Traditions in
the early churches of Ethiopia maintain that
much of the country once held Jewish beliefs
and culture as part of its religious legacy.
It is possible that Judaism may have entered
(modern-day) Ethiopia as early as the 8th
century BCE. Although these speculations are
based on just a few somewhat controversial
material pieces of evidence, there has not
been any good counter-explanation regarding
their presence or appearance into Ethiopian
history, which substantially increases the
possibility of the Jewish Pre-settlement
Theory.
What we call
the Jewish Pre-settlement Theory essentially
states that starting around the 8th century
BCE until about the 5th century BCE, there was
an influx of Jewish settlers both from Egypt
& Sudan in the north, and southern
Arabia in the east. Whether these settlers
arrived in great numbers is yet a matter of
debate. What is certain, however, is that
these settlers must have preceded the
arrival of Christianity. Evidence for their
presence exists not only in historical
books, but also material artifacts quite
depicting ancient Jewish ceremony. For
instance the Temple at Yeha (in Tigray
province), which is said to have been
erected in the 6th century BCE, is believed
to an architectural copy of other Jewish
temples found in Israel and Egypt during the
pre-Babylonian era (before 606 BCE). Another
example is found on the monastery islands of
Lake Tana (northern Gojjam), where several
archaic stone altars, fashioned in the
manner of Jewish sacrificial alters of
pre-8th century BCE Israel, have been found
not only preserved in good condition but
also containing blood residue. The manner of
the blood placed on the stone altars was
found to be typical to a culture that
strongly adhered to Mosaic Law.
Although not
written until the early medieval era, it is
around this time that paramythical stories
such as the affair of King Solomon with
Makeda Queen of Saba, or Queen of
Sheba, and the coming of the
Ark of the Covenant take place. Although the
subject matter is highly controversial, it
is said that Queen Makeda—who supposedly
ruled over a very small area in modern-day
southern Eritrea—made a long distance
pilgrimage to Jerusalem as a
result of her fascination with his famed
wisdom. During her stay, King Solomon was so
much entranced with her beauty and her
fidelity, that he felt that he had to have
her. So one evening, he ordered his royal
cooks to increase the amount of pepper in
the meal which would be served for dinner.
However, he also ordered the water bearers
not to give anyone any water unless
specifically authorized by him and to also
place a jug of water in his bedchamber.
Queen Makeda, realizing his trickery, played
along with him thinking that she could
easily go without water for the evening. Her
self-confidence unfortunately proved to be
quite too high when she, unable to cope with
her dehydration, finally gave in to his
desire and slept with him for a drink of
water. This affair was what led to the birth
of King Menelik I. The legend further says
that at age twenty-five, Menelik returned to
Jerusalem and covertly stole the Arc of the
Covenant.
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