The essays gathered in this volume evolved from papers that were delivered at the Second International Workshop of the project Ethio-SPaRe: Cultural Heritage of Christian Ethiopia, Salvation, Preservation and Research (2009–2015, 7th Research Framework Programme IDEAS, ERC Starting Grant 240720). The title of the workshop, which was held in Hamburg in April 2012, was “Saints in Christian Ethiopia: Literary Sources and Veneration”. It covered a wide range of approaches to historical, textual, and socioanthropological questions connected with the veneration of saints in Ethiopia from its Christianization in the 4th century CE until the present day. The papers explore the hagiographical traditions of a number of saints, both indigenous and foreign. They cast new light on known facts, offer new interpretations, and introduce previously unknown texts and witnesses.
The book is of interest to scholars of Ethiopian studies, Christian orient, history of religion, and African literature.