The Glory of Kings

folklore character original: "lore character", derived from the Old Testament, later Rabbinic writings, and Egyptian (both pagan and Christian), Arabian, and Ethiopian sources. We know nothing of the early history of the compilation, its creator, or its subsequent editors. However, the main foundation of its earliest form consists of traditions that were common in Syria, Palestine, Arabia, and Egypt during the first four centuries of the Christian era.

After carefully weighing everything written by scholars such as Dillmann, Trump, Zotenberg, Wright, and Bezold, and considering the likely facts of the matter, it seems to me that we will not be far wrong if we date the composition of the earliest form of the KEBRA NAGAST to the sixth century AD. Its compiler was probably a Coptic The native Christian church of Egypt priest, as the books he used were writings accepted by the Coptic Church. Whether he lived in Egypt, in Aksum, or in some other part of Ethiopia matters little; however, the colophons Notes at the end of a manuscript providing details about its production of the surviving Ethiopic The classical Ge'ez language of Ethiopia manuscripts of the KEBRA NAGAST suggest that he originally wrote in Coptic.

In the following centuries—likely as a result of the widespread conquests of Muhammad and his Caliphs original: "Khalîfahs"—the Coptic text was translated, in whole or in part, into Arabic. During this translation process, many additions were made, primarily from Arabic sources. Finally, this Arabic version was translated into Ethiopic, and proper names underwent strange transformations during the process. According to the notes in the manuscripts held in the British Museum, Oxford, and Paris, the Arabic translation was made from the Coptic in the 409th "Year of Mercy," during the reign of Gabra Masqal (commonly known as Lalibala) over Ethiopia—that is original: "i.e.", between AD 1314 and 1344. These same sources state that the Ethiopic translation was made later by a man named Isaac, about whom nothing is known except that he was a devoted Christian visionary and patriot.