Deqiqa Estifanos

Deqiqe Istifanos: "behigg amlak" is a hagiographical history of the rise and fall of a group of Ethiopian monks who founded a fundamentalist movement that rocked both Church and State during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The monks refused to bow before the cross, the icon of Madonna and Child or the king, maintaining that that form of worship was preserved only for the Trinity. They also insisted that asceticism, not observed at that time in the major monasteries, should be observed in all monasteries. These views were not shared by the establishment, and as the number of people attracted to the movement steadily grew, the palace and senior clergy became increasingly concerned. Ultimately, when the monks refused to compromise their principles, the palace destroyed them by meting out the most inhumane punishment. Deqiqe Istifanos is a unique historical document about Ethiopia, especially of the 15th century. The book contains a translation into Amharic of preexisting Ge'ez texts that chronicle the lives of the leader of the movement, Abba Istifanos (Stephen), and his two successors, Abba Abekrezun and Abba Izra (Ezra). It includes also the translation of a Ge'ez text that describes the martyrdom of the many monks and nuns involved in the movement. The translations are preceded by the translator's extensive introduction about the movement. The document concludes with a bibliography and an index.