Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-03-06
a NOTABLE BOOK.

]
/ cent years.
Bible readers know. from ] Kings y.
| and m Chronicle ix. that the Queen
/ of Shcbu. having heard OF the wisdom
| ~ King Solomon camo to Jerusalem
I with a large rctInue in order 10 learn
| wisdom. and that she departed glori-
| flying the Almighty who had given Ills
! people such ruler
II IS also known that the rulers of
| Abyssinia claim TO be- the descendants
of King Solomon and the Queen ~
shcba Joscphus evidently believed
! that this lady came from Abyssinia,
! FOR Doe says that Saba was the an
| Client name OF Mcroo. and that she
| came thence This opinion has pro-
/ vailed quite generally. But any docu-
I meutary evidence upou whSh the
! Abyssinlans base their claim that their
! rulers arc lincal descendants ~ Solo
! mon, has not been generally known TO
] cxist until recently II Is claimed for
| "Magda. Queen Of Shoba," that 20 Is
/ q translation Of an Abyssinian. very
/ ancient document containing a record
/ Of that famous visit OF an Ethiopian
! queen 10 Jerusalem
In the Introduction 20 the American
| edition. NJ. Hughes lie Roux. the trans
| lator Of the Abysslnian manuscript
| into French. tells how be became
aware OF the existence Of this curious
| book. and how he obtained permits
sion 10 translate II. A learned Abys-
| sinian, whom the Negus had sent 20
meet him on his arrival IN Africa IN
! 1904, 10 accompany him on his jour
ney told him OF 1t. He explained
| that the manuscript was a part of the
| chronicles the Abyssinlans call 'Fetha
| Nagast'-Glory Of the Klngs-which
| begin with the creation OF the world
and are kept from day 20 day by the
historians, or court recorders. This
special manuscript refers 10 the his
tory OF the Queen who visited Solo
mon. II is a record Of her journey.
the birth Of her son. and visit this
son, later. made 20 Jerusalem The
curiosity Of the French traveller was,
naturally, aroused by the story told.
10 appears that this manuscript was
among number OF literary treasures
carried away from Magdals after tho
battle Of 1868, when the British soldiers
pursued the vanqulshed Emperor
| rheodorus 20 the very room in the
fortress in which he committed sui
eide, and took everything they could
| lay thoir hands on. II found its way
I 10 the British museum. but was re-
/ turned at the request Of Emperor John.
/ After the death % this ruler II came
into the possession Of Emperor Mene-
Tx, who, finally. permitted NJ 10
RouA 10 examine Il.
The material" he says, was goat
/ skin. / counted 1854 leaflets, or pages,
| including those which formed the COW
/ ers front and back. These pages were
written In two columns Of seventeen
! centimsters high by eight wide There
/ were regularly nineteen hnes IN a
! column written In an even hand The
/ characters measured an average Of
/ four or five milhmeters. The change
| % chapters was indicated without
new paragraphs. as the hrst two lines
| Of tho new chapter were inscribed,
/ throughout, In red ink" There was
no room for doubt. the French trans
| lator adds. He felt convinced that he
/ held IN his hands tho very version OF
tho story Of the Queen OF sheba when
the emperors and priests OF Ethiopia
| considered The most ancient of those
which have been scattered ln Abyss n
Tan Monasteries. or found their way Dy
chance into some Euopean libraries.
IN brief, the manuscript says. there
was ones a wise merchant whose name
was Tamrn. Somehow he heard Of the
uberauty OF King solomon lu paying
twofold for an the material he ueolel
for the Temple. whereupou he took a
consignment OF gold and precious
wood and marble, 10 Jerusalem. lor
an Of which he was paid a double pr. O..
while .n the capital of Judcl, he learn
ed OF solomon's great wisdom, and
when Dee came back 90 hls people he
told OF an the wonders he had seon u
Jerusalem. The queen heard the
] "NNIN OBJ AA|NI I'N Nh'Ae ANHH HAAA NlAAIlH
she decided Co go and see Tor herself
n the report was true. She set 1ul
upon her journey with seven hundroI
and ninety boats aud mules vlth1u,
| number
She reached her destination ln safe.
49, King solomon gave her palace
near his own. and sent every dal
what was needed for her maintenance.
| 700 oriental style
Tho manuscript goes on to ten bow
Solomon deceived the trusting queen
and how be had "a disturbing dream H
which the sun Was withdrawing hI
dazzling rays from Israel To enlgh .of
Ethiopia. Then the Queen loft for hc
own homo and people
100 due time the queen had s1I
who. on reaching maturity went d
Jerusalem. Ills experience there am
related. FINALLY ho returned 90 his Owl
home. accom- panied by a number o
tho people OF Israel The worship 70
me true God was thus introduced iut
Abyssiuia
. This if in brief the contents of ON
, book. t is probably, not a genu.n
i history but "a piece or beautiful DO
fI.H. H.aa.H ..H.... a..rr.s ssHtNaaIsa|rsr F..Ha