Customer Reviews

The Ethiopian Book of Life

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The title put on the cover is a little bit misleading because this is a reprint of of the 1929 editon of The Bandlet of Rightousness An Ethiopian Book of Life Also Known As The Ethiopian Book of Dead (so the title page says). This is valuable book for the persons interested in magic elements in Ethiopic tradition. It deals with several Christian [!] spells, mystic God's names etc. It is pretty important for Ethiopic tradition. So buy this book which has also the original Ge'ez text attached.
ATTENTION: Do not be misled by the similiar title reccomended also by Amazon, I mean The Bandlet of Rightousness The Ethiopian Book of Dead! Do not buy it! It is the same book as recently reviewed although deprived of Ge'ez original. See my review of that item.

W. P. Turek PhD

I read the 2003 reprint of the 1929 original by E. A. Wallis Budge who is also known for having translated the Egyptian Book of the Dead. As the latter is known to have been faulty, similar to the pioneer 1927 translation of the The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (by another translator), this version might be faulty, too. What all three books have in common is that their real titles are never called some country's Book of the Dead (as the alternative title of this one is: "An Ethiopian Book of the Dead"). Rather, it is "(The) Bandlet of Righteousness", though Budge makes it clear that variating translations are possible. The actual text is 28 pages long only. However, the introduction is 74 pages long and the prayers in the appendix 39 pages. The original Ge'ez text is included as well, altogether accumulating 224 pages.

I hoped to find more - or any at all - mysticism according to the English popular title. Nevertheless the text is termed Gnostic. It is said to have been given by God before I-Yasus/Jesus and by Jesus to Mary later as well. Personally, I didn't really find the main text that tremendously rewarding. It is basically about the notion of names (of God) causing existence. As such, a lot of names are provided and not that much else. It should be noted that the text was taken from the wrapping of a buried corpse.

The introduction of 1929 is dated, unsurprisingly. Terms such as "Muhammadans", "pagan Egyptian" and the N-word in the female version are still used. Isis and Mary are seen identical in a specific context and not yet that the latter is actually derived from the former. In the same vein, a connection between the Celts and North Africans is drawn, without realising that the Celts most probably originated from North Africa (which actually had been known to some in the 19th century already, read e.g. Ancient and Modern Britons: Volume One (Ancient & Modern Britons)). On the other hand, throughout the book, the terms Jah, Alpha and Omega, Iyasus (and 'Aten) are provided. In pre-RastafarI Imes! Very revealing indeed.

Also revealing the mention of homosexuality in one of the appendix prayers as leading to torture in hell, as it isn't that easy to come by erotist/amorist (homophobe) texts from Ethiopia as it is from Euro-Christianity. The two catches are: Included in the same breath is fornication, traditionally known to be the favorite pastime in Jamaica. But than again, RastafarI isn't really about Babylon Jamaica. Interestingly, children are described as sinners in this context, too, which makes I wonder... The second catch is: The prayer is directed to soothe the wrath against such sinners as everybody would be one and not a single human would be spared. Therefore, for all sinners, an escape route is provided. Not from the "sinning", but from the punishment. How about that?! Sure sounds more African than the Jamaican approach, which is actually the colonial European way, if I fellow Anancies would care to take the Imes to research the origin of that attitude a bit...

This also arrive in good time. It was a gift and the receiver was quite happy and surprised to receive it. That is good!