An Epic Of Ethiopia, Full Of Medical Lore

NPR.org, March 10, 2009

A nun gives birth to conjoined twins in a mission hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The mother dies in childbirth and the father, a British surgeon named Thomas Stone, disappears. It is this birth that sets in motion the action of Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese‘s first novel.

The twin boys, Marion and Shiva, are physically separated shortly after their birth, but they remain unusually close throughout their childhood. Raised by doctors, they grow up in the hospital of their birth. As adults, Marion and Shiva both become doctors.

That hospitals and doctors play such a large role in this work of fiction is not surprising. Abraham Verghese was a physician before he became a writer. His first book, My Own Country, is a memoir based on the time he spent working with AIDS patients in rural Tennessee. It was then that he began to understand the importance of bedside skills and human interaction with patients.

Examining the patient at the bedside, Verghese says, is an important ritual in which patients bare not just their bodies, but their souls. He tries to impart those kinds of lessons to his students at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he is currently a professor, a position that also gives him the freedom to continue writing.

Verghese studied writing at the Iowa Writers Workshop, where he went in 1990 after his stay in Tennessee. He wanted to write a novel, but his experiences with AIDS patients were so compelling that he was asked to write the nonfiction book that became My Own Country. The book was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and was made into a Showtime movie.

The author’s second book, The Tennis Partner, was another memoir, a story of a complicated friendship. But then Verghese decided he had to pursue his dream of writing a novel. Cutting for Stone, a big, sprawling story that takes readers from India to Africa to America as the twins are separated by jealousies and political turmoil and finally reunited, is the long-postponed fulfillment of that dream.

Continue reading an excerpt…

Great Books On Ethiopia

SPIRITUAL ETHIOPIA
	Book of Enoch This apocryphal Biblical text was found in Ethiopia in 1733. This is the actual Old Testament Book of Enoch which should properly be just before Job in the Bible. Part of the Ethiopian Orthodox Canon, it has been removed from Western Bibles. The only preserved version of Enoch is the Ethiopic. Mysteries come to light in this ancient and sacred text. 192pp.
	Enoch The Ethiopian By Indus Khamit Kush. Lost prophet of the Bible, Enoch, has been preserved only in Ethiopia. This new book is an excellent study of the Holy One. Chapters include The stolen legacy of the Bible, Enoch’s lineage, African Origins of Man, Ethiopian Church canonization of Enoch, Enoch’s New Testament legacy and the African origins of the Hebrew. Very interesting work. 302 pp.
	The Book of Jubilees Like the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees is another Ethiopic Biblical text removed from Western Bibles. These books were removed from the Bible by the Romans 1700 years ago. Only in Ethiopia were they held safe until this time. In the Ethiopian texts this work is also known as Kufale or the Book of Division. In English it is sometimes referred to as Little Genesis. 100pp.
	Maccabees 1-4 This new book contains all four Maccabee books and Psalm 151. Macabees one and two are included in the Western apocrypha, but books three and four exist only in the Ethiopian canon. Psalm 151 was read by His majesty on Coronation day. Please note this book contains Macabbees 1-4 only and not the complete Bible. 238 pp.
	Kebra Nagast; The Queen of Sheba and Her Only Son Meneylek Translated By Sir E.A. Wallis Budge. The first English translation of the Glory of Kings is now available. Originally published in 1932, the Kebra nagast tells the Ethiopian scriptural story of how the Ark of the Covenant was taken from Jerusalem to Ethiopia by the son of King Solomon and Queen Makeda. The Budge version reads in a formal, Biblical style. 241 pp.
	Kebra Nagast (Glory of Kings) -The True Ark of the Covenant Translated and edited by Miguel Brooks. This is a majestic unveiling of ancient secrets. Originally recorded in Ethiopic languages, these pages were removed by royal decree from the authorized King James version. A startling revelation of long suppressed truths. 192 pp.
	Ethiopia Reaches Her Hand Unto God:Imperial Ethiopia’s Unique Symbols, Structures and Role in the Modern World By Gregory Copley. Forward by Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile Selassie. Details on modern Ethiopia’s unique Imperial symbols. Provides important information on the past, present and future of the Ethiopian Crown. Many of His Majesty’s symbols, orders and insignias are carefully explained in this book. 247 pp. 70 col. + b&w illustrations.
	Ethiopia Speaks – The Italian Invasion 1935-1941 By Lance Suenarine. This new title covers the history of Ethiopia from the Italian invasion through His Majesty’s triumphal return in 1941. Good history and detail with interesting and rare documentation. 178 pp.
	Ethiopian Women of Power By Lance Seunarine. In this volume, Prof. Seunarine takes an overdue look at the powerful women in Ethiopia’s history. Includes short overviews of Makeda, Judith, Helen, Taytu, Zawditu, Empress Menen and more. 104pp.
	The New Revised 6th and 7th Books of Moses. Edited by Migene Gonzalez Wippler. Originally published in Germany in 1849 by Johann Scheibel. Scheibel cites the seals and invocations of this book came from ancient Hebrew texts. This book has long been hailed as a valuable tool in the study and practice of cabalistic magic. Includes the Magical Uses of the Psalms. 219 pp.
	Mystery of the Long Lost 8th, 9th and 10th Books of Moses By Henri Gamache. From the testimony of learned students of the Old Testament Gamache has concluded that Moses wrote ten Books rather than five. The book is in three parts: A biography of Moses, the five missing books and the Book of Miscellaney. 103 pp.
	The Ethiopian Book of Life Edited and translated by Sir E.A. Wallis Budge. Originally published in London in 1929, this is Budge’s translation of the Bandlet of Righteousness. This book includes Budge’s preface, the Lefafa Sedek described, a description of the manuscript, a 40 page appendix and plates of the original Ethiopic. The Bandlet listed below is the 32 page Bandlet without commentary. 140 pages in English plus the original plates.
	Ethiopia: The Classic Case By Ermias Kebede Wolde-Yesus, Nibure-Id. A book that thoroughly analyzes the true definitions of the Ethiopian and Ethiopianism from the perspective of the biblical assertion of the Divine Truth that, for instance, Jesus Christ is neither black nor white alone but an Ethiopian. Detailed explanation of the Seven Biblical Covenants which constitute Ethiopia or the Ethiopian are powerfully illustrated.
	Ethiopic-An African Writing System By Ayele Bekerie. A new book about the history and principles of Ge’ez. Looks at this ancient language as part of the African knowledge systems. Includes ideography, astronomy, numerology and a study of the the Ethiopic original Book of Enoch. 176 pp.
	The Ethiopian Tewahedo Church By Archbishop Yesehaq. The roots of the Ethiopian church are 3000 years old . This remarkable book discusses the customs, doctrine, practices and history of the church. Archbishop Yesehaq was appointed archbishop of the EOC in the Western Hemisphere in 1979. He gives history in detail and discusses, at length, the EOC in relation to the diaspora. A beautiful hardcover. 244pp.
	The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant By Graham Hancock. After ten years of searching, this journalist has tracked down the true story of the Ark of the Covenant. The author reveals where the Ark is today (Ethiopia) and how it got there. 600pp.
	Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cushite Empire By Drusilla Dunjee Houston. In this book, the author traces human civilization up the Nile to it’s source in Ethiopia. Houston, with many disciplines of science, shows how all life flowed from the Garden of Eden down the Nile to Egypt, Greece, India and eventually to the corners of the Earth. 272 pp.
	The Secret Teachings of Jesus Translated by Marvin Meyer. From the Nag Hammadi Egyptian texts. Includes Secret Book of James, Gospel of Thomas, Secret Book of John and Book of Thomas. Gnostic wisdom from Africa. 129pp.
	The Bandlet of Righteousness Translated by E.A. Wallis Budge. An Ethiopian prayer from the Mashafa Heywat (Book of Life). Ancient Ethiopic text. Pamphlet sized, staple-bound. 32pp.
	The Oxford NRSV Bible with Apocrypha This version of the Bible contains Maccabees 1-4, Eccles iasticus, Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Wisdom of Solomon and Esdras. These are all in the Ethiopian version, but not the KJV. Paperback. 1542 pp.
	The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary This is the book which Prophet Gad recommended to the 12 Tribes years ago in order to help understand metaphysical meaning in apparent material historical stories. A good reference for chapter a day learning and independent overstanding. Large hardcover edition. 706pp.
	Fetha Nagast – The Law of the Kings At last, the only English translation of the Fetha Nagast is now available. Only translated once into English in 1968 this book has never been available to the English reader until now. Contains the complete introduction by HIM Haile Selassie I. From His Majesty’s introduction: ” This is the law of life, for nations and for individuals, the law of lasting happiness and welfare”.
	The Making of Modern Ethiopia By Teshale Tibebu. Covers the development of modern Ethiopia from 1896 to 1974. Elaborates on four concepts; geber system, Aksumite paradigm, tabot Christianity and Ge’ez civilization. 246pp.
	The Apocrypha. These are the books between the old and new testaments which were removed from the King James Version in 1611. There are 14 books including I and II Esdras, Tobit, Wisdom of Solomon,Baruch, Bel and the Dragon and I and II Maccabees. Double column type. 157pp. Hardcover.
	Ethiopia and the Missing Link in African History By Rev. Sterling Means. A concise and uplifting look at the important role of Ethiopia in African history. Chapters include Prehistoric Ethiopia, Ethiopian Empire, Black Egypt, Haile Selassie, and the Emperors address. 161pp.

Jewish Christianity In Ethiopia

In Ethiopia: Judaism, Altars and Saints, Dr. Munro-Hay shares three intriguing aspects of Ethiopia’s endlessly fascinating history. These themes all relate to religious matters in one way or another, and are attributed to Aksumite or even earlier times in Ethiopia. They are not directly associated, though all partially interlock within the vast tapestry of Ethiopia’s religious past, real or legendary.
The first subject of enquiry is the claim that an ancient and profound Judaic influence underlies Ethiopian Christianity. The second theme concerns the tabot, the altar boards of the churches of Ethiopia. The final section is devoted to exploration of the legends concerning the foreign missionaries supposed to have come to the country in the fifth and sixth centuries, the so-called Nine Saints.
The study of these three themes not only offers a glimpse into the riches of Ethiopia’s literary and ecclesiastical tradition, but adds new perspectives to our interpretation of Ethiopia’s enigmatic past.