Work dossier · summary and historical context
The Miracles of the Martyrs of Ṗarāqliṭos is an anonymous Geʿez hagiographic collection recounting miracles attributed to a group of martyrs venerated in the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition. The work survives in multiple manuscripts, the sole modern edition being betmas:LIT5878MiraclesParaqlitos, which presents the Geʿez text without translation or critical apparatus. The collection follows standard hagiographic patterns, with numbered miracle accounts introduced by headings. It likely served liturgical purposes, possibly read during feasts of the martyrs. The dating remains uncertain, pending paleographic and codicological analysis. The text includes references to historical figures such as Queen ʾƎgziʾ Kǝbrā and employs biblical echoes, notably of divine punishment.
The Miracles of the Martyrs of Ṗarāqliṭos is significant as a witness to Ethiopian Orthodox hagiography and liturgical practice. It expands the known corpus of Ethiopic miracle collections and offers insights into local martyrial cults, devotional patterns, and the integration of biblical motifs. Its relation to works like the Taʾammərā Maryam and the Miracles of Demetrius highlights cross-cultural hagiographic exchange.
The work is composed in Geʿez, the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and belongs to the broader Ethiopic hagiographic corpus. Its exact date and place of composition are unknown; the sole edition relies on manuscripts held in multiple repositories, including those cataloged in Hollis records, but provides no paleographic or codicological details. The collection likely originated in a monastic or ecclesiastical setting in the Ethiopian highlands, where hagiographic compilations were produced for liturgical reading and devotional use. It parallels other Ethiopic miracle collections, such as the Taʾammərā Maryam (Miracles of Mary), and may have been used during martyrs' feasts. The text's transmission is manuscript-based, with no evidence of a printed edition before the modern one. The reference to Queen ʾƎgziʾ Kǝbrā suggests a medieval Ethiopian context, though her identity remains uncertain. The work's genre and content align with the wider Christian hagiographic tradition, including Greek and Latin miracle collections.
Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded
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