Frumentius in the Ethiopic Sources: Mythopoeia and Text-critical Considerations

The widely known account on the Christianization of Ethiopia by Frumentius is transmitted in a variety of Ethiopic sources. Among these, the homily De Frumentio for 18th Taḫśaś (so far preserved in two manuscripts only, neither of which is later than the 14th cent.) is here explored in a text-critical perspective. A set of peculiar readings and instances of misreading confirms that the literary core of the homily originates from an Aksumite translation made upon Socrates Scholasticus' Greek version of the account. In addition, the relationship between the homily and the Sənkəssar commemorative notice for 26th Ḥamle, composed in the 16th cent., is here investigated and interpreted within the context of reuse and reworking of the earlier textual heritage under new literary forms and for different expectations.