SCRIPTURA

Anonymous · The Kebra Nagast · 71 of 73

Chapters 114–116

Translated by E. A. Wallis Budge

114. Concerning the return of Zion

And the Tabernacle of the Law of God, the Holy Zion, shall remain here until that day when our Lord shall dwell on Mount Zion; and Zion shall come and shall appear unto all prepared, with three seals—even as Moses gave her—as it saith in the Old Law and in the New, “At the testimony of two or three [witnesses] everything shall stand.” And then, saith Isaiah the Prophet, “The dead shall be raised up, and those who are in the graves shall live, for the dew which [cometh] from Thee is their life.” And when the dead are raised up, His mercy whereby He watereth the earth shall cease; they shall stand up before Him with the works which they have done. And Enoch and Elias shall come, being alive, so that they may testify, and Moses and Aaron from the dead shall live with everyone. And they shall open the things that fetter her (i.e., Zion), and they shall make to be seen the Jews, the crucifiers, and they shall punish them and chide them because of all that they have done in perverting the Word of God. And the Jews shall see what He wrote for them with His hand—the Words of His Commandment, and the manna wherewith He fed them without toil [on their part], and the measure thereof; the Gômôr, and the spiritual Zion, which came down for their salvation, and the rod of Aaron, which blossomed after the manner of Mary.

115. Concerning the Judgement of Israel

And He shall answer and say unto them, “Why did ye deny Me, and entreat Me evilly and crucify Me, [seeing that] I did all this for you, and that by My coming down [from heaven] I delivered you from Satan and from the slavery of Satan, and that I came for your sakes? Look ye and see how ye pierced Me with nails and thrust the spear through Me.” And the Twelve Apostles shall be raised up, and they shall pass judgement upon them, and shall say unto them, “We would have made you hear, but ye would not hear the prophecy of the Prophets and the preaching of us the Apostles.” And the Jews shall weep and repent when it shall be useless to do so, and they shall pass into everlasting punishment; and with the Devil, their father who had directed them, and his demons who had led them astray, and with the wicked they shall be shut in.

And those who have believed and who have been baptized in the Holy Trinity, and have received His Body and His Blood, shall become His servants with their whole heart, for “there is no one who can hate His Body altogether.” The Body of Christ crieth out in our Body, and He hath compassion because of His Body and Blood, for they have become His sons and His brethren. And if there be some who have sinned they shall be judged in the fire according to the quantity of their sins; he whose burden of sin is light his punishment shall be light, and he whose burden of sin is heavy, exceedingly great shall his punishment be. One day with God is as a period of ten thousand years; some there shall be who shall be punished for a day; and some for half a day, and some for three hours of a day, and some for one hour of a day; and some there shall be who shall be tested and who shall be absolved from their transgressions.

116. Concerning the Chariot of Ethiopia

And the Archbishops answered and said unto Gregory, the Worker of Wonders, “Behold now, thou hast told us concerning the vanquisher of the enemy of Rômê, and now [tell us] of the chariot of Ethiopia and whether it shall remain henceforward, to the Coming of Christ, as thou hast told us concerning Zion, and concerning the faith of the people of Ethiopia, and likewise if their chariot shall remain.” And Gregory said unto them, “It shall assuredly not disappear. And again, hearken ye unto me and I will declare this unto you: A few Jews shall lift up their heads against our faith in Nâgrân and in Armenia in the days after this, and this God will do by His Will so that He may destroy them, for Armenia is a territory of Rômê and Nâgrân is a territory of Ethiopia.”