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Miracle of St Michael on the sterile woman

Anonymous · betmas

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machine-draft · no human review 3 passages · 478 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

The Miracle of St Michael on the sterile woman is an anonymous Ethiopic hagiographic text recounting the intercession of the archangel Michael to heal a noblewoman of Rome from infertility. The narrative follows a formulaic miracle structure, opening with a title and the phrase ተብህለ (it is said), then describing the woman's childlessness, her prayer to Michael, and the miraculous conception that follows. The story concludes with her joyful testimony, reinforcing Michael's role as a healer and patron of the faithful. The text survives in a single manuscript (betmas) within the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwaḥədo tradition, likely used for homilies or feast-day readings. Its Geʿez language and hagiographic genre align with broader Michaeline miracle cycles, though its specific origin and date remain unknown.

This miracle exemplifies the Ethiopic hagiographic tradition's adaptation of universal Christian themes to local contexts, particularly the veneration of Michael as a healer. It contributes to understanding the Täwaḥədo Church's liturgical and devotional practices, especially regarding infertility and women's agency. The text's anonymity and single-witness survival highlight the challenges of studying Ethiopic manuscript traditions and the need for further codicological and comparative research.

Historical context

The text belongs to the Ethiopic hagiographic cycle of St Michael, a prominent figure in the Täwaḥədo tradition, where he is venerated as a warrior against evil and a protector of the faithful. The manuscript (betmas) is undated, but paleographic analysis could place it within the later medieval or early modern period (possibly 14th–18th centuries). The setting in Rome (ሮሜ) is a common topos in Ethiopic literature, lending prestige without historical specificity. The miracle's focus on infertility reflects local or monastic concerns, possibly linked to pilgrimage or healing shrines. The text's survival in a single witness limits knowledge of its circulation, but its inclusion in liturgical manuscripts suggests use in church services. No critical edition or translation exists; the present edition provides only the Geʿez text. The manuscript is held by the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwaḥədo Church, with digital surrogates at HMML.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

16 commentary units 4 structure4 term3 reception2 caution1 background1 parallel1 sense 0 derived notes 4 open questions 3 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • limitThe 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.
  • registerRegister: hagiography in Geʿez; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 3 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: betmas — CC BY-SA 4.0 (per file); site footer states NC-SA - treat as NC

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
LIT7192MiracleMichaelSterile:1 · narrativehigh
Source
after ተአምሪሁ፡ ለመልአክ፡ ክቡር፡ ሚካኤል፡ ሊቀ፡ መላእክት፡ ዘይትዐጸፍ፡ ብርሃነ፡ ከመ፡ ልብስ፡ ወነደ፡ እሳት፡ ውስተ፡ አክናፊሁ። ትንብልናሁ፡ ይንድፎሙ፡ ለሠራዊተ፡ ሰይጣናት፡ እኩያን፡ እለ፡ ይፃረርዎ፡ ለዕገሌ፡ ለዓለመ፡ ዓለም፡ አሜን። ተብህለ፡ ከመ፡ ሀሎ፡ አሐዱ፡ ብእሲ፡ ክርስቲያናዊ፡ እምሰብአ፡ ዐበይተ፡ ሮሜ፡ ወባዕል፡ ጥቀ፡ ወክቡር፡ በንዋየ፡ ዝንቱ፡ ዓለም፡ ወብእሲቱሰ፡ መካን፡ ይእቲ፡ ወኢትወልድ። ወነበሩ፡ ክልኤሆሙ፡ በዐቢይ፡ ኀዘን፡ በእንተ፡ ዘአልቦሙ፡ ውሉደ፡ ውብዙኅ፡ ጾመ፡ ይጸውሙ፡ ይስእሉ፡ ወይጼልዩ፡ ወይትማኀለሉ፡ ወያስተበቍዑ፡ በጥቡዕ፡ ልብ፡ ኀበ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ ወኅበ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ሚካኤል፡ ሊቀ፡ መላእክት፡ ከመ፡ የሀቦሙ፡ ውሉደ። ወይእቲኒ፡ ብእሲት፡ አተወት፡ ቤታ፡ በፍሥሓ፡ እንዘ፡ ተአኵቶ፡ ወትሴብሖ፡ ለእግዚአብሔር፡ ልዑል፡ ወለቅዱስ፡ ሚካኤል፡ ሊቀ፡ መላእክት፡ ወእንዘ፡ ትዜኑ፡ መንክራቲሁ፡ ዘገብረ፡ ላቲ፡ ወዘከመ፡ አሕየወ፡ ወልዳ። ከማሁ፡ ያድኅነነ፡ ለኵልነ፡ ውሉደ፡ ጥምቀት፡ ወይፈው፡ ሰነ፡ እምደዌ፡ ኀጢአት፡ ዘነፍስ፡ ወሥጋ፡ ወይርድአነ፡ በዘዚአሁ፡ ጸጋ፡ ብትንብልና፡ ስእለቱ፡ ያድኅነነ፡ ለዓለም፡ እምፁጋ፡ ወያሰስል፡ እምኔነ፡ ለምግባረ፡ ኀጢአት፡ ዘውጋ፡ ወይብትክ፡ እምላዕሌነ፡ ለጌጋይ፡ መንሠጋ፡ እምእለ፡ አሥመርዎ፡ ለእግዚአብሔር፡ ኢንኩን፡ ንትጋ፡ ለዓለመ፡ ዓለም፡ አሜን። The edition is based on .
English
His miracle, of the honored angel Michael, the chief of angels, which is adorned with the light of a garment, and fire burns within his wings; his flaming sword strikes down the armies of evil demons, those who oppose the faith of the world, forever, amen. It is said that there was a certain Christian man from the nobles of Rome, powerful and honored in the wealth of this world, but his wife was barren and did not bear children. And both of them lived in great sorrow because they had no children. They fasted much, they prayed, they supplicated, and they entreated with a pure heart before God and before the holy Michael, the chief of angels, that he might grant them children. And that woman entered her house with joy, praising and glorifying God Most High and the holy Michael, the chief of angels, while recounting the miracles he had performed for her, and how he had revived her child. Likewise, may he save us all, children of baptism, and grant us healing from the disease of sin of soul and body, and may he help us with his grace. By his flaming sword, may he save us forever from torment, and may he remove from us the deeds of sin of the flesh, and may he blot out from above us the error of the flesh from those who have pleased God. Let us not be negligent forever, amen.
LIT7192MiracleMichaelSterile:2 · narrativehigh
Source
ተአምር፡ ዘገብረ፡ እግዚእነ፡ በእዴሁ፡ ለመልአክ፡ ክቡር፡ ሚካአል፡ ሊቀ፡ መላእክት፡ ትንብልናሁ፡ የሃሉ፡ ገብሩ፡ ገብ ለዓለመ፡ ዓ፡ ዓ፡ ተብህለ፡ ከመ፡ ህሎ፡ ፩ብእሲ፡ ክርስቲያናዊ፡ ዕም፡ ዓበይተ፡ ሮሜ፡ ወብእሲቱ፡ መካን፡ ወኢወለደት፡ ግሙራ፡ ወነበሩ፡ እንዘ፡ የሐዝኑ፡ በእንተ፡ ዘአልቦሙ፡ ወይጸልዪ፡ ኀበ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ መአልተ፡ ወሌሊተ፡ ከመ፡ የሀቦሙ፡ ውሉደ፡ እንዘ፡ ትብል፡ እግዚእየ፡ ሊቀ፡ መላእክት፡ ሚካአል፡ እሕዎ፡ ለወልድየ፡ እምዝንቱ፡ ዳዌ፡ ዕፁብ፡ አድኅኖ፡ እምይእዜ፡ ይትለአክ፡ ውስተ፡ ቤተ፡ ክርስቲያንከ፡ ወሰቤሃ፡ ሐይወ፡ ወልዳ፡ እምደዌሁ፡ ወይእቲ፡ ብእሲት፡ ነበጊት፡ እንዘ፡ ትዜኑ፡ ሰበዐ፡ ኃይሉ፡ ዘገብረ፡ በእንቲአሃ፡ ወበእንተ፡ ወልዳ፡ ትንብልናሁ፡ የሀሉ፡ ምስለ፡ ገብሩ፡ ለዓለመ። after ተአምሪሁ፡ ተብህለ፡ ከመ፡ ሀሎ፡ ፩ብእሲ፡ ክርስቲያናዊ፤ እምዓበይተ፡ ሮሜ፡ ወመካን፡ ብእሲቱ፡ ወኢወለደት፡ ወልደ፡ ወኢወለተ፡ ግሙራ፡ ወነበሩ፡ እንዘ፡ የኃዝኑ፡ ዓቢየ፡ ኃዘነ፤ በእንተ፡ ዘአልቦሙ፡ ውሉድ፡
English
The miracle which our Lord performed by the hand of the honored angel Michael, the chief of angels, whose glory is his deed. Deed for the world, world, world. It is said that there was a certain Christian man from the great city of Rome, and his wife was barren and had not given birth at all. And they lived while grieving because they had no children, and they prayed to God day and night that He might give them children, while saying, “My Lord, chief of angels Michael, save my child from this disease, a wondrous salvation. From now on, he will serve in your church, and she will live, and her child will be healed from his disease.” And that woman was a sojourner, while she recounted the power of what he had done for her and for her child, whose glory is with his deed forever. After his miracles, it is said that there was a certain Christian man from the great city of Rome, and his wife was barren and had not given birth to a son nor to a daughter at all. And they lived while grieving a great grief because they had no children.
LIT7192MiracleMichaelSterile:3 · narrativehigh
Source
ወአሜሃ፡ ይእተ፡ አሚረ፡ ሐይወ፡ ውእቱ፡ ሕፃን፡ እምሕማመ፡ ሥጋሁ፡ ወነበረት፡ ይእቲ፡ ብእሲት፡ እንዘ፡ ትዜኑ፡ ዕበየ፡ ተአምሪሁ፡ ዘገብረ፡ ላዕለ፡ ሊቀ፡ መላእክት፡ ቅዱስ፡ ሚካኤል፡ ትንብልናሁ፤
English
And after that, the child lived, free from the pain of his body. And the woman remained, proclaiming the greatness of his miracle which the chief of angels, Saint Michael, performed for her, magnifying his glory.
Citation. Tergwame, “Miracle of St Michael on the sterile woman”, LIT7192MiracleMichaelSterile:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/LIT7192MiracleMichaelSterile#s1
Colophon. Source: betmas · licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (per file); site footer states NC-SA - treat as NC · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0023 · generated 2026-11-15.