Carol:
Yeah Carol, and when you read your bible do you notice the Greeks, Romans, and the like were called GENTILES and weren't allowed in the Holy temples?
So why was this Ethiopian (non Jew) allowed?
More than likely he was from the community of Israelites who escaped Babylonian captivity by going south to Egypt\Ethiopia.
Aineo:
Thanx for the help in posting the picture, it was greatly appreciated!
The Queen of Sheba (Bilqis) was not an Ethiopian.
This is a common myth that was inherited throughout the generations along with this "son" Solomon was supposed to have sired by her.
Sheba is the same as Saba, an ancient land in Southern Arabia (Yemen) and they traded and had good relations with Ethiopia but the 2 weren't the same.
The kingdom of Saba is talked about in the Koran.
If you go to the Bible and read about the 1st temple's destruction you notice that the Ark of the Covenant "mysteriously" disappeared and you hear no more about it.
You MUST wonder what happended to it if God said that it would remain "forever".
Aineo\Carol:
Most Ethiopians as well as Somalis are the descendants of the Israelites who fled south to Egypt\Ethiopia right before the Babylonians destroyed the temple and took most of the population into captivity.
They are the lighter, more keenly-featured people with soft hair that live in the region although many mixed in with the original African tribes that were already living in the area.
They call themselves "Beta-Yisril" or HOUSE OF ISRAEL
2Kings 25:26 says---
And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees
You hear about them GOING to Egypt but you never hear about them coming back.
These are the lost children in the HOUSE of Isreal Jesus was refering to and that's why so many readily accepted Christianity.