Gadla Abuna Hara Dengel: Textual and Historical Analysis
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Date
2007
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The thesis describes and analyzes two hagiographical manuscripts on Abuna
Mara Dengel who lived in the seventeenth century. The first one is referred to
as the Ziinziilema Manuscript (ZM) (Ziinz§.lema- a monastery near Bahr Dar
where Mara Dengel lived as a h ermit), is believed to have been written 69
years after his death. The second one termed as Merkato Raguel Manuscript
(MRM) is dated at the time of king Menellik II.
The study compares both Manuscripts for philological study. And it contains
addition of new words, relieving of words, morphological comparison,
homoteleuton error, negativity of words and metathesis. But for additional
analysis it uses ZM that is for significance, historical and religious value.
So ZM has good historical details since it was written at the reign of king
Susenyous (1608-1632) who welcomed the J esuits and who himself was
converted to Catholicism. His conversion to Catholicism brought unstable
political administration. Many citizens and Christian subjects died, wounded
and exiled.
About the religious teaching the ZM embodies the Orthodox exegetical
(commentary) teaching of Christology- the Incarnation of Divinity and
Humanity or God and Man besides other traditional historical and Biblical
teachings against the Jesuits two nature theory.
The research result shows the necessities of both manuscripts are important
in dealing the textual and historical analysis of the seventeenth century
besides its religious propaganda.
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Textual and Historical Analysis