abeto: prince; title given to the male member of the royal family.

aläqa: chief, superior, supervisor of a church.

aläqǝnät: system of inheritance and family leadership or seniority.

amīr: commander, governor, prince.

anchoress (f.), anchorite (m.): religious recluse who withdraws from the secular world, living at the same place in a cell, a hole in a tree or similar hiding places.

andǝmta: interpretations of theological texts. The Ethiopian exegesis analyses the Bible, the writings of the Church Fathers (patristic texts), liturgical books, dogmatical and canonical writings and monastic texts. The andǝmta is subject of the highest branch of the traditional church school system and is mostly transmitted orally.

baḥtawiyan: (Gǝ‘ǝz), solitaries; nuns or monks, living alone in the nature.

bidaa: ‘innovation’ in religious matters.

Church Fathers: Christian theologians and authors (living until the 7th century), setting the theological foundation of the Church.

cenobitic: monastic tradition of living together, a model established by St. Pachomius (d. 346). In Ethiopia different models of religious life were developed for nuns and monks.

dağğač/ däğğazmač: (Gǝ‘ǝz), “commander of the gate,” a politico-military title below ras*.

denomination: Christian confession or movement.

ḏikr: “mentioning”, devotional Muslim prayers.

Ǝmäytǝ: title given to a princess or a female of high importance.

‘Ǝnzira sǝbhat: (Gǝ‘ǝz), the Lyre of Praise; also called Arganonä Wǝddase, a hymnological praise for Mary, the Mother of God (“wäladitä amlak”).

Ǝtege: (Gǝ‘ǝz), empress, a title designating the coronated spouse of an emperor. Some empresses acted as regents using this title after the death of their husbands.

Ewostateans: (Gǝ‘ǝz), followers of the doctrine of the monk Ewostatewos (b.ca. 1273, d.ca. 1352). He preached the observance of the Sabbath (Saturday and Sunday) and he disobeyed the Coptic metropolitan.

faqīh: Islamic jurist.

fitawrari: (Gǝ‘ǝz), commander of the vanguard, a title below däğğazmač*.

gädl: (Gǝ‘ǝz), spiritual combat, acts; Life; a hagiography of a saint. The gädl was in most cases written shortly after one’s death. It describes the life of the saint, including spiritual aspects and miracles. The gädl usually includes the kidan, a pact between the holy women or men and Jesus, like that of Mary with her son (Kidanä Mǝhrät, Covenant of Mercy).

gendering research: a research concept to examine complex systems like religions about whether they have a certain female or male ideal and/or whether they transmit it. Furthermore, the impact of today’s role models on the interpretation of the past is taken into consideration.

Haymanotä Abäw: (Gǝ‘ǝz), Faith of the Fathers; collection of theological texts, writings of the Church Fathers.

Ḫoḫǝtä Bǝrhan: (Gǝ‘ǝz), Gate of the light; a Marian hymnological composition. It contains praises addressed to Mary, but also hints at the theological discussions of the 15th century.

imam: worship leader of a Muslim community or of a mosque.

indigenisation: a term describing the process of making something more native.

kabīr: “great”, honorific title referred to a learned and respected person.

Kǝbrä Nägäśt: (Gǝ‘ǝz), Glory of the Kings; early 14th century, Ethiopic book about the Solomonic dynasty, the visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon and the Ark of the Covenant brought by Mənilək to Ethiopia.

koso: tree, the dried female flowers are a medicine against tapeworm.

liqämäk^was: official serving as the king’s double to divert attacks directed against the king.

maḫbär: (Gǝ‘ǝz), association of believers with devotion to a specific saint. They gather monthly on the commemoration date (täzkar; zǝkr). Each maẖbär finances itself and uses the money for church feasts and social activities.

Mälkǝ‘a Maryam: (Gǝ‘ǝz), image, portrait, effigy of Mary; hymnological composition to praise the body of Mary.

martyr: believers, who gave their life for the Christian faith.

Mäshafä Sǝnkǝssar: (Gǝ‘ǝz), Book of Religious Service; Synaxarium, hagiographic collection of short descriptions of the lives of the saints, listed under the death day of the saint in calendric order. The canonisation of saints stopped with the completion of the Synaxarium (17th century). The book is a relevant source, not only concerning the given biographical, geographical and historical information, but also about what is not mentioned. An example may be that in contrast to the gädl of the male saints the temptations of the human nature are not reported in the lives of the female saints. Lit.: Budge, E.A. Wallis, The Book of the Saints of the Ethiopian Church, 1928, reprint 1976. Available in the internet http://www.stmichaeleoc.org/The_Ethiopian_Synaxarium.pdf

mäsqäl [Cross], 27 September (17 Mäskäräm): (Gǝ‘ǝz), a church feast celebrating the exaltation of the True Cross. The EOTC possesses a relic of the True Cross (Amba Gǝšän) and commemorates the arrival on that day, in close connection with the finding of the True Cross by Empress Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine. Processions come together on a large place and light a bonfire (dämära).

Mäzgäbä Haymanot: (Gǝ‘ǝz), Treasure of Faith; treatise on the faith of the EOTC, mainly discussing the Trinity and the nature of Jesus and Mary.

Nägärä Maryam: (Gǝ‘ǝz), story of Mary; Ethiopic book, reporting on the flight of Mary from Herod. In some manuscripts, it is called Gädlä Maryam.

qāḍī: Islamic judge.

Qǝbat: (Gǝ‘ǝz), ointment; a term for a Christological doctrine, the adherents of this doctrine opposed the Täwahǝdo.

qǝne: to sing a hymn; a hymn praising God and the saints, occasionally officials or events can be honoured. Characteristically, the hymn is composed spontaneously and used only once.

ras: head, the highest traditional title next to negus.

rim: lands distributed on behalf of churches by church founders and grantors, appellation for church holdings. (multifaceted term see Bairu Tafla, Notion of rim, https://www.academia.edu/6207900/Rim_-_Notion_of)

shaykh: noble title.

sufi: Islamic mystic.

Tä‘ammǝrä Maryam: (Gǝ‘ǝz), Miracles of Mary; Ethiopian collections about the miracles of Mary.

tabot: (Gǝ‘ǝz), a sacred portable altar tablet and altar chest, referring to the Ark of Covenant, containing the Tablets of the Law (Moses). The consecrated tabot of each church has an inscription with the name of the saint, to whom the tabot is dedicated.

Täwahǝdo: (Gǝ‘ǝz), be one, united with each other; a theological term to state the union of the divinity with the humanity after the Incarnation. The term is part of the name of the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwahǝdo Church – Yä‘ityopya Ortodoks Täwahǝdo Betä Krǝstiyan.

wäyzäro: (Gǝ‘ǝz), “lady,” title given to a princess of the royal family.