Healing Scroll
Ethiopian Orthodox
Description
March 28, 2009
For over two thousand years, the arts of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church have united word and image to create aesthetically compelling objects of healing and devotion. Healing scrolls combine prayers written in the liturgical language Ge’ez with astrological and mystical symbols. They are made for individuals suffering from illness or misfortune.
Scrolls are fashioned from parchment and extend the length of the patient to offer protection from head to toe, body and soul. Red ink begins a paragraph and highlights the baptismal name of the patient as well as the names of God, the angels, saints, and apostles. The top image shows Solomon’s seal and imbues the scroll with protective power. The bottom image depicts the archangel Michael, a fighter in the heavenly battle against evil.
Subject Matter:
Healing scrolls combine prayers written in Ge'ez, the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, with astrological and mystical symbols. They are made for individuals suffering from recurring illness and misfortune. Prepared by clerics called dabtara, scrolls are fashioned from parchment and extend the length of the patient. They are worn close to the body, rolled in a small, leather case, or hung near the bedside where the patient can gaze into its healing imagery.
Physical Description:
Long narrow strip of parchment with writing in red and black pigment; image at top shows a face with large eyes in a square with eight radiating triangles (Solomon's Seal); image at bottom shows a winged figure holding a sword (archangel). Rows of eyes border the images.
Usage Rights:
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.