This new title out of King Judith/Yodit is not obvious
Remarkably, aside from the famous appointment anywhere between King Sheba and you will Queen Solomon, the most effective legend for the Beta Israel annals (and people off other peoples and tribes) spins around a lady, King Judith, variously known as Yodit, Gudit (“the bad”), Esther, Esato (=fire), Ga’wa, Tirda Gabaz, or Isat. This lady has become caused by the fresh new 10th century and ecclesiastical decline out of Axum (the fresh new historic investment of one’s Aksumite Kingdom inside Ethiopia), and you can this lady has become defined as a royal Axumite princess and you may the fresh new King out of foreign people, including the Bani al-Hamwiyah/Habasha (local tribes within the Ethiopia), and also the Falashas (Hendrickx 2018; Steyn, 2019). To the one-hand, she was portrayed since the a lovely lady of the Ethiopian royal household members, just as the Queen of Sheba, and on one other give, she is illustrated since the a beneficial despicable prostitute exactly who, at a time off governmental tiredness, killed new Ethiopian king, seized the latest throne, and also as a cruel leader forgotten Aksum, the administrative centre, persecuted the fresh new priests and you can signed the new churches. The fresh new Scottish explorer James Bruce, in his Travels to obtain the Supply of the newest Nile, refers to how stunning queen Judith, king of your own Beta Israel, single-handedly overthrew Christianity and you can removed all of the Solomonic royal dynasty dependent during the Aksum. With its lay, she centered a beneficial Jewish dynasty, hence ruled for several generations (Bruce –453).
You can find line of parallels and you can differences between the two great Beta Israel legends shown into the Ethiopian Religious background, of Queen from Sheba and Queen Judith. (още…)