Africa’s Merchant Kings

archaeology.org

27 points·diodorus··5 comments

> According to legend, the Aksumite king Ezana (reigned ca. A.D. 325–360) was converted to Christianity by his childhood tutor, Saint Frumentius, a Christian born in Lebanon who became the head of the Ethiopian church and its first bishop. Coins issued by Ezana during his lifetime seem to support this claim.

Also in the book of Acts in the Bible, Phillip the Evangelist is said to have converted a eunuch from the court of Queen Candace of Ethiopia who was visiting Jerusalem and reading the book of Isaiah. It this seems that this kingdom had significant interaction with Christianity and potentially Judaism as well. It is also interesting to note that a successor dynasty of which Haile Selassie was the last emperor, claimed descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

This is the passage in Acts (…”he (the eunuch) went away rejoicing”) which Philip K Dick took as a divine sign to him because he claimed to have written an independently inspired scene in _Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said_

I shall have to read that. When it comes to the Bible and Philip K. Dick, I usually think of his book V.A.L.I.S.

Ethiopia’s Jewish community, Beta Israel dates back as far as the Exodus it is believed to the tribe of Dan.

They were not aware of the Oral law or modern rabbinical Judaism until rediscovered by the state of Israel.

What’s even more fascinating is…

After finally granting them the Right of Return, Israel kicked off a massive logistics, financial and spying campaign involving the Mossad and CIA to convince unwilling governments via Operation Moses to help them emigrate to Israel.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Israel

https://youtu.be/BF-y3S6364I

> The names of those who erected them

You can put your name on anything. History is rife with the reuse of artifacts.

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