Princeton Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Egyptian Miracles of Mary (PEMM) project

British Library, "Orient" Collection, Manuscript No. 648

This Geʿez language manuscript was created between 1721 and 1730. This date is estimated, based on the reigning Ethiopian royal ruler's name appearing in the manuscript. The royal ruler's name mentioned in the manuscript is Bakaffa.

This manuscript is held in the repository of British Library in their "Orient" Collection in London, UK. This manuscript's last known location in Ethiopia was South: taken from King Tewodros's royal library in Magdala.

To view the manuscript, go to the digital copy.

This manuscript has a typical number of Marian miracle stories: 55. Also, 12 have stanzas or hymns at their end, marked with a ♫ in the table below, under Other Aspects.

This manuscript has a lot of paintings of Marian miracle stories: 67. To see the paintings in this manuscript, go to its PEMM Paintings by Manuscript page.

Fortunately, these paintings are digitized and available online in color.

This manuscript has a total of 150 folios. It has 2 columns per page and approximately 20 lines per column.

The stories in this manuscript were cataloged by Jeremy R. Brown. Assistance and/or typing of incipits by Bret Windhauser.

The PEMM abbreviation for this manuscript is BOr (BL) 648.

The Beta Maṣāḥǝft abbreviation for this manuscript is BLorient648. Other shelfmarks and/or abbreviations for this manuscript include British Library Orient 648; British Library Or 648.

Regarding this manuscript's repository:

The British Library collection of over 600 Ethiopian/Eritrean manuscripts is one of the largest and most studied collections outside of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The acquisition of manuscripts began under the auspices of the British Museum in 1753. The collection has over thirty Täˀammərä Maryam manuscripts. This collection includes 349 manuscripts looted by British forces from the Ethiopian stronghold at Magdala in 1868. Multiple catalogs of this large collection have been prepared, by August Dillmann (1847), William Wright (1870), and Stefan Strelcyn (1978). View more information about this collection.

For more information about understanding this table, see Using This Site. If you think any of the information on this page is incorrect (e.g., the location, date, folios, story IDs), please use our PEMM Feedback Form to let us know. We depend on users like you to improve the site.

BOr (BL) 648

Order in MS	Story Title	Location in MS	Paintings	Story Recension	Incipit	Other Aspects	Story ID
1	The nominal Christian from Sidon who encountered a serpent/dragon/snake in the desert of Scete (same as 1231?)	f. 7r-8v, col. 1, line 1	2	-	-	-	134
2	Bishop Hildephonsus of Toledo who collected stories and compiled them into the Book of the Miracles of the Virgin Mary	f. 9v-11r, col. 1, line 1	1	-	-	♫	13
3	The sinful deacon who was healed from his illness by a drop of the Virgin Mary's breast milk	f. 12r-13r, col. 1, line 1	2	EMML (HMML) 3872	-	-	135
4	Deacon Michael, who was a grocer, and his stolen ring that the Virgin Mary helped to retrieve from a fish	f. 14r-18r, col. 1, line 1	2	-	-	-	4
5	The innocent Frenchman who was framed for theft by a spurned innkeeper’s daughter and was hanged but did not die	f. 19r-25v, col. 1, line 1	2	-	-	-	5
6	The Arabs who tried to plunder an Egyptian monastery during a famine in the time of the Patriarch Matthew and kidnap a monk when thwarted	f. 26v-29r, col. 1, line 1	3	-	-	-	6
7	The thief whom the king's soldiers could not kill by hanging because he prayed to the Virgin Mary	f. 31r-32r, col. 1, line 1	1	EMML (HMML) 3872	-	-	136
8	Sybil the prophetess saw a vision of the Virgin Mary holding her child within a circle around the sun and the Emperor of Rome erected an altar in his palace	f. 33r-35r, col. 1, line 1	1	EMML (HMML) 3872	-	-	137
9	A sinful deacon assassinated by his enemies receives a Christian burial and is found with a flower growing out of his mouth	f. 35v-36r, col. 1, line 1	1	-	-	-	138
10	Dabra Qalemon's monk who humbly pretends not to fast and is saved from his brothers by the Virgin Mary.	f. 37r-40v, col. 1, line 1	2	EMML (HMML) 6938	-	♫	7
11	Dabra Qalemon's monks who are robbed by Berbers and aided by Arabs	f. 41v-44r, col. 1, line 12	1	-	-	-	8
12	Dabra Qalemon's tailor, Jacob the Short, has his scissors stolen and the thief falls ill until he returns them	f. 45r-46v, col. 1, line 1	1	-	-	-	9
13	A deacon prayed the prayer that contained the word 'rejoice' five times for the five joys of the Virgin Mary	f. 47v-48r, col. 1, line 1	1	EMML (HMML) 4618	-	-	142
14	The repentant knight who could only learn to pray the prayer of the Hail Mary	f. 48v-49v, col. 1, line 11	2	EMML (HMML) 3872	-	-	139
15	The sinful deacon whom his enemies could not kill until he had confessed himself to a priest.	f. 50r-51r, col. 1, line 12	1	EMML (HMML) 3872	-	♫	140
16	Pilgrim to Santiago: Part 1: The bishop for whom the Virgin Mary tailored a new sackcloth sends a penitent pilgrim to Santiago (whole or opening)	f. 52r-53r, col. 1, line 1	2	EMML (HMML) 3872	-	-	141-A
17	Dabra ʾƎntsǝnā's Abbot Raphael who refused to hear the sacrament of confession during the time of Patriarch Abba Matthew of Alexandria	f. 54r-55v, col. 1, line 1	1	-	-	-	10
18	Dabra Qalemon's icon of the Virgin Mary and the Arab who has contempt for it and is punished during the time of Patriarch Gabriel IV of Alexandria (1370-1378)	f. 56v-57v, col. 1, line 1	1	-	-	-	11
19	Patriarch Gabriel Ibn Tarik of Alexandria who composed the Masehafa Hawi (The Book of the Collector), a collection of Christian doctrine and theology	f. 58v-61r, col. 1, line 1	2	-	-	-	12
20	A deacon prayed the prayer that contained the word 'rejoice' five times for the five joys of the Virgin Mary	f. 62r-63r, col. 1, line 1	1	EMML (HMML) 3872	-	♫	142

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pricenton ethiopian eritrean & egyptian miracles of marry project

The Princeton Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Egyptian Miracles of Mary (PEMM) project is a comprehensive resource for the 1,000+ miracle stories written about and the 2,500+ images painted of the Virgin Mary in these African countries, and preserved in Geʿez between 1300 and the present.

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