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Beta Israel
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== Terminology == [[File:Hadane (Raphael) Takuyo.jpg|thumb|[[Raphael Hadane]], the former [[Kahen|Liqa Kahenat]] (High priest) of Beta Israel in [[Israel]]]] Throughout its history, the community has been referred to by numerous names. According to [[Invented tradition|tradition]], the {{transliteration|gez|Beta Israel}} (literally, 'house of Israel' in [[Ge'ez]]) community had their origins in the 4th century CE, when they refused to convert to Christianity during the rule of Abreha and Atsbeha (identified with [[Se'azana of Axum|Se'azana]] and [[Ezana of Axum|Ezana]]), the monarchs of the Kingdom of Aksum who embraced Christianity.<ref>James Bruce, ''Travels To Discover The Source Of The Nile in the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773'' (in five Volumes), Vol. II, Printed by J. Ruthven for G. G. J. and J. Robinson, 1790, p. 485</ref> This name contrasted with {{transliteration|gez|Beta Kristiyan}}, the term for the church in Ge'ez, literally meaning "house of Christianity".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.himchurch.org/Home.html|title=Home|last=Malchijah-MRC|website=www.himchurch.org|access-date=2016-07-14}}</ref><ref>Hagar Salamon, ''The Hyena People – Ethiopian Jews in Christian Ethiopia'', the University of California Press, 1999, p. 21</ref><ref name="Dege-Müller 247–308">{{Cite journal |last=Dege-Müller |first=Sophia |date=2018-04-17 |title=Between Heretics and Jews: Inventing Jewish Identities in Ethiopia |url=https://er.ceres.rub.de/index.php/ER/article/view/865 |journal=Entangled Religions |volume=6 |pages=247–308 |doi=10.46586/er.v6.2018.247-308 |issn=2363-6696 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Since the 1980s, it has also become the official name used in the scholarly and scientific literature to refer to the community.<ref name="Names">Quirun, ''The Evolution of the Ethiopian Jews'', pp. 11–15; Aešcoly, ''Book of the Falashas'', pp. 1–3; Hagar Salamon, ''Beta Israel and their Christian neighbors in Ethiopia: Analysis of key concepts at different levels of cultural embodiment'', Hebrew University, 1993, pp. 69–77 (Hebrew); Shalva Weil, "Collective Names and Collective Identity of Ethiopian Jews" in ''Ethiopian Jews in the Limelight'', Hebrew University, 1997, pp. 35–48</ref> The term {{Transliteration|gez|Esra'elawi}}, meaning "[[Israelites]]", is also used by the community to refer to its members.<ref name="Names" /> The name {{Transliteration|gez|Ayhud}} (lit. "[[Jews]]") is rarely used in the community, as Ethiopian Christians had used it as a derogatory term;<ref name="Dege-Müller 247–308" /> however, the term has increased in usage in the 20th century as the Beta Israel strengthened its ties with other Jewish communities.<ref name="Names" /> The term {{Transliteration|gez|Ibrawi}} (lit. "Hebrew") was used to refer to the {{Transliteration|gez|chawa}} (lit. "free man") in the community, in contrast to the {{Transliteration|gez|barya}} (lit. "slave").<ref>Salamon, ''Beta Israel'', p. 135, n. 20 (Hebrew)</ref> The term {{Transliteration|gez|Oritawi}} (lit. "[[Torah]]-true") was also used to refer to Beta Israel; since the 19th century, it has been used in contrast to the term ''Falash Mura'' (converts).{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} The colloquial Ethiopian/Eritrean term {{Transliteration|gez|Falasha}} ''or'' {{Transliteration|gez|Felasha}}, which means "landless", "wanderers", or "exiles", was given to the community in the 15th century by the Emperor [[Yeshaq I]]; after they were conquered by the [[Ethiopian Empire]], its use is now considered offensive. The term ''Zagwe'' is also used for Beta Israel, although it is considered derogatory, as it associates the community with the [[Agaw people]] of the [[Zagwe dynasty]], who largely practice [[traditional African religion]].<ref name="Names" />
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