Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1913-01-12
By Rene Baclle.

IRVINE newly announced discovery
in Ethiopia Of hitherto UNI
\ known book of early Chris
tan writings, relating to miracles
performed ty the Virgin Mary,
might be deemed extraordinary but
for the fact that the country IN
question was conquered BY the faith
long before the middle ages. Under
such circumstances nothing is more
natural than that a sacred manu-
script should, in very early days.
have found It's way thither, and be
lost--to be brought to light again by
mere accident at later period.
This is what seems to have hap
pcned in the case of "A venerable
volume recently found in a monas-
terry in that part of the world-of
1o5 leaves, its contents written in
the Ethiopian language, illustrated
with fifty-one pictures in colors, and
bound in stout wooden boards. II is
called the Book of Miracles OF the
Blessed Virgin, and includes. as
sort of appendix, what purports to
be history of the travels of the
MOlEtI ann AIilA III i~S1A 1As NJ DtIli
the Archbishop Theophilus of Alex
andria, received from Mary herself.
setting it down at her dictation.
The pictures are in brilliant
colors. and, though somewhat
primitive in character, give a good
notion Of the dress of Ethiopians at
the period when the manuscript
was written. which was about The
end of the Fourteenth century.
Also. they illustrate the furniture
OF the houses, such as water pots,
drinking vessels, bedsteads and tho
trays from which guests ate their
meals. The representations OF
angels and devils are very quaint,
the latter being represented as
black, with bodies Of beasts, and
human faces with protrudins red
tongues-such idea about the
physieal characteristics of demons
having already been current IN
Ethiopia and the eastern Sudan for
many hundreds of years.
One of the miracles recited In
this wonderful volume had to do
with a certain monastery which
was located half league from
Jericho, and with a church close
Inv. the latter being specially ded'
icated to the Virgin. For some
reason she desired to have a
church on the border of lake at
Jericho. and this wish she commu-
nicated repeatedly to priest of the
monastery, in his dreams. He spoke
about the matter time and again
to his fellow monks, but they failed
10 act upon the suggestion. One
night. however. when everybody
was asleep, the monastery and
church were bodily transferred to
Jericho, the thing being accom-
plished so quietly that nobody was
disturbed. As for the monks. they
knew nothing of the change until.
next morning, they went out OF their
cells and saw the lake in the court
yard.
In another instance young
Roman nobleman Of handsome APP
pearance, whose name was Zach
arias, was exceedingly devout
praying to the Virgin constantly
BEFORE starting on a journey
through the wilderness. he adorned
her image with a crown OF fifty
roses. A gang of thieves, in the
wilderness. got after him, and
seeing that he could not escape
them. he offered supplication tc
the Lady Of Heaven. AS he did sc
she appeared before him and every
time he spoke a rose came from his
mouth, until there were fifty Of
them. Mary took the roses, depart
ing with them, and the robbers
having seen what happened, re
pented them of their evil ways and
became monks.
Three Arabs there were. who, or
certain occasion, when the sea
was very rough and the waves rar
high. set out on trading expedi
tion in a small vessel. The boa
was capsized and they cried in vair
10 their false Prophet for help, be
ing Mohammedans. Finding tina
they rot no answer two of then
prayed to the Virgin Mary. one O