Ethiopian Philosophy

ETHIOPIAN PHILOSOPHY

VOLUMB II TheTreatise of Zär'a Ya'aqobandof WäldäQaywdt Text and Authorship

by CLAUDE SUMNER, Ph.D. Agrege of the International Centre o( Logic Professor of Philosophy and Chairman of the Department of Philosophy at the Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Printed for the Addis Ababa University by Commercial Printing Press

Addis Ababa 1976

BY THE SAME AUTHOR PHILOSO PHY Eight Types ofEthica/ Theory. Addis Ababa, University College Press, 1962. The Phi/osophy ofMan

Volume 1.

From the Upani$ads to the ßrilis/1 Empiriclsts.

Addis Ababa., Central Printing Press, 1973. Volumen.

From Kant to the Situatio11 in 1963. Central Printing Press,

1974. Volume III Ethiopian Phi/osophy

Volume 1.

Related Readi11gs. Central Printing Press, 1975. The Book of the Wis11 Phi/osophers.CentraI Printing Press,

1974. In preparation Volume III. Volume IV.

The Treatise of Zär'a Ya'aqob and of Wäldä Jfaywdt. An Analysis. The Life and Maxims of Skand;,s

ETIDOPICA Etude experime11ta/e de l'amltarlque moderne. University College Press, 1975. The Ethioplc Liturgy. University College Press, 1962.

POETRY Ode sur la Nativite. Poetical translation of Ode on the Morning o/Christ'a Nativity by John Milton. University College Press, 1956. Jalons de lumiere. Poetical translation of the first poems of G.M. Hopkins. Nicolct, Centre Maria! Canadien, 1959. Sonata to the Universe. Translated from the ode Sonate a l'univers by Charles L. Patterson. Central Printing Press, 1973.

In the press: La couleur de mon c/1a111. Four Ethiopian dramas: Petros. Le rive du roi. Le si/ence de:, cordes. Oda. Yaounde, Les editions CLE. Kebero. Four plays, two collections of sonnets inspired by Ethiopia. Addis Ababa, Artistic Printing Press. In preparation:

Terra. Ethiopian heptalogy. Krar. Collection of eight odes.

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PREFACE Although all the documents pertaining to the problem of the authorship of the Treatise of Zär a Ya'aqob and of Wiildä ]faywd.t, eil.her in Ethiopian monasteries or in Hbraries outside of Ethiopia, are not kn WJl, or, being known, are not as yet available to the scholar's rcsearch, there is at present evidence enough on tbe subject to draw valid conclusions. The first part of this book, "English Translation," has been published previously in Ekklesiastikos Pharos: .:;-

.

1. "The Treatise of Zär'a Ya' aqob and of Wäldä .Uuywät. English Translation. The Treatiseof Zä,.'a Ya' aqob." EkklesiastikosPharos, Vol. LID. ll (1971), pp. 344-71. 2. "The Treatise of Wäldä l;hywät." Ekklesiastikos Pharos, Vol. LVI. III-IV (1974), pp. 272-407.

,,,'\ ,

r,r•

,.

J.

The author wishes to e,....-press his gratitude to alJ those, in Etbiopia and abroad, withoutwhose cooperation this study couJd not have been pu:rsued. The author's gratitude goes first of all to Ato Alemayyehu Moges, Lecturer in lhe Departinent of Ethiopian Languages and Literatore at tlie Adclis Ababa University who bas permitted the author to present the conclusions of his thesis and ha assisted the aulhor in the evaluation of Giusto d'Urbino's k:nowledge of ga'az. Dr. Amsalu Aldilu, Assistant Professor in the same Department has likewise allowed the author to summarize his article on Zär'a Ya'aqob and has assisted the author in the eva luation of thega'az of MS. 167. The aufüor wishes to thank the Governor of Enferaz for his wiHingness to cooperate in the author's researcliin the region. He also wishes to express bis indebtedness to the Ford Foundation 's assistance that was gra:nled hirn through tbe Addis Ababa University. He acknowledges the tremendous belp received fro,111 theLibrarians of the following libra.ries: the Biblioteca dei FF. Minori Cappuccini of Gaggiret in Asmara of the Archives of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, of the Pontificio Isliluto Orientale, of the Collegia Tntemazionale S. Lorenzo da Brindisi, of lhe Archives of thc Postulation of the Order of the Capuchin Minor Friars at the Curia Generalizia in Rome, of the Archivio Provinciale, Convento Padri Cappuccini, Monte San Quirico, in Lucca. He expresses his most siacere gratitude to Woizero Elizabeth Workneh for her faithful and excellent secretarial assistance, to Miss Deborah Hicks who has done the proof-read.ing, to Dr. Anis Samaan-Hanna, Professor of Eoglish in the same University, who has read. the manuscript, and to tbe Statistics Division of the Economic Commission for Africa that has made the diagrams. he present edition is made through. the generous assistance of the Addis Ababa Uaiversity to which the author wishes to express his deepest gralitude.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page iii

Preface

Partl ENGLISH TRANSLATION Notes on the traoslation . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TheTreatiscof Zlir'a Ya'aqob ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. . ... .. . ... ... .. . ... ... The Treatise of Wäldä IJaywät ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

1 3 27

Part II THE PROBLEM OF AUTHORSHIP

I. II.

Method .. . . . . •. . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . . . . . .. . . . The problem of authorship . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

1.

61 61

Arguments against authenticity . . . . .. .. . .. . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . . . 61 1) The uniqueness of the IJatätas 2) The testimony of Täklä Hayman'"ot 3) Conti Rossini's "Lo F,Iatatä Zar'a Yä'qob e i1 Padre Giusto da Urbino" (1920) 4) Mittwoch's "Die amharische Version der Soirees de Carthage" (1934)

2.

Arguments in favour of authenticity .. . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1) An unresolved problem . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . 2) AmsaJu AkHlu's Zär'a Ya'aqob fälasfaw (1963) ... . .. ... ... 3) Alemayyeha Moges' l;fatäta Zäzär'a Ya'aqob (1968) ... ... [1] Biblical quotations 1.- Quotations from Dawit 2.- Quotations from Books attributed to Solomon 3.- Quotations from the rest of the Bible 4.- Criticism of the Bible, but not of Dawit [2] Qane ga'az C3] Singularity explained by qa11e culture [4] Knowledge of alien religioos f5] The name of Z är'a Ya'aqob 4)

New evidence in favour of authenticity ... .. . .. . . .. .. . ... . . . ... [1] Intrinsicevidence .. . ... .. . ... ... ... ... ... . . . . .. ... ... ... ... 1.- The dual autborship of the two IJatätas 2.- The influences -V-

78 78 81 89

110 110

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

3.-

(1) Wäldä l;faywdt, the Mä:jl;,afä fälasfa and the folk Iiterature of Ethiopia (2) Biblical quotations: Zär'a Ya'aqob, Wäldä l;faywdt, Giusto d'Urbino The contemporary witness

(4) Documents from the Provincial Archives of

[2] Extrinsic evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 1.- Letters by Giusto d'Urbino preserved in the 136 Archives of the Propaganda Fide ... ... ... ... ... (1) Their significance: the religious beliefs of Giusto d'Urbino in the years 1852-5 (2) Their background: letters to his sister (1846-8) . (3) The Propaganda Fide letters: English translation (4) Conclusions I. Comparison between letters to his sister and Propaganda Fide letters 1. God 2. Jesus Christ 3. The Catholic Church 4. Apostolate 5. Christian doctrine 6. Duty and obligations of priest and monk 7. Prayer 8. Theological and moral virtues 9. Asceticism and eschatology

the Capuchin Convent of Monte San Quirico, Lucca I. Giusto d'Urbino's views on Islam 1. Cornparison between Giusto d'Urbino and Zär'a Ya'aqob 2. Comparison between Giusto d'Urbino and Frarn;ois Bourgade's Les soirees de Carthage II. Giusto d 'Urbino 's attitude at the interrogation before 'abunä Sälama III. Comparison between the letters preserved in Lucca with those published by G.Sforza

4.-

II. Comparison between Giusto d'Urpjno's Propaganda Fide letters and the two Ifatätas 1. Elements of agreement 2. Elements of disagreement 2. - The letter of Giuseppe Sapeto to the Propaganda Fide ... ... .. . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. . 181 (1) Its historical background (2) The text of the letter (3) Its significance

3.- The Lucca Region documents . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . (1) Antraccoli, Parrochia di San Michele Arcangelo. "Parrochia. Matrimoni 2. 1651 - 1878." (2) Matraia, Parrochia di San Michele Arcangelo. "Battesirni dal 1719 al 1817. Battezati. F." (3) The significance of these two documents

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199

5.-

Comparison between the linguistic works of Giusto d 'Urbino and the two l;fatätas .. .. . . . . .. .. .. . . . . .. . (1) MS. 167 [8]. Rorne, Biblioteca della Societa geografica italiana (2) MS. Orientale 134. Rome, Biblioteca nazionale Vittorio Emanuele (3) MS. d'Abbadie 216. Paris, Bibliotheque nationale 1. Qane common to MSS. 134 and 216 II. Qane found only in MS. 216 (4) MS. d'Abbadie 217. Paris, Bibliotheque nationale (5) MS. Ethiopian 165. Vatican Library 1. Section written by Giusto d'Urbino's scribe (fol. 3 r 0 • - 39 r 0 . ) II. Section written by Giusto d'Urbino (fol. 39 v0 .- 106 v0 .) The three articles by G . d'Urbino in the Spettatore egiziano (Cairo, 1856): "Vicende politiche e religiose in Abissinia dopo il 1852" . .. ... ... ... ... ... ..... . ... (1) Their significance (2) The Spettatore egiziano (3) The three articles by G. d'Urbino and the problem of authorship of the l;fatätas I. Geographical names II. Giusto d'Urbino's expulsion III. The name of G. d'Urbino IV. Religious views 1. Against Abba Salama 2. In favour of Catholicism

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vii-

217

238

CONTENTS

CONTENTS III.

Appendix

Conclusions 1.

I;Iatätas. Neither is his scribe under his editorship. . .. .. . . . . .. . .. .

2.

I.

Negative conclusions: Giusto d 'Urbino is not the author of the

1)

The unreliability of Täklä Haymanwot's testimony

2)

The baptismal name of Giusto d'Urbino

3)

Comparison between the Iinguistic works of Giusto d 'Urbino-and of bis scribe under his editorship and the two lfatät(ls

4)

Giusto d'Urbino's views on Islam

5)

Giusto d'Urbino's Biblical quotations

6)

Giusto d'Urbino's religious thought

250

Positive conclusions: the authors of the I;Iatätas are Zär'a Ya';,qob and Wäldä Q;,ywdt

. .. .. . .. . ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... .. .

1)

The authority of Antoine d'Abbadie's testimony

2)

The authority of Giusto d'Urbino's testimony

3)

The contemporary witness

4)

Q;,neg;,';,z

5)

Q;,ne culture

6)

Knowledge of Islam

7)

Biblical quotations

8)

The dual authorship of the two l;Iatätas

Lucca, Convento Cappuccini, Archivio Provinciale, Sezione XVII, Fascicolo III-b. . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . 1.

No. 30. Letter of Giusto d 'Urbino to the Most Reverend Provincial. Hagiah, Abissinia, November 29th 1847.

2.

No. 31. Extract from a letter of P. Giusto d'Urbino to his sister. Rome, March 30th 1846.

3.

No. 32. Letter to his sister Sara Cortopassi. Alexandria of Egypt, May 26th 1846.

4.

No. 33. Letter to his sister. Gedda, October lOth 1846.

5.

No. 34. Letter to his sister. Moncullo near Massua. December 4th 1846.

6.

No 35. Letter to his sister. Menawot, Abissinia. November 1847.

7.

No. 36

257

276

1) fol. 1 r 0 • and v0 • "Mio ritomo dall'Abissinia." Uodated. 2) fol. 2 r 0 • Letter to his sister. Cairo, Christmas Day 1855.

II.

~· d'U,~bin~, "Vjcende poJitiche e Ieligiose in Abissinia dopo Carro, Spettatore egiziano, Anno 1° (1856) ........... .

II 1852.

298

1. No.18 (January 29th)

2. No. 19 (February 8th) 3. No. 20 (February 18th)

BIBLIOGRAPHY [1] Linguistic differences

I. Manuscripts ......................................... . II. Books and articles ................................ .

[2] Literary differences [3] Philosophical differences

3.

1.-

In methodology

2.-

In theodicy

3.-

In principles of ethics

4.-

In individual ethics

5.-

In social ethics

6.-

In psychology

Final conclusion: Modern philosophy hegan in Ethiopia at the same time as in England and Frnnce. . . . . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . .. .

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viii -

r.

275

Index of proper nouns

309

314 329

1.

Names of persons 1) Transcription from Ethiopic 2) Original names

2.

Geographical names 1) Transcription from Ethiopic 2) Original names

II.

Index of Ethiopian words: ga';,z and amariiiiia . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .

341

III.

Index of subjects

343

... ... ... ... ... ... .... .. ... ... .. . ... ...... ... ... ... ...

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ix -

PART I THE TREATISE OF Zär'a Ya'aqob AND OF Wäldä [faywdt English Translation NOTES ON THE TRANSLATION first complete English translation of the 11 l;/atäta Zäzär'a Ya'aqob Wäwäldä Qaywdt, "The Trealise of Zär'a Ya.';iqob and of Wäfdä fhywdt." We here present the

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The ga'az text used for the translation follows d'Abbadie's manuscript No. 215 (symbol: DAB 215). Sincc DAB 234 is a copy of the former, only the principaJ MS is used. A critical edition of this MS was made by Enno Littmann in Philosophi Abessini. Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, Vol. 18, Scripfores Aethiopici, Vol. 1, Paris, 1904. In 1948 Ethiopian Calendar, 1955 Gregorian Calendar, Zämänfäs Qäddus Abr;ilza published theEthiopic text under the title: 1/atäta Zäzär' a Ya'aqob 'Aksumawi Wäwäld ]faywdt 'anfrazawi, "Treatise of Zär'a Ya'aqob of Aksum and of Wäldä Qaywdt of 'anfaraz." (No indication of publishing house, nor of city.) The titles he has given each chapter are indicated between square brackets in this present translation. The author has orally stated that he used the Paris MS.

Littmann has given a Latin translation which was published in Vol. 19 of the CSCO, Vol. 2 of Scrlptores Aethiopici, 1904. Sen.tence punctuation and paragraph division in this present text follow Littmann's Latin translation.

In 1903 and j11 1904, extracts from_ Vol. XVI of the Zapiski o[ the lmperial Acaderoy, Archeological Section, were published by Boris Turayev. They contain a translation of the l;Tatäta in Russian: /l '""'""''""'i„ t,l,J~,1111~

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XIII"""...

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Ko/.,. 1 t1'l,,14>,ll!r} _ ..[.,.,.,.,a,s.,.. ,.AJ:)xPIA u«fu..,.,.T,t,,1..j lt!!. .c,,Kand of our own scholars. •Oftentimes their interpretation did not agree with my reason; •but l withheld my opinion and hid in my heart all the thoughts of my mind. 10Having returned to my native Aksum, ''l taught for four years. 12But this period was not peaceful: for in the XIX year of King Susanyos,while 'aJwons,aFrang, was 'abunä, two years [after his arrival] a great persecution spread over all *Ethiopia. 1 •The king accepted the faith of the Frang, and from that time on persecuted all those who did not accept it.

/p. 4, l. 18/ [CHAPTER II] [His Banishment, bis Enemy Wäldä Yobannas and King Susanyos]

*2v0 •

all, even with the Frang and the Copts. 22And while l was teaching and interpreting the Books, l used to say: "The Frang say this and this" or 24"The Copts say that and that," 24and l did not say: "This is good, that is bad,'' but l said: "All these things are good if we ourselves are good." 2•Hence l was disliked by all: 26 the Copts took me for a Frang, the Frang for a Copt. 2•They brought a charge against me many times to the king, but God saved me. 29At that time, a certain enemy of mine, Wäldä Yobannas, a priest from Aksum and a friend ofthe king, went [to bring a charge against me :] since the love of kings could be won by a perfidious *tongue. "'This betrayer went to the king and said this about me : "Truly this man misleads the people and teils them we should rise for the sake of our faith, kill the king< 11 > and expel the Frang." He also said many other / 5 / similar words against me. But being aware of all this and frightened by it, l took three measures of gold which l possessed and the Psalms of David, with which I prayed, and fled at night. l did not teil anyone where l was going. 41 reached a place close to the Täkkäzi River, and the next day, as l felt hungry l went out in fear to beg the farmers for some bread. l ate what they gave me and ran away. 71 lived in this manner for many days. •On my way to Shoa, l found an uninhabited location. •There was a beautiful cave at the foot of a deep valley, and l said [to myself]: "l shall live here unnoticed." 101 lived there for two years until [King] Susanyos died. "At times l would * leave [the cave] and go to the market or to the country of the Amharas as they took me for a hermit who goes about begging and gave me enough to appease my hunger. 14People, however, did not know where I dwelt. Alone in my cave, l felt I was living in heaven. "Knowing the boundless badness of men, l disliked contact with them. l built a fence of stone and thomy bush so that wild animals would not endanger my life at night, and l made an exit through which l could escape if ever people searched for me; there l lived peacefully praying with all my heart on the Psalms of David and trusting that God was hearing me.

1•While l was teaching in my district, many of my friends came to dislike me. 1•During this period there was no real friendship and as a result men became jealous of one another. 201 surpassed the others in knowledge and in love of one's neighbour and l was on good terms with

/p. 5, l. 23/

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CHAPTER III

[The Eternity of God and the Divisions among Believers] After prayer, when l was not engaged in any kind ofwork, l used to meditate for whole days on conflicts between men and their depravity 20 and on the wisdom of their creator who is silent while men do evil in His name and persecute their *fellow men and kill their brothers. For in those days the Frang prevailed. 2•And not only the Frang [were strong in their persecutions], but my own people were even worse than they. Those who had accepted the faith of the Frang would say: "The Copts have denied the rightful see of Peter, and are therefore the enemies of God;" 23

The MS has -tM9"hand this labour stands before me." 7 While I was praying in such and similar ways, •one day I said to myself in my own thought: "Whom am I praying to or is there a God who listens to me?" At this thought I was invaded by a dreadful sadness and I said: '" 01n vain have I kept my own heart pure" (' 0as David says).< 13 >Later on Ithought of thewords of the same David: "ls the inventor of the ear unable to hear?" and I said: "Who is it that provided me with an ear to hear, who created me as a rational [being), and how have I come into this world? 14Where do I come from? 14Had I lived before the creator of the world, I would have known the beginning of my life and of the consciousness [of myself]. 1•Who created me? ••was I created by my own hands? ''But I did not exist before I was created. 17If I say that my father and my mother created me, then I must search for the creator of my parents and of the parents of my parents until they arrive at the first who were not created as we [are], but who came into this world in some other *way without being generated. 21 For if they themselves have been created, I know nothing of their origin unless I say: He who created them from nothing must be an uncreated essence who is and will be for all centuries [to come], the Lord and master of all things, without beginning or end, immutable, whose years cannot be numbered." 2•And I said: "Therefore there is a creator, eise there would have been no creation ...This creator who endowed us with the gifts of intelligence and reason, cannot he himself be without them. 29For he created us as intelligent beings from the abundance ofhis intelligence and the same one being comprehends all, creates all, is almighty." 31 And I used to say: "My creator will hear meifl prayto him," and because of this thought I feit very happy. 341 would pray to my creator with great hope and love, and with all my heart I would say: "You, Lord, know the thought of my heart from afar. 35lndeed you *know all that was and all that will be; ••and all my paths you know beforehand." f 7 /

(12) (13) (14)

See Ps 12: 3-5 (LXX), 13 (Hebr.); 72:2(LXX), 73 (Hebr.); 118:73 (LXX), 119 (Hebr.). Ps 72:13 (LXX); 73 (Hebr.). Ps 93:9 (LXX); 94 (Hebr.).

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Jlence it is said: "You know from afar. For God read my thoughts t,e.fore I was born, " 'He who always lovess 8.5: J6:17 (LXX), 86 (Hebr.); H2Y 19:.12, Ps 30 :4 (LXX), 31 (Hebr.); HZY 19:13, Ps 141 :7-8 (LXX), 142:6-7 (Hebr.); .ElZY 19:13-14, Ps 142:8 (LXX),

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90-

137

138

139

143 (Hebr.); HZY 19:15, Ps 40:3 (LXX), 41 :2 (Hebr.); HZY 19:15, Ps 50:10 (LXX),51:9(Hebr.); (HZY 19:15-18, Ps 108:27-28 (LXX), 109 (Hebr.); HZ~ 19:30, Ps 30:1 (LXX), 31 (Hebr.); HZY 24:14, Ps 120 :2 (LXX), 121, (Hebr.~, HZY 24:14, "For many days I prayed the words of Psalm XXIV ( Accuse) and of Psalm CVII ('Lord, break your silence.')." Ma'araf: book containing all the hymns to be studied by heart. Mästägaba': collection of hymns exc_erpted from the Psalms. Kastat: a section ofthe Ma'araf All 1ts hymns are tak~n from the Psalms. . Mulu Ma'araf: the total section ofthe Ma'arafto be s~1d 1~ one day. The express1on is used only once the section for the day has been rec1tcd. See HZY 3 :22. · t d Däbar; a church with special privileges from the government or from 1ts oun ~r. lt is second to the Gädam, the monastery, at least in status, although not ne~ssanly second to it in wealth and in importance. Its dean is in some pl~ces a mam~~ and ordained priest, but in others it is a däbt~rä, an edu~ted man m the !rad1tional church schools, who is not necessarily ordamed. There 1s at least one readmg school, and oftentimes more than one, attached to the Däbar. (Alemayyehu Moges,. "T~e Traditional Church Education. The Nature of Traditional Church EducatJon m Ethiopia and the Role Played by the Church in it," p. _10. A Comple~en~ary Stu~y to B. Th. Degrec at the Theological College, Add1s Ababa Umvers1ty, Add1s 1 · Ababa, May 1971). . Ecclesiastes 1 :13, quoted in HZY 8:16. In the JB [Jerusalem Bib~e] trans at10n: "With the help of wisdom I have been at. pains to _study all that ~~. done under heaven.; oh, what a weary task God has g1ven mank.md to labour at. . Wisdom 3 :5-6, quoted in HZY 15 :2. In the JB tr ~ la!(on : "God has put the vir~uous to the test and proved them worthy to be w1th h1m; he has tested them hke gold in a furance, and accepted theru as a holocaust.'' . Täbib Mä,rl1afä 3 :5-6. Literal Englisl1 lranslation : ·~hose wbo su~cr ;!- b(t will get a Jot for God !Tied tbem and fo und them worU1y of HJm. As gold 1s tried m fire [fu~: nace], so He tried tbem. As a burning sacrifice is accepted, so He accepted them.

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C.SUMNER

ETHIOPIAN PHILOSOPHY

+h t':'OD< : on.r : Y.f.oftm. : 'MtoP : }\"IJl.n11"1.C : noPb(!'Olh : a>t:b(lOlh ~t\.cp', : fta,f: : boP : mc:,, : HVf·&.,J-1 : 09°1011 : noPb(!'OD< : O>boP: R"1 th,h : oPP'cp('Ff· : HVM?hfi: : 1'0>tlfi:"°' :: 0

3.-Quotations from the rest of the Bible Quotations from Scriptural Books other than the Dawit and those attributed Solomon are according to thought only, and not verbatim . Alemayyehu gives s1x examples ....

t?

For instance, it is written in the l;Iatäta of Zär'a Ya'aqob:

O>,» ,;r 1 .ßO.ft· f m, 11;htJ'oD· 1 h.i'if.fil : OJO>n.t\ : 1fih1111 : nM-.IJ'OD< 1 ,f'h-0.;..t I a> Ot\.(lon•(l : ',cp;) : f.CH! , h9°M' : a>h1.f : J'oPt\b-t : h1H : f."7.U~· 1 ;l-?"UCi· : P'C'i;.t-:1, 1 Ml1' :"' Now, the literal quotation from Isaiah is as follows: OJ f, fl.

1

1,"111.i',•Odt.C

1

'111 •1:

1

,h11·fl : ,ß•l'CO·% :

M,4-IJ'a•.. , a>O

11r.~u·a0 • , J'Ml , 4,t : wnA fl rro·fl = .,cp.., = ,e.c;,,,r: , 1't9''t'i :: mh'H· 1 f un/:\ h·t I h111 : f. "7.01·: ."f·S1°UC·I· : ·N,11.ll·f·: ll·m, 11"2 Likewise, in the l;Iatäta of Zär'a Ya'aqob:

0>'1()0 f"th1(l : 1,0. : Hl'l : ,ß11t\. : 0>-lt,t- : -OCV1 : lJ"'1h- : lD.f.?.t\>,. l t\0.K' 1 ,hl\'f! 1 tD-'h,f: 1 O>O>-{t,f< : R"t\.,f-(l•f' 1 K't\OVT I CDnJ1 n9"C 1 '°f{l K't\.oP."f· , nöY.1to- ,,, ••

,-,,c: ,

1

('):,,~:,.

:

To prove his point, Alemayyehu quotes eleven sentences which are used for ga'az exercises all over Ethiopia. All his examples are taken from the Mä:j/:zafä

145

OJtl(l I f,,,flt\ 1 Or i't-1• : -OC'I'} 1 Uh-h· : 0>.ß?.A'h : 0.?. : thll'P. : W•id : 1 mm·{li· : Y.'/.\oPT I V/l Mlh 1 ,,ML :1 OJH(l : ,f' t.+C : n.?. 1 W•il·I· : ·OCV1 : ,ß ',11 C : tJl}°\/,\(l I M•fi::,.. 1 n... n.o- 1 CDJl{I: 0

140 141 142

143

:

H ZY 9:20, Exodus 3:13; HZY l J :12, Matthew 10:37, L uke 14:26; HZY 15:34, M~tthew 4 :18, Luke 4:8, Matthew 19 :1 8; HZY 22:25, Genesis 2 :18; HZY 15:20, I saiah 29:13 Matthew J5:8, Mark 7 :6; HZY 25:23 1 John 2 :9-11. H2Y 25 :20. ~iteral ~raii.slalion; "lsalah and U1c Gospel both say tbat these people respect me w1th_thetr m uths, but they. are very far from me in their hearts. An~ they worship mein vain while tenching1he teacbing and laws of mcn. " Isaiah 29:13, iteral tran lation : "These people came nearer to me wi th tneir mouths and tbey respect me [bonour me] wifü their ll ps, but in their hearts they stay far from me. They worship mein vain, teaching the teachings and orders of men." HZY 25:23: Li~era l t:ra nslation: " John said t h'ilt be who says that he Jives inlight, b\•t hates bis. fn cnd is a liar, for bc Uvc~ in darkncss up t o now. He who hates bis friend walks in darkness, for darkness bas blinded hls oyos."

- 92 -

hltoP

In ga'az the position of the subject, the adjective, the object and lhe geoitive noun has not been relevant since Ethiopic ceased to be a spoken language and qo11e began to spread, althongb. word positioo may have bcen. relevant when_ga'az was a spokcn language. As many works in g,1'iJz a re t ranslatlon tlley obv1ously show influence from the source languagc. Ooe sh uld not assumc tb.at these pattems origina lly belong to ga'az. Today, in t he plnces wherc lfa'"z is spok on as a 1iving Janguage, namcly in thc qane. schools, there is no dfopute over the word order.

l

Whilst the literal rendering:

I

. Alemayyehu Moges claims that the language of the Jfattitas is pure qane ga'az,. and that it shows no forei gn in.flucnce, Latin , Fcench or ltalian. 145

144

0'°10.u• :: 143

f dtCD-C

[2] Qane ga'az

1

lDn/.\(l

I

1 John 2:9-11. Litewl translation: "He who says that he Jives in light, but hateshis friend is a liar, for he lives in darkness up to now. He who loves his friend Jives in light, and there is no [stumbling] obstacle !o him. He who hates his friend walks in the darkness, but he does not know where he is going, for darkness has blinded his eyes." Qane is a codified type of poetry. In an interview with the author, on December 3rd 1971, Ato Aleka Desseta Tekle Wold gave an identical judgement. Aleka Desseta Tekle Wold was born on 27th July 1900 atWagda. He followed his diaconal studies and came to Addis Ababa in 1909 to receive his ordination in this office. In 1910 he entered the Debre Libanos Monastery where he studied the reading of the Holy Books tbe composilion of qane, completi ng his classical studies . wtth liturgical songs at the Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa. In 1923 he was appoioted proof rcader at the Tefera Makonneo Printing Pr~ w_ith · Aleka Kidane Walde Kitle. From 1927 to 1943 he wor.ked nt the St. L azare Prmt111g Press, in Dire D awa, in the same position and conlributed as proof reader to the edition of "Ezechiel," the three "Monastic Books" and the "Missal" published under the control of the famous scholar, Aleka Kidane Walde Kifle. From 1943-44 Aleka Desseta was employed in the Berhanena Selam Printi ng Press. He joined the Artistic Printing Press in ! 945, where be still holds the position of Ambaric language proof reader and consultant. . lt was during J1is prcsenl position that Alelta Walde Kifle's Geez/Amhanc Dictionary was published. Aleka Desseta is t hc autbor of two other studies on the Amharic a lphabet and on g:h z composition and conjugation. A qiost important A mharic dictionary in lhree volumes has been prepared by him and awaits publication. I dentical judgcment also by Ab>'e Gubana in Maskwot: "He who has taken notice of the purity of tbe g11'az in which Zär't1 Ya'aqob wrote his philosophy ~not doubl that he wa anEUtlopian." [Addis Ababa,J Qäddus Giyorgis Mäti,umye B>'et, [G.C. 1971,] p. 16.

-93 -

C.SUMNER

ETHIOPIAN PHILOSOPHY

14 säwasawd, ' andin them the subject comes before the verb. The "Wax and Gold'' construction exhibits an influence from Amharic, not from Latin.

After showing in a double columu of ten examples cascs wbere the object comes a:;te~. and others ~here it.comes bcfore the verb, he refers to live pages of the M ~ylJa[a sawasawd wbich put rn the first p lace now the bject, now the vcrb. " 7 AdJectives may also appear before or after the subject. "' , The consti:uction

?f sentences

which are found in manuscripts written by

ga az scholars 1s not different from the oral construction. The pattem given to students is as folJows:

11h(I.:,. : hh1°l.:,. : t,.:,.(l : aJ&11"1 :1 11h(I.:,. : i'thont.:,. : t,.:,.(l : IPCjf : haJ< : v.•Cjf : t,.:,.(l :1 11h(I.:,. : J'thoot.:,.: &11"1 : 'J'P.OD : haJ< 1 'J'(Jt{ID· ?.'iT : l\.n.'f· : hf10D : Ul!.'Poot\l,Ba>- : roi't'1,lJ'} : h-it-tJDo ::

In the days before Fassil, in the 16th century or at the latest in the 17th century, sorne men not only criticized the founders of religions, but claimed that they themselves were Christ. 'hfloP : 1ltl•;n : f,oP?.'h : h1H :

,,.,,,.,Ir

cVMw· : 1f:t\\'1 ; Literal translation: When the Ethiopian learned men comment the verse: "Because many will come using my name and saying 'l am the Christ"' 1• 2 because many will rise saying: "I am the Christ" Story - In the time of Amhara rule, someone has r.\sen snying th,at people will call him "0f Christ," they executed him by hanging, seven hundred people dled with him. This man, therefore, preached saying that he was the eitler son of God, altbougn Christ was born bcfore him accorcUng to the flesb. This qane shows, among many other things, that therc had becn 111any Ethiopians in the past who had claimed they were God. In the 18th century, at the time when traditional scholarship was widespread, a student angered by a Gondarine man called $ad,.1q, composed the following qane:

thoPh9' : ,f·M· = :,..,. ...,h. = t\H'hJ'n.9°C : llR:,. : w' entre 1111 prefre caiholique, w, mufti et 1111 cadi (1847), re-edited and translated into Arabic, which was followed by La cle.f du Corm, (1852) and Passage du Cormt (i l'Eva11g-ile. He died in.povcrty at Paris on May 20th 1866. See P. Gabert, U11 aublie, l'abbe JJourgade, 1905; B. J>.revost, Diclio,mnire de /Jiogrtphie fmur,aise, col. 1465 ;Revuet1misie1111e, XV1(J909) :·107-15. Tue completc list of his works includes lhe foliowing tlUes: Associafio11 de sai11t Louis, 011 Crol ·(Jc/e pocifique, ayant pow· but de rApandre de la civilisatio11 parmi !es M 11sulma11s au moyen d'o11vrages icrits 011 traduils 611 leur langue. Paris, Fir.min-Didot, 1858. Baal-Hai, (Martre de l'a1111ea11), c'est-Oöl\·,. : f..e, 1 : OJVJ',.',e : 9""1fl(!'ttD• : ,e. = h"lllhf = Lord

th e t irty-five of h1s five short stories: 1. Theold blind man.

WQ

2. T-.hree reasons for quarre!ling.

46:34 -

51 :36 3. The three-times married man 56:16 4. The woman and the lion. 57 :17 5. Therobber. 59:14 -

47:13

No. ofsentences:

8

232

52:7

5

27

5

233 234

58:6 30

-114-

8 9 Total: 35

See Nöldeke, Op.cit., p. 459; W. Wey, lbid.; Bezold, Op.cit., eo!. 1244; Littmann, "Geschichte der äthiopischen Literatur," p. 257; Harden, Op.cit., p. 97; Murad Kamel, Op.cit., HWH 60 :2. Of the five stories found in the HWH, three have retained the attention of scholars: "Three reasons for quarrelling" has been reproduced by WP-y, lbid., who adds that it is of Manichaean origin; "The Three-times Married Man" has been summarized by Harden, Op.cit., pp. 97-8; "The Woman and the Lion" has been reproduced in Wey, Op.cit., pp. 36~-4; Littmann, Op.cit., p. 257; Harden, Op.cit., pp. 98-9; Murad Harnei, lbid.

-

115 -

ETHIOPIAN PHILOSOPHY

C.SUMNER KeyWords

The Two Treatises Total numbers of words

14,568

Zär'a Ya'iJqob

Wäldä J;bywät

5,794 Ratio

8,774 Ratio

Ratio

In a second list, the same key words have been arranged according to the prevalence of their frequency in one of the two authors. After they key word the ratio of occurence is indicated, first for the author in whom it prevails, then for the other. Thus the first key word placed under Zär'a Ya'aqob:

1. God (1/41 - 55) should read as follows:

h°IH.h1lth.C : God, et al. 303

{ 2.38 % { 1.81 % 2.08% { 1/48.08 138 1/41.99 159 1/55.8 (

oPl'j:tßC : to create, et al.

~~:,. : just, et al. (l,flh : man

mn.·n

I

wise, et al.

i\"'1..C : to know, et al. to lie, et al. to teach, et a!. ~:,.c I love h'11'H·: faith A,fl I heart P'',,f., : good h."7..1 : to believe ihll.'i : conscience ,h.,.;J- : inquiry, et al. P'C~:t-= order ·ih"I I law ;)'l'h I sin ~~il : soul hh•f., : evil, et al. IP'iß I goodness oP~flß: to pray, et al. llihCß : nature (totality of things) .,.L'l'f.!'1 nature (substance) mfcf> : to prove, et al. (loPf I name '11PIP : to meditate P' ~ : flesh, et al. C-1:ö : justice h'1tL I Almighty oP1Lil: spirit ,h{lOJ

I

oPU(. :

Total number of key words:

248 159

t {

144 141 123 96 82 62 57

l.70% 58.74 1.08% 91.62 101.17 103.32 118.44 151.75 177.66 239.97 255.58 260.14

83 {

1.43% { 1.88% 69.81 165 53.18

69

83.97

90

97.49

131.68 81.61 115.88 109.32 137.95 181.06 193.13 241.42 579.94 413.86 206.93 271.90 289.70 251.91 445.69 445.69 271.90 340.82 362.13

100 70 73 43 40 30 27 32 41 36 18 18 17 13 18 18 9 12 9

87.74 125.34 120.19 204.05 219.35 292.47 324.96 274.19 214.00 243.72 487.44 487.44 516.12 674.92 487.44 487.44 974.89 731.17 974.89

51

285.65

50

46 39 37 36 31 31 30 29 25

291.36 316.70 373.54 393.73 404.67 469.94 469.94 485.60 502.34 582.72

44 71 50 53 42 32 30 24 10 14 28 21 20 23 13 13 21 17 16

24

607.00

15

386.27

9

974.89

22 21 20 19 18 8 8 5

662.18 693.71 728.40 766.74 809.33 1821.00 1821.00 2913.60

10 5 17 6 8 5 5 0

579.40 1158.80 340.82 1035.55 724.25 1158.80 1158.80

12 16 3 13 10 3 3 5

731.17 548.38 2924.67 674.92 877.40 2924.67 2924.67 1574.80

56

2021

"God" is the key word the most frequently used by Zär'a Ya'aqob. lt occurs, as indicated on the first !ist, at a ratio of one for every 41 words, whereas for Wäldä l:hywät, the ratio is only of one for 55 words. Similarly the first key word placed under Wäldä }faywat: 1. man (1/87 - 131) should read as follows: "man" is the key word the most frequently used by Wäldä lfaywät. lt occurs as indicated on the first !ist, at a ratio of one for every 87 words in Wäldä l;hywät whereas for Zär'a Ya'uqob, the ratio is only of one for 131 words. The general theme of "creation" which occupies the second place in the first !ist because of its very high frequency in both Treatises (248), must be analyzed into its correlated terms if prevalence in either author is to be taken into consideration. The couple: "to create" - "creation" prevails in Zär'a Ya'uqob, and the couple: "Creator" - creature" in Wäldä lfuywät.

Prevalent in ZY a) oPC,:mC : to create (1/165 - 265) b) C,:'l't.:t-- : creation (321-398)

Prevalent in W}f c) L"I& : Creator (112-231) d C,:'l't-.,. 1 C,:m,t,.1 : ( /,.:t-- : ) C,:'l'C:t-- : C,:m,C: creature (274-1,158) Prevalent key words in Zär'a Ya'uqob

{

00

12.18% { 13.57% { 11.19% 1/7.21 910 1/6.37 1105 1/7.94

116 -

1. 3. 4.

God (1/41-55) wise (81-125) just (83-97) 5. to Iie (109-204) 6. to know (115-120) 7. to teach (137-219) 2a. to create (165-265) 8. love (181-292) 9. faith (193-324) 10. conscience (206-487) 11. heart (241-274)

Prevalent key words in Wäldä ]fuywdt 1. 2c. 3. 4. 2d. 5. 6.

-

117 -

man (1/87-131) Creator (112-231) good (214-579) to believe (243-413) creature (274-1,158) to prove (548-1,158) spirit (1,574- oo)

C.SUMNER 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 2b. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.

ETHIOPIAN P.arLOSOPHY

law (251-674) inquiry (271-487) evil (271-974) order (289-516) sin (445-487) soul (445-487) creation (321-398) goodness (340-731) name (340-2,924) to pray (362-974) nature [totality of things] (386-974) flesh (724 - 811) to meditate (l,035 - 1,481) nature [substance] (579-731) justice (1,158-2,924) Almighty (1,158-2,924)

A comparison between the two colunms shows that four out of five key words are prevalent in Zär' a Ya'aqob. TIIis is all the more striking since the total number of words in the second Troatise i grcater than in the first (8, 774-5, 794, a difference of nearly 3,000 words in favour of Wiildä f:{ayw,11) . Key words represent 15.57 %of the total population of words in the first Treatise, and U.48 % in the second. · Investigation should be made of the few koy words that prevaiJ in Wä fdä ]faywdt. Their rooral character is immediately a.ppanmt: man and bis spirit, good, the Creator and his creature. So, while the most frequently used key word in the fust Treatise is "God," in the second it is "man ·" we are passing from. an emphasis oo the religious, to an emphasis on the moral. Whereas creation is viewed more metaphysically in its action and effect in the first, it is considered in the second in its ethical relation between Creator and creature. Whereas the adjective most frequently used as key word 1n the first is sapiential: "wise," in the second, it is again moral: "good." The other two words: "to believe" and "to prove" are correlated : bothTefer to the critical attitude one should have towards revealed faith, of which one should accept only what reason shows to betrue. This i an echo of the n,aster's thought, bot in a language that is not as vigorous and striking. "or the same attitude, Zär'a Ya'aqob 'swords were: an "inquiry" into the "lies" of men so tliat one will "know" among the things that thcy "teach 'what a "wise" man should accept according to the light of bis "conscience" placed by "God" in his "heart", thus following the "law" and "order" of "nature. "

unity of these well-blended themes, only a few, all of which are ethical, are given prevalence. The greatest part of bis writi.ng, whicn is rathor a calechi m of practicat rules for life, ls taken ovcr by moral considerations, some of whicb an, very meticulous. More explicitly than his master, hc recornmends a reasonable enjoymcnt of llfe and speaks against all ascelicisrn. Ile evcn gives health mies: 01'.\C hould not, for example slcep on the ground or on humidJeaves. He preaches emphatically a. universal love f men. Our fcllowman is not ouly the fellow believer, ut evcn the hcathen him elf. Only the needy should .receive a lms and not tlw lazy ones. In eroergency, he all ws one should figltl vioionce und cunning that endanger one' Jife with violencc and cunning. He also gives ru les for tlle cducat ion f children and advice as to the treat rnent of one's wife, some or which is very intimate. He does not place woman on thc sarnc high level as, at least theoretically, Zär' a Ya'aqob l1ad done, but he admonishes one to stick to his first wife and to avoid all unchastity. As d'Abbadie rightly points out, his advice "sentent le terroir. " 236 Twice he admits b.is ignorance: about the immortality of the souls of auima ls,237 and about the transformalion of faJleo angels into men.230 The only original thought wh.ich stems from the second f{atäta is that every thing bas been created for the benefit of man. 13•

The figures given above refer only to the two Ffatätas. The statistical comparison with other "plülosophical ' works written in ~·n should be added. We have taken as basis of compari on: thc Fisalg"'os, Lhe Mä$ (1afii fülasfa and the SkandiJs. The Fisatgwos, which we fotend to study in another volume, is a sma11 anonymous work. made of an inconsistent number of short chapters where real or more often fancif-ul features of sometlmes ünaglnary animals, -plants and minerals are dcscribed and constraed in Lhe way of a Christian syrob lism to the spiritual edificati.on of believers. This work, probably written at Alexandria lo Greek between lhe second and third century after Christ, met with great reception until modern times in the West as we1l as in the Christian East. In Ethiopia it appears to have been translated directly from the Greek soon after the earlier vers.ions of the Scriptures, namely in the VI century or somewhat later in the VII century. TI.1e Mii.$ltafä fäla if'a is studied in the firs t volume of Elhi opimz Philosophy. lt is a collection of "sayings" which was translated and ad9,pted.from an Arabic text by

'Abba Mikael du:ringthe age of Emper r Zär'a Ya'"qob between 1510 and 1522. The Life and Maxims of Skandvs, which we intend to study in the fourth volume of this collection, contains a Life and two series of Maxims. The Life teils

Littmann has characterized Zär'a Ya'aqob's Welta11schaw1g as a blending of metaphysics, religious phiJosophy and ethics. m All of thcse metaphysical, religious and ethical key words aro reproduced in_ Wiildii l;hywät, but within the organic 238

A. d'Abbndie, Op.cit., p. 213. See W.Wey, Ibid. See HWH 33:5 . See HWH 40:31.

239

See HWH 42:5.

236 . 237

235

See E. Littmann, Op.cit., p. 254. Reproduced by Murad Kamel, Ibid.

-

118 -

-

119 -

C.SUMNER

ETHIOPIAN PHILOSOPHY

the story of Sbndas who made the vo\'i/ of silencc after vcrifying witb his own mother the truth of a statement he had föund iu a " wise philosopher,' namely that all women are prostitutes. At the request of the emperor, he wrote two serics of maxims, the first of fifty-five and the secood of one hundred and eight. This tr~lation and adaptation from an Arabic text was made by an unknown author durmg the age of Emperor Zär 'a Ya'aqob. Aß the Mä.ybafä Jält1ifa and the Life of Sk,mdas are not divided into cbapters, we can1lot make a comparison with the number of sentences per cha~t~r as w~ have previously establi shed between U1e two l;Taräras. On the other hand, 1t.1S poss1ble to study the n umbcr of senteoces, of wo.rds, ancl of worcls per sentence in these three Ethiopian works of b:anslation . The results of this invest igation have been placed oo a histogram, thus permitting a comparison with the data given in the previous bistogram for the philosopher Zär'a Ya'aqob and his disciple Wä(dä l;Iaywdt.

2. The injluences (1) Wäldä l;Iaywdt, the Mä$bafä f älasfa and the folk literature of Ethiopia

Wäldä l;Iaywdt has been strongly influenced by the Mä$bafä fälasfa fäbiban. There are no traces of this collection of sayings - wbich are more akin to the moral and practical advice and the story-telling habits of the disciple-io Zär'a Ya'aqob. Some of these influences are clear and explicit. Wäldä l;Iaywdt: There was once a man who went to one of the ancient wise men and said to bim: "0 wise man, tell me what I should do in order to live in peace with all men ?" This wise man answered nothing, but placed his hand on his mouth and the other on bis genitals. With this he came out with three reasons which bring people into quarre} with one another: one is the tongue which utters shameful and stupid things, calumnies, insults and it brings an unlimited number of quarrels. The second reason wbich leads men to fight between themselves is the gentials which greatly favour fomication and result in death and wars. The tbird is the hand wbich reaches out for the n eighbour's property.2AO

In its turn this second bistogram on the Number of Words per Sentence needs to be complemented by more figures:

Fisalgwos

Mä$bafä

Skandas The

3 "philosopbical''

works of translation

fälasfa

and adaptation 618

3,020

1,531

5,169

Number of words:

4,641

22,431

10,844

37,916

Averagenumber of words per sentence:

7.50

7.42

7.08

7.33

Number of sentences :

lt is immediately appa reut that the average numbcr of words per sentence in tbe tltree pbilosophical works of translation and adaptation is ex:actly the same: 7 in both the average for the three works collectively and for each one sepa:rately. The difforence between these three traditional wo.i;ks on the one hand and Zär'a Ya'aqob - Wäldä Q;,ywdt on the other is very great : 7 .33 and 17 .01. The sentences in a work of translation and adaptatiou have a length wbich is comparable to lhe relatively short Greek or A:rabic sentences from which they are derived. Zär'a Ya'eqob and Wäfdä J;Taywdt exhibit a sentence length all of its own w.hich scems to have nothing in common with works whose status as translation is weil established. In the light of such an identity of the averages of words per sentencefor three works translated at different times by different authors from different tex.ts, whose total population of sentences and words js of 5,169 as1d 37 ,916, the dilference of tbe average number of words per sentence between Zär'a Ya'rJqob and Wäldä rfaywdt ou.t of a total population of only 856 sentences and 14,568 words appears as particularly significant.

-

120-

Andin MS.N of the Mä$bafä fälasfa: lt is said about Kersik the Wise that he was handling bis soul with purity and it was his habit that when he slept he put his left hand on bis navel and his right hand on bis mouth and says: "lt is necessary for a man to hold his tongue and his penis as long as he is asleep. " 241

It will escape no one that the borrowing is obvious. And yet Wäldä l;Taywdt shows bis superiority as a narrator. In the first text ilie question is put directly to the wise man, to which he drarnatically answers by a gesture. In the second text the wise man 's habit is stated, to wbich is appended a saying that is awkwardly related to bis customary way of sleeping. In Wäldä lfaywdt, a moral si-gnificance is given to three things: tongue, genitals and h and. The significance of the hand. is lost in the Mä$bafä fälasfa, except for its restraining power. In Wäldä l;Iaywdt: They asked one of the wise men: "What is time?" He answered: "Time is you; if you yourselves are good, time is also good; if you yourselves are evil; time is also evil.' •24 2

240 241 242

HWH 51 :36-52: 7. N 24 a 23. HWH 60:3.

-

121 -

ETHIOPIAN PHILOSOPHY

C. SUMNER

enemies without getting any benefit out of their effort. All you accumulate, is of no use for you. 2' 7

Andin MS.N. of the Mä.y(wfäfälasfa: One of the kings asked: "What is time?" And they answered him: "Time is yourself; if you make it good, it is good; if you make it evil, it is evil.' ' 243 Twice in Wäldä Jfaywät is the Golden Rule repeated:

When we compare this text to the sayings of the Mä$bafäfälasfa, we see at the same time the similarity of thought and the difference in style: a colourful, dramatic description in the former, a clash of paradoxes in the latter:

A man who is avaritious of his own money for what is necessary, spends twice as much uselessly. 20 •

Do to them [your fellow men] what you wish others to do to you; do not do to them that which you do not want to be done to you. 2 ••

A man who is avaritious of his own money will pass it to another. 2Ae A person who possesses wealth but does not benefit from it, is indeed poor and needy. 2 • 0

Do to your fe!low men what you would like them to do to you; do not do to your fellow men what you would not like tobe done to you. 245 This Biblical quotation is also found in The Book of the Philosophers: Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to yourse!f, and what you want them to do to you, you also do to the others. 2•• A passage on avarice from Wäldä f.laywät appears as a developed synthesis of different sayings on the same subject collected in the Mä~/:iafä fälasfa.

Greed is poverty, and generosity, wealth."' Wäldä Jfaywdt's statement on suicide is very close to that of the Mä~f:iafä fälasfa.

In Wäldä Jfaywdt: lt is not right for you to leave this world by your own will; this depends on the will of God, who imposed this servitude upon you. 202

In Wäldä Jfaywät: Do not be avaritious at any time in your life, because an avaritious man is doubly poor; he is poor on account ofwhat he does not possess as yet, and he is poor on account of what he possesses. Indeed he behaves as one who has nothing: he does not eat, nor drink, nor enjoy what he has, but he locks up his riches and Jives in poverty even though his possessions are great. This is a great madness and a bitter chastisement which God brings upon harsh people: they do not get pleasure out of their wealth, nor do they give pleasure to their fellow man; they render their own riches useless during a long stretch of time. Hence God as it were absorbed their prudence and made thern servants so that they work and gather without knowing for whom they work and gather; they serve foreigners and their

243

244 245 246

N 15 b16. Quoted in A. DJllmann, Chrqslomat/ria Aet!rfopica, 2nd edi tion, p. 40. Berlin, Akademie-Verlag, J950. In tbe Author's Efgltt Type.i' of Ethical Iheory, exergue. AddJs Ababa, 'fhe University College Press, 1962. T.be first text is quoted by W. Wey, Op.cit., p. 364. ßoth texts are q uoted by Solomon Ghebre Giorghis, "Elhiopinn P.b ilosophy" (Second ina series), l!.1hiopi(m Hmild, Vo l. XXIX, No. 442 (June lltb 1972) p. l:J. The auth.or of tl1earticle writes: "11te ßook of the Wi.re Philosophers whir.h was lranslatcd from Geez to Arabic in the flrst half of j 6th ceatury has bad a considernblc inflllence oa lulerTithiopian !bjnkcrs. ln Lhe Treatise of Zal'll Yaeqob and Walda Heywat, for instancc, a numbei: of passages that have been adopted from the Book of Jlte Wise P hilosopher.t a re lo be .found.'' H.WH 43 :9. HWH 45:25. N 39 b 3. See Matthew 7: 12, Luke 6:31.

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In the Mä~f:iafä fälasfa: Death is of two kinds: death by nature and death by will. He who kills his soul by the death ofthe will shall have the proper death for him. 253 On the other hand Wäldä Jfaywdt's counsel on circumspection in speech and the value of silence seems to reflect, not so much this or that particular saying in the Mä~bafä fälasfa, but rather a theme that runs through this Collection and is expressed in a great number of sayings. In Wäldä Ifaywdt: You ought to weigh all your words on the scales of your wisdom before they come out from your heart; otherwise, once you will have uttered them out of your ignorance, your regret will be useless. Remember that a word is not better than silence, but that silence is better than all words, and that a talkative person cannot live in peace on earth. [Here

247

HWH 49: 10-28. Quoted in part by W. Wey, Op.cit., p. 363, as an example of an

epigram. 248 249

N 42 b 9. N 47 a 6.

250 251

N 59 b 18. N 103 a 1. See the Author's Ethiopian Philosoplzy, Vol. 1, The Book of the Wise Philosophers, Chapter VII: II, 2, 3, 5.

252

HWH 64: 11. N 35 a 9. See The Book of the Wise Philosophers, Chapter IX: 1, 4, 4.

253

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C.SUMNER

ETHIOPIAN PHILOSOPHY

follows an explicit quotation from the Mä$/:iafä fälasfa , given above, N 24 a 23 concern.ing the Uu·ee reasoas for q uarielling. 254) If y ou are wise, keep a close guard over yom· mou th and your ton gue, and do not say things which will not beuefit you, do not talk to o mucb nor .in h aste:m Sayings in the Mä$/:iafä fälasfa concerning the power of speech and of the tongue stress, as in Wäldä l;laywät, the necessity of circumspection, 2 • • and the quality of silence. 257 At the beginning of Chapter XXVI, 57 :8, Wäldä l;laywät gives a quotation from a wise man: A wise man put it thus: "If a man was without vice he would not die, because he would not be a man." This saying is n o where to be found in MS. N of the M ä,vbafä ftilasfa, n e ither tn this fo rm nor io an equivalent one . On the other hand A lemayyehu .Moges

iecalls having heard this saying, or its e quivalent in the q·,me sch.ool. In the Ylikäratäna:ta,rmhart zciybJ'e by 'ag'"alä Gäbrä Yol;umnas, one qane resembles, in counota/ion a t least W äldä l;laywdt's saying: ,ttl1W1,"'l'i:,. : ßHM,ovl : M" = n'h:Mu- = = ov,tl ßltAö;r : flß'f!Ö : l}h_ :: 258

ndt.,..

254 255 256

257

258

HWH 51: 36- 52: 7, HWH 51: 31; 52:11. See N 16 b 11; 29 a 14; 30 b 6; 32 b 12; 39 b 6; 40 b 6; 41 b 17; 42 a 18, 20; 43b 19; 44 a 15; 46 a 12;47 b 9, 12; 49 b 23; 55 a16; 59 b 8; 61 b 5; 62b21;74bl0, 13; 76 b 4; 78 b 19; 79 b 19; 80 b 11, 20; 83 b 1; 86 a 6; 86 b 3; 103 a 8, 9; 104 a 12; 111 a 4; 114 b 11, 29; 120 b 20; 124 a 23; 125 a 22; 126 a 20. See N 15 a 9; 16 a 5; 36 a 14; 37 a 11, 16; 45 b 13; 50 b 24; 68 a 15; 73 a 13; 85 a 18; 92 b 15; 108 b 26; llOa 1; 125 a4, 12· See TheBookofthe WisePhilosopers, Chapter XIII: II, 8, 1: "Speech," (1] The "cardinal" virtue of good habits of speech [2] The power of speech and the tongue [3] Circumspection [4] Truthfulness [5] Silence 'aq'"alä Gäbrä Yo~ram ras, Yäkäfatäfia tamahart zäybYe, p. 99. Addis Ababa, Commercial Press, 1956 E.C. This qene was composed by 'aqabYe Sä'at. Litera! translation: " Täklä Haymanwot by knowing [what will happen] Severed one of bis legs So that he could enter the other land with the remaining foot." Connotation: An old w!se man, in order not to die, knowingly does things which affect bis body, bul not h1s soul. This qane does not identically resemble Wäldä ]feywät's saying. But its general sense has the connotation of: "A wise man does not die." This saying is reproduced by W.Wey, Op.cit., p. 364.

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Likewise in Afani;wo, some sayings closely resemble that of Wäldä l;laywdt. 259 'aläqa !!aylu Wäldä Qirqwos of Bä'at Church has identified the saying as contained in the Apocrypha.2° 0

In Cha p ler X, HWH 40:1-31, Wiildii ]faywiit records the doctrine of wise men accor ding to whom man s b ody is lhe prison house for an gels who have sinned. They remai:u in the body of men until their penance is fu lfilled. As their

259

K"'o/ll'odi [a fore igncr]. Af,mt"'o, see especially pp. 53-72. Traoslated jn to Amha:ric by Liimma Fäysa. Addis Ababa, Ethiopian lrintiug Press, 1952 E.C.

260

Alemmaychu Mogcs .in his turn identified th is Apocrypha as being th Book of 7 Hcnoch. l ndeed in lhe First B ok of Henoch, Cbapter 50 or 51 accordmg to the edition , onc may find a text wbich resembles that of Wä ldä f!ay wdt. The text is spcaking explicilly o r the resurrcctlon of .Lhe dead, but by co~notat ion, it rese~bles t ho one quoted by Wiildä l;fäyivclt. Here is the fu ll text of lhL~ chapter accorcling to C.H. Charles' translation: LI. The Resurrection of the Dead, and the Separation by the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked. LI. 1. And in those days shall the earth also give back that which has been entrusted to it. And Sheol also shall give back that which it has received, And hell shall give back that which it owes. Sa. For in those days the Elect One shall arise, 2. And he shall choose the righteous and holy from among them : For the day has drawn nigh that hey should be saved. 3. And the Elect One shall in "th ose day sit on My throne, And bis mouth shall pour forth all the secrets of wisdom and counsel: For the Lord of Spirits hath given (them) to him and hat h glorified him. 4. Andin those days shall the mountains leap ükerams, And thc hills a lso shall skip llke lambs salisfied wilh milk, And the faces of [all] thc angels i11 heaven sbnll be lighled upwithjoy. Sb. And the earth shall rejoice, c. And the righteous shall dwell upon it, d. And the elect shall walk thereon. F or tbc Ethiopic text, see : '111?,,ht ., 't"i h, ~OJ',, L ibri Enc>ch Proplrelae Versio Aellropil'a -di ta a Ricardo Lauren~. Oxoafac, Typis Acadcmicis, 1838. p. 48, Cap . L. Das B uch He11och äthiopischer Herausgegeben von Dr. Job. Elemm.ing. Leipzig, J.C. Hinrich'schc Buchpandlung, 1902, p. S~, Cap. LI. English Translation : au1; ,ht. , Vill , ~ fl.f , • Tli e ß ook oj E11och tlre Prophet: A11 Apocryphal Produc:tion Supposed for Ages ro Have Bee11 Last; but Discovered a1 the Close of the Last Cemury i11 Abyssinia; Now First Tra11s/ated fro m a.11 Ethiopic MS. i,i tlrc Bod/eian Libmry by R ichar