Work dossier · summary and historical context
Lālibalā's gʷǝlt to Ham is a Geʿez land grant (gʷǝlt) attributed to King Lālibalā (r. ca. 1185–1225) of the Zagwe dynasty, endowing the monastery of Mäṭaʿ (ʾAḥām) with usufruct rights. The text survives in a single 15th-century manuscript (betmas:LIT6305CCR7) with scribal emendations in the opening formula. It opens with a trinitarian invocation and first-person declaration by the king, followed by a detailed curse formula invoking bishops, the 318 Nicene fathers, and the apostles. The work is not part of the Ethiopian liturgical cycle and appears limited to the manuscript tradition of royal land grants. The edition lacks translation or commentary on key Geʿez land-tenure terms.
This gʷǝlt is a rare witness to Zagwe royal land grants and the legal language of ecclesiastical endowment in medieval Ethiopia. It provides insight into the intersection of royal authority, monastic patronage, and Christian legal formulas. The garbled numeral '3 and 8' for the 318 Nicene fathers illustrates scribal transmission challenges. The work's limited reception highlights the specialized nature of land-grant manuscripts.
The gʷǝlt was composed during the Zagwe period (ca. 1137–1270) in the Ethiopian highlands, likely at the royal court of Lālibalā or the monastery of Mäṭaʿ. The Zagwe dynasty, centered in Lasta, is famed for the rock-hewn churches of Lālibalā. The text reflects a tradition of ecclesiastical land grants (gʷǝlt) that transferred usufruct rights to monasteries, reinforcing royal patronage and ecclesiastical authority. The sole manuscript dates from the 15th century, over two centuries after Lālibalā's reign, leaving the original composition date uncertain. The work's transmission is tied to the manuscript culture of royal land grants, not liturgical use. The curse formula, invoking the 318 Nicene fathers (garbled as '3 and 8'), is a standard protective clause in Ethiopian land grants, linking the text to broader Christian legal traditions.
Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded
| Coptic | Rendering | Count | First |
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| no glossary terms recorded | |||