Mazgaba Maṣāḥəft

CAe 0001

 

Title

  • Miracle of Mary: Dabra Zamaddo's Abbot Abuna Yohannǝs and how he opposed the oppressive ruler of Danagaz

Description

A posthumous Miracle of Mary. On the feast day of Abbuna Bartalomewos, the people of Danagaz gathered at Dabra Zamaddo to celebrate Mary’s blessings. Traditionally this feast day provided an opportunity for the people gathered to tell the abbot about the hardships they faced. On this day the people of Danagaz spoke to Abbuna Yohannes of their oppressive ruler. Abbuna Yohannes summoned the ruler and asked him to show his people greater kindness. The ruler agreed to do as the abbot said, but when he returned home, the ruler grew angry. He claimed that he would never return to Dabra Zamaddo or be ruled by the abbot there. Hearing of these claims, Abbuna Yohannes consulted with Mary. Mary explained that the ruler had prophesied his own death with these arrogant claims, and she sent “the cup of death” (poison?) to kill the ruler. The narrator then tells of similar events that occurred when a ruler named Gelyanos arrogantly slandered his abbot. As with the ruler of Danagaz, Mary also killed Gelyanos.

Contributors

  • Wendy Laura Belcher, editor
  • Jeremy Brown, editor
  • Taylor Eggan, contributor

History

  • Taylor Eggan on :
    (PEMM) typed incipit and summary at https://pemm.princeton.edu/stories/1016
  • Wendy Laura Belcher on :
    (PEMM) identified the miracle