Solomon and Sheba

This week I read a small part of the Kebra Negast. It is a story about King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. It tells of how they met and the child that came from their meeting. This child then goes on to rule Ethiopia. This story adds some pretty significant back story to Ethiopian royalty. Having ties to prominent Jewish and Christian figures does nothing but increase the power of the kings and queens. In an a prominently christian and Jewish society, have a biblical back story helps reinforce the identity of the nation and gives a rich and important history. Regardless of the truth behind the story, just having it exist can bring a sense of pride and religious significance to the country. This story could affect politics when working with Jewish or Muslim leaders. Jewish leaders may be more inclined to work with people supposedly descended from important biblical Jews, while Muslims may even be offended and be more difficult to work with. This could work the other way around too. Either way, a back story that gives royalty special significance could greatly affect the lives the royalty.

I found out that there was a movie made about Solomon and the queen of Sheba. The whole movie is on youtube, but they don't seem to allow any sort of embedding so if you care to take a look just search Solomon and Sheba on youtube.com.