The Falashas: The Forgotten Jews of Ethiopia, by David Kessler
Today's date is: 5/12/2025
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The Falashas: The Forgotten Jews of Ethiopia, by David Kessler
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5 Resistance and DefeatIN the written records of Ethiopia the first mention of the Falashas appears in the chronicles of the reign of Amda Sion (1314-44).(1) This king was the grandson of the founder of the restored Solomonic dynasty, the real builder of the Ethiopian state, who extended its borders through a number of military campaigns. Among the areas where royal control was least secure were the mountainous region north of Lake Tana and the plains to the west of the lake, Agau country, where the Falasha settlements were to be found. There was no direct administration of those areas and in effect they were tributary states. The Ethiopian Jews - depicted in the Chronicles as renegades, crucifiers, former Christians who denied Christ (2) - enjoyed a great measure of independence, which, however, was threatened from two directions. On one side, the expanding Amhara state was attempting to absorb the outlying principalities and force their people to adopt Christianity. On the other, there was a growing menace from the militant Islamic tribes pressing in from the east and south. Faced with this unenviable situation the Falashas in Amda Sion's reign allied themselves with the Muslims. This policy proved to be disastrous for, in the fighting which ensued, the Amharas were victorious and the Falashas, in Bruce's account, left many slain while the rest were forced 'to hide themselves in their inaccessible mountains'. (3)One hundred years later, having recovered their strength, the Falashas broke into open rebellion. The cause of the revolt is not clear and the Chronicles for this period are sadly deficient. At all events, the Amhara king, Yeshaq (1412-29), replied to this (1) R. L. Hess, Proceedings of the Third International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, (Addis Ababa, 1969), vol. 1, p. 101. |
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