Since the 1970s the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML) has been actively photographing collections of eastern Christian manuscripts, and its collections of Armenian, Syriac, and Christian Arabic manuscripts are becoming the most significant resource for the study of eastern Christian manuscripts in the world, with holdings surpassing those of the British Library, the Vatican Library, and other major institutions. HMML has by far the world's largest collection of Ethiopian manuscripts preserved on microfilm and in digital form. At the present time, HMML has active preservation projects in Lebanon, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle East. These manuscripts are now available in print form from Gorgias Press.

Manuscript Details
Institution: HMML
Source: EMML 200
Collection: Ethiopia
City: Addis Ababa
Library: Parish Church
Shelf Mark: na
Manuscript Folio: ff 140+8
Provenance: Copied at the command of Emperor Menelik II (1889-1913), under the direction of the Imperial Secretary [sahafe te'zaz], Alaqa Gabra Sellase (colophon, f 139b). (See Bibliography for more information). In Ba'ata Church when filmed. Bibliography: Macomber, Catalogue of Ethiopian Manuscripts, vol. 1
Manuscript Part
Part Number: I
Part Folio: ff 140+8
Region: Shoa
Part City: Addis Ababa, Yaka
Support: Parchment
Outer Dimensions: 32.5 x 24 cm
Date: 20th century
Year Month Day: 1908-9
Manuscript Text
Text Folio: ff 1a-139a
Supplied Title: Emperor Zar'a Ya'qob (1434-1468), The Book of Light [Ma??afa berhan]
Language(s): Ge'ez
Status Of Text: Legibility compromised due to penetration of ink through leaves.

Written by the Ethiopian emperor Zara Yaqob (1434-1468), the Book of Light is an exposition of ecclesiastical reforms undertaken by Yaqob and an apologetic for his religious beliefs. It is considered a classic of Ethiopic literature.