The Kebra Nagast stands as one of the most revered and spiritually potent works in the Christian world—a foundational text of Ethiopian identity and a testament to a lineage believed to descend from the union of King Solomon of Israel and Makeda, the Queen of Sheba. More than a historical chronicle, it is a sacred epic, preserved through centuries by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, weaving together divine providence, royal authority, and the unfolding destiny of a nation chosen to safeguard one of the holiest treasures of antiquity.

At the heart of this venerable work is the story of Menelik I, the son born of Solomon and Sheba and the first emperor of Ethiopia’s Solomonic dynasty. The Kebra Nagast recounts his journey to Jerusalem, his recognition by his father, and the awe-filled, divinely guided return to Ethiopia in which the Ark of the Covenant—the Tabot of Zion itself—is transferred not by human cunning but by heavenly decree. This sacred event established Ethiopia as the new guardian of Zion and shaped the spiritual consciousness of an entire civilization.

Across its words, the Kebra Nagast interlaces Scripture, oral tradition, theological meditation, and royal chronicle to reveal how divine favor and ancestral covenant empowered Ethiopia’s emperors to rule as heirs of Solomon. Its influence radiates far beyond its homeland: within the liturgical life of the Tewahedo Church, the heritage of Beta Israel, and the global spiritual imagination of the Rastafari movement, where the Solomonic line continues to inspire liberation, dignity, and faith.

To encounter the Kebra Nagast is to enter the living memory of one of the world’s oldest continuous Christian traditions—a heritage carried with unwavering devotion and preserved with profound reverence. It is a work of theology, national identity, sacred symbolism, and cosmic history, affirming Ethiopia’s enduring place at the heart of biblical destiny.