Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-01-11
By Rene Bache.

TTHE newly announced discovery
in Ethiopia OF a hitherto I'M
known book of early Chris
tian writings. relating to miracles
performed by 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 sacred manu-
script should, in very early days,
have found its way thither, and be
lost-to be brought to light again by
more accident at later period.
This is what seems to have hap
peaed in the case Of venerable
volume recently found in o monas-
terry in that part of the world-of
l05 leaves, It's contents written in
the Ethiopian language, illustrated
with fifty-one pictures In colors, and
bound in stout wooden boards It is
called the Book Of Miracles OF the
Blessed Virgin, and includes, as a
sort Of appendix, what purports to
w "a AAioNOAJ Va tAAC u dNGlS vi Lllt
Mother and Child in Egypt, which
the Archbishop Theophllus, 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 Philippians 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 the
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 protruding red
tongues-such ideas about the
physical characteristics of demons
having already been current in
Ethiopia and the eastern Sudan for
many hundreds of years.
One OF the miracles Tecited in
this wonderful volume had to do
with a certain monastery which
was located half a league from
Jericho, and with a church close
by, the latter being specially ded-
icated to the Virgin. For some
reason she desired to have a
church on the border of a lake at
Jericho. and this wish she commu-
nicated repeatedly tc priest of the
In h l.
about the matter time and again
to his fellow monks, but they failed
TO 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 ap-
pearancc, whose name was Zach
arias, was exceedingly devout,
praying to the Virgin constantly.
Before starting on Journey
through the wilderness, ne adorned
her image with a crown Of fifty
roses. A gang II thieves. in the
Wilderness. got after him, and
seeing that he could not escape
them. liz offered a supplication 10
the Lady of Heaven. As he did so
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. on
q certain occasion, when the sea
was very rough and the waves ran
high, set out on a trading eXpedi
ton in 4 small vessel. The boat
was capsized and they cried in vain
TO their false Prophet for help. be.
ing Mohammedans. Finding that
they got no answer two Of them