Chapter 8 - Betä Ǝsraʾel Female Ascetics

Summary

ONE OF THE enigmas I encountered during this research concerns the issue ofBetä Ǝsraʾel female ascetics. On one hand, severaleyewitness accounts and other written sources mention individuals identifiedas Betä Ǝsraʾel nuns. On the other hand, members of thereligious leadership of the community with whom I met, and whom I askedabout women who assumed a monastic life, were unfamiliar with theirexistence. In addition, none of the sources dealing with BetäƎsraʾel liturgy and religious leadership mention BetäƎsraʾel female ascetics as serving in any official capacity inthe religious leadership. It may be that this contradiction is due to adifference in terminology: perhaps the term mäloksein its female form was not used by the Betä Ǝsraʾel, atleast in recent decades, to refer to female ascetics. Such a distinction mayhave been significant, since Betä Ǝsraʾel monks alsoserved in the capacity of priests by virtue of their initiation. Thus, iffemale ascetics were not recognized as initiated members of the priesthood,a different term may have been employed to refer to them. In any event,Betä Ǝsraʾel female ascetics are mentioned in accountswritten by Westerners, in the testimony of Ethiopian Orthodox informantsinterviewed in the context of this study, and in at least one accountwritten by a member of the Betä Ǝsraʾel community.

As mentioned above, Qes Asres Yayeh (1995, 60, 93)attributes the beginning of Betä Ǝsraʾel femalemonasticism to the days of Abba Ṣəbra. Theqes relates that many women, like men, assumed amonastic calling from a young age and dedicate themselves to the worship ofGod, and relates that both monks and nuns made a week-long pilgrimage to theholy mountains of the community on Passover and Shavuot. Finally,Qes Asres (1995, 63–64) relates that he waspersonally acquainted with four Betä Ǝsraʾel nuns:Emuhay Beratu, Emuhay Sega, Emuhay Kakit, and Emuhay Waratay.

Flad's (1869, 34–35) description of BetäƎsraʾel female ascetics seems to indicate that they observedpurity laws similar to those of the monks: “These [nuns] are veryrare among the Falashas. I only knew one […]. The Falashas told methat they lead a solitary life, give themselves up to prayer and fasting,and distribute to the poor and needy the alms they receive. They never enteran ordinary Falasha house, for fear of contamination.”