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This collection of Ethiopian magical prayers includes those that can be
used against demons for each day of the week, and prayers for overcoming
enemies. It also includes "images," an "image" being a hymn in honor of a saint
in which the different members of his or her body are addressed in successive
stages. The book is bound in wooden boards covered in reddish tooled leather in
which crosses have been worked. The leather carrying case was used to facilitate
easy and safe transport. The manuscript's elegant script is enhanced by two
kinds of decoration: abstract, linear motifs that highlight textual transitions
and figural representations. This is a fine example of an African-Christian
culture to which the African-American community has, from earliest days, looked
as a source and model.
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