This book explores the somatic hymns – Mälkəʿ – addressed to saints in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Churches, their origin and development, and transmission and use in the present day. This vast and hitherto untapped collection of hymns are an important source for an accurate understanding of the Church’s spirituality, hagiography, and liturgy.

This book explores the somatic hymns – Mälkəʿ – addressed to saints in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Churches, their origin and development, and transmission and use in the present day. This vast and hitherto untapped collection of hymns are an important source for an accurate understanding of the Church’s spirituality, hagiography, and liturgy.