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Mäṣḥafä Bərhan (Book of Light)

Ethiopian (Ethiopia)

Not on view


During his reign, from 1434 to 1468, King Zärʾa Yaʿəqob composed homilies intended to be read in all the churches of his kingdom. Assembled in his expansive Book of Light are precise instructions to the clergy and the faithful. With the assistance of this text, Zärʾa Yaʿəqob expanded the cult of Mary in the Ethiopian Church and instituted the ritual veneration of Marian icons. This entire codex was copied under the supervision of the priest-administrator (qäys gäbäz) Səmʿon, in and for an unidentified church.

Mäṣḥafä Bərhan (Book of Light), Black and red ink on parchment, Ethiopian (Ethiopia)

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Académie des sciences, on deposit at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des Manuscrits, fonds d'Abbadie

Mäṣḥafä Bərhan (Book of Light), Black and red ink on parchment, Ethiopian (Ethiopia)
Mäṣḥafä Bərhan (Book of Light), Black and red ink on parchment, Ethiopian (Ethiopia)

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