By Assta B. Gettu
The Ethiopian Jewish history is not a romantic history like the history of Romeo and Juliet; it is a religious history – a divine message, a revelation from the Almighty God, who purposely brought these children of God from his earthly city – Jerusalem – to Ethiopia almost thousands years ago.
The Ethiopian Jewish history is a well known fact that one does not have to dig deeper to find out the validity of this glorious Ethiopian Jewish history. The history of Ethiopia is the history of the Ethiopian Jewish people. If someone wants to know more about the reality of the Ethiopian Jewish history, one must read the Ethiopian prayer books among many others; one cannot read these prayer books without coming across, many times, these sweet words: “Amlake-Israel” (the God of Israel); also, one should read especially “saatat” the hourly or nightly prayer of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and one can see how many times “the God of Israel” has been mentioned there.
The writer of the article — Digging deeper in Ethiopia for the Jewish story — was dumbfounded when he descried among the “dirty and time-eaten prayer books” a collection of shehita whom he thought that someone had unknowingly “checked in the shehita book” and shipped it to Ethiopia. Could the same thing also be said about the Ark of the Covenant that when King Solomon ordered thousands of Jews to accompany his first Son, Menelik I, to Ethiopia, some of these Jews who were in a hurry because the King’s order was urgent, unknowingly chucked in the Ark of the Covenant and brought it with them to Ethiopia? It is possible it could have happened this way instead of saying that they had stolen the Ark.
I don’t think, according to Anshel Pefeffen, 24 hours is enough to understand and comprehend the over thousands years of Jewish history in Ethiopia; it may take, instead of 24 hours, 24 years to cover this religious message. Of course, it would take less than 24 hours if it were a romantic message, but it is a religious message that can be examined and written by religious people – God’s people only – people inspired by the spirit of God because they are writing about the history of the holy people of the Holy God – the Ethiopian Jews.
One does not need an evidence to connect the Ethiopian Jews to the scattered and cursed branches of the white people of the Israeli Jews; rather, the scattered white Israeli Jews must find evidence that connects them to the true Ethiopian Jews; these white Israeli Jews are the ones who have been contaminated with the gentile world, but the Ethiopian Jews have never been defiled; God has kept them holy, undefiled, and sacred for himself in Ethiopia, a religious country, thanks to the Ethiopian Jews.
The Ethiopian Jews have always been the Ethiopian Jews; they are not a sect, as the author of the article assumes they are; they did not come out of Christianity; in fact, Christianity came out of their religion – Judaism. They have been a big religious Jewish organization with their Ark of the Covenant, the Bible, the Sabbath, and with all the Jewish rituals for thousands of years, and God kept them that way for his own divine purpose.
The author of the article is wrong again when he believes that the Ethiopian Bible is the Kebre Negest; the Kebre Negest is not a holy book; it is a book about the achievements or successes of the Ethiopian kings, and it can be changed or amended whenever a new evidence pops up about a certain king; however, the Ethiopian holy Bible (81of them) cannot be changed; because it is a God-inspired book, written by Godly people and “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training.”
As some people say, including the writer of the article, we cannot say for sure that the Ethiopian Jews as a lost tribe; they have never been lost; they have been living in Ethiopia for thousands of years: they were sent to Ethiopia by the Almighty God for a mission – to bring Judaism, belief in one God – to Ethiopia. While they are living in Ethiopia, they have never forgotten their origin – Jerusalem – and they have always been looking, instead of to Axum Zion, to Jerusalem, and, I hope, those Ethiopian Jews who are now in Jerusalem, are at present looking to the real Jerusalem where St. John in the book of the Revelation describes as the Holy city, the new Jerusalem (21:2). Such hope of the Ethiopian Jews has a religious appeal, not a romantic effect.
To some of us who do not know much about the history of the Ethiopian Jews, the Bete Israel or Ambober in Gondar may seem a very small place, almost insignificant, but we must remember that it is not the smallness of a place that matters but the history of that small place that matters the most. For example, for us Christians, what happened 2,000 years ago in a small place, less significant than any other places in Judea, called Bethlehem is more important than what happened in Germany in World War II. It was for such a small place that the Jewish Prophet Micah prophesied: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (5:2). So, Ambober or Bete Israel is very significant in the history of the Ethiopian Jews, even though what we find today at Ambober, a Jewish village, is only tuckul and old buildings, but one day, I will predict, this abandoned Ethiopian Jewish village will be a Mecca of the Ethiopian Jews.
Eldad Hadani or Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has nothing to do with the Ethiopian Jews whom the Almighty God brought them to Ethiopia from Jerusalem for his won purpose, and no one cares whether these Ethiopian Jews belong to Dan or to Joseph or to Ephraim tribe. We know they are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and more than that they are the chosen children of God, and that is what it matters. Let the white Israeli Jews find their Dans, Benjimines, Josephs, Calebs, etc. The Ethiopian Jews belong to God only, not to any tribe or sect. Right now, if the white Israeli Jews say to God: “Dear God, we are the only true Jews left on this earth,” and God would tell them: “You are wrong; I have thousands of Jews who have never bowed down to Baal, and these Jews are the Ethiopian Jews.”
I agree with Rabbi Shlomo Amar that many Jews might have been converted to Christianity, and these present Ethiopian Christians may be the descendants of the ancient Jews, and that is why God brought the original Jews from Jerusalem for his divine purpose – Christianity -, and left the other Jews for his other divine purpose to go to Jerusalem and reclaim it as their own old city.
I hope with so many ups and downs, the Operation Moses will continue its religious, not its romantic, duties until all Ethiopian Jews left Ethiopia for Jerusalem, and this divine operation should not be hindered by man-made politics in Israel. It had a good beginning, and I hope it will have a positive ending – all the Ethiopian Jews should be there in Jerusalem, and perhaps after many years may come back to their motherland – Ethiopia – and build a second Jerusalem at Ambober, Gondar.
The Ethiopian Jewish history is not a romantic history like the history of Romeo and Juliet; it is a religious history – a divine message, a revelation from the Almighty God, who purposely brought these children of God from his earthly city – Jerusalem – to Ethiopia almost thousands years ago.
The Ethiopian Jewish history is a well known fact that one does not have to dig deeper to find out the validity of this glorious Ethiopian Jewish history. The history of Ethiopia is the history of the Ethiopian Jewish people. If someone wants to know more about the reality of the Ethiopian Jewish history, one must read the Ethiopian prayer books among many others; one cannot read these prayer books without coming across, many times, these sweet words: “Amlake-Israel” (the God of Israel); also, one should read especially “saatat” the hourly or nightly prayer of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and one can see how many times “the God of Israel” has been mentioned there.
The writer of the article was dumbfounded when he descried among the “dirty and time-eaten prayer books” a collection of shehita whom he thought that someone had unknowingly “checked in the shehita book” and shipped it to Ethiopia. Could the same thing also be said about the Ark of the Covenant that when King Solomon ordered thousands of Jews to accompany his first Son, Menelik I, to Ethiopia, some of these Jews who were in a hurry because the King’s order was urgent, unknowingly chucked in the Ark of the Covenant and brought it with them to Ethiopia? It is possible it could have happened this way instead of saying that they had stolen the Ark.
I don’t think, according to Anshel Pefeffen, 24 hours is enough to understand and comprehend the over thousands years of Jewish history in Ethiopia; it may take, instead of 24 hours, 24 years to cover this religious message. Of course, it would take less than 24 hours if it were a romantic message, but it is a religious message that can be examined and written by religious people – God’s people only – people inspired by the spirit of God because they are writing about the history of the holy people of the Holy God – the Ethiopian Jews.
One does not need an evidence to connect the Ethiopian Jews to the scattered and cursed branches of the white people of the Israeli Jews; rather, the scattered white Israeli Jews must find evidence that connects them to the true Ethiopian Jews; these white Israeli Jews are the ones who have been contaminated with the gentile world, but the Ethiopian Jews have never been defiled; God has kept them holy, undefiled, and sacred for himself in Ethiopia, a religious country, thanks to the Ethiopian Jews.
The Ethiopian Jews have always been the Ethiopian Jews; they are not a sect, as the author of the article assumes they are; they did not come out of Christianity; in fact, Christianity came out of their religion – Judaism. They have been a big religious Jewish organization with their Ark of the Covenant, the Bible, the Sabbath, and with all the Jewish rituals for thousands of years, and God kept them that way for his own divine purpose.
The author of the article is wrong again when he believes that the Ethiopian Bible is the Kebre Negest; the Kebre Negest is not a holy book; it is a book about the achievements or successes of the Ethiopian kings, and it can be changed or amended whenever a new evidence pops up about a certain king; however, the Ethiopian holy Bible (81of them) cannot be changed; because it is a God-inspired book, written by Godly people and “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training.”
As some people say, including the writer of the article, we cannot say for sure that the Ethiopian Jews as a lost tribe; they have never been lost; they have been living in Ethiopia for thousands of years: they were sent to Ethiopia by the Almighty God for a mission – to bring Judaism, belief in one God – to Ethiopia. While they are living in Ethiopia, they have never forgotten their origin – Jerusalem – and they have always been looking, instead of to Axum Zion, to Jerusalem, and, I hope, those Ethiopian Jews who are now in Jerusalem, are at present looking to the real Jerusalem where St. John in the book of the Revelation describes as the Holy city, the new Jerusalem (21:2). Such hope of the Ethiopian Jews has a religious appeal, not a romantic effect.
To some of us who do not know much about the history of the Ethiopian Jews, the Bete Israel or Ambober in Gondar may seem a very small place, almost insignificant, but we must remember that it is not the smallness of a place that matters but the history of that small place that matters the most. For example, for us Christians, what happened 2,000 years ago in a small place, less significant than any other places in Judea, called Bethlehem is more important than what happened in Germany in World War II. It was for such a small place that the Jewish Prophet Micah prophesied: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (5:2). So, Ambober or Bete Israel is very significant in the history of the Ethiopian Jews, even though what we find today at Ambober, a Jewish village, is only tuckul and old buildings, but one day, I will predict, this abandoned Ethiopian Jewish village will be a Mecca of the Ethiopian Jews.
Eldad Hadani or Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has nothing to do with the Ethiopian Jews whom the Almighty God brought them to Ethiopia from Jerusalem for his won purpose, and no one cares whether these Ethiopian Jews belong to Dan or to Joseph or to Ephraim tribe. We know they are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and more than that they are the chosen children of God, and that is what it matters. Let the white Israeli Jews find their Dans, Benjimines, Josephs, Calebs, etc. The Ethiopian Jews belong to God only, not to any tribe or sect. Right now, if the white Israeli Jews say to God: “Dear God, we are the only true Jews left on this earth,” and God would tell them: “You are wrong; I have thousands of Jews who have never bowed down to Baal, and these Jews are the Ethiopian Jews.”
I agree with Rabbi Shlomo Amar that many Jews might have been converted to Christianity, and these present Ethiopian Christians may be the descendants of the ancient Jews, and that is why God brought the original Jews from Jerusalem for his divine purpose – Christianity -, and left the other Jews for his other divine purpose to go to Jerusalem and reclaim it as their own old city.
I hope with so many ups and downs, the Operation Moses will continue its religious, not its romantic, duties until all Ethiopian Jews left Ethiopia for Jerusalem, and this divine operation should not be hindered by man-made politics in Israel. It had a good beginning, and I hope it will have a positive ending – all the Ethiopian Jews should be there in Jerusalem, and perhaps after many years may come back to their motherland – Ethiopia – and build a second Jerusalem at Ambober, Gondar.
20 thoughts on “The Ethiopian Jewish history is not a ‘Romeo and Juliet’”
Great article, Ethiopian Jews are one of the very few Jews who first believed in God the Father and then in His Son, Jesus Christ in His Trinity Form, the Jews who cry about the sufferings of Jesus for the sake of human being while the rest were trying to live in the mistakes of their fathers. Abraham, Issac and Jacob believed in Jesus way before He was born, kept worshiping Him, dreamed and fantasized about seeing their God, our God being a baby, born of the Virgin as Issiah has prophesied. Before Christianity, Ethiopian Jews were Orthodox in their faith and after Christianity they are Orthodox in their Christianity even though there were some historical figures that can not be forgotten that were inflicted by Yodit Gudit who burned down great Churches, Monasteries and most of all innocent monks and hermits along with the Axumite princes and became the reason to the decline of Ethiopia’s superpower status, later to be subject to cruel and savage invasions by corrupt muslim forces who broke their rules not to kill Ethiopians who gave them asylum when they needed it. But the mistake of one person or specific generation can’t indicate real personalities, its like we can’t blame Tigre people in Ethiopia by the cruelty of the Meles’ Crime family and can’t blame Eritreans by the mistakes of President Isayas who made the mistake of departing the great state of Eritrea from her mother land. But atleast he is paying his dues to his Ethiopian brothers and sisters by joining forces to overthrow woyanne and unite the siblings.
Assta B. Gettu,Amlake Israel Yibarkih!!
I entirely agree with all your assertions.It is an incridible lesson for those white “Jews”who tend to disdain the history of Ethiopian Jews.Well,in fact,Ethiopian does not need any one’s approval to justify their identity.Their true history would justify that.
One of the worest challenge for Ethiopian Jew in Israel today is RACISM.Intimidated and racist discrimination against Ethiopian Jews by white “Jew” is almost a daily event.There is little or no media coverage for that.What shocked me a couple days is that white school childeren in Haifa elementary school protested against admiting ethiopian children totheir school.They were supported by teacheres anbd head of the school.Look haw far the level of racism against Ethiopians are ugly in Israel.
Working class ethiopians are discriminated at work,old people at hoospitals in every public institution.It is really an Aparthaid!!!I AM SORRY BUT THIS IS THE REALTY IN ISRAEL!!!
Ato asseta let the god of israel enlighten you more and more.really it is a touching article.
The todays political state called “Israel” is nothing but the realization of western half millenium ambition unsuccssful ambition to capture jerusalem by CRUSADE.
Israel is not a state .It is a nation: a nation of God.
Remember
ACT 8 vers 26-39.
Philip and the Ethiopian
26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[d]eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31″How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”[e]
34The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?”[f] 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
The symbolic encounter of an ethiopian “official” (messenger) making his annual piligrim to jerusalem.this is the pratice wel-before the destruction of jerusalem by the babylone , ofcourse too far before the capture of jerusalem the pagan Roma.
that meeeting of philipos and the ethiopia official was the divine plan.In this Nation Judaism graciously and officially transcended christeanity.
Philipos
Who can speak of his descendants?
This question remained to be answered in only and only one nation atleast to our age.
Assta B, gettu. well done my brother as usual your article is based on facts. The real and the blessed God’s children are ethiopia’s jews.The white jews were a slave every where in the wolrd. they chnaged their religion, culture and tradition where they were. where as the ethiopian’s jews were being sent to ethiopia by the wish of almighty God as God ‘s messangers to teach the second blessed God,s children[ ethiopians ] . Ethiopia belived in one GOD as our father abrham did untill the holly thirnity visited his house , promised to him to have a son from sera. and AFTER THE arrival of24,000 jews with an ark of the covenant along with king minilik-1, 18.000 out of 24,000 were priests , diakons and others church’s scholars]. before the ethiopia’s jews arrival, ethiopians belived in only in one GOD.BE HIGE LEBONA. AFTER THEIR ARRIVAL AND an introduction of the ten GOD’s commandments, blue kidane ,ethiopia accepted judiams for 1000 years. after 1000 years of following judaism, the long awaited almighty God jesus christ openned his self for the people in betelehem to full fill his promise to adam. and again ethiopia accepted christianity. most people accepted baptism except some people who did not have enough idea about the differences. So ethiopia has followed three God’s laws. hige lebona, be ande amlake becha mamen, the ten commandements and finally addis kidane. SO ethiopia’s jewes have lived in ethiopia for 3000 years, 1000 year BC, AND 2000 AC. The ethiopia’s jewes are very clean and true jews. they have been living and following the true GOD’s law. even GOD said that lejochen ke giwon wenze derse emelesachewalehugn’ The white jew are very racists, jeolious people. we , ethiopians know very well how the white jew are mis-handeling the true ethiopia’s jews. the white jew want the ethiopia’s jew carry gun and protect them from arab’s susciders. There are still so many ethiopia’s jews in ethiopia in different places. They have un limited right to go back to ISRAEL. both communities must force the racist israel’s government to bring them and join with the rest of ethiopia’s jews who are in israel now. Ethiopia’s door wis open and will open to all ethiopia’s jew in the future. they are a part of our country’s history. soon or later ethiopia will be astable and democratic one. ethiopia is potentially rich in natural resources. ethiopia can be one of the richest country in 10—-20 years if in God’s wish. SO ethiopia jew be strong , we are with you at any difficult time. your right in israel is not less the right of one white jew from russia, polnad, usa, EUROPE or even israel’s jew. your are the true children of our holly fathers abrham, Iasac and yacob. finally in the bible states “ye israel amelak” there are two israels. israel ze nefese and israel ze sega. those who are the children of abrham, Iaac, and yacob, but they did not accept almighty jesus christ are israel ze sega. because jesus christ borned from them, but ethiopians are both israel ze sega and israel ze nefese. sint marry had ethiopian’s blood . our father sint moses’s wife was an ethiopiawit and he got children from her. sint marry came from sint moses root, for that reason ethiopians are israel ze sega senebal, ye embetachine sega selebese ye ethiopianoch zemede sibale, on the other hand ethiopians accepted jesus christ as the son of God and he him self is God. ethiopians accepted baptism with out seeing any miracles. even JESUS christ told to tomas, those who did not see any miracles and belived in me are hollies. and ethiopians are being visited by 9 well known God’s holliest fathers from different countries like abune argayi, abune gebermenefsekidus and others to teach ethiopians. when God sent abune gebere menfese kiduse from egypt, God sent him a gold cross and told ementachewu ke worke yeteda ena worke wede honute ethiopianoch elekehalehugn kalen astemerachewu belo newu yelakachewu
what does israel mean? who GOT THE FIRST NAME “ISRAEL” AND WHO GAVE”? Israel is not the name of the country. When our holly father yacob in his dream met with one man. Yacob asked that man” who are you” But God responded to yacob” I am the God of your fathers abrham and isaac ‘ yacob said if you are my fathers ‘God I am going to release untill your blessed me . THE struggle between almighty God and our holly father yacob continue ,and finally God blessed him and told him from now on your name must not be yacob, but ” ISRAEL” ISRAEL MALETE ESEKE MECHERESHAWU YEMITANA. YACOB ANDE ADARE MULLU KALEBAREKEGN ALEKEHEM BELO KE AMELAKU GARE SELETAGELE NEW. SELEZIH ISRAEL MALETE YE HAGER SEME SAYIHONE EGZABIHERE AMELAKACHEWUN ATEBEKEWU YEMIFELEGU ENA BE ESUM AMENEWU TENETEWU YEMINORU HULU ISRAELOCH YIBALALU.
Let me in short say this, the whole problem of Ethiopia past present future lies in our misguided physiological make-up that is we have been reduced to humans that worship other peoples god. The god of Israel”, holly land, looking to King Solomon as template. What about the god of the Ethiopia, where is the holy land of ours. While many countries have taken step to reassert themselves, we are still under the propaganda of Jewish Doctrine through the Bible. We can not be rational because the doctrine of “can’t question Faith have been ingrained in religious doctrine.
Especially the northern people of Ethiopia are the victim of such mind colonialism through religious propaganda, who are not fit enough to assert ourself to claim the land we live on is not holy land, the God that brought us in this world is forgotten. If god wanted you to worship Israel’s god than we would be in Israel not in Ethiopia. Think about it for minutes. This goes for all Ethiopian Jews, Ethiopian Ortdox church, Ethiopian Muslim. From the beginning god has given us beautiful country were abundance and goodness reigned, today we have rejected our indigenous god, and land and now the land is rejecting us, Unexplained Chaos, Starvation, hate on the same land that once breathed, health , love ,creative and stronger Ethiopians lived.
You can worship God without the propaganda; you can worship Alla Without becoming Arab. While I is sympathize with the Ethiopian Jewish they although located physical in Ethiopia for centuries, their mind and spirit was not in Ethiopia.
I disagree with the statement below. The Bete Israel are just like any black race in Africa who happen to be worshipping Judaism not “the descendants of the ancient Jews”, because yours denotes as Judaism being some sort of better than any thing else. It is just religion, not less or better than anything else, be it Shinto, Waqo, Budha or Sidama … Judaism is just religion. It doesn’t make any Habesha better or less by being associated to it or to the Orthodox christianity.
All the crap being written or dug out of 2000 years this or that is just to show “how supurior or better the Habeshas are.” They are not. Infact, Habeshas are the most miserable creatures on this planet, be it Ethiopian or Eritrean and in the worst shape even among the Black race.
Please, stop all these nonesense!
“I agree with Rabbi Shlomo Amar that many Jews might have been converted to Christianity, and these present Ethiopian Christians may be the descendants of the ancient Jews, and that is why God brought the original Jews from Jerusalem for his divine purpose – Christianity -, and left the other Jews for his other divine purpose to go to Jerusalem and reclaim it as their own old city.”
What is this preoccupation of some Ethiopians with Judaism? This is a religion like anybody else. The Moslems work hard to be more Arab and will connect their leanage to Mecca, as the Orthodox or Falasha Ethiopians try often to Jerusalem.
We Habeshas must have a deep seated inferiority complex, cann’t we find our own ‘Gods’?
Why do you hate yourselves this much? Why do you work too hard to be descendants of the Arabs or the Jews? Can’t you be proud of who you are?
There is only one God which created an entire world. there is no special God for israelians and ethiopians. ethiopia and ethiopians are blessed than israelians according to the wholly bible. israelians were lived a miserable life in different countries like slave like in egypt for more than 430 years and in babylon 70 years.So ethiopia is the covenant land of sint marry, the secret land of God. as there is a holly city in israel,there is a holly city in ethiopia. axum, the rest place of an ark of the covenant.but ethiopians must continue their struggle against discrimination in both ethiopia and in israel. the white jews must stop their discrimination against the ethiopia’s jews, they must know and accept that the ethiopia’s jews have the same right like the white jews. the ethiopia’s jews must have their radio and tv programs, news paper in their langauge.
Dear Tulu,
It is not a matter of hating oneself if one tries to know the history of his/her ancestors; many people would like to know about their race, and when they find out they are from a black race or a white race, they are happy and satisfied with their findings: they will not hate themselves because they are from a black race or from a white race; both races have the same origin – God, who created all things.
For your information: Most Ethiopians have one God, not many Gods; even if the Ethiopian Orthodox Church believes in the Holy Trinity, it doesn’t mean it believes in three gods; it believes only in one God.
Thank you Thinker,
I agree with what you said below. The whole notion of trying to attach oneself to Judaism is the root problem in Ethiopia – inferiority complex! The Habesha people don’t need to trace the 1% blood of Judiasm passed through slavery of the Yemeni-Sabean occupiers of the Horn of Africa or the few Arab slavers who converted many others to Islam.
Plus, there is no proof that shows the Judaism in the Horn of Africa came direclty from Jerusalem. The only viable history, so far is the religions, culture, the Geeze Fidel and custom came directly from Yemeni-Sabeans.
I wonder why the Habeshas spend this much time to dig nonesense instead of looking at their own history in their own backyard – the Horn of Africa and the solve the hunger and poverty – that is all in their face?
Haileselasie also worked very hard to be the “Jewish King” and had an official title, calling himself – ze emnegede yehuda! Is there any other definition for inferiority complex!
“Especially the northern people of Ethiopia are the victim of such mind colonialism through religious propaganda, who are not fit enough to assert ourself to claim the land we live on is not holy land, the God that brought us in this world is forgotten. If god wanted you to worship Israel’s god than we would be in Israel not in Ethiopia. Think about it for minutes. This goes for all Ethiopian Jews, Ethiopian Ortdox church, Ethiopian Muslim. From the beginning god has given us beautiful country were abundance and goodness reigned, today we have rejected our indigenous god, and land and now the land is rejecting us, Unexplained Chaos, Starvation, hate on the same land that once breathed, health , love ,creative and stronger Ethiopians lived
Although I didnot rtead the book on critique, I agree on few points. – Kibire Negest is a political book rather than religious one. Secondly it has nothing to do with romance, but religion playing a role in politics. Otherwise the comment is a bit inflated and biased.
Dear thinker,
Please, allow me to make you think a little bit deeper.
The God of Ethiopia is the same God of the whole universe, and the God of every race is the same God as the Ethiopian God, and still one God, eternal that has no beginning and end, and there is no time where he has never been and no one has ever seen him, and no one knows what he looks like. He is spirit. “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). He created the universe out of nothing (xnihilo-nihili).
God gave this earth to all of us humans, and there is no such a thing as indigenous god; yes in the time of our ignorance, we used to believe in local gods such as Kolie and other things. To tell you the truth, there has never been a time where there are no chaos, starvation, hate, conflict and war. These things will always be with us whether we like them or not. Out of chaos, there is always something good; for example, out of volcanoes, beautiful islands are formed, and out of the heat of love, babies are conceived. So chaos, sometimes, is better than a dormant thing.
Dear Mother Earth,
Can you tell me what kind of history we have in our own back yards except the Ethiopian Jewish history? Yes, most Ethiopians are Jews, and Emperor Haile Selassie was proud to be the King of the Ethiopian Christian Jews and the Jews and the Muslims and the other faiths.
I thank my old friend, Assta Bereket Gettu, for his quick response to Mr. Anshel Pfeffer’s article about the Ethiopian Jews. I wonder, the writer is even trying to tell us that ‘…the Star of David with a cross in its center is ubiquitous on buildings throughout Addis Ababa’. He also concluded that ‘Kibre Negest’ is an Ethiopian Bible. But any man any time can make physical inspection that such things are merely heap of lies. Unless all the new buildings built since I left Addis Ababa (some three years ago) carry this emblem this is totally untrue. Even then one cannot make such a wild generalization. Perhaps Mr. Pfeffer had drove around the Menelik Palace whose fence was built during the time of Haile Selassie with the said emblem and had made a short visit to Baata Church (that bears this sign) in the neighborhood, and then jumped to conclude that the entire city of Addis is built with this emblem. With regard to Kibre Negest, Mr Pfeffer is the first evangelist to teach us that this book is embodied to the Ethiopian Bible of 81 books
Bogale Dagne from Los Angeles
Dear Gettu,
You need some understandings about Judaism, a well-known and respected religion throughout the world, and as a great religion, Christianity and Islam came out of it.
It seems you are a little bit confused when you say: “The Bete-Israel are just like any black race in Africa who happened to be worshipping Judaism….” To tell you the truth, the Bete-Israel or the Ethiopian Jews do not worship Judaism; they worship God, and the same thing is true with Muslims and Christians. The Muslims and the Christians do not worship Islam and Christianity respectively; they both worship one eternal God.
You are wrong the Bete-Israel are not like any other African black race; they are Ethiopian Jews who came with Menelik I from Jerusalem to Ethiopia, and at that time no black person was converted to Judaism, but later on many Ethiopian Jews were converted to Christianity.
Yes, a good religion makes a person better than the other one who does not have any religion, and that is why we have billions of Christians and billions of Muslims who worship God every Sunday and every Friday, respectively. When you have a religion, of course, you must follow certain rules, and you will be a better person. For example, Judaism and Christianity teach the Ten Commandments, and they are essential for any person who lives in this world. Christianity teaches Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and these sermons are vital for all of us Christians.
If you have some personal vendettas against some of your brothers and sisters whom you call Habesha, an old Arabic word, take your breath, relax, and mind your own business.
My dear Bogale Dagne,
I couldn’t believe myself it is you, correcting and proving the Star of David is no more hanging on any and every buildings in Addis; I don’t even remember I saw any symbol of the Star of David anywhere when I was there but, as you say, in some Churches.I think, the Star of David died with that Thehaiu Nigus Emperor Haile Selasie, and we will never see them again.
My old friend from St. Paul School, and I’m so glad to hear you are here in America, the land of many dreams; I will try to reach you if I can find your correct address.
Dear Mr. Assta B. Gettu after reading some your response i just can’t believe how many times you contradicted yourself. I don’t usually respond to comments; accept to provide a comment to an article. In your case after reading lots of your comments that you have responded to the readers, I am urged to responded
The following is your comments to my response “.Dear thinker,
Please, allow me to make you think a little bit deeper.
The God of Ethiopia is the same God of the whole universe, and the God of every race is the same God as the Ethiopian God, and still one God, eternal that has no beginning and end, and there is no time where he has never been and no one has ever seen him, and no one knows what he looks like. He is spirit. “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). He created the universe out of nothing (xnihilo-nihili).
God gave this earth to all of us humans, and there is no such a thing as indigenous god; yes in the time of our ignorance, we used to believe in local gods such as Kolie and other things. To tell you the truth, there has never been a time where there are no chaos, starvation, hate, conflict and war. These things will always be with us whether we like them or not. Out of chaos, there is always something good; for example, out of volcanoes, beautiful islands are formed, and out of the heat of love, babies are conceived. So chaos, sometimes, is better than a dormant thing.
If you indeed believe that the God of Ethiopia is the same Go of the whole universe” why than run to Israel? If God created the whole universe that why dose particular location in Middle East the place that you believe where god is. I know, I know you Book tells that is where it is, you can justify it like that.
What most interesting is that you Quoted “ a holy book “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). He created the universe out of nothing (xnihilo-nihili) “to convince me of the same propaganda that told you that Israel is holy land rather a land where many generations of your people lived and multiplied, rather than hold dear a land where you were born and lived, you chose a place that once again that told you that the land you live on is not worthy enough for the Holy God to come to.
I am sure if God the almighty can make to Israeli he can make to Gonder so you see how you are belittling the God. If you really believe the above quote that you indicated, we would not be having this argument.
I can go on a write much more but may god of Africans be with you
Dear thinker,
You can worship God any place, any time, you want to. On the same Chapter, verses 21-22, we read: “Jesus declared, ‘Believe me woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem….salvation is from the Jews.’”
I never said God favors the Jews more than the other people; If we believe in him, we are all his favorite children whether we are from Gondar or Oromia, or Jerusalem, and every piece of land is worthy and holy, but what makes a land unworthy and unholy in the eyes of God is our sins, our immoralities, and our transgressions, and that is why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire because of the immoralities of those ancient people.
The reason why we respect Jerusalem is Jesus, our savior, was born there, grew up there, taught there, died there, and rose after he died there, and we hope he will come back again.
Tell me, why do you think the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Arabs, and many other nations fought against Jerusalem and tried to destroy it completely, but failed? Why is Jerusalem so important for the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims? Don’t you think there is something important in Jerusalem than the gold and silver and milk and honey? Mr. thinker, think a little bit deeper, and read the Holy Bible with a humble heart, and may God help you and me to understand the wonder and the mystery of the Almighty God.
i agree with Mr. Thinker. God only see your heart…He doesn’t care about your race…who you look like whether you are a jew, arab, ethiopian or any other. He only cares about you moral standards. If he cares about race, then your god (whoever you believe in) is a racist god and the other races are not his creation. I think God values everything in the world and God is wiser than any man you can imagine. However, I see some of you comments and you be little God that makes him with little knowledge and wisdom. It is so sad and disappointing. Instead of questioning if you are a jew or arab decent, question yourself….do you really believe in God and do what he asks you to do according to you book. do you know that earth is like a grain of sand in a big ocean compared to earth in the whole universe? How can you imagine to limit your God in one tiny place called Jerusalem. That is so funny for those of us who think broadly. Not funny, sad.