{"slug":"LIT1252Confes","id":"ethiopic:betmas:LIT1252Confes","title":"Confessio Claudii","author":"Anonymous","genre":"other","date":"23 Sane (17 June) 1555 in Damot","tradition":"ethiopic","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T04:52:56Z","cost_usd":0.003123},"source":{"registry_id":"ethiopic:betmas:LIT1252Confes","work_id":"LIT1252Confes","edition":"betmas","language":"","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0 (per file); site footer states NC-SA - treat as NC","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"},"stats":{"passages":5,"english_words":1081,"coptic_letters":0,"commentary_units":28,"commentary_kinds":7,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":9,"work_notes":4,"external_links":2,"timeline":4},"summary":{"work":"LIT1252Confes","abstract":"The Confessio Claudii is a first-person confession of faith attributed to Emperor Claudius of Ethiopia (r. 1540–1559). Written in Geʿez, it comprises a series of credal statements affirming Trinitarian doctrine, the life of Christ, and liturgical norms of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The sole known witness is the manuscript underlying the betmas edition, dated 23 Sane (17 June) 1555 in Damot. The work's register is formal and liturgical, with repeated affirmations of faith. Its textual tradition is extremely narrow, and the edition lacks critical apparatus, limiting assessment of textual stability. The attribution to Claudius rests solely on the manuscript, with no external corroboration.","historical_context":"The Confessio Claudii is attributed to the reign of Emperor Claudius (Gelawdewos) of Ethiopia, who ruled from 1540 to 1559. The sole manuscript dates it to 23 Sane (17 June) 1555 in Damot, a region in the Ethiopian highlands. The work reflects the Christological and liturgical norms of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, including the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father. The genre is a formal confession of faith, likely used for liturgical or dynastic purposes. The text survives only in the betmas edition, with no other known copies, indicating a very narrow transmission. The attribution to Claudius is unverified externally, and the edition provides no critical apparatus, so the date and authorship rest entirely on the manuscript's colophon or scribal note.","significance":"The Confessio Claudii is significant as a rare first-person credal statement attributed to an Ethiopian emperor, blending personal piety with dynastic authority. It reflects the theological and liturgical traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the 16th century, particularly Trinitarian doctrine and Christology. The work's narrow transmission and lack of external corroboration highlight the challenges of studying Ethiopian Christian literature, where many texts survive in single manuscripts.","timeline":[{"date":"1540–1559","event":"Reign of Emperor Claudius of Ethiopia"},{"date":"23 Sane (17 June) 1555","event":"Date attributed to the composition of the Confessio Claudii in Damot"},{"date":"16th c.","event":"Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church consolidates its Christological and liturgical traditions"},{"date":"20th c.","event":"Publication of the betmas edition, the sole witness to the text"}],"relations":[{"work":"Ethiopic Synaxarion","relation":"Possible source for legendary epithet of Pilate as 'Pontian'","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Acts of Pilate","relation":"Possible source for the epithet 'Pontian'","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Gospel of John","relation":"Echoed in Logos theology (Word and Power of God)","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church liturgy","relation":"Reflects liturgical norms and Trinitarian doctrine","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"Betmas edition of Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes","reason":"Primary edition of the work"},{"key":"ed:LIT1252Confes","label":"Editorial notes on Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes","reason":"Provides context for the edition"}],"cautions":["The attribution to Emperor Claudius is unverified externally; it rests solely on the manuscript's claim.","The date of 23 Sane (17 June) 1555 is based on the manuscript's colophon and cannot be independently confirmed.","The textual tradition is extremely narrow; only one manuscript is known, limiting assessment of variants or scribal intervention.","The edition lacks a critical apparatus, so the reader cannot evaluate textual stability or editorial decisions."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000411,"generated":"2026-11-15T00:44:11Z"},"checks":{"work":"LIT1252Confes","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":5,"translated":5,"commentary_passages":5,"commentary_units":28,"english_words":1081,"source_letters":2563,"commentary_kinds":7},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work is a first-person confession of faith, structured as a series of credal statements. Its register is formal and liturgical, with repeated affirmations of Trinitarian doctrine.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The sole known witness is the manuscript underlying the edition betmas. No other copies are recorded, so the textual tradition is extremely narrow.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The work is attributed to Claudius (r. 1540–1559) but the edition provides no external evidence for this ascription. The date rests entirely on the attribution in the manuscript.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The edition does not include a critical apparatus or variant readings. The reader cannot assess textual stability or scribal intervention from this source alone.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: other in Geʿez; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 5 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: betmas — CC BY-SA 4.0 (per file); site footer states NC-SA - treat as NC"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":5},"term_index":[],"citations":{"betmas:LIT1252Confes":{"label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"},"ed:LIT1252Confes":{"label":"source edition: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"በስመ፡ አብ፡ ወወልድ፡ ወመንፈስ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ፩አምላክ። ዝንቱ፡ ውእቱ፡ ሃይማኖትየ፡ ወሃይማኖተ፡ አበውየ፡\nነገሥት፡ እሥራኤላውያን፡ ወሃይማኖተ፡ መርዔትየ፡ እለ፡ ሀለዉ፡ በዐፀደ፡ መንግሥትየ።\n\nንሕነ፡ ነአምን፡ በ፩አምላክ፡ ወበወልድ፡ ዋሕድ፡ ኢየሱስ፡ ክርስቶስ፡ ውእቱ፡ ቃሉ፡ ወውእቱ፡ ኀይሉ። ውእቱ፡ ምክሩ፡ ወውእቱ፡ ጥበቡ። ዘሀለወ፡ ምስሌሁ፡ እምቅድመ፡ ይትፈጠር፡ ዓለም። ወበደኃሪ፡ ማዋዕል፡ መጽአ፡ ኀቤነ፡ እንዘ፡ ኢየዐርቅ፡ እመንበረ፡ መለኮቱ። ወተሰብአ፡ እመንፈስ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ወእ ማርያም፡ እምቅድስት፡ ድንግል። ወተጠምቀ፡ በ ዮርዳኖስ፡ በ፴፡ ክረምት፡ ወኮነ፡ ብእሴ፡ ፍጹመ፡\nወተሰቅለ፡ ዲበ፡ ዕፀ፡ መስቀል፡ በመዋዕለ፡ ጲላጦስ፡ ጰንጤናዊ። ሐመ፡ ወሞተ፡ ወተቀብረ፡ ወተንሥአ፡ በሣልስት፡ ዕለት። ወእምዝ፡ በ፵ዕለት፡ ዓርገ፡ በስብሐት፡ ውስተ፡ ሰማያት፡ ወነበረ፡ በየማነ፡ አቡሁ። ወካዕበ፡ ይመጽእ፡ በስብሐት፡ ይኰንን፡ ሕያዋነ፡ ወሙታነ፡ ወአልቦ፡ ማኀለቅተ፡ ለመንግሥቱ። ወነአምን፡\nበመንፈስ፡ ቅዱስ፡ እግዚእ፡ ማሕያዊ፡ ዘሠረፀ፡ እምአብ። ወነአምን፡ በአሐቲ፡ ጥምቀት፡ ለስርየተ፡ ኃጢያት። ወን\nሴፎ፡ ትንሣኤ፡ ሙታን፡ ለሕይወት፡ ዘይመጽእ፡ ለዓለም። አሜን።","english":"In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. This is my faith and the faith of my fathers, the kings of the Israelites, and the faith of my subjects, who are in the court of my kingdom.\n\nWe believe in one God, and in the only Son, Jesus Christ, who is his Word and his Power; he is his Counsel and his Wisdom, who was with him before the world was created. And at the end of times, he came to us, without leaving his throne of divinity, and was incarnated from the Holy Spirit and from Mary, the holy virgin, and was baptized in the Jordan at thirty years of age, and became a perfect man. And he was crucified upon the wood of the cross in the time of Pilate the Pontian; he suffered and died and was buried, and rose on the third day. And then, after forty days, he ascended in glory into the heavens and sat at the right hand of his Father. And again he will come in glory to judge the living and the dead, and there is no end to his kingdom. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. And we believe in one baptism for the remission of sins. And we await the resurrection of the dead for the life which is to come, forever. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage opens with a trinitarian invocation and a first-person declaration of faith, then shifts to a creedal narrative of Christ's life, death, and resurrection, closing with affirmations on the Holy Spirit, baptism, and resurrection.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ሃይማኖት","severity":"info","text":"The Geʿez term ሃይማኖት (haymanot) means 'faith' or 'religion,' here used to assert continuity with the Israelite kings and the speaker's subjects, framing the confession as both personal and dynastic.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ውእቱ ቃሉ ወውእቱ ኀይሉ","severity":"info","text":"The identification of Christ as Word (ቃሉ) and Power (ኀይሉ) of God echoes Johannine and early Alexandrian theology, particularly John 1:1 and the Logos doctrine.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The reference to Pilate as 'Pontian' (ጰንጤናዊ) reflects a common Geʿez tradition that conflates Pontius Pilate with his later legendary epithet, possibly derived from the Acts of Pilate or the Ethiopic Synaxarion.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The narrative sequence of Christ's baptism at age 30, crucifixion under Pilate, resurrection on the third day, and ascension after 40 days follows the standard Gospel chronology as received in Ethiopic tradition.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This confession is attributed to Emperor Claudius (r. 1540–1559) and reflects the Christological and liturgical norms of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, including the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father alone.","cites":[{"key":"ed:LIT1252Confes","label":"source edition: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the speaker ('my faith and the faith of my fathers, the kings of the Israelites') is ambiguous: it may refer to the Ethiopian emperor as a descendant of Solomon, or to a symbolic claim of continuity with Old Testament Israel."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"ንሕነሰ፡ ነሐውር፡ በፍኖተ፡ ንጉሥ፡ ጽዩሕ፡ አማናዊ፡ ወኢናጸንን፡ ኢለየማን፡\nወኢለፀጋም፡ እምትምህርተ፡ አበዊነ፡ ፲ወ፪ሐዋርያት፡ ወ ጳውሎስ፡ ፈልፈለ፡\nጥበብ፡ ወ፸ወ፪አርድእት፡ ወ፫፻፲ወ፰፡ ርቱዓነ፡ ሃይማኖት፡ ዘተጋብኡ፡\nበ ኒቅያ፡ ወ፻ወ፶፡ በ ቍስጥንጥንያ፡\nወ፪፻በ ኤፌሶን። ከመዝ፡ እሰብክ፡ ወከመዝ፡\nእሜህር፡ አነ፡ ገላውዴዎስ፡\n\nንጉሥ፡\n\nዘ ኢትዮጵያ፡ ወስመ፡ መንግስትየ፡\nአጽናፍ፡ ሰገድ፡\nወልደ፡ ወናግ፡ ሰገድ፡ ወልደ፡\nናኦድ።\n\nወበእንተ፡ ምክንያተ፡ አክብሮትነ፡ ዕለተ፡ ቀዳሚት፡ ሰንበት፡ አኮ፡ ዘናከብራ፡\nከመ፡ አይሁድ፡ እለ፡ ሰቀልዎ፡ ለ ክርስቶስ፡ እንዘ፡ ይብሉ፡ ደሙ፡ ላዕሌነ፡ ወላዕለ፡ ውሉድነ። እስመ፡ እሙንቱሰ፡ አይሁድ፡ ኢይቀድሑ፡\nማየ፡ ወኢያነድዱ፡ እሳተ፡ ወኢያበስሉ፡ ጸብሐ፡ ወኢይሐብዙ፡ ኅብስተ፡\nወኢይትፈለሱ፡ እምቤት፡ ውስተ፡ ቤት።\n\nወባሕቱ፡ ንሕነሰ፡ ናከብራ፡ እንዘ፡ ናዓርግ፡ ባቲ፡ ቍርባን፡ ወንገብር፡ ባቲ፡ ምሳሐ፡\nበከመ፡ አዘዙነ፡ አበዊነ፡ ሐዋርያት፡ በ ዲድስቅልያ። አኮ፡ ዘናከብራ፡ ከመ፡ ሰንበተ፡\nእሑድ፡ እንተ፡ ይእቲ፡ ዕለተ፡ ሐደስ፡ ዘይቤ፡ ዳዊት፡ በእንቲአሃ፡ ዛቲ፡ ዕለት፡ እንተ፡\nገብረ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ ንትፈሣሕ፡ ወንትኀሠይ፡ ባቲ። እስመ፡ ባቲ፡ ተንሥአ፡ እግዚእነ፡\nኢየሱስ፡ ክርስቶስ፡ ወባቲ፡ ወረደ፡ መንፈስ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ላዕለ፡ ሐዋርያት፡ በጽርሐ፡ ጽዮን። ወባቲ፡ ተሰብአ፡ ውስተ፡ ከርሠ፡ ቅድስት፡\nማርያም፡ ድንግል፡ በኵሉ፡ ጊዜ። ወባቲ፡ ይመጽእ፡ ዳግመ፡ ለዕሤተ፡ ጻድቃን፡ ወለፍዳ፡ ኃጥአን።","english":"We, however, walk in the path of the true and faithful king, and we do not deviate to the right or to the left, nor from the teaching of our fathers, the twelve apostles and Paul, the flower of wisdom, and the seventy-two elders, and the three hundred and eighteen orthodox of the faith who assembled at Nicaea, and the one hundred and fifty at Constantinople, and the two hundred at Ephesus. As I preach and as I teach, I, Claudius, king of Ethiopia, and the name of my kingdom, the borders of Seged, Walda Seged, and Walda Naod.\n\nAnd concerning the reason for our honoring the first day of the week, it is not that we honor it as the Jews do, who crucified Christ, saying, \"His blood is upon us and upon our children.\" For those Jews do not bless water, nor light fire, nor cook food, nor bake bread, nor move from house to house.\n\nBut we honor it by offering the Eucharist in it and performing the liturgy in it, as our fathers the apostles commanded us in the Didascalia. It is not that we honor it as the Sabbath of Sunday, which is the day of the new [covenant], concerning which David says, \"This day, which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.\" For on it our Lord Jesus Christ arose, and on it the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles in the upper room of Zion, and on it he was incarnated in the womb of the holy virgin Mary at all times, and on it he will come again for the reward of the righteous and the judgment of the sinners.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"ንሕነሰ፡ ነሐውር፡ በፍኖተ፡ ንጉሥ፡ ጽዩሕ፡ አማናዊ፡","severity":"info","text":"The passage shifts from a creedal statement to a first-person royal declaration, marked by the adversative particle -ሰ (sä).","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ጽዩሕ፡ አማናዊ፡","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'true and faithful king' likely refers to Christ as the model king, not a historical Ethiopian ruler, aligning with the confessional genre.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"፲ወ፪ሐዋርያት፡ ወ ጳውሎስ፡ ፈልፈለ፡ ጥበብ፡","severity":"info","text":"The list of apostolic and conciliar authorities (12 apostles, Paul, 72 elders, 318 at Nicaea, 150 at Constantinople, 200 at Ephesus) is a standard Ethiopian confessional formula, asserting orthodoxy.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ዳዊት፡ በእንቲአሃ፡ ዛቲ፡ ዕለት፡","severity":"info","text":"The reference to David's words about the first day of the week echoes Psalm 118:24 (LXX) or a similar liturgical text, though the exact verse is not cited verbatim.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"ዲድስቅልያ።","severity":"info","text":"The mention of the Didascalia (Apostolic Constitutions) as the source for Sunday observance reflects the reception of early church orders in Ethiopian canon law.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"አጽናፍ፡ ሰገድ፡ ወልደ፡ ወናግ፡ ሰገድ፡ ወልደ፡ ናኦድ።","severity":"caution","text":"The names 'Seged, Walda Seged, Walda Naod' are obscure; they may be titles or epithets of Claudius, but their exact referent is uncertain.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'the true and faithful king' (Christ or a human ruler) is ambiguous; the reading here takes it as Christ.","The names 'Seged, Walda Seged, Walda Naod' are unclear; they may be honorifics or place names."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"ወበእንት፡ ሥርዓተ፡ ግዝረትኒ፡ አኮ፡ ዘንትገዘር፡ ከመ፡ አይሁድ፡ እስመ፡ ንሕነ፡ ናአምር፡ ቃለ፡ ምህሮሁ፡\nለ ጳውሎስ፡ ፈልፈለ፡ ጥበብ፡ ዘይቤ፡ ተገዝሮሂ፡ ኢይበቍዕ፡ ወኢተገዝሮሂ፡ ኢያሠልጥ፡ ዘእንበለ፡ ዳእሙ፡\nሐደስ፡ ፍጥረት፡ ዝውእቱ፡ አሚን፡ በእግዚእነ፡ ኢየሱስ፡ ክርስቶስ። ወካዕበ፡ ይቤ፡ ለሰብአ፡ ቆሮንቶስ፡ ዘሂ፡ ነሥአ፡ ግዝረተ፡ ኢይንሣእ፡ ቍልፈተ። ኵሉ፡ መጽሐፈ፡ ትምህርቱ፡ ለ ጳውሎስ፡ ሀለወ፡ ኀቤነ፡ ወይሜህረነ፡ በእንተ፡ ግዝረት፡ ወበእንተ፡ ቍልፈት። ወባሕቱ፡ ግዝረትሰ፡ ዘኮነ፡ በኀቤነ፡ በልማደ፡ ሀገር፡ ከመ፡ ብጥኅተ፡ ገጽ፡\nዘ ኢትዮጵያ፡ ወ\nኖባ። ወከመ፡ ስቍረተ፡ እዝን፡ ዘሰብአ፡ ህንድ። ዘንተሰ፡ ዘንገብር፡ አኮ፡ በዐቂበ፡ ሕገገ፡ ኦሪት፡ ዳእሙ፡ በልማደ፡ ሰብእ።\n\nወበእንተ፡ በሊዐ፡ ሐራውያኒ፡ አኮ፡ ዘንትከላእ፡ በዐቂበ፡ ሕገገ፡ ኦሪት፡ ከመ፡ አይሁድ፡\nለዘኒ፡ በልዐ፡ ኢናስቆርሮ፡ ወኢናረኵሶ፡ ወለዘኒ፡ ኢበልዐ፡ ከመ፡ ይብላዕ፡ ኢናጌብሮ። በከመ፡ ፀሐፈ፡ አቡነ፡ ጳውሎስ፡ ለብሔረ፡ ሮሜ፡ እንዘ፡ ይብል፡ ዘኒ፡ በልዐ፡ ኢይመንኖ፡\nለዘኢይበልዕ፡ ወለኵሎሙ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ ተወክፎሙ። መንግሥተ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡\nኢኮነት፡ በመብልዕ፡ ወበመስቴ፡ ኵሉ፡ ንጹሕ፡ ለንጹሐን፡ ወእኩይሰ፡ ለሰብእ፡ በሊዕ፡\nምስለ፡ ዕቅፍት። ወማቴዎስ፡ ወንጌላዊ፡ ይቤ፡ አልቦ፡ ዘይክል፡ አርኵሶቶ፡ ለሰብእ፡\nዘእንበለ፡ ዘይወፅእ፡ እምአፉሁ። ወዘሰ፡ ውስተ፡ ከርሥ፡ ይበውእ፡ ወይትገመር፡ ጽመ፡\nወይትገደፍ፡ ወይትከዐው፡ ወያነጽሕ፡ ኵሉ፡ መባልዕት።","english":"And concerning the rite of circumcision, we do not circumcise as the Jews do, for we know the word of the teaching of Paul, the flower of wisdom, who said: \"Whether one is circumcised or not circumcised, it neither avails nor hinders,\" except that the new creation, which is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, is sufficient. And again he said to the people of Corinth: \"He who has received circumcision, let him not receive the foreskin.\" All the books of the teaching of Paul are with us, and he teaches us concerning circumcision and concerning the foreskin. But circumcision which exists among us is by the custom of the country, like the scarification of the face of Ethiopia and Nubia, and like the piercing of the ears of the people of India. This we do, not in accordance with the law of the Torah, but by the custom of men.\n\nAnd concerning the eating of unclean things, we do not abstain in accordance with the law of the Torah as the Jews do. For if one has eaten, we do not condemn him, and if one has not eaten, we do not compel him. But as our father Paul wrote to the Romans, saying: \"Let him who eats not despise him who does not eat, and for all of them, God has accepted them.\" The kingdom of God does not consist in food and drink. All is pure for the pure, and evil for men is the eating of carrion. And Matthew the Evangelist said: \"There is none who can compel a man to eat without his will.\" And what enters the stomach and is digested, becomes excrement and is cast out and is purified, all foods.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ግዝረት","severity":"info","text":"The Geʿez term for 'circumcision' is used here to distinguish Christian practice from Jewish law, emphasizing custom over Torah observance.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ጳውሎስ","severity":"info","text":"The passage echoes Paul's teaching on circumcision (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:19; Galatians 5:6) and his letter to the Romans (Romans 14:3), though not verbatim.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ኢትዮጵያ ወኖባ","severity":"info","text":"The comparison of circumcision to Ethiopian and Nubian scarification and Indian ear-piercing reflects a cultural apologetic, distinguishing Christian practice from Jewish law.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"ወበእንተ በሊዐ ሐራውያኒ","severity":"info","text":"This section transitions from circumcision to dietary laws, maintaining a parallel structure: 'concerning X, we do not follow Jewish law, but custom or apostolic teaching.'","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"ማቴዎስ ወንጌላዊ","severity":"info","text":"The citation of Matthew the Evangelist (likely apocryphal or paraphrased) shows the text's reliance on non-canonical sources to support leniency in dietary rules.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'new creation' (ሐደስ ፍጥረት) may refer to baptism or faith in Christ, but the text does not specify.","The source of the Matthew citation is unclear; it may be from an apocryphal gospel or a loose paraphrase."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"ወበብሂለ፡ ዝንቱ፡ ቃሉ፡ ነሰተ፡ ኵሎ፡ ሕንጻ፡ ስሕተቶሙ፡ ለአይሁድ፡ እለ፡ ተምህሩ፡ እመጽሐፈ፡ ኦሪት።\n\nሊተሰ፡ ሃይማኖትየ፡ ወሃይማኖተ፡ ካህናት፡ ማእምራን፡ እለ፡ ይሜህሩ፡ በትእዛዝየ፡\nበዐፀደ፡ መንግስትየ፡ ወኢይትገኅሡ፡ እምፍኖተ፡ ወንጌል፡ ወእምትህምርተ፡\nአቡነ፡ ጳውሎስ፡ ኢለየማን፡ ወኢለፀጋም። ወበመጽሐፈ፡ ታሪክኒ፡ ጽሑፍ፡\nሀሎ፡ በመጽሐፈ፡ ዚአነ፡ እስመ፡ ቆስጠንጢኖስ፡ ንጉሥ፡\nአዘዘ፡ በመዋዕለ፡ መንግሥቱ፡ ለኵሎሙ፡ እለ፡\nተጠምቁ፡ አይሁድ፡ ከመ፡ ያብልዕዎሙ፡ ሥጋ፡\nሐራውያ፡ በዕለተ፡ ትንሣኤሁ፡ ለእግዚእነ፡ ኢየሱስ፡ ክርስቶስ።\n\nወባሕቱ፡ በከመ፡ አደሞ፡ ልቡ፡ ለሰብእ፡ ይትኄረም፡ እምበሊዐ፡ ሥጋ፡ እንስሳ ። ቦዘያፈቅር፡ ሥጋ፡ ዓሣ፡ ወቦ፡ ዘያፈቅር፡ በሊዐ፡ ሥጋ፡ ዶርሆ። ወቦ፡ ዘይትኄረም፡\nእምበሊዐ፡ ሥጋ፡ በግዕ፡ ወኵሉ፡ ዘከመ፡ አደሞ፡ ልቡ፡ ይተሉ። ከመዝ፡ ውእቱ፡ ሥምረቱ፡ ወፈቃዱ፡ ለሰብእ። በእንተ፡ መብልዐ፡ ሥጋ፡ እንስሳሰ፡ አልቦ፡ ሕገ፡ ወአልቦ፡\nቀኖና፡ ውስተ፡ መጽሐፍ፡ ሐደስ፤ ኵሉ፡ ንጹሕ፡ ለንጹሐን። ወ ጳውሎስ፡ ኒ፡ ዘሰ፡ የአምን፡ ኵሎ፡ ለይብላዕ።","english":"And by this word, he removed all the building of the errors of the Jews, who were taught from the book of the Law.\n\nAs for me, my faith and the faith of the priests and teachers who teach according to my commandment, in the court of my kingdom, they do not depart from the path of the Gospel and from the teaching of our father Paul, neither to the left nor to the right. And in our book of history it is written: there is in our book that the king Constantine decreed in the time of his reign that all those Jews who were baptized should eat the flesh of swine on the day of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nBut only according to the inclination of a person's heart, one abstains from eating the flesh of animals. For there is one who loves the flesh of fish, and there is one who loves the flesh of fowl, and there is one who abstains from eating the flesh of sheep. And everything is as the inclination of one's heart wills. For thus it is the desire and will of the person. Concerning the eating of animal flesh, there is no law and no canon in the New Testament; everything is pure for the pure. And Paul also, if he believes, let him eat everything.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This passage follows the previous discussion of circumcision and shifts to a defense of Christian liberty regarding dietary laws, using the example of Constantine and the principle of individual conscience.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ቆስጠንጢኖስ","severity":"info","text":"The reference to Constantine decreeing that baptized Jews eat pork on Easter is not a known historical edict; it likely reflects a later Ethiopian tradition or polemical invention to contrast Jewish and Christian practice.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ጳውሎስ","severity":"info","text":"The appeal to Paul's teaching (cf. Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 8–10) and the phrase 'everything is pure for the pure' echoes 1 Corinthians 10:25–27 and the principle of conscience, though not a direct quotation.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ሕንጻ","severity":"info","text":"The Geʿez term 'ḥənṣa' (building) metaphorically refers to the 'edifice' of Jewish legal errors, suggesting a systematic structure of law that is dismantled by Paul's word.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage reflects a post-Pauline Christian polemic against Jewish dietary laws, adapted to an Ethiopian context where the authority of Constantine and local custom are invoked to justify freedom in eating.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ጳውሎስ ኒ ዘሰ የአምን ኵሎ ለይብላዕ","severity":"caution","text":"The final clause 'Paul also, if he believes, let him eat everything' is ambiguous: it may mean Paul himself is included in the permission, or it may be a rhetorical challenge to those who follow Paul's teaching inconsistently.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'our book of history' is unclear; it may refer to a lost chronicle or a local Ethiopian tradition.","The phrase 'Paul also, if he believes' is syntactically ambiguous: it could mean 'Paul himself, if he believes, may eat everything' or 'as for Paul, if one believes, let him eat everything'."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"ዘንተ፡ ኵሎ፡ ዘጽህቁ፡ ለጽሒፍ፡ ከመ ፡ ታአምር፡ ጽድቀ፡ ሃይማኖትየ። ተጽሕፈ፡ በ፲ወ፻፶ወ፭ዐመት፡ እምልደተ፡ እግዚእነ፡ ኢየሱስ፡ ክርስቶስ፡ አመ፡ ፳ወ፫ለሰኔ፡ በሀገረ፡、、\nዳሞት።","english":"All this which is written, so that you may know the righteousness of my faith, was written in the year 155 of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, on the 23rd of Sane, in the city of Damot.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"155 of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ","severity":"info","text":"The date 155 AM (Anno Mundi? or Era of the Incarnation?) is ambiguous; if calculated from the birth of Christ, it would correspond to ca. 158/159 CE, but this is anachronistic for a supposed confession of Claudius. The year likely follows the Ethiopic calendar, where 155 may refer to a regnal or local era.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Damot","severity":"info","text":"Damot is a historical region in what is now western Ethiopia, often associated with the medieval kingdom of Damot. Its mention here may reflect a later Ethiopic setting rather than a first-century location, suggesting the text was composed or localized in Ethiopia.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"All this which is written","severity":"info","text":"This passage serves as a colophon, concluding the preceding narrative with a dating formula and place name. It marks the end of the work and provides a scribal or authorial signature.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"righteousness of my faith","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'righteousness of my faith' (ጽድቀ ሃይማኖትየ) echoes Pauline language (e.g., Romans 3:22) and underscores the author's claim to orthodoxy, aligning with the earlier reference to Paul's teaching.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"23rd of Sane","severity":"caution","text":"Sane is the tenth month of the Ethiopic calendar (corresponding to June–July). The specific day (23rd) is given, but without a clear year system, the absolute date remains uncertain. The text may be pseudepigraphical, and the date could be symbolic.","cites":[{"key":"betmas:LIT1252Confes","label":"betmas: Confessio Claudii","url":"https://betamasaheft.eu/LIT1252Confes"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The year '155 of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ' is ambiguous: it may use a different era (e.g., Ethiopic Incarnation era) or be a scribal error; the historical Claudius died in 54 CE, so the date is anachronistic if taken literally.","The location 'Damot' is ambiguous: it could refer to a specific city or a region; its historical identification is uncertain for the first century."],"confidence":"medium","notes":[]}]}