Hello Dr. Belcher, thank you for taking the time to do this ama. I have a number of questions for you.

• What was the initial reaction by Jesuit and European Christian missionaries upon encountering the much older Ethiopian Tewahedo Church?

• Was there any form of religious debate between the two groups?

• How did the Solomonic Kings react to religious interference given their status is partially based on religious rite?

• On your blog you mention that Mother Walatta Petros led a non-violent struggle against the missionaries, was there violent resistance to the Europeans?

Hi Professor Belcher, thanks very much for doing this AMA!

Understandably, The Life and Struggles of Our Mother Walatta Petros is probably an unfamiliar text for most people. Is there any chance you'd be able to tell us a little about Walatta Petros and her life?

Dr. Belcher, thanks so much for doing this ama.

I'm a philosophy PhD student, so I hope you will excuse my ignorance regarding your subject. What, in your view, is the essential message you hope to communicate with your translation of this text? Are there any lessons you hope to make accessible to someone interested in the history and philosophy of Christianity in general?

How does this biography fit in the context of Ethiopian sainthood more broadly?

When it was written, had a formula developed for what themes a saint's biography should stress?

Had those themes become gendered, where stories about a female saint would stress different values than for a male saint?

Thanks for your research and for doing this AMA! I can't wait to read your translation. I've taught Thornton's The Kongolese Saint Anthony in Early African History, and I'd love to switch to excerpts from both for comparison in the future.

On your website, you make the claim:

The Kəbrä Nägäśt (The Glory of the Kings) is perhaps the most important medieval text ever written

Color me intrigued. Can you please explain in what ways it's the most important M.A. text?

Professor Belcher, I want to drop a "big" question on you: How can we explain African history to younger white students who don't have an understanding of it or comprehend why it matters? I think that's important because there are a lot of folks willing to learn, but they don't know what they don't know and might not see the gaps in their own knowledge.

Hi Dr. Belcher. What, in your opinion, is a good book describing the day-to-day life of some of the traditional tribal lifestyles in Ethiopa? Although maybe outside of the scope of your AMA, what about the Serengeti people like the bushmen? I'm a layman and I've taken no history classes outside of high school if that helps.

Hello Prof. Belcher,

Did you have to - or did you choose to - do at least some of the work in Ethiopia, or were you able to accomplish it all in New Jersey? If the former, any interesting stories about collaborating with scholars there, or unexpected treats of knowledge you found along the way?

A completely unrelated question: Who do you expect to be most interested in your work? Did (or do) you have a "target audience" in mind: students of Ethiopian history, students of Coptic Christianity, and/or people who (like me) read lives of the saints for edification?

Thanks!

I'm a certified translator (French to English, ATIO). Would you speak to the difficulties of historical translation and finding a publisher for such a work? Thank you.

I'm a lay person off the street who knows nothing about your work. What are some interesting facts that you can tell me about your work that would make me interested in diving deeper into it?

What were some ways that African saints were different from European ones?

Hello Dr. Belcher! I am a second generation Ethiopian-American that wants to know more about my parents' culture and history. Are there any specific books or documentaries that explore this topic that you recommend?