyssinia, are well known to be nothing but copies made from cheap lithographs and coloured prints which have been taken into the country during the last fifty or a hundred years. In ancient MSS., however, we find for every-day manners and objects the Ethiopian artists copied the familiar things which he saw round about him, and that the birds, the beasts, the reptiles, the dress of the people of his country, &c., represent objects which he knew at first hand. But in illustrating scenes in ancient history he had recourse to the manuscripts written by European scribes and illustrated by European artists, whose works made their way into his country from Spain and Italy by way of North Africa, Egypt, and Nubia. I have examined all the illustrated Ethiopic MSS. in the British Museum,* and I am con- vinced that anyone who would give the necessary time and trouble to the work could find the prototypes of every object in every picture painted to illustrate some scene in ancient history in the pictures, mosaics, and illuminated and illustrated manuscripts of early Spanish, Italian and Byzantine artists. When the above facts were submitted to Lady Meux she forthwith decided to publish both manuscripts, with facsimiles of the coloured illustrations, English translations, etc., and the present volume is the first instalment of the work ; the second will appear as soon as possible. * Their numbers are:— 481, 488, 492, 503, 507, 508, 509, 510, 515, 516, 520, 533, 536, 537. S38. 574. 584, 590, 594, 595, 602, 605, 609, 611, 614, 615, 616, 620, 622, 626, 629, 631, 633, 634, 635, 637, 639, 640, 642, 644, 645, 646, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 654, 655, 657, 679, 680, 681, 695, 701, 714. 715, 718, 721, 722, 723, 728, 750, 790, 791, 80s ; and Add. 24,184, 24,186, 24,188. VIII PREFACE. The plan of the volume is as follows: — The Ethiopia texts, printed in the beautiful type of Herr Drugulin of Leipzic, as being of little interest to the general reader, are placed at the end of the book. To the text of the Life of Gabra Krestds I have added all the variants from Brit. Mus. MS. No. 16,198. The translation has been made as literal as possible, but I am not sure that I have always made out what the writer intended to say, for the text is, in places, very obscure ; it seems as if the Ethiopian translator was, himself, not always certain of the meaning of the words before him. Interleaved with the translation are the coloured plates, so that the reader may follow the narrative both by word and by picture. The binding of the volume is a careful copy of that of the original manuscript. In the introductory chapter will be found a series of illustrations of Ethiopian art taken from Ethiopic MSS., in the British Museum, of the XVth, XVIIth, and XVIIIth centuries, together with brief descriptions of the same. I have to acknowledge, with thanks, the information concerning Greek, Latin, Spanish, and other illuminated MSS., and mosaics which I have received from Sir E. Maunde Thompson, K.C.B., Director and Principal Librarian of the British Museum ; and from Mr. G. F. Warner, M.A., Assistant-Keeper in the Department of Manuscripts, British Museum; and from Mr. A. S. Murray, LL.D., Keeper of the Greek and Roman Antiquities in the British Museum. My thanks are also due to Colonel F. R. Wingate, C.B., D.S.O., R.A., for permission to reproduce by photography the wooden panel in his possession, on which is painted the scene of the funeral of PREFACE. IX King John of Abyssinia; and to Mr. Griggs for the care and pains which he has devoted to the production of this volume. To Lady Meux I offer my sincere gratitude for the opportunity she has given me of helping her to publish the valuable manuscripts which she has acquired, and of placing new material in the hands of students of Ge ez literature and of the history of Christian asceticism in Ethiopia and Abyssinia. E. A. Wallis Budge. London: August 30, i8g8. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. The art of Ethiopia, like the greater part of its literature, is Christian, and is borrowed from various Christian sources, chiefly European. There is no evidence that the Ethiopians during any period of their history produced either statues or pictures as other nations have done, and it is tolerably certain that they would never have illustrated their manuscripts of religious works with coloured pictures if they had not believed them to be in some way necessary for their advance in the spiritual life in this world, and for their benefit in the world to come. According to a tradition among the Ethiopians, Christianity was introduced into their country by "a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of "great authority under Candace,^ queen of the Ethiopians, who had "the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to "worship."^ This man, it will be remembered, was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet, when Philip the deacon met him, and when the passage (Isaiah liii. 7, 8) had been explained to him by Philip as referring to Christ, he received baptism at his hands, and "went on his way rejoicing." The tradition also ' Candace was a title borne by many Ethiopian queens, just as Pharaoh was a title of most of the kings of Egypt. ^ See The Acts of the Apostles, viii. 27 XII ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. goes on to affirm that when the eunuch returned to Ethiopia he converted his mistress and her whole empire to the Christian faith. If this was true, it would be necessary to assume that Christianity was introduced into Ethiopia during the lifetime of the immediate successors of the Twelve Apostles ;^ that is, however, incredible. "The man of Ethiopia" must, in any case, have been able to read either Hebrew, Greek, or Syriac, for the book of Isaiah was not in existence in the Ethiopic language.^ We may mention, in passing, the tradition that the Jewish faith and ceremonies were introduced into Ethiopia by Menyelek, the son of Solomon (the son of David, King of Israel) and of the Queen of Sheba, but as there is no evidence that those who wrote and painted Ethiopic MSS. borrowed anything from Hebrew MSS. or from other Jewish sources, it does not concern us. Christianity may have existed in Ethiopia during the first three centuries of our era, but no trace of it, up to the present, has been found. In the Ecclesiastical History of Rufinus (i. 9) is a story, which has been repeated by several writers worthy of belief,^ and which states that the introduction of Christianity into Ethiopia was due to two noble youths called Frumentius and Aedesius.* These young ^ St. Andrew, St. Matthew, and St. Thomas have all been credited with the conversion of Ethiopia. ^ The presumption is that the " man of Ethiopia " was a Jew, and that Hebrew was his native tongue. 3 Socrates, Hist. Eccles., i. 15 ; Theodoret, Hist. Eccles., i. 22 ; Sozomen, Hist. Eccles. ii. 23 ; and see Ludolf, Hist. Aethiopica, lib. iii. cap. 2, § 12 ff. ^ See Rene Basset, Etudes sur IHistoire d' Ethiopie, p. 220, note 30. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XIII men, who were probably natives of Syria, were taken by their relative Meropius, a merchant of Tyre, on a voyage. Falling short of provisions, the captain of the vessel put into a port on the African coast ; whilst here the natives of the country savagely attacked and slew the whole of the ship's crew and the merchant Meropius, but they spared the lives of his two young relatives. When Frumentius and Aedesius were brought into the presence of the king of the country, he treated them with great kindness and gave each of them a position in his household ; the former he made his secretary, and the latter his cupbearer. On the death of the king they were set at liberty, but the queen besought them to stay with her to help her to rule the country and to educate her son. Having consented to this, they wrote to all the Christian foreigners in Ethiopia, exhorting them to worship God, and thus the knowledge of the faith of Christ was spread abroad throughout the land. When the prince was old enough to undertake to rule the country, Frumentius and Aedesius left Ethiopia, intending to return to their own land and to their relatives. This Aedesius actually did, but Frumentius went to Alexandria in order to report to Saint Athanasius the progress which Christianity had made in Ethiopia. Athanasius, with the approval of his councillors, straightway decided to annex the infant Church, and having consecrated Frumentius a bishop, he sent him back to Ethiopia ; thus it came to pass that for centuries the Abvina, or head of the Ethiopian church, was always appointed by the patriarch of the Coptic Church. The story adds that when Frumentius returned to Ethiopia he was successful in converting XIV ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. the king and the people of the country to the Christian faith. Though some of the details of this narrative may be doubtful, there is no reason whatever for refusing to accept the general fact that about the middle of the IVth century Christianity had taken root in Ethiopia, and that the Ethiopian Church was in touch with the Coptic Church.^ It is important to remember this fact, because it helps to explain the rapid growth of monasticism and of the ascetic life in Ethiopia, and the existence of translations of Greek, Syriac, and Coptic works in Ethiopia, as well as the growth of Monophysite doctrines in Ethiopia in the Vth and Vlth centuries. It does not, however, help us to arrive at the beginnings of Ethiopic art ; for the Copts had very few, if any, illustrated MSS. at this early period, and all the evidence derived from their pictures tends to shew that they borrowed the elements of their art from early Byzantine sources at a much later period. Towards the end of the Vth century of our era a large number of monks^ made their way into Ethiopia, and Christianity spread from ' In the Ethiopic Chronicle edited by Rene Basset [Etudes sur V Histoire d'Ethiopie, p. 97) the conversion of the Ethiopians by Abba-Salama is said to have taken place A-D- 333 ; but Guidi i^Le Traduzioni de^li Evangelii in Arabo e in Etiopico, p. 33) gives the date at about 350. 2 The names of nine of the most famous of these monks are given by Ludolf, op. cit., iii. 5, § 4 ; by Rene Basset, op. cit., p. 97 ; and by Guidi, op. cit, p. 34. Each of the nine built a church in the province in which he preached Thus Abba Alef was specially revered in the Monastery of Behza, Za-Mikael Aragawi founded the Monastery of Damo, Abba Sehma resided at Sedenya, Abba .\fse built the Monastery of Yaha to the N.E. of Adowa, Abba Garima founded the Monastery of Madara, Abba Pantaleon resided at Aksum, .Abba Guba resided near Madara, Abba Likanos dwelt in the Monastery of Quanasel, and Abba Yem'ata founded the Monastery of Gar'alta. Guidi has shewn that the names of the nine have a remarkable likeness to those of famous Syrian monasteries and church provinces. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XV one end of the kingdom to the other. According to the writer Al-Maktn (died a.d. 1273-74) the monks came from Ar-Rum, that is to say, from the country of the Byzantine Greeks, whose capital was Constantinople ; Geddes, the author of the Church History of Ethiopia (London, 1696) thought that Ar-Rtlm was Rome, but as Constantinople was Nova Roma or 'Pw/zij via, the monks were Byzantine Greeks and not Romans. It is tolerably certain that these monks travelled into Ethiopia through Egypt and Nubia, and that in their train there were large numbers of native Egyptian Christian ascetics, who carried with them histories of the martyrs and saints, and MSS. of the Old and New Testaments,^ and doctrinal books, and works of a religious character. To accom- modate these settlers, monasteries and churches were built through- out Ethiopia, and the multiplying of copies of the Ethiopic translations of the foreign works which were being brought into the country went on diligently. It is idle to speculate if such copies were illustrated with coloured pictures, but the strong probability is that they were not ; it is, however, right to assume that the copies of works translated into Ethiopic resembled in form the original documents. Of the Ethiopic manuscripts written at this period none has come down to us. Of detailed history of the Christian Church in Ethiopia for the 1 Guidi thinks the Bible was translated into Ethiopic at the end of the Vth or at the beginning of the Vlth century of our era ; the various opinions on the subject are collected by Hackspill in Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie, Bd.-Xl. p. 122 ff. See also Conti Rossini, Sulla versione e sulla revisione delle sacre scritture in Etiopico, in Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie, Bd. X. p. 236 f. XVI ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. next nine hundred years, i.e., from about 500 to 1400, but little can be given. After the Muhammadans had become masters of Egypt, the power of the Christians gradually waned ; and as the religion of Muhammad made its way south, following the course of the Nile, through Nubia, and so on into the Sudan, it became little by little the dominant religious power in that portion of Africa. The bishops of Ethiopia, who were always appointed by the Patriarch of Alexandria, had comparatively little communication with their religious superior in Egypt,^ although they and their congregations clung tenaciously to the faith and doctrines of the Jacobite Church, observing its rules and ceremonies with almost fanatical zeal ; and they failed to develop or to govern their Church on progressive lines. An occasional mission from an Ethiopian king to Alexandria or Jerusalem, and the visit of some foreign envoy to Ethiopia, were the chief links which bound Ethiopia to the rest of the world. Not- withstanding its isolation, the Ethiopian Church, through its inherent conservatism, resisted the growing influence of Islam, and kept its hold on the Christian faith in a remarkable manner ; its people obeyed their spiritual rulers blindly, and at times the affairs of the State were directed almost entirely by the bishops and priests. One good effect of this was the growth of a wide-spread interest in Christian literature, and a renewed activity in the production of Ethiopic versions of foreign religious and profane works. It is ^ See Guidi, Le Traduzioni degli Evangelit in Arabo e in Etiopico, p. 34, where the dates of the various communications between the two Churches in the Xth, Xlth, and Xllth centuries are summarized. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XVII probable that about this time, i.e., in the Xlth century, an attempt was made to make a translation of the Old and New Testaments which should be more accurate than the one then in use. Of the works of the period, however, none has come down to us, but we may per- haps assume that illustrated manuscripts of the Bible had found their way into Ethiopia. As the Ethiopians always considered Jerusalem to be the home and source of their religion, it is probable that such manuscripts would come to them from Syria as well as from Egypt; the influence of the Byzantine painters and architects upon their churches, and buildings, and pictures in manuscripts, will thus be explained. As we shall see later on, certain pictures in Ethiopic MSS. are derived almost entirely from manuscripts written in Spain or Portugal, which, I believe, could only have come into Ethiopia, by means of the Portuguese, early in the XVIth century. It is impossible to say when the Ethiopian scribes began to illustrate their manuscripts with coloured pictures, but, judging by the series which have come down to us, it can hardly have been before the end of the XlVth, or beginning of the XVth century. The manuscripts known to us which have any claim to be considered the work of the XlVth century are extremely few, and those which were copied during the XVth century do not probably exceed twenty in number ; as Wright has said [Catalogite of the Ethiopic MSS., p. vi), "the great bulk of our Ethiopic manuscripts are of the XVIIth, XVIIIth, and XlXth centuries." The Ethiopian artist devoted his artistic skill to the illustration of the narrative of the Old and New Testaments, and he never tired XVIII ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. of painting scenes in the life of our Lord, and in the histories of the martyrs and saints. His palaces are the palaces of Southern Europe ; his churches are the churches of Constantinople, Italy, and Spain ; the dress of the Virgin Mary is the garb of the European nun ; Christ is made to wear crown and robes similar to those of the emperors of the East ; the angels are the angels of the mosaics and frescoes of Italy and Spain; in short, everything which the artist could copy from foreign sources he copied. In the earliest period of Ethiopian art the artist made the figures of our Lord and the Virgin Mary to resemble those of his archetypes as closely as possible, but, little by little, both Son and Mother were depicted as Ethiopians — with all the attributes and personal characteristics of the race. The scenery of the pictures is, however, always Ethiopian, and the animals, birds, reptiles, etc., are faithful copies of the creatures with which he was familiar in his daily life. The pictures which illustrate the lives of saints are, moreover, of considerable interest, because they include objects of the shape and form of which we should, otherwise, be ignorant. The following set of half-tone illustrations, taken from Ethiopic MSS. in the British Museum, will give a general idea of the skill and style of the Ethiopian artist, and enable the reader to compare his work with that of his Byzantine teacher.^ Two of the MSS. from which these are copied belong to the XVth century; two to the XVIIth century, one being dated in a year = A.D. 1664-5; and five to the XVIIIth century. 1 A list of the principal works dealing with the history of Byzantine art, and of those which give illustrations of mosaics, paintings, buildings, enamels, manuscripts, etc., will be found in Krumbacher, Geschichte der Byzantinischen Litteratur, Munich, i8go, p. 30. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XIX h- ■V^-JOj. :3f->,9^..J^ •'1. ■ '■*>- 'cA -••■■' I. "Portrait of St. Mark." This portrait is taken from Orient. 507, fol. 46(5; the MS. measures about 13 in. by 10, and was written in the XVth century. It con- tains the four Gospels, and at the beginning of each Gospel is a portrait of the author. The face of the saint is painted red, the halo about his head is yellow, his under garment is red, and his upper garment is blue. In his right hand he holds the reed or pen (called bere'), and in his left a piece of parchment upon which are written XX ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. the first two words of the first verse of the first chapter of his Gospel. In the framework of the chair hangs his ink-horn, and close by are the pen box and a water jar. This portrait is, beyond doubt, faithfully copied from some foreign Evangeliarium ; with it compare the Burney MS. of the Greek Gospels of the XVth century (British Museum) No. 19, fol. 6-^b. The chair in which the Evan- gelist sits is, manifestly, of a class quite unknown in Ethiopia. It will also be noticed that the artist has made no attempt to fill up the background and put a border round the picture, as was the custom in later days ; the perspective is, as usual in Ethiopic pictures, bad. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XXI X«iV fJA^A- c0 At-/n Ci'.cDHXsro CS^/J -i". H-n A"- 1' ; >», A f '/} : to 45 4. J"*: ?», A A^: fS> A ^- /L s^fL-I^AyA-.ciiA^uCJ^/V i pA/LC-.^^-^^A-.fUA S-.A..J,^ ' €': a> A S-. ^7» A. A--,iCj^ 9. The Crucifixion (Orient. 510, fol. ^20). The scene of the Crucifixion is a favourite one with all Ethiopian artists, and usually one copied from the other as far as his ability would allow him to do so. Above the cross, fastened to a peg, is a label intended to represent the legend in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, which was affixed to it. The two thieves are fastened to their crosses in unusual attitudes. On the right hand of our Lord is the Virgin Mary, and on His left is Saint John. Between the Virgin and the cross stands the soldier Longinus, who pierced our Lord's side as XXXVI ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. He hung upon the cross, and spat in His face, and smote Him on His cheek. Tradition asserts that it was he who had lain for eight and thirty years on a bed of sickness, and that Christ, Who saw him waiting to be put into the water of the pool of Bethesda, told him to take up his bed and walk, and so cured him. Afterwards, seeing him in the temple, Christ said unto him, " Behold, thou art made whole ; sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee " (St. John, V. 1-14). The Crusaders are said to have found the body of Longinus in the church of St. Peter at Antioch at the end of the Xlth century. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XXXVII I' l» «» I'H III nntt e.-\- !)■»/,■ ■coAf.ir-i. n II) 'S iv A • H Z-^-' -1, It -Tip i^ V.it'^ •'I.'\- _ „,iii,',.|..rtii'-nt"r.l'.""*'it!f f i■7,,I^-..'•■^:H"lfnro■ft^.^■■^■|^l1lL^■f■il>"'^+ Afli>'tV+.(/iflU. t'l rt/. /l.m- ./ii T/i -iBai t. I'tTi (0- > t ■.). 9 1 :(i)"i (TO -I-; nrti-ft+ . «fti'i- -111 ■riiii. (n-l"t.ant- A'l-P '."'< i ] >i.ro.:n^"f;^ •| + .tni',fi'-''"''''-c-l «M'i- K'.(^;?-!:i) .•■.iiiiilil-i'Yi'l-.thPi.- (iiMi^rtf;/rf/>Js.'i-.'iii.fnii,M^.iiiA)»"'/^-A-j-.ioiiu>-fj-i(i)+(^./i.i}i'n f.n^^.■■ rll•rt•l■7l)•A•M•■><•''^•'"»"'''l/^ o'/l■l••.nfl)-A-p Aii-7i(urtf ^.(:yi t/i*.!- 'i !'.(i>-A nn.^-ii'irt.t.-A'i ir./irrt •n/■'Ky■^ iii+,i,fl 'r./i-ii.A«'i;'»ta'> «irt-ivi'.r.'ci ,'/+"i"° "Vi -1 '■■ijii fl +(i.:/i.t,iWiH.(n;i)mf:i.-h«'A>'iUfni..fl/in>i. rn)/'',>it,j). 1-rii'Wi.(i)i^t.'i'(iH'V'r"i<»'!-(fi"'rt"P-l(-.rt'r"-«^A:(iM:iv,^ rt(7".-A'9J'.-.A(il-1?itl)"A"itiV.;i("'l^'i/'.:'n)|-")Yiiif flA^MH'.on' rt. ("(boA'M «!'•■('": ^f..).''1'1 """•'!>"' .^ tin 1IA,-- -"I ■(! ■■(!;('. ii , tlfll:rt?lrf.«-.A■fl(;■1'.■•'i»'°/l■lT.l^■l'•l■.■l•;;,rt^/.;l.^.llM«/,^.<:..Il)A it- /I1A*0 tl(:?,Pfffl+-|-rt-.rt-Htr-'^Dl'.T..I"('V''i'i'»/Pl ■•■T^jM" ii)«A-n-fl. 'ft II ■ £ Ti'o ^ rt ;>" •( 1. 1 n (1 rn , rt « A >, n'ifli.c a ft-:rtill;"l.rt"h:(f«AA-n.i»-rt.,niiiii,. htf» 7i)-/tiii> -i-vn.nnr.nV-'tr. (itt/i- ..-r?i.(W» Afri-c-Mrt ^ lo. Ornamental borders and marginal decorations. (Orient. 481, fol. 2i«). Nos. 10-12 are from Orient. 481 ; this MS. measures 14! in. by 14 in., and was written in the latter half of the XVIIth century. It contains the Octateuch, the four Gospels, the Canons of various Councils, and several other documents. The above is a specimen of the border and ornaments, painted in blue, red, green, and yellow, XXXVIII ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. which adorn the first page of each section, and shews that some foreign influence was at work on the scribes and artists, which caused them to abandon the old plaited-work border which is found in the MSS. of the XVth century. The Ethiopic letters are beautifully formed and very carefully copied. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XXXIX II. The Baptism of Christ by St. John (Orient. 481, fol. loid). Here it will be noticed that the background of the picture is filled up, and that it is enclosed within an ornamental border. A space behind our Lord is left blank to show the outline of His halo and Person. The tree is painted a yellowish-brown colour upon a blue background, and the three angels have a background of green ; the fish are gray and have yellow eyes, and swim in very blue water. St. John wears short pantaloons as well as the traditional camel's- hair garment. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XLI 12. God Almighty, the Ancient of Days (Orient. 481, fol. iioa). The centre figure in this picture is God Almighty, the Ancient of days, and is intended to illustrate the verse in Daniel (VII. 9), " I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool : his throne 7aas like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire." The beings round about Him are intended to be XLII ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. the " living creatures " seen by Ezekiel, who thus describes them : — "As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side ; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle." (Ezekiel, i. lo). 'The pictures in this MS. are unlike any others known to me, and a careful examination of the Spanish MS. No. 11,695, fol- 86(^, etc., shews that they were undoubtedly taken from Spanish originals. The Spanish MS. referred to is dated A.D. 1 109, and is of the greatest importance for the study of the origin of pictures in Ethiopic MSS. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XLIII 13. The torturing of St. George. This picture is taken from Orient. 713, fol. 48a; the MS. measures I3|in. by 12J in., and was written early in the XVIIIth century. It contains the discourse of Theodotus of Ancyra upon St. George of Cappadocia, the history and martyrdom of the saint, and the seventy-nine miracles which he wrought. The background of the picture is painted green and yellow, and the border is red. In the upper register we see stakes being driven into the body of the saint, XLIV ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. and gashes with knives being inflicted upon him ; in the lower register he is being burnt in the fire, and yet through Christ he comes to life again, safe and sound. The scenes are characteristic of the pictures which illustrate the histories of martyrdoms. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XLV 14. -Outline illustrations. This group of outline illustrations is from Orient. 647, fol. i/i^ob; the MS. measures 14^ in. by 12 in., and was written in the first half of the XVIIIth century. It contains the fifty-nine Miracles of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the spaces for the pictures throughout the volume are blank. The scenes illustrate a miracle which the Virgin works by means of a bird, and the drawing is superior to that usually found in MSS. of the period. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XLVII 15. The devils flee before Takla Hayman6t. Nos. 15-17 are taken from Orient. 728, foil. 56^, 149^ and i8i« ; the MS. measures 13! in. by 1 11 in. The first part of it was written in the reign of King lyastl II., who reigned from a.d. 1730 to 1755; the second part was written somewhat later. The volume contains the Life and Acts of Takla Haymandt, and twenty of his miracles, and the Acts of Philip of the city of Zema. It is remarkable for being bound in covers made of copper-gilt, each ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. XLIX 1 6. The devils which attacked the saint in the fire flee at his rebuke. cover having three crosses engraved upon it in outline. The illustrations are numerous, but the backgrounds are painted in such a dark red colour that the reproduction of any of them by photo- graphy has been a matter of difficulty. The MS. has been much read, and has suffered somewhat by use, but this is hardly to be wondered at when the importance of the saint Takla Haymandt is considered. He is said to have introduced the monastic life into Ethiopia early in the Vllth century, and he endeavoured to make it in every respect a copy of the monastic life led by the ascetic Antony ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. U 17. (a) A red-hot iron being applied to the eye of the saint. (d) The saint visited by two lions. and his successors in Egypt. He was the first Abbot of the famous Monastery of Libanos. His life is extant in two versions, the one which was current in his own monastery, and the other that of Waldebba. The latter, which is the older, has been edited and translated by Conti Rossini in Memorie della Classe di scienze morali, storiche, e filologiche, Vol. H. Parte \a of the Reale LII ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. Accademia dei Lincei under the title // Gadla Takla Hdyindnot. For notices of the saint see Basset, Etudes sur rHistoire d'Ethopie, Paris, 1882, p. 99; Ludolf, Hist. Aethiop., iii. cap. 5. % 15; Conti Rossini, Appimti ed Osservazioni sui re Zdgue e Takla Hdymdnot, Rome, 1895, p. 33ff; Guidi, Le Traduzioni degli Evangelii in Arabo e in Etiopico, Rome, 1888, p. 34; etc. In No. 15 we see a number of devils mounted on wolves coming to do evil to Takla Haymandt, but when the saint exhibits the cross to them they at once take to flight. In No. 16 the saint admonishes the devils from the midst of the fire, and they also take to flight. In No. 17 a red-hot iron is being applied to the eye of a saint in the presence of the king or governor, and below we see him visited by two lions, which, however, do homage to him. It is noteworthy that the same kind of bellows as here represented is in use to the present day in the Stldan. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LIII The following fourteen illustrations, Nos. 18-31, are taken from Orient. 646, which measures iif in. by gfin., and was written in the 18. St. George spearing the Dragon (fol. i*^). LIV ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. year of the world 7231== a. d. 1739. It contains fifty-five miracles of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The volume is illustrated by a large number of carefully coloured pictures, and as they represent scenes which are not found in MSS. of the Old and New Testaments and other works, a liberal selection is here given. The MS. begins with No. 18, a fairly typical representation of the slaying of the Dragon by Saint George; this picture occurs in the MS. because the Ethiopians believed that St. George was often sent on errands of mercy by the Virgin Mary. He is here mounted on a white horse and armed with a spear, the handle of which terminates in a cross. The Dragon, which is painted green, red, and blue, is depicted in the usual way, with a forked tongue, scaly body, feet and wings and a curly tail ; the saint's victory is watched by an angel in a tree. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LV 19. The Virgin and Child (fol. 2a). No. 19 is one of the handsomest pictures in the volume. The Virgin is enthroned with the Child, and two angels, or archangels hold up behind her drapery made of some costly stuff. Mother and Child are arrayed in flowered silk, the design of which suggests a Persian original. At her feet lies Joseph (?). ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LVII 20. The Virgin saving the artist (fol. I'jb). A painter was once painting pictures in a church, and he drew so terrible a picture of the Devil and Hell that Satan appeared and remonstrated with him ; the painter paid no heed to his words. Satan next threatened to throw down the scaffold upon which the painter was seated unless he stopped work, and when no attention was paid to the threat he did so. The painter fell, and would have been dashed to pieces on the ground had not a statue of the Virgin put out its hand and caught him as he was falling. Satan is seen sitting in the top left hand corner of the picture, and near him are three angels. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LIX 21. The Virgin and the sick man (fol. iga). A certain man lay sick in a hospital where, on the east wall, there was a picture of the Virgin Mary. Having wished one day that he could be baptized in the Jordan, the figure of the Virgin stepped out of the picture and carried the sick man to the Jordan, and having been thus baptized he recovered from his sickness, and came back to his own land safe and sound. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXI 22. Zacharias and the Virgin (fol. 22a). A certain man called Zacharias made a journey into the desert, and was followed by thieves who intended to rob and perhaps to kill him. At a certain place the Virgin appears unto him, and he appeals unto her in such terms that each time he speaks a rose falls from his mouth. These flowers the Virgin lays in her bosom. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXIII 23. The Shipwreck (fol. 2^d). Three men set out in a ship to cross the sea, but, being overtaken by a violent storm, they are in great peril. One of the three makes a vow that if the Virgin Mary delivers them out of their danger he will give to her shrine a camel-load of dates. One of his companions rebukes him for calling upon the Virgin, and as a result the boat is capsized by the wind, and all three are thrown into the sea ; the man who made the objection to the appeal to Mary is at once swallowed by a sea-monster, but the other two men escape to a rock and are saved. When they reach the land they fulfil their vow and bring the camel-load of dates to Solomon, the Abbot of the Monastery of Kalman. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXV 24. The Virgin and the sinking monastery (fol. 27a). A certain monk was lying asleep one night, when the Virgm appeared to him and told him to build a house in her name, and in due course he did so. Unfortunately, he built it so near the edge of a river that a portion of it begun to subside slowly into the water, and the whole building would have soon disappeared. One night the Virgin appeared while the monks were asleep, and lifted up the house, and strengthened the foundations of it in such a way that it remained firm ever after. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXVII 25. The Virgin and the wounded merchant (fol. 29^). A wealthy merchant, whose ships Avere plundered frequently by sea-robbers, set out in a ship to do battle with them ; he engaged with the pirates, and received a number of wounds from the arrows of his enemies, and a dart pierced one of his eyes and remained fixed therein. The wound in his eye was so serious that he ordered his ship to return to shore, intending to be taken to the Church of the Virgin, which was situated at some distance from the sea ; when he reached the shore, however, he was so ill that he could not be carried thither. In these straits they made a waxen figure of the merchant with a dart in his eye, and took it and set it before the picture of the Virgin , which was in the inland church dedicated to her name. When prayers had been duly said to her, the figure of the Virgin in the picture put forth her hand and pulled the dart out of the eye of the waxen figure, and at that moment the dart came out of the eye of the merchant who was lying on the sea-shore sick unto death. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXIX 26. The Virgin and the scribe's soul (fol. 36rt). Two brothers were engaged in writing the life and miracles of the Virgin, but during the course of the work one of them committed a fault which brought him under the power of Satan. Then straight- way Satan sent two fiends to carry off the soul of the scribe who had sinned, and as they were in the act of doing so, the Virgin appeared and laid hold upon it and delivered it out of their hands. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXXI 27. The Virgin and the prisoner (fol. 2>^a). A certain man lay bound in fetters in prison for the sake of Christ, and when he appealed to the Virgin she appeared to him in the form of a bird, unbound him, made him lay hold upon her, flew out of the prison with him, and gave him his liberty. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXXIII 28. The Virgin and the nun (fol. 5i<^). A certain nun became with child, and the matter was reported to the bishop, who ordered faithful men to enquire into the affair. The nun took refuge at the altar in the Virgin's Chapel, and prayed for hours that she would deliver her out of her trouble. At length from exhaustion the nun fell asleep and dreamed that the Virgin appeared with the archangels Michael and Gabriel, and took the child from her ; when she awoke she found that this had been actually done. The child was given to a farmer who reared him, and eventually he became a bishop. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXXV 29. The Virgin and the cannibal (fol. 63(^). A certain man of Hemer was a cannibal, and he ate up his wife and two children, and seventy-five other people. One day he gave a drink of water to a pilgrim who was half-dead through thirst, because the man asked for it in the name of Mary the Virgin. Shortly after this he died, and was condemned to punishment in hell, but the Virgin appealed to Christ on his behalf, and obtained permission to weigh in a pair of scales the drink of water which he had given to the beggar against the seventy-eight people whom he had devoured. When this was done, the cup of water outweighed the seventy-eight people, and the Virgin thus rescued the soul of the cannibal from the devil and from the flames of Hell. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOnC MANUSCRIPTS. LXXVII 30. The Virgin and the dog (fol. 71). One day, when the Virgin Mary and two women were seated talking together in the desert, a thirsty dog came up to them and tried to drink out of the Avater pot, but the two women drove him away with big sticks. Then the Virgin took the dog away with her to a distance, and having prayed, obtained water from heaven which she gave to the dog to drink in one of her shoes. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXXIX 31. The Annunciation (fol. 84a). The archangel Gabriel appearing to the Virgin Mary, who has just risen from her knees on the praying-stool, and presenting to her the lily. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXXXI 32. Saint Simeon receiving our Lord. This picture is from Orient. 620, fol. la ; the MS. measures i6|in. by 141 in., and was written during the reign of lyasli II. and his mother Walatta Giyorgis, a.d. 1730-55- It contains the forty-two LXXXII ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. miracles of our Lord. The picture here given illustrates St. Luke, ii. 28: — "Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word : " etc. The style of the artist's work is different from anything which we have hitherto seen, and is probably unique. At the end of the XVIIIth and at the beginning of the XlXth century, cheap pictures are said to have been introduced into Ethiopia from Europe, with disastrous effect upon native art. This series of pictures from Ethiopic MSS. of various periods may be fittingly closed by an excellent reproduction from a painted wooden panel upon which is depicted the funeral of King John.^ In the upper register are a score of footmen, armed with guns, shields, and swords ; and Ras Alula's body-servant, armed like the footmen, and carrying his master's umbrella ; these are followed by Ris Alula, King John's commander-in-chief. Next comes King John on horseback, followed by a servant bearing a fly-flapper. After the king rides Bishop Athanasius, and the rear is brought up by a number of horsemen armed after the manner of the footmen. In the middle register are (i) King John's groom, armed like a soldier, leading a spare horse richly caparisoned ; (2) King John's servant, also armed ; and (3) a company of footmen. In the lower register, mounted on richly caparisoned horses, ride Dastar Tasamma*, Ras Burru, Ris MikMl,* Dastar Tadla, Ras Gabra Ridan,* and Ras Hag6s.* In the little tablet to the right are thirteen lines of Ethiopic ' It was painted by an Abyssinian artist living in Cairo in 1894. King John began to reign in 1868, and was killed in a battle with the Dervishes in 1889. * Wearing a lion's mane on his head. ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF ETHIOPIC MANUSCRIPTS. LXXXIII which read, "All is vanity. All is vanity. All is vanity. The abiding in this world is fleeting and passeth quickly away." Then follow the words, "Picture of the soldiers of the King of Kings, John of Ethiopia, the King of Zion, the son of Abba Cyril, the Archbishop, who sitteth on the throne of Mark, the orthodox one, our chief, and our father, and our teacher, and our shepherd, and our grace ; may the Redeemer of the world receive him, that is to say John the King, and may the angel of mercy cleave unto him. Amen. Picture of his soldiers and governors. The world is a fleeting thing, and the desire [thereof] is fleeting." THE FUNERAL OF JOHN From a painted wooden panel in the jiosi Upper Register : A company of footmen, servant of Ras Alula, Ras Mu'a Bishop Athanasius, and a company of horsemen. Middle Register : King John's groom leading a spare horse, armed guard Lower Register: King John's generals — Dastar Tasamma, R&s Burr : vocant, inter- "strepentibus, veterum Aegyptiorum ritu, crepitaculis, sistris, et crotalis, quae in festis THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MAR YAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' s£y6n. 12 the Psalms' in the Mary Chapel. The Abbot was, at this time, called Maba' Seyon, and when the youth had come under his care, the brethren decided that it was unseemly for him to be called by the same name as their master; they therefore gave him the name of Takla Maryam' in the monastery I Under the direction of the monks Maba' Seyon learned to write and to paint*, and to fast and to pray systematically. Whilst living in the Monastery of Saint John Maba' Seyon gave two proofs of his exceedingly great reverence for the bread and wine of the Eucharist, and of his zeal for the honour of Christ. A certain young man in returning from the church where he had partaken of the bread and wine, struck his toe on the way against a stone, and the blood flowed; Maba' Seyon, seeing what had happened, followed him to his house, picking up the drops of blood which had fallen in the dust and swallowing them as he went, and when he arrived there he sucked the blood until it ceased to flow from the toe. Maba' Seyon believed that the Body and Blood of Christ, which "solennibus, pulsare ipsi magnates honori sibi ducunt. Accedunt tripudia et saltationes, "tanquam imitando Davidi ante arcam foederis salienti, ubi tanto strepitu terram pedibus "pulsant, ut choreas magis, quam Festum Christianum agere videantur" (Lib. iii. cap. 6. § 87 — 89, and see the Commentary, p. 381, No. LXIff.). ' The Psalter was very highly esteemed among Abyssinians of all classes, and no book of the Bible was in greater use; it was the daily prayer-book of the monks, and girls as well as boys were taught to learn it by heart. See Ludolf, op. cit., Lib. iii. cap. 5. § 35, and Commentary, p. 253. ^ For examples of names compounded with Maryam, see Ludolf, op. cit., IV. 3. 5. 3 As the boy was called Maba' Sgyon by his parents, according to their vow made before his birth, the monks must have given him the surname Takla Maryam; the text is somewhat involved here. 4 Ludolf thinks (Commentary, p. 562, No. IX. 3) that European children could hardly paint worse than the Abyssinian artists:— "Picturae imperitissimi Habessini, imagines "B. M. Virginis et SS. Apostolorum, quos in libris eorum depictos vidi, tam informes "sunt, ut pueri nostri pejus vix facere possint." THE HISTORY OF TAKLA M^RYAM WHO "WAS SURNAMED MABa' s£y6n. 1 3 the young man had just received in the church, were being dishonoured by being allowed to fall and be trodden under foot. On another occasion a young man who had just received the Eucharist felt extreme nausea and vomited; Maba' Seyon quickly caught in a basin what fell from him and straightway swallowed it, believing that the bread and wine had indeed become changed into Christ's own Body and Blood. Soon after these things the parents of Maba' Seyon, seeing that their son had arrived at manhood's estate, sought out a maiden who should become his wife; but the young man refused to be betrothed to her, and declared that he had dedicated his manhood to the Christ and to His mother the Virgin Mary. About this time he began to fast, and to pray, and to keep vigils with great diligence, and he made strenuous endeavours to cultivate humility and patience, and the speaking of the truth, and the virtues which become the life of the ascetic. At this time also he embarked upon a life of hardship, for he gave up riding upon a horse or any other animal; he slept upon ashes instead of upon a bed; and whether awake or asleep, or sitting, standing or lying, he carried a huge stone upon him which weighed as much as a man could carry. It is true that on Sabbath days and Festivals he relieved himself of this burden, but then he spent the whole of these days in singing Psalms. Here we see that Maba' Seyon was imitating the ascetic labours of Coptic and Syrian monks with whose lives he was, no doubt, familiar. The Copt Shenudi watched frequently all night in prayer, and he ate nothing but bread and salt once a day'; Arsenius believed that one hour's sleep a day was sufficient for a healthy monk; Pachomius slept neither by day nor by night, and for fifteen years he rested in the middle of his cell ' Amelineau, Monuments, Paris, 1888, p. 8. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' SEYON. I4 and leaned not against the wall; and one ascetic never drank once during the course of forty days'. One day a messenger came to Maba' Seyon from the ascetic Gabra Krestos, who lived in the province of Damat in Ethiopia, and asked him to return with him to visit him; now Maba' Seyon lived three days' journey from him, yet he was by Divine agency carried there in one day. When Gabra Krestos had received Maba' Seyon he told him that he had already seen him in the spirit in the City of Jerusalem, whither he himself had been borne on the wings of the Spirit, and having shewn him the excellency of the life of an ascetic, he instructed him in all the works of the righteous. On his return to his native city Maba' Seyon was consecrated a priest by Abba Gabriel, and he henceforth ministered at the Eucharist. When Maba' Seyon was performing his priestly duties on one occasion, after the priest had gone to read the. Gospel, he saw the covering of the paten move, and having gone to it and uncovered it he saw standing there in the place of the bread, a "veritable, white "lamb". Afterwards, when the time for giving the bread to the con- gregation had arrived, it was found that the lamb had disappeared, and that bread was once more in the paten. This remarkable incident happened on three successive days. On another occasion the Virgin Mary appeared in tears to Maba' Seyon in the church at the time of the Eucharist, and asked him to beg the people not to bite and chew the bread, because the bread was her Son's living Body, and by crushing it with their teeth her "own bowels were consumed". From the study of the lives of the ascetics we learn that the spiritual education of a monk was not complete until he had visited the shrines and places of abodes of the great leaders and teachers ' See my Book of Governors, Vol. i. p. CLIIIff. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' S£y6n. 1 5 of the ascetic life. The monks of Syria and Mesopotamia made pilgrimages to Mount Sinai, Mount Horeb, and other places sanctified by Moses, Elijah and others, and to the Scete desert, and in the IVth century, and later, Christians often made it a duty to visit all the places where Christ had lived, or where any event in His life had taken place. Imitating the ascetics of Egypt and Syria, Maba' Seyon left his own monastery and went to the ancient Dabra Libanos, where the famous saint Takla Haymanot was buried. It will be remembered that Takla Haymanot -MfiA » VJE.'^f^ » was one of the earliest founders of asceticism in Ethiopia, and that he flourished in the first half of the VII th century of our era. He was the founder of the famous convent of Libanos' or Dabra Libanos, and his life and miracles are extant in two recensions, the one of Dabra Libanos', and the other of Waldebbal His family came from the country of Bahr Kaga, and he was of the tribe of Harb Case. His ancestor left his native land, and passing through Sewa, he came to Selales and established himself in Zarare; Takla Haymanot's father and mother were called Saga-Za'ab f^P-nh-tt- and Egzi'-Haraya hlfLh-'-hd^- Passing over the details of the life* of Takla Haymanot, and the in- fluence of the monks who followed his rules and perpetuated his ^ Dabra Libanos was situated in the middle of tlie province of Shoa; see Conti Rossini, Catalogo dei Nomi propri di Luogo dell' Etiopia, Genova, 1894, p. 36. A list of his successors as Abbot is given by Perruchon, Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie, Bd. XII, p. 408. == At present unpublished; for the MSS. see Wright, Catalogue, p. I94ff-; DiUmann, Catalogus, p. 49; Zotenberg, Catalogue, p. 204—206. 3 The text of this recension, which is the older and more important, has been published by Conti Rossini, // Gadla Takla Haymanot secondo la Redazione Waldebbana. Rome, 1896. J u /- • 4 One of the most important incidents in it is described and discussed by Conti Rossini in Appunti ed Osservazioni sui re Zagne e Takla Haymanot, Rome, 1895. D2 THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' S£y6n. l6 teaching in his monastery', we are concerned only to note that Maba' Seyon visited the grave of the saint who appeared to him in the form of a man of "comely and venerable appearance", and administered unto him the bread of the Eucharist before all the priests and deacons who were there assembled. Subsequently on the twenty-ninth day of the month Tekemt', the prophet Samuel appeared unto him and en- couraged him to persevere in the ascetic life. The following year, in the month of July, the Apostles appeared unto him at dawn and saluted him, and the chief of them, Peter, administered unto him the Eucharist; thus Maba' Seyon was blessed and comforted by saints of the Old and New Testaments, and by the chief of the saints of his own country. Mabi' Seyon next devoted himself to celebrating the festivals of Christ with great care and reverence; he invented festivals for the saints likewise, and made arrangements for priests to celebrate them in relays, and for the furtherance of this object he set aside one third of his substance. On one occasion, when he was celebrating the festival of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary with many priests and deacons, some of them saw Christ and His Mother present at the feast; and the Virgin sent Saint George through all heaven and earth to bring the saints together there to keep the feast with her. Another witness declared that Christ was so pleased at the honour ' For an account of some of the troubles which came upon this religious house, see Basset, Etudes sur I'Histoire d'Ethiopie, Paris, 1882, pp. 99, 234; and Ludolf, Historia Aethiopica, iii. 3. 27. ^ The Ethiopic months a.re:— Mas karram t^hhd^ i September; Tekemi T^i^t : October; Bedart^C: November; Td/tsMs A ^t^'I^ : December; TerTC: January; YaMiti ?iltt: February; Magabit flnpat: March; Miyazyd fPUT^S: April; Genbbt 7lat: May; Sane fli : June; Hamle tby"tthi July; Nahasse frftrt.: August; Pdguemen kh'^'i \ the inter- calary month. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' SfiYON. 1 7 paid to His mother that He came down from heaven in a cloud of light and embraced and kissed Maba' Seyon. These marks of honour induced the saint to fast yet more and more, and to increase his self- inflicted tortures. He put bonds and fetters on his legs, he hung iron chains upon his sides, he girt himself about with links of iron, and on the days when he fasted he put on sackcloth. His food con- sisted of desert herbs, of which he partook once every three days; and the intensity of the pangs of hunger drove him into the river, where his body wasted away. One day Satan appeared unto him out of the darkness, hissing like a serpent, but when the saint had made the sign of the cross over himself a lamb, "red like unto a lion", appeared and drove the devil away. Soon after these things, a light like that of the moon cleft the heavens, which opened wide, and like the lightning flash Christ came down from heaven in the form of a child and sat in the arms of Mabi' Seyon, and embraced his neck and face. The saint wished to array the Child in some of his apparel, so that he might after- wards wear it and benefit by the virtue which would henceforth be transferred to it from the Child's body; and straightway the Child spat upon the garments and gave them to the saint, promising that He would never forsake him. Maba' Seyon did not partake of the Eucharist that day, but licked the spittle on his raiment instead. Soon after these things Maba' Seyon inadvertently incurred the displeasure of the Christ-Child. A certain monk came to the saint and asked him to lend him some of his apparel, and he did so; but unfortunately among the garments which he lent him was the one in which the Christ-Child had seated Himself when He visited Maba' Seyon, and on which He had spit. When the Christ-Child saw what had been done. He appeared unto a monk, and ordered THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' SEy6n. 1 8 him to go and rebuke Maba' Seyon for his .careless and irreverent behaviour; and when the monk had done as he was bid, the saint went to Abba Simon, and having confessed his sin, performed the penance which was imposed upon him, and received forgiveness. By this portion of his narrative the writer of the life of Maba' Seyon intends to shew that Christ was willing to share apparel with him and him only. And as an instance of the closeness of the friendship which existed between the saint and the Mother of Christ he tells the story of how once, when Maba Seyon was permitted to sym- pathize with her about her Son's sufferings when He was crucified, she asked him for the tears which he was shedding on her be- half, and put them in her apparel. But a greater honour was in store for him, for Christ appeared unto him one day, and having anointed him with the essence of His own body, imparted unto him the odour which belonged unto it. Meanwhile, Maba' Seyon was pondering in his mind how he could shew love and gratitude to Christ in return for all His love to him; and after much meditation he decided to celebrate with special honour the day of the death of the Redeemer. He contended that the day of the death of each of the Apostles was carefully commem- orated, but that the day of the death of Him Who was the Head of them all passed by with comparatively little notice by His followers; and that the day of Christ's death was as worthy of high honour as the day of His resurrection. He therefore directed that the people who followed him should neither buy nor sell, nor perform any work whatsoever on the day set apart for the commemoration of the death of Christ; and he persisted in the observance of the memorial day, which was kept with tears, and grief, and sorrow, notwithstanding the opposition of certain folk, who declared that Maba' Seyon had neither THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM "WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SfiYON. 1 9 the right nor the power to establish memorial days and laws for the keeping of the same at his good will and pleasure. About four months after Maba' Seyon had established the memorial days he confided to a certain monk, in strict confidence, that in answer to his petition, Christ, had re-enacted for him the scene of the crucifixion. In the twinkling of an eye Maba' Seyon was transported to Golgotha, where the wooden cross appeared straightway, and Christ ascended it and suffered upon it as in days of old; but the saint could not bear the agony of being a witness of the terrible scene, and sank down half dead upon the earth. Then did Christ come down from the cross and strengthen him, and He promised him to be present in the form of a "gentle child" whenever he kept the day of His death with tears and sorrow. Soon after Maba' Seyon had seen these marvellous things the time for the festival of the death of the Redeemer drew nigh, and the saint began to make preparations for the same. He ground the wheat, and baked the bread, and made ale from grain, and filled the water jars, and hewed the wood for the fire and carried it to the place where the bread was to be baked; and on the twenty-seventh day of the month Magabit (February), he kept the festival with great solemnity and ministered diligently unto the wants of the priests and deacons and those who were present thereat. In a short address he besought those present to commemorate the day of the death of the Redeemer with all honour, and to preserve themselves from the pol- lution of the world. The system upon which the keeping of the festival depended is not quite clear, although Maba' Seyon introduced no abstruse cal- culations into his reckoning of it. The festival of the death of the Redeemer lasted three days, and the festival of the Resurrection lasted E2 THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA SEYON. 20 seven days; from the last day of the latter festival Maba' Seyon reckoned the days by tens until Easter Eve came round again. On Easter Eve he used to pierce his side and fall down upon his knees in imitation of the sufferings of his Lord, and afterwards he was wont to make scented and ornamental bread-cakes and to break and distribute them among the sick folk who thronged to the place where he was; by these means he wrought many cures and healings. We have seen above that Maba' Seyon imitated closely the life which was led by the earlier ascetics in Syria and Egypt, and how his fasts, and vigils, and self-inflicted tortures resembled those of the most earnest among those who sought God in the mountains and fastnesses of the desert. The saints of old discovered that the strenuous labours of the anchorite and recluse endowed them finally with the power of working miracles as well as the !gift of healing the sick and of raising the dead at a word. The case of Maba' Seyon is no exception to the rule, for after he had toiled for some years in the ascetic life, he found that he had the power to work miracles, and his biographer records six which he deems sufficient to prove his spiritual excellence. In the first Maba' Seyon cures a sick child by means of the Eucharistic bread; in the second a sick child is healed and afterwards saved from a death by fire through the same means; in the third the flour and honey of which the bread- cakes of the Eucharist were made obtain a flavour of "hidden "manna"; in the fourth a barren woman is made to give birth to two sons; in the fifth a piece of one of the Eucharistic bread-cakes is found to have turned itself into figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary; and in the sixth a priest, who, having taken through greediness a second piece of the Eucharistic bread-cake, falls seriously ill, is cured through a prayer addressed to God in the name of Maba' Seyon. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARY AM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SfiYON. 21 From the picture which illustrates the story of the last miracle we find that the sick man attributes his sickness to two devils who seize upon him, one at the head and one at the feet, and chain him, and make all his inward parts to burn like fire. Meanwhile Maba' Seyon fasted and prayed strenuously, and of the scanty food which , he allowed himself he gave always one half to the poor; and on the days in which he commemorated the death of the Redeemer he ate not at all, but only wept and prayed. Now by reason of his excessive weeping he began to suffer pains in his eyes, but when the disease became severe the Virgin Mary brought a vase of ointment and anointed his eyes with it, laying the unguent upon them with her finger, and healed him. And soon after these things the saint caused himself to be scourged severely, and it is said that during the Lenten fast he was beaten with whips one hundred times; once during Passion week ten thousand stripes were laid upon his back in one day, until the blood flowed from a multitude of wounds. As a reward for these sufferings Christ sustained his strength, and the Virgin Mary having healed his wounds, lifted him up into her bosom; the Christ-Child and the saint sat opposite to each other, Christ having the right breast - to suck, and Maba' Seyon the left. And on one occasion, during the feast of Epiphany, when the saint was baptizing the people according to his wont, suddenly our Lord appeared on the wings of the Spirit, with all His angels, and one part of the water at once turned into fire, wherein Christ first baptized Himself and then Maba' Seyon. Having partaken of Christ's baptism of fire, the saint was soon after visited by the Christ-Child Who carried a staff in His hands; in the conversation which followed between them the saint entreated Him to shew mercy upon the souls which were in Sheol. In answer to the petition Christ placed His THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' SfiYON. 22 golden staff or sceptre in the hands of the saint and bade him descend into Sheol and bring up as many souls as he could carry. When Maba' Seyon arrived in Sheol, the place was rent from one end to the other, and he heard nothing but weeping, and wailing, and crying; but as soon as the souls saw him they clustered about him like bees, and he bore hosts of them up to the place where the Christ-Child stood. When the people heard of the great spiritual powers which Maba' Seyon possessed, multitudes of them flocked to him and be- came his spiritual children, even as he became their spiritual father. His fame spread far and wide, and even monks journeyed distances of three days in order to consult him and to ask his advice. His spiritual success was so great that he made bold to entreat God Al- mighty to shew mercy upon the various cities of his country, and this act of grace was also shewn unto him. About this time Maba' Seyon seems to have become anxious concerning a sect or body of people, whom he calls "Gafat" Pi-^ :, and to have wondered whether they would become Christians during his lifetime or after his death. As, however, he was journeying to- wards Ethiopia, he met a number of them going to king Zara Ya'kob to receive gifts from him, because they had professed their belief in the name of the Trinity and had been baptized. This statement is of special interest because it, incidentally, gives us an idea of the period in which Maba' Seyon lived. We know from the Ethiopic Chronicle published by M. Rene Basset' that king Zara' Ya kob was the fourth son of David, king of Ethiopia, and that he reigned thirty-four years and two months, i. e., from A. D. 1434 to A. D. 1468; Maba' Seyon, then, was born probably in the first quarter of ' Etudes sur PHistoire d'Bthiopie, Paris, 1882, p. 102. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' SfiYON. 23 the XVth century. In the reign of Zara' Ya'kob several very bitter religious controversies were carried on between Abba George of Sagli and the Venetian painter Francisco Branca -Leone, which resulted in the production by the former of the famous "Book of "Mystery" <"»}tHiC£: : Xi^rt'^S : miad^ : ^(hO- 1: THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' s£y6n. 28 "I am well pleased at Him; this is My Son: whosoever loveth Him "let him hearken unto Him".^ And He wrought many wonderful things, and performed miracles, as the Evangelists have written concerning Him. And the guards [Fol. 3^] of Sapiri laid hold upon Him, and they brought Him before Pilate, and the wicked Jews crucified Him, and bound a crown made of thorns upon His head, and they smote His head with a reed staff, and they made Him drink vinegar [mingled] with gall; but He did not curse them, although they cursed Him. And He died on the Eve of the Sabbath to redeem us, and they buried Him in the field of the potter, and on the first day of the week He rose a living Being. And He will make to rise and will vivify those who believe in Him, and He will come again and will punish those who smote Him. So then, praise ye Him Who is thus God, and give thanks unto Him, and sanctify Him, and bless Him, for His Name is holy and blessed. May His help be with the soul of the sinner [His servant] Takla Haymanot, [and] with [that of] his beloved wife Walatta Seyon, for ever and for ever! Amen. ' St. Matthew iii. 17. The Gospel reads, "H'i-P : cD-hl? : a)h£:1 '. HA<{-*C [Fol. 5 a] GIVE EAR, YE HOLY FATHERS AND BRETHREN, YE CHILDREN OF THE CHURCH, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN; AND I WILL RELATE UNTO YOU [THE STORY] OF THE CONFLICT OF THE BLESSED TAKLA MARYAM, WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SEYON. may HIS BLESSING BE WITH THE SOUL OF THE SINNER HIS SERVANT TAKLA HAYMANOT, AND WITH HIS BELOVED [WIFE] WALATTA S£y6n, FOR EVER AND FOR EVER! AMEN. AND MOREOVER, WE WHX RELATE TO YOU SOME FEW OF THE MIRACLES WHICH MABA' SEYON WROUGHT; AND HOW OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST APPEARED UNTO HIM; AND [WE WILL TELL OF] THE GRACE, AND THE GIFTS, AND THE HELP, AND THE AFFECTION, AND THE GRACIOUSNESS , AND THE GOODNESS, AND THE MERCY, WHICH HE BESTOWED UPON HIS SERVANT; AND OF HOW HE, BY DOING GOD'S WILL, OBTAINED POWER WITH THE ALMIGHTY; AND OF HOW THERE IS NO MARVELLOUS THING WHICH HE IS NOT ABLE TO SHEW FORTH BY MEANS OF HIS SAINTS. Now there was a certain man whose name was Habta Seyon, who walked in the right way, and did not stand in the path of the sinful; he sprang from the tribe of Rabban Samuel, a man of high rank, the princely [Fol. ^5] star of light, and his country was Anda- gabtan, and he was of noble family and of high and distinguished birth. And he was a good man in all his ways, and he was gracious in his ministration, and he was at peace with all men by reason of his mildness of manner; and he loved to pray without ceasing. And his wife was a noble lady also, and her name was Seyon Tekun; and she was pleasing unto God Almighty in all her ways. And Habta Seyon and his wife lived together in love and peace, and in undefiled intercourse according to the laws of olden time. And they PLATE II. Seyon Tekun, wife of Habta Seyon, nursing her child MabA' Seyon. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SEYON. 30 made supplication unto God that He would give them a beautiful son, and they made vows unto Him, saying, "If we get a son we will certainly call him 'Maba' Sey6n'." And it came to pass after a few days that God heard their prayers, and He graciously bestowed upon them a son who was both beautiful in form, and fair as a flower in appearance, and al- together lovely; and his kinsfolk rejoiced [Fol, 6a] and they gave unto him the name ["Maba' Seyon"] which they had vowed to give him aforetime. And it came to pass that when the child had grown a little, a certain priest who was on a journey came to that city, and the child's father received him into his house according as it is written, "[A man] shall make him {i. e., a priest) to dwell in his house". Now the wandering pilgrim had with him a picture of our Lady Mary with her beloved Son, and when he lay down to sleep he placed it above his head; and in the morning he rose up and went away on his journey and forgot the picture. And the child found it, and- he pressed it to his breast, and kissed it, and he rejoiced in it exceed- ingly; and he would not give it up to any person, but hung it about his neck. And when his father saw it he was grieved and said, "Whatever shall I do? If I keep the picture here with me it "will become unto me [an occasion] of sin, inasmuch as it be- "longeth not unto me. Where can I find the man that I may give "it [back] to him?" And it came to pass that one day he met the man, and he said unto him, "Why didst thou leave thy picture in "my house? I have been expecting thee to come back again to "my house [for it]; wherefore didst thou tarry? [Fol. 6<5] But now "that I have found thee, take thy picture for God Almighty's sake." And the man said unto him, "Who found it?" And he replied, I. Maba' Seyon showing the picture of the Virgin and Child which belongs to the sleeping stranger, to his father, PLATE HI. II. Maba' Seyon, with the picture hanging from his neck, sitting on his father's knees. III. Maba' Seyon learning to read the Book of the Psalms which he holds in his hand ; near him are his father, or teacher, and his THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' s£y6n. 3 1 "Now he who found it was [my] little son, who loveth it very dearly. "For, from the time when he found it even until this present, he would "not give it up to any other person; and I could only take it from "him by force to give it unto thee." Then the owner of the picture said unto him, "Though it may be pleasing unto him, yet unto me "would the picture [say] 'Let me not pass out of thy memory'; let "the child whom it hath pleased have it, for through it he shall be "safe in the judgment." So the two men made friendship each with the other, and each returned to his own country; and the father of the child marvelled at the grace which had come upon his son. And it came to pass that when Maba' Seyon had come to the age when he ought to receive instruction in doctrine, [his father] taught him the Psalms of David and the Books of the Law; and he was appointed to be a deacon. And when [his father] saw that he was wise and understanding in all his conversation, and that his singing [Fol. 7«] was sweet, he stablished him in the Mary Chapel of the Monastery of Saint John that he might learn to chant the Psalms, and to sing [the hymns and service]. Now there dwelt there [an Abbot] who was the teacher and spiritual ruler of all the region of An[da]- gabtan, and to his care and to that of all the monks did Habta Seyon commit his son; and they all loved him. And Abuna Simon and Abuna Abukir said unto him, "What is thy name?" and he said unto them, "Maba' Seyon". And they said unto him, "It is not meet "that thy name should be like that of the master of all [the monks], "for thou art [only] a child, and thy name shall therefore be 'Takla "Maryam'." By his pastors and masters then thus was Maba' Seyon called, and by his kinsfolk [he was also called] "Takla Maryam"; and he became as it were two persons {literally, twins]. And he learned to sing and to chant, and he studied books of learning of all kinds. PLATE IV. I. Maba' Scyon sucking the blood from the wounded toe of the \'oiing man who had just received the Sacramcnt.( II. Maba' Seyon catching in a vessel and swallowing what had been vomited by a young man who had just received the Sacrament. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SEYON. 32 and he taught himself discipline by means of fasting and prayer, and [he learned] to become a painter and a writer, and he was perfect [Fol. 7*5] in all kinds of spiritual work. May his help be with the soul of the sinner [his servant] Takla Haymanot, and with his beloved [wife Walatta Seyon] for ever and for ever! Amen. [Fol. ga] And it came to pass one day, as the folk were going forth from the church, that a certain young man, who had partaken of the Eucharist and was returning from the church, struck his foot a violent blow [against a stone]; and the blood ran down from it on the ground. And the youth Maba' Seyon, who was filled with under- standing, saw him and felt his heart beat, and said, "Let my blood "be shed for him"; and he followed after the young man until he arrived at his house. And as he went along he ate up the blood of the young man as it dropped from him, and [in the house] he brought his toe nigh [unto his mouth], and sucked the blood therefrom until it ceased to flow. Now this he did in honour of the Body and Blood of our Lord [which had entered into him]. And when his neighbours saw him swallowing the blood mingled with the dust, some of them laughed, and some of them marvelled at his understanding. And again it came to pass on a day that a certain young man who had partaken of the Eucharist vomited everything which he had eaten and drunk; and the blessed man, having caught what he had vomited in a basin, ate and drank it up. And through his love for our Lord Jesus Christ [Fol. gd] he left nothing of it whatsoever; and the vessel was [as clean] as if he had washed it with water. [Fol. 10 3] Now when the kinsfolk of Maba' Seyon saw that he had arrived at the estate of manhood, they would have betrothed THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' 5£y6n. 33 to him a maiden according to the custom; but he straightway refused to be betrothed to a maiden, and spake unto them saying, "I do not "desire this thing, and I will not return to the world', for I have "dedicated my virginity to my Lady the Virgin Mary and to my "Lord Jesus Christ, so that I may become their servant. What can "I gain in this world except sin? For, as Paul saith," 'He who "hath married a wife meditateth how he may please her ; but he who "is not married to [a. wife meditateth how he may please God Al- "mighty'.'" And when they .heard the words of the youth they let him alone, and those lovers of righteousness did not force him [to marry]; and they said unto him, "Be thou according to thy desire, "and thou shalt become our guide unto the kingdom of heaven." And straightway they gave thanks unto the God of righteousness because He had given them a handsome son [Fol. iia] who was a lover of Christ and was bold in the faith. Then Maba' Seyon made a proclamation concerning himself, and he declared that he would become a dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit; and that righteous voice lied not, for he became even so. And he joined himself unto God Almighty by fasting, and by prayer, and by watching, and by love, and by innocency, and by lowliness, and by patience, and by keeping his lips from vain and evil words, and from calumny, and from lying, even as it saith in the [Book of] Prophecy, "The lips of the priests shall keep the Law and the precept"; ' This indicates either that Maba' Sgyon had not definitely become a monk for life, or that monks of the lower grades were allowed to marry. '' I Corinthians VII. 32, 33. The text usually reads: — Xfl'^ : Wi^tD-M : .erfbA PLATE V. I. Gabra Krestos the anchorite and his servant receiving Maba' Seyon. II. Gabra Krestos embracing Maba' Seyon. III. Gabra Krest6s teaching and exhorting Maba' Seyon. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' s£y6n. 34 and David [also] saith/ "Restrain thy tongue from evil, and thy "lips' that they speak not guile." And it came to pass that from the time when Maba' Seyon took upon himself the yoke of the monks, he rode upon neither horse, nor ass, nor mule ; and he slept neither in a bed nor upon a mattress, but upon ashes strewn upon the ground. And he used to set a stone upon his chest [Fol. iid]. By night he toiled with it [lying] upon his neck, and by day he put it upon his head; when he stood up he would bear it upon his head, and when he bowed himself to the ground in prayer he would set it upon his back. Now this stone was as much as a man could carry. And he used to do this con- tinually except upon Sabbaths and Festival days, throughout which he was wont to sing psalms and spiritual hymns, so that his body might have no peace until the end of the day of the festival. And it came to pass one day that a certain man was sent unto him from the blessed Saint Gabra Krestos, the anchorite of the city of Damat^ whom God Almighty had visited and had made to know all things by the might of the Holy Spirit. And he whom Gabra Krestos had sent unto Maba' Seyon said unto him, "Come, "let us foregather, for I have [to tell thee of] a matter of the Spirit "which I have seen concerning thee." And Mabi' Seyon said unto the messenger, "How had Gabra Krestos knowledge of me?" And ' Psalm XXXIV. 13. ^ The ordinary version has (OW^ihl : In every other respect this quotation is 3.cciir3.tc 3 A Province of Goyam between Agawmidir and Abawi; see Conti Rossini, Caialogo dei nomi propri, p. 22; Ludolf, Hist. Aeth., i. 3. 16. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' SEYON. 35 he replied, "I know not how he knew concerning thee." Then the blessed Maba' Seyon said, "Let the will of God Almighty be done, "and let. Him [Fol. 12 a] bring me unto Gabra Krestos." And straight- way he rose up and set out on the journey, and he arrived at the place where Gabra Krestos was, having travelled in that day three days' journey. And it came to pass when Gabra Krestos the anchorite saw him that he rejoiced , and he embraced him with a spiritual embrace and said unto him, "How hast thou fared, O my son?" And he replied, "Through thy holy prayers, O my father, I have come safe "and sound"; and they discoursed together concerning the things of righteousness. Then Maba' Seyon said unto Gabra Krestds, "Why "hast thou called me, a sinful man whom thou knowest not, hither?" And he replied, "I both know and have seen thee." And Maba' Seyon said unto him, "How hast thou known me? Tell me, for "Christ's sake, where thou hast seen me?" And Gabra Krestos spake unto him, saying, "According to that which was usual for me, a bright "cloud came, and bore me along, and brought me into Jerusalem "unto the grave of our Lord. And I drew nigh to the altar to partake "of the Eucharist along with the saints; and when we had partaken "we came back so that each man of us might depart to his own "country; now, some of us were borne along upon the cloud and "some of us upon the wing of the spirit. And thee I saw in the place "where God had made us to assemble [Fol. 12 (5] so that He might "bestow good gifts upon us." And Maba' Seyon said unto him, "Father, since the matter was thus, why did not I also have knowledge "of thee when I was there?" Then Gabra Krestos made answer unto him saying, "O my son, He turneth back many without making them "known to each other when they come to partake of the Eucharist; "thou wast there at the time [appointed by] Him, and unless the time PLATE VI. I. Abba Gabriel in his church. II. Maba' Seyon receiving the mark of the priesthood from Abba Gabriel the Bishop in the presence of the brethren. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA.' SByON. 36 "had been appointed by Him, it would have been impossible for thee "to be there. Listen, then, and I will tell thee. When it is right that "people who are in the world, both men and women, should, by reason "of their good works, partake of the Eucharist before those men who "are monks, He permitteth them to do so; but the saints grieve be- "cause those who are in the world precede them.'" And it came to pass that when the blessed Maba' Seyon heard this he marvelled, and was struck with wonder. Then he asked Gabra Krestos questions concerning the doctrines and the works of righteousness,' and concerning the rules of the monks, even as it is written, "Ask thy father and he shall tell thee." And Gabra Krestos taught him and instructed him in all the [Fol. 130] works of right- eousness, and he prophesied saying, "Thou shalt become a priest, "and many shall be saved through thy beatitude, and shall be "sanctified through thy words; but first of all, lay firm hold upon the "love of our Lord Jesus Christ." Then he blessed him and sent him away in peace, and Maba' Seyon returned unto his own country glorifying God Almighty, praised be He! And it came to pass that he went to Abba Gabriel the Bishop together with many of the brethren, and he received the mark of the priesthood, and became a priest. And he ministered as priest with the Body and Blood of our Lord, and he lifted up the precious Eucharist even as priests are wont to lift it up. May his help be with the soul of the sinner ^ Gabra Krestos wishes Maba' Seyon to understand that God had brought him to Jerusalem to partake of the Eucharist before himself and his brother ascetics because the excellence of Maba' Seyon's spiritual life was greater than theirs; this being so he was in duty bound to become a monk. " /. e., of the ascetic life. PLATE VII. Maba' Sey6n administering the Sacrament and admonishing the recipients not to bite the bread but to swallow it unbitten, because the Virgin Mary who has appeared unto him with tears running down her face, has told him that she is greatly moved when the bread, which is the Body of her Son Christ, is bitten by the teeth of those who take it in their mouths. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' SfiYON. 37 his servant Takla Hayminot, and with [that of] his beloved [wife] Walatta Seyon for ever and for ever! Amen. [Fol. I5«] And it came to pass on a certain day that a great miracle was made manifest, and Maba' Seyon who was offering up the incense before the altar saw it, and spake, saying: — "When the "priest had gone forth to read the Gospel, I saw the Offering moving, "about hither and thither upon the paten. And when I had lifted up "the covering thereof with my hand so that I might know what had "happened, I saw a veritable white Lamb there; and I was greatly "perturbed, and I covered up the paten as it was before. And when "the priest had ended the reading of the Gospel, and had pronounced "the prayer of consecration, he turned and made the bread ready, "and we all received it, men and women alike. Now this appearance "continued for three days." "And again it came to pass on a certain day that I was sent "to minister along with another priest, and that at the time when the "Eucharist was being received an awful thing happened. I saw a "woman of august and venerable appearance, shining with light, but "tears were streaming from her eyes, and I was horribly afraid. And "she answered and said unto me, 'Dost thou see how the people are "'crushing the [Fol. 15 (5] beloved Body of my Son with their teeth? "'When I see this my own bowels also are consumed. Is it possible '"that they imagine that my Son is dead, and that they do not know "'that He is alive?'" With such words did our Lady Mary speak to him; and he also wept by reason of her weeping. And Maba' Seyon spake unto the priests and deacons and unto the men and women of the congregation, saying, "Bite not the bread with your front teeth. PLATE Vlir. Maba' Seyon being blessed by Saint Takla Hayaminot at the Monastery of Libanos. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' s6y6n. 38 "neither crush ye it with the teeth of your jaws, but [touch it] only "with your tongues and with the roofs of your mouths (?)"; and by reason of these words the people ate it reverently. Now, though some folk paid heed to them others did not, but they derided Maba' Seyon, saying, "The Lord in the Gospel saith, 'Eat my body", but "this man saith unto us, 'Ye shall not eat [it]'." And it came to pass that when he heard that [some of them] derided him, he said, "I have "only commanded that they shall not eat unto [their own] slaughter; "but let them not imagine that I have spoken unto them on my "own authority. However, I have delivered myself, [Fol. i6a] and it "is for each and all of them to know [this]." [Fol. 17 «] Then Maba' Seyon rose up and went to the Monas- tery of Libanos in order to receive a blessing at the grave of our father Takla Haymanot. And one of the saints who was praying in the church on the first day of the week, whilst the priests were chanting the psalms and hymns for the Pentecost festival,' on the day of the honourable commemoration of his festival, said to him,^ "I saw a man of comely and venerable appearance, who was our "father Takla Haymanot*, administering the Eucharist, whilst a multi- "tude of priests and deacons stood round about him. And straightway "he beckoned to Mabi' Seyon, and gave him the bread of the "Eucharist, and held him firmly with his right hand; and after him "he gave [the offering] to the others." And when he heard this he > St. Matthew XXVI. 26. ^f.(h : KlU'^ '. OAO" : Hfl'-Kf : f»?1 " ^ Read aOM : 3 I. e., to the writer of this history. , r a ^ u -. 4 Takla Haymanot is said to have died ori the night of the 27th of August but he is commemorated on the 24th of August; see the Calender m ^tl^t^^^^s (Nahasse 24 th) Commentary, p. 426. According to one authority he died aged 103 years I. Saint Takla Hayamanot giving the sop to Maba' Seyon before the other members of the congregation. PLATE IX. II. Samuel the Prophet appearing unto Maba' Seyon in a cloud of light. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' ?EY6n. 39 rejoiced, and gave thanks, unto God Almighty; and he returned in peace to his own country. And it came to pass one day as Mabi' Seyon was standing in the high place, on the twenty-ninth day of the month Tekemt', that he saw above his head a cloud of light, wherein appeared a man [Fol. rjb] whose face shone with light; and his beard fell upon his broad breast, and in his hand there was a cross of light. And he said to Maba' Seydn, "Peace, O my son"; and he replied "Who art "thou?" And the man said unto him, "I am Samuel thy father whom "God hath sent unto thee that I might visit thee and find out what "is thy sorrow by reason of which thou weepest before God Al- "mighty." And Maba' Seyon said, "My sorrow is great" ; and Samuel said unto him, "Sorrow not, neither be cast down in any way, for "God Almighty is with thee." And Maba' Seyon said unto him, "Remember me in thy prayers"; and Samuel answered and said unto him, "How could I possibly omit thee [from them]? And now, no "evil whatsoever shall befall thee." And saying these words he blessed Maba' Seyon, and went his way from him. And Maba' Seyon gave and 45 days, and according to another, 99 years, 10 months, and 10 days. At one time of his life he ate and drank only once a week, on Sunday, and one of his feet rotted off in consequence, and was buried by his disciples in the church. When he had led this life for seven years, Christ appeared unto him and told him that his end was nigh, and that his body should remain buried for fifty-six years, after which time it should be removed, and a large monastery should be built over the place where it would lie. The translation of his bones took place on the 12 th day of the month Genbot (= 7 th of May), in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Saifa:-Arad, i. e., A. D. 1367. See Conti Rossini, // Gadla Takla Haymanot, p. 46ff.; Basset, Atudes sur t Histoire d'^.thiopie, p. lOi; Ludolf, Hist. Aeth., Commentary, p. 416. ' I. e., 26th October, a day of the commemoration of the birth of Christ, A.fi t JhCfltft : Samuel the Prophet is commemorated on the 9th of Sane, i. e.. May 3, and on the 27th of Nahasse, i. e., August 20. PLATE X. Saint Takia Haymanot conversing with MaM' Seyon at the Monastery of Libinos (?). THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SfiYON. 40 thanks unto God Almighty and said, "Let the name of Him Who "hath searched me out in the plenitude of His mercy be blessed," And again, on the fifth day of the month Hamle", at the hour of night, when the sixth day of the week was about to dawn, the Apostles appeared unto him and gave him the salutation of peace; [Fol. 18 d] and Peter administered unto him the Eucharist. And multi- tudes of the righteous and of the martyrs used to visit him continually, but if we were to attempt to write down the names of each of them [our] discourse would become inordinately long. And similarly the grace of our Lord visited Maba' Seyon. May his help be with the sinful soul of Takla Haymanot, and with that of his beloved [wife] Walatta Seyon for ever and ever! Amen. [Fol. 19^] Then Maba' Seyon diligently kept with honour the festivals of the Lord, both those of His Nativity' and of His circum- cision ^ and all the festivals of the Son, as well as [those of] the first day which is the Sabbath. And besides all [these] works of excellence he praised God and sang hymns to Him with music continually [with a voice] like unto thunder; and moreover, he did this also on the festival ^ I. e., July 29, the day of the commemoration of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and of the "seventy disciples", hC^Mr : (l-tt'i : ^ The birth of Christ was commemorated on the 29 th of each month. 3 The Conception of Christ was commemorated on the 29th of Magabit, i. e., March 2$; His Circumcision on the 6th of Ter, i. e., January i; His Baptism on the nth of Ter, i. e., January 6; His Flight from fhfl: to 4^ftA^ : on the 6 th of H^dar, i. e., November 2; His Fasting on the 4 th of Jakatit, i. e., January 29; His Flight to Egypt on the 24th of Gfinbot, i. e., May 19; His Entrance into Jerusalem (Feast of Palms) on the 22nd of Magabit, i. e., March 18; His Transfiguration on the 13 th of Nahasse, i. e., August 6; His Passion of the 27 th of Magabit, i. e, March 23; His Resurrection on the 29 th of Magabit, i. e„ March 25; and His Ascension on the 8th of Genbot, i. e.. May 3. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYi^M WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' §£;y6n. 4 1 of our Lady, the holy Virgin Mary. Now unto other folk he gave admonition, and exhorted them carefully, saying, "Make ye not the "festivals of the saints like unto the festivals of our Lord." And for the angels he invented festivals, and for the saints he made festivals of sanctification ; and he stablished orders of men for the series of the festivals of the Son, and for the festival[s] of her who gave Him birth, the Virgin Mary.' And he spake unto them, saying, "Let us neither "eat nor drink, and let us give unto the Lord the portion which is "His, but the portion which belongeth to her who bore Him, the "Virgin Mary, let us give to the poor, and to the needy, and to "those who are with child. And for ' ourselves we will do nothing "except after [Fol. 20 a] we have brought in according to their names ' "those who are gathered together and have given [their portion] unto "them." And they said unto him, "Command us according to thy "wish." And he said unto them, "For my part I desire that we should "give the one half [of what belongeth] to our company; but let us "be satisfied to give less, and we will make one third to be their "share." And all those who were gathered together agreed [to this]. Thenceforward, on all the days of the festivals of the Son, he made the prayer for the gift of good things to come first, and then he divided .the offerings of food into portions for three tables; and the portion of one of them he gave to the poor, and the needy, both men and women alike, and to the aged, and to those who were with child, and to the destitute, and to those who were ready to perish. ' The conception of the Virgin Mary is commemorated on the 1 6 th of Tahshash, i. e, December I2; her birth on the lOth of Maskarram, i. e., September 7; her entrance into the Temple on the 3rd of Tahshash, i. e, November 29; her purification on the 8 th of Yakatit, i. e., February 2; her death on the 21st of Tfir, i. e., January 16; and her ascension into heaven on the 16 th of Nahasse, i. e., August 9. A festival m honour of the Virgin was celebrated on the 21st of each month. PLATE XL Saint George, by the command of the Virgin Mary, riding to gather together the saints to the feast which Maba' Seyon has made in honour of her nativity. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' s£y6n. 42 And after he had given them both meat and drink, they all gave thanks and cried out, saying, "Praise be unto God Almighty Who hath "created us that we may render service unto Him"; and then Maba' Seyon made ready a table for himself and those who were with him. And on the day of the festival of the nativity of our Lady Mary, the mother of God, he invited the priests and the deacons, and made a feast for them; and he made them sit down and he himself ministered unto them. [Fol. 20<5]. And many of the saints said, "And straightway "we saw our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, going round about along "with him as he went about ministering. And calling unto Saint "George, that star of glory, she said unto him, 'Go and bring to- "'gether the saints who are in heaven, and those who are upon earth, "'from [their] cells and caves, in order that they may be gathered '"together in honour of my nativity to my beloved Maba' Seyon, for '"I and my Son will keep the feast here'. And straightway Saint "George mounted his horse and did as she had bidden him to do; "and the saints were gathered together, and our Lord came down "[from heaven], and there was great and marvellous glory in that "place. And seventy priests went round about with him burning in- "cense in their censers, but as for the multitudes of people who were "gathered together there, no man knoweth their number except God "Almighty. And preparations were made for celebrating the service "of the Mysteries of the heavenly [Fol. 21a] Queen, and the Eucharist "was administered unto those who were gathered together. And the "rejoicing was great among all people, and was continued for three "whole days after the day of the festival had passed." And again, a certain man who was arrayed in the glory of virginity said, "As I was going to the Mary Chapel on the festival I. Maba' Seyon feeding the poor and needy. II. Mabi' Seyon sitting at meat and ministering unto his companions. PLATE XII. III. Maba' Seyon, accompanied by Christ and the Virgin Mary, ministering unto the saints whom Saint George had gathered together by the Virgin's ordets on the day of the celebration of the festival of her vity. On the right are priests with censers. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' SEYON. 43 "of her nativity, I found myself in the company of a man who, against "my wish', urged me and brought me into his habitation, and I tarried "there. And about the time of midnight I looked out upon the wide "expanse of the country, and behold, it was filled with the saints and "with those who were arrayed in the glory of chastity, and I myself "stood up along with them. And straightway the heavens were rent "asunder, and there was mighty dread [upon them], and a cloud "of light like unto the sun descended, and out from it there came an "august Child, from whom went forth lightning among the saints [that "were there]. And Maba' Seyon rushed forth and took hold of the "Child, and they embraced each other's neck, and kissed each other. "And the saints marvelled and disputed among themselves for what "reason so great an act of grace had been shewn unto him. [Fol. 21 3] "And some there were who said, 'It is because Maba' Seyon celebrateth "'the festival of the nativity of His mother, and the Child is pleased "'thereat'; but in our opinion [his coming was as much as to say], '"I am sorry that I did not come to thee [before]'. And thus indeed "did the Child speak to Maba' Seyon who, when he heard it, rejoiced, "and in future time celebrated the festival with still greater honour. "And each month ^ he paid honours unto her by reason of the majesty "of her nativity, and on the sixteenth day [of each month] he celebrated "her honourable ascent into heaven. And it came to pass that many "miracles and wonderful things were wrought during the festivals of "our Lady Mary." And Maba' Seyon spake continually unto the Virgin Mary, saying, "Look thou upon me, and be not thou ashamed of thy servant." ' Read i.^AI : " Read AAcoCi- : PLATE XIII. I. Maba' Seyon in the desert. II. Maba' Seyon and his companion are led by night to the river by a bright star ; out of the darkness the Devil appears, hissing lil^e a snake, but he is put to flight by the Lamb of Life which comes down from heaven in answer to the prayers of the saint. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SEY6n. 44 And he began to fast with severity in order that he might yoke himself unto God Almighty. And he made bonds and fetters for his legs, and chains for his hands and sides, and for his loins also did he make bonds; and on the days when he fasted he put on sack- cloth beneath his garments in order that men might not know [that he was wearing it]. And he ate [Fol. 22 a] once every three days of the herbs of the field, and by reason of the exceedingly great pain of his fasting he used to go and stand in the water of the river until the flesh of his body wasted away. And it came to pass one day that a certain man from among those who were with him asked him, saying, "What dost thou see in front of thee when thou goest down "into the river at night time?" And he said unto them, "What shall "I not see in front of me and in front of you?" And our father Maba' Seyon gave praise unto God Almighty, and said, "Whenever "I go forth from my habitation, a brilliant star appeareth and leadeth "me as I watch it unto the river"; and when we heard [this] we marvelled at the good things which God worketh for His saints. And it came to pass as they were standing in the river that Satan came forth from out of the darkness, hissing like a serpent; by his wrathful aspect he made them sore afraid, but his speech was not to be understood. And our father Maba' Seyon said, "Be strong in the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ", and he made the sign of the cross [Fol. 22<5] over himself. Then suddenly a Lamb' descended from heaven with great majesty, and his colour ' The lamb here depicted is identical in form and appearance with the lamb which was the type and symbol of Amen-Ra, the great god of the confraternity of Amen at Thebes, from about B. C. 1700 to B. C. 700. One of the titles of this god is I J] , and curiously enough, this tide is reproduced in ■ I ^^ I r— n— 1 aS. shefsheft — ^ ^^ ^ the Ethiopic by the words ^ajE. : lO^ THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SEYON. 45 was red like that of a lion, and he was furnished with horns; and he stood on the river bank and turned himself about, hither and thither, and by reason of the awful majesty of his appearance Satan the deceiver vanished. Praise and thanksgiving be unto the Lamb of Life Who descended from heaven and delivered His servants by a nod from their adversary, the hater of that which is good; in like manner may He deliver the soul of the sinner Takla Haymanot, and [that of] his be- loved [wife] Walatta Seyon, for ever and ever and ever! Amen. [Fol. 25 «] And moreover, I will describe unto you the virtue and the excellence of Maba' Seyon. He said, "There came to me "an odour of life, and the smell thereof was more beautiful than the "smell of incense; and during the time [I was there in the monastery] "sometimes I was ■ standing up, and sometimes I was sitting down, "and sometimes I was with the brethren; but never even for a moment "did the odour leave me. Then I meditated as to what had come "upon me, and I went to the saints, so that if God Almighty had "shewn them concerning the odour they might tell me. Now when I "arrived I told them all that had happened to me; and when they "had heard' they marvelled and blessed the God of mercy" And one said unto the holy and blessed man Maba' Seyon, "The smell of "this odour of thine is Jesus Christ, and it is His custom to give forth "an odour when He cometh unto His chosen ones; first of all He "bestoweth the gift of His scent upon them, and then He cometh and "sitteth at meat with them. Now take thou heed that thou be prepared "to see Him; and when He breatheth forth the odour upon thee pay "homage unto Him, and know thou that indeed [Fol. 25 <5] He hath Read m(mjiao< •, PLATE XIV. I. Maba' Seyon embracing the Christ-Child on the day of His Nativity. II. Maba' Seyon offering the Christ-Child a part of his apparel. III. Maba' Seyon lending to another man the part of his apparel in which the Christ-Child arrayed Himself when He came to the earth to visit the saint. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' S£y6n. 46 "come unto thee." And when Maba' Seyon heard this he was greatly- troubled, and he said, "What can I say unto Him, for I am a sinner? "But let Him prepare me [to receive Him] according to His good "pleasure" ; and the saints who were there said, "Amen". And it came to pass that he abode there for a few days, and that the odour which came forth from him did not leave [him]. And it came to pass on a day, which was the twenty-ninth day of the month Takhshash', that is to say the day of the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, that when he went out from his habitation to celebrate the festival, straightway a light [as] of the moon cleft the heavens; and Maba' Seyon prayed unto God Almighty. Then immediately he saw the doors of heaven open wide. "And there "descended, [he said] behold as it were brilliant lightning before my "sight; and when the lightning drew nigh unto me, it was the Child "[Jesus], and He seated Himself in my arms and embraced my neck. "Then straightway fear and trembling laid hold upon me, and I melted "and became like unto wax. And the Child answered and said unto "me, 'Fear thou not. I am the Child of Mary, Who was born on "'this day'. [Fol. 26 a\ And having said the words He hugged my "face, and by reason of the sweetness of His words, and of that "which dropped from His mouth I ceased to feel that my heart was in "despair. And I brought unto Him as an offering some of my "apparel- one day, and when He wished to depart from me I said "unto Him, 'O my Lord, wilt Thou go without a sign that I have satisfied "'Thee?' And straightway He spat His spittle upon my garments, "and said unto me, 'Take [this], and let it be an emblem of hope for ' I. e., December 25. I. Christ telling the monk in a dream that Maba' Seyon had lent a part of his apparel to another man. PLATE XV. II. The monk rebuking Maba' Seyon. III. Maba' Seyon confessing to Abba Timon what he had done. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SfiYON. 47 "'thee, and thou shalt comfort thyself therewith. And I will never "'forsake thee, and I will be with thee continually'. And when He "had said this He was caught up into heaven, and I remained kissing "the spittle which had come forth from His holy mouth ; and on that "day I did not partake of the Eucharist because I licked the spittle "in the place thereof." "And it came to pass on a day that a certain man came to "me" [said Maba' Seyon] "and said unto me, 'Lend me some of thy "'raiment', and I lent him a garment which was a portion of my "apparel. And straightway there came unto me a certain monk from "a distance, and he spake unto me harshly, saying, [Fol. 2.6 b\ 'I have '"seen a vision concerning thee'. And I said unto him, 'What is it?' "And he said unto me, 'There came unto me a young man of beautiful '"appearance, and he stood at my head, and spake with me in a dream '"saying. Hearken unto me concerning Maba' Seyon. I came unto '"him, and I embraced him, and I spat my spittle upon his garment^ '"and I rested myself in confidence therein; but now he has lent the '"garment to another. And I said unto him. Who art thou? And '"he said unto me. He knoweth me. But now, speak [in answer] to '"what I say unto thee'." And it came to pass that when our father Maba' Seyon heard this he fell upon his face and wept exceedingly. Then he went to the Mary Chapel and came unto our father Timon, who was full of the spirit— now Timon was his spiritual father— and he said unto him, "Hear, O my father, what hath come upon me"; and he told him everything which had happened. And when Abba Timon had heard these words from him, he rejoiced and said, "Verily, Read aRO" : PLATE XVI. I. Abba Timon finds the Virgin and Child at the east-end of the church. II. The Christ-Child addressing Abba Timon. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MAB a' SEYON. 48 "my son, thou art he [Fol. 27^] in whom the only begotten Son of "Mary is well pleased; be not thou sad, because He hath revealed "His mercy unto thee; if He be about to take vengeance upon thee, "then will He shew His anger unto thee in secret." And Maba' Seyon said unto Abba Timon, "Set me a penance, O my father, be- "cause I have sinned against the Child and have lent the garment "unto another"; and he set him a penance according to that which was meet for him. And Abba Timon said unto him, "Thou shalt "never wash that garment wherein the Child was enfolded and whereon "the son of God Almighty spat; and thou shalt fold it up and shalt "guard with purity that which hath flowed for thee from the mouth "of the Child of the Virgin upon that which was thy covering." And they discoursed together concerning the mighty things of God Almighty. And Abba Timon said unto the blessed Maba' Seyon, "Hearken "unto me and I will tell thee [a thing]. As I was walking in the "eastern part of the church at the time of the third hour after noon, I "met the Child and His Mother; now they were shining with glory "and splendour, [Fol. 27*5] and straightway I was greatly perturbed. "And I said unto them, 'Peace be unto you', and they replied, 'The '"peace of Christ be upon you'. And I said unto them, 'Who are '"you both? for the sight of you terrifieth me exceedingly'. And the "Virgin answered and said, 'I am the lily of the valley of virginity'. "And then the Child said unto me, 'I am Jesus of Galilee' ; and when I "heard [this] I bowed down to His feet in homage. Then the Virgin "raised me up and embraced me, and the Child took my mouth and "kissed me, saying, 'Let there be a sweet odour to the priesthood of "'Timon'; [and with these words] they departed from me." And when Maba' Seyon, heard these words, [and knew] that Timon should be THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' S£y6n. 49 sweeter than honey and sugar, he marvelled at the graciousness of the act, and at the beauty of the memorial of the meekness of Timdn [which had been shewn] by the son of God Almighty, and at the goodness of the spiritual ship', our Lady Mary. Then the young man Maba' Seyon was blessed by his father, [Fol. 28 a] and he came back in peace to his own country. And it came to pass after a few days that the blessed man Maba' Seyon called a certain poor deacon unto him and said, "Art "thou able to keep a matter [secret] if I tell it unto thee?" And he said unto him, "Yea, father." And Maba' Seyon said unto him, "Wilt thou bind thyself by the power of Peter and Paul that thou "wilt not relate it to any other person during my life? After my "death thou mayest do as thou pleasest." And the deacon said unto him, "Yea. Speak, O father." Then Maba' Seyon said unto him, "Hearken. One day when I was praying at the time of the third "hour of the day, I wept when I remembered 'the sufferings and "death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the grief and sorrow of His "Mother the Virgin. And I said, 'O my Lady, with what feelings of "'agony must thou have gazed on the crucifixion of thine only be- " 'gotten Son when He was naked, and on His scourging and nailing "'to the cross, and on the piercing [of the side], of thy beloved One! '"For He was thine "only Child, and He had neither brother nor sister, '"O my Lady. [Fol. 28*5] Oh, how I wish that I had been holding '"the wood of the cross of thy beloved One, and that I had died '"before the soul went forth from the Body of our Lord!' And as ' Both the Virgin Mary and the Church are compared unto a ship; see Dillmann, Lexicon, col. 75. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SfiYON. 50 "I was weeping and uttering these words there came a glorious light "upon my right hand, and straightway I saw our holy Lady, the "Virgin Mary, and she raised me up, saying, 'O Maba' Seyon, why "'dost thou weep with so great a weeping at this time? Unto me " 'belongeth the weeping, for I saw the nakedness of my beloved One, "'and the scourging of my Child, and the nailing to the cross of my '"Firstborn, and the crucifixion and death of my Only-begotten One; '"but thou didst not see [these things], therefore why shouldst thou '"weep." And as she said these words, I even I, wept with her. And "we ended our weeping, and I committed my soul to her, and she "asked for my tears [and put them] in her apparel ; then she departed. "In this wise did she act." [Fol. 3i«] And it came to pass at another time that Maba' Seyon was standing in the church at the third hour of the day, and was praying and saying, "O my Lord and .God, O my Redeemer Jesus "Christ, Thou Who art nigh unto those who call upon thee, I entreat "and supplicate Thee most earnestly not to depart from me, for the "sake of those who have been blessed by my hand; for they have "gained consolation from my words, and they have confided in me "and believed that their sins would be pardoned, not knowing that "my similitude of a righteous man is a lie. There is none pure be- "fore Thee except the blessed Mary who bore Thee; but Thou art "merciful, and longsuffering for ever. Amen." And straightway there stood before him a young man of beautiful form, and he had the sign of the cross [upon] his apparel, and a spotless crown upon his head, and he said unto him, "Behold, I have come unto thee to fulfil "thy petition, and to bestow upon thee gifts according to thy word. "I will shew mercy upon him that hath put his trust in thee, or hath PLATE XVII. I. Christ appearing to Maba' Seyon in the form of a young man. II. Christ anointing Maba' Seyon with the Essence of His Body. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' S£y6n. 5 1 "taken refuge in thy name, or hath been baptized by thee, or [Fol. 31^] "hath been blessed by thy hand, or hath walked in thy precepts, and "even if I hear that he hath heard of the fame of thee afar off I will "be gracious unto him. And this I swear unto thee by Myself I am "the Son of God Almighty, and the firstborn of the blessed Mary; "My word hath no falsehood in it, and My covenant shall never be "broken. And moreover, I swear unto thee that, when thou in the "future shalt ask of Me whatsoever thou desirest, I will hearken unto "thy petition and I will give thee according to thy wish." And saying these words He brought forth essence from His own Body and said unto Maba' Seyon, "Come hither to Me." And our Lord anointed him so that his face and the whole of his body might be covered with the essence of Divinity; then He departed from him. And his heart beat with love for Him because of His gift, and his mind was led away captive by His beauty; and the odour which Maba' Seyon had aforetime did not leave him. May God Almighty have [Fol. 32«] mercy upon us in His graciousness, and upon the sinner His servant Takla Haymanot, and upon his beloved [wife] Walatta Seyon, for ever and ever. Amen. [Fol. 33 «] In the Name of the Holy Trinity we will continue [to relate the story of Mabi' Seyon] for him that will read', or will listen thereunto with his understanding. And it came to pass that when God Almighty increased ex- ceedingly His love for Takla Maryam [who \\as surnamed Maba' Seyon], to such a degree that He visited him to give him the covenant of mercy, and fed him from His breast, Maba' Seyon meditated in ' Read AH.f}-na : N2 PLATE XVIII. Maba' Seyon exhorting the priests to celebrate the death of our Lord on the twenty-seventh day of the month IVIagablt. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' s£y6n. $2 his heart and said, "What can I give in return to my Lord God "Jesus Christ, Who hath shewn His love to me so far as to be un- "mindful of my sins? And what festival can I celebrate in return for "His love? I keep with all the honour in my .power the festivals of His "Nativity, and Baptism, and Passion, and Resurrection, along with "other folk, but what festival can I celebrate in His honour by myself? "And with what can I please Him?" And having said these words he prayed, saying, "O my Lord and God, reveal Thou unto me a "festival which I may celebrate — one which Thou wouldst wish to, be "celebrated — and with which Thou wouldst be well pleased." And the Lord heard his petition, and [considered] his meditation, and [Fol. 33 d] shewed him by the Holy Spirit that he should celebrate with honour the glorious, and holy, and excellent day wherein they crucified our Lord Jesus Christ for the redemption of the whole world. And he enquired of the priests saying, "On what day was He offered up as "a sacrifice? And on what day did our Lord and God and Redeemer "Jesus Christ rise [from the dead]?" And some said, "On the twenty- "ninth day of the month Magabit,"' and some said, "According to "the Book of the Acts of the Saints' He was offered up as a sacrifice "on the twenty-seventh day, and He rose [from the dead] on the "twenty-ninth day; and thus do the Three hundred and eighteen^ "orthodox [fathers] say in the Book of Khadar*; and thus also doth "the book [containing] the discourse on the Ascension of our Lady "Mary say." And when Maba' Seyon learnt this he rejoiced that he had found that for which he had great desire=, namely, a suitable day ' I. e., March 25. ' I. e., the Synaxarium. 3 I. e., the 318 bishops who met at Nicsea. ■* A section of the Synaxarium. 5 Read Htff"}? : THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYA M WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' SEYON. S3 and one which had not been already adopted as a festival day, and which had not been employed for the commemoration of [any one of] the saints [Fol. 34 «] or martyrs. This day then did Mabi' Seyon chose, and he loved, and beautified, and exalted and magnified [it]. And all his brethren, and sisters, and children, and relatives were gathered together, and he spake unto them, saying, "Hearken ye unto "me, and I will tell you that I have tried [to learn] how we may find "life everlasting in the kingdom of heaven. For all the saints have "acquired advantage for themselves, some by fasting, and some by "abstinence, and some by leading the life of the recluse, and some "by prayer, and some by kneeling in worship, and some by watching; "but as for us, we are unfaithful folk. Come, let us yoke ourselves "to the work of celebrating the death of our Lord and Redeemer "Jesus Christ, for by this we shall see the face of the Lord, Who "Himself said when He gave them the Mystery of Himself, 'When ye "'celebrate [this feast] do ye it in remembrance of My death', and in '"memory of My resurrection.' Ye shall proclaim the desire that we "have to celebrate His commemoration, [Fol. 343] and let us search "out and see how He Who became the firstborn of life for us may "be well pleased with us. The death of each one of our fathers the "Apostles is commemorated on the day of his festival, whilst the "death of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who Himself created them, and "sanctified them, and chose them, and exalted them, is not commemo- "rated in any way whatsoever; only His life-giving resurrection is "commemorated. If He had not died for us who would have risen "from the dead to give us life? And why should the remembrance' "of His death be less esteemed than the remembrance of His resur- ' St Luke XXII. 19; I Corinthians XI. 24. ' Read tTJJid 1 THE mSTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' f£Y6N. 54 "rection? And moreover, according to that which is meet, I desire "that no manner of work, either of the cultivation of the field, or "selling in the market-place, and no work which is done by the body, "shall be performed on the day of the festival of our Lord and "Redeemer Jesus Christ. And I desire that we celebrate the festival "with weeping, and with grief, and with exceedingly great sorrow "[Fol. 35*3!] because of the crucifixion of our glorious Redeemer. And "now, hearken, and give your assent, O ye who are with me, so that "we may undertake and carry out this thing, whether it be for our "death or for our life." And [the priests] said unto him, "We consent: "let the will of our Lord be done according to what thou hast com- "manded us. And we set thee to be our guide unto the kingdom "of heaven, to which thou thyself art the path of righteousness." And Maba' Seyon said unto them, "Entreat ye our Lord God that He "may strengthen us." Now there were certain men who hated' us, and they upbraided us, saying, "They have not the power to make laws for a festival "and to celebrate it according to their own will." [And Maba' Seyon said unto his followers,] "Ye shall not -fear those who are our enemies, "for we will confront them with the Scriptures ; and if we are not able "to answer them, let them crucify me and pierce me with the spear, "for the honouring of the death of our God, and let my death come "in this wise [Fol. 2>S^\ For He, Who died for our sakes (whether "[the festival be celebrated] on the day we name, that is to say, "on the twenty-seventh day of the month Magabit, or on any other "day, or whether we know the day or not), knoweth our mind; and "He will neither lessen our reward nor restrain us because we know ' Read HjBRiVfri 1 THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' SEYON. 55 "not [the day]. Let us, then, be bold in our mind and strong in this "work until the time when our souls shall depart from this fleeting "world." And having said these words he celebrated the festival honourably in peace, together with those men who were his associates and were firm in the faith like unto our father Maba' Seyon. May the might of his prayer preserve his beloved one lakla Haymanot and his beloved [wife] Walatta Seyon, always for ever and ever! Amen. [Fol. 37 1^] I do desire [this thing].' And He said "unto me, 'Art thou able to bear the sight of My sufferings?' And Read ;i?ltCA?L : Oz PLATE XIX. II. Christ conversing with Maba' Seyon. I. Christ, having taken Maba' Seyon to Golgotha, shews him how He was crucified in the presence of the Virgin Mary and Saint John. III. Maba' Seyon watching the Crucifixion, falls prostrate to the earth. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' §fiYUN. 56 "I said unto Him, 'The might which belongeth to Thee will give me '"strength to bear it; only do Thou, O my Lord, be pleased to let '"me see them.' Then He said unto me, 'Come, thou shalt see them.' "Then He bore me in a chariot of light and took me towards the "east, and He brought me in the twinkling of an eye unto Jerusalem ; "and He said unto me, 'This is Kranyo, {i.e., Kpaviou xotto?, i. e., '* 'Golgotha'), the place whereon I was crucified.' And straightway, "in the twinkling of an eye, the wooden cross came and stood up "here as it did in days of old, and the Lord Himself ascended it forth- "with; and He stretched out His holy hands upon the wood of the "cross, and_ His hands and His feet were nailed thereunto, and He "wore the crown of thorns upon His head, and He looked upon me "with His consoling eyes filled with tears. And straightway when "He had looked upon me my whole frame melted, and I sank down "prostrate to the. earth, and became as one dead; and had it not "been for the strength of the Lord my soul must have departed "[Fol. 38 «] forthwith from my body. And when He had come "down from His cross He said unto me, 'Did I not tell thee that '"thou wert not able to bear the sight of My sufferings?' And I "said unto Him, 'O my Lord, I did not know that Thy death would "'be such a terrifying thing, and such a horribly appalling sight. But '"blessed be Thy Name because Thou hast graciously granted unto '"me my petition and my earnest desire, and because Thou hast ful- " 'filled for me Thy loving kindness, O Thou lover of mankind. And "'now, O Lord, bless Thou me, so that I may celebrate the commemo- " 'ration of thy death according to my strength, for I am Thy servant "'Maba' Seyon. And be pleased, O Lord, to let me offer unto Thee ' St. Matthew XXVII. 33; St. Mark XV. 22; St. John XIX. 17. THE HISTORY OF. TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' S£y6n. 57 '"a little oblation, and incense, and offerings, in return for the smiting '"of Thy cheeks, and the blows upon Thy head, and the beating of '"Thy back, and the nailing of Thy hands and feet to the cross, and '"the piercing of Thy side, and the wounding of Thy body, and the '"shedding of Thy, precious blood. Be Thou graciously pleased [to '"grant] me [this] which I shall love [to do]'." ■ And it came to pass when our father Maba' Seyon had said those things unto the Lover of men that the Lord said unto him, "It shall be unto thee as thou wishest, O holy and [Fol. 38 <5] blessed "one, and on the day wherein thou celebratest My commemoration I "will not depart from thee. And not only on the day wherein thou "celebratest my commemoration [will I be with thee], but never at any "time will I leave thee; and each time that thou makest mention of "My name I will not be absent from thee, for as thou hast loved "Me, even so do I love thee. Only, however, choose thou in what "form I am to appear unto thee, whether I am to come as a child, "or as a young man, or in the form in which I have appeared unto "thee in the sufferings of My death." "And I Maba' Seyon said unto Him, 'Let it be according to '"Thy good pleasure'. And then a second time He said, 'Do thou '"choose according to thy heart's desire.' And I said unto Him, 'Since '"Thou hast permitted me so to do I will choose; by Thy good '"pleasure unto me the sinner Thy servant Maba' Seyon, I desire that '"Thou shouldst appear unto me in the form of a gentle child'." And the Lord said unto him, 'I consent'. And straightway the blessed man bowed down to the ground and paid homage unto Him, and gave praise unto Him; then the chariot of light bore him away and brought him to his own country, and our Lord [Fol. 39 «] covered him with glory indescribable. May his labours guard His servant ;3C PLATE XX. I. Maba' Seyon grinding corn ; the II. Servant bringing water III. Maba' Seyon mixing IV. Maba' Seyon carrying_ flour is running into a jar. or ale for the feast. dough for the festival cakes. w^ood for the bakery fire. V. Servant filling an earthenware bottle with beer for Mabi' Seyon to take to the table. VI. The hungry sitting at meat on the day of the festival, and being ministered unto by Mabi' Seyon. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABA' s£y6n. 58 Takla Haymanot and his beloved [wife] Walatta Seyon for ever and ever 1 Amen. [Fol. 40 a] And it came to pass at that time that Maba' Seyon persevered the more, and he was eaten up with care for the celebration of the commemoration of the death of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ And he crushed wheat with his own hands, and prepared ale from grain, and baked bread; and he brought water and poured it unto jars. And he hewed wood and carried it upon his head and shoulders, and thereby he made himself like unto our Lord Jesus Christ, Who bore the wood of His cross that He might redeem His handiwork, saying, "I also will carry [the wood] that I may celebrate "His commemoration, and that I may be His servant." Now he honoured Him with the most humble service, for in the presence of his servants he kindled the fire, and although he was a priest and a teacher he bowed the knee in service; he did not desire to do himself honour with the wine of the love of the Son of Mary nor to be drunk therewith. And he turned not backward but celebrated the festival on the twenty-seventh' day of the month Magabit with praise, and with fasting, along with the priests [Fol. 40 3] and deacons, and with holiness, and with incense, and with the offering up of prayer, and with the feeding of the hungry, and with the giving of drink to the thirsty, in commemoration of the death of the Redeemer. And moreover, he stablished an order of priests [to serve] each month, and he appointed each company to its month by lot. And he spake unto them, saying, "Ye shall serve and labour for the com- "memoration of the death of your -God until your strength shall fail. ' Read n(D%A : PLATE XXI. Maba' Seyon exhorting the company of priests to keep diligently, and with all honour, the festival of the death of our Lord. THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' s£y6n. 59 "and until the sweat shall fall from ^ou drop by drop, and until your "bones shall crumble to pieces, and until your blood be shed. Hear ye "what our Lord saith in the Gospel' .-—'Whosoever giveth a cup of '"cold water in the name of My disciple, verily I say unto you, he •"shall not lose his reward.' Whosoever worketh in His name shall "certainly find honour and grace with Him. Toil ye then, and labour "for the sake of the honour of His death, and for the sake of His "mother's weeping, and for the sake of the wonder of His Passion. "And keep ye Him in your minds that ye may do honour to Him to "the utmost, and let the festival of the commemoration of the Son of "God Almighty be greater than the festivals of the saints [Fol, 41a] "and righteous men. If ye do these things with the firm endeavour "of your heart, ye shall be judged, but He will judge me for your "sakes; only be ye not disturbed by the talking of the tongue, and "by the rising up of Satan, and keep ye yourselves from the snares "of the world." In this wise did our father Maba' Seyon, the preacher of holiness, the priest, exhort continually those who were about to celebrate the commemoration of the Redeemer; may his prayer pre- serve his beloved one Takla Haymanot, and his beloved [wife] Walatta Seyon -like the pupil of the eye for ever and ever! Amen. [Fol. 423] Now Maba Seyon set his mind with zeal and diligence to celebrate the commemoration of [the death of] our Redeemer each year from the day of the Eve of Easter, and no computation was brought into his counting. He celebrated the commemoration of the Redeemer for three days, along with [the commemoration of] His ' St. Matthew X. 42. The ordinary text reads OJHAflt? : hih^ : Ky°Xrt- ! IMl : » THE HISTORY OF TAKLA MARYAM WHO WAS SURNAMED MABa' 8£y6n. 6o holy Resurrection in seven days, thus counting the tenth, twentieth, thirtieth, and fortieth day until he came to the Eve of Easter each year, whereby the day of His Crucifixion always arrived, whether with the [first day of the] month, or the second, or the third, according ^s the month occurred'. On this day he celebrated the commemoration of the Redeemer each time in its proper month; but on the day of the Easter Eve he celebrated the festival saying, "On this day our "Lord and God and Redeemer Jesus Christ was crucified for the re- "demption of the whole world, at His own desire and by His good "pleasure; He never committed sin, and no falsehood was ever found' "in His mouth; He suffered and died for the sins of many." On this day [Fol. 4.3a], on each Eve [of Easter], for a memorial of His death, Maba' Seyon used to pierce his own side, and make himself bow the knee. And he used to bake bread-cakes made of the finest wheat flour, and make divination by casting lots [therewith]; now he ornamented [them], and scented [them], and stamped them with the sign of the Cross. And after the Offering he used to break the [remainder] and give them round to the children of the church, and he had the cups filled with drink, and many sick and diseased persons were healed when they ate the bread which had been made in com- memoration of the Redeemer. And the folk came from far and near anxiously wishing to eat in faith the bread which Maba' Seyon had offered^ up, may his prayer and blessing deliver us and all those who hear from the hosts of the Adversary, and from disputes with the tongue; and may he protect the sinner his servant Takla ' I am not certain that I have rightly understood the text of this passage. ^ Read wfL-tiHa : 3 Read HA*