My top piece here at ARB is my book review of Saints of Ethiopia by Scriptorium Press. This video is a reading of Chapters 7, 8, and 9, with the most minimal commentary short of no commentary. I hope you enjoy the reading, buy and read the whole book, and share this scary and spooky story with others.

For this post, comments are open-to-all.

Aksum Review of Books (ARB) is a reader-supported review. Free subscribers help it grow by liking, commenting, and sharing with friends, strangers, and enemies. Paid subscribers keep ARB’s lights bright for the price of a cup of coffee a month.

Notes:

-Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Saints and Feasts Arethas the Great Martyr and His Fellow Martyrs

-Britannica:

At its height, Aksum extended its influence westward to the kingdom of Meroe, southward toward the Omo River, and eastward to the spice coasts on the Gulf of Aden. Even the South Arabian kingdom of the Himyarites, across the Red Sea in what is now Yemen, came under the suzerainty of Aksum. In the early 6th century, the emperor Caleb (Ella-Asbeha; reigned c. 500–534) was strong enough to reach across the Red Sea in order to protect his coreligionists in Yemen against persecution by a Jewish prince. However, Christian power in South Arabia ended after 572, when the Persians invaded and disrupted trade. They were followed 30 years later by the Arabs, whose rise in the 7th and 8th centuries cut off Aksum’s trade with the Mediterranean world.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aksum.substack.com/subscribe