Kebra Nagast and its place in Ethiopian Christianity

The Kebra Nagast (Glory of Kings), written in ancient Ethiopian (Geez) and composed in the XIV century, is one of the fundamental works of Ethiopian Christian literature. The text was characterized by mythological features and contains an origin narrative familiar to the Ethiopian society for centuries. According to the text, a king named Bayna-Lehkem (Son of the Wise Man, Menelik), born of the union of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Makeda), brought the ark of the covenant (tabot) from Jerusalem to Ethiopia, which is the abode of God and brings glory wherever it goes. In this way, the text contains the claim that chosenness was taken from the people of Israel and transferred to the Ethiopian society. The same text also functions as a basis for the Solomonic dynasty, which came to power in the late thirteenth century and claimed a lineage through Solomon, to justify its legitimate origin narrative. In this respect, the Kebra Nagast is a text with theo-political claims, attributed historical value by the church, and reflects the characteristics of origin and prestige myths. Our thesis examines the place of the Kebra Nagast text in Ethiopian Christianity in terms of religious and political reflections.