Ethiopia, an Astonishing Christianity on African Soil

by Sandro Magister

ROMA, March 18, 2009 – On the eve of Benedict XVI's trip to Cameroon and Angola, in Italy for the first time a major exhibition has been opened on another region of Christian Africa, Ethiopia, with icons, illustrated manuscripts, crosses, sculptures, paintings of evocative beauty, never before shown to the public.

The title of the exhibition is: "Nigra sum sed formosa," I am dark but lovely. These words from the Song of Songs are traditionally seen in reference to the queen of Sheba, the progenitor of Ethiopia in the national epic poem "Kebra Negast," the glory of kings.

In the poem, which in part coincides with the biblical book of Kings, the queen of Sheba visits King Solomon in Jerusalem, and conceives a child with him. With her, Judaism set down roots in Ethiopia. the rest image