Gädlä Yared and Liturgical Ecstasy

Record summary

The Ethiopian tradition surrounding Saint Yared, credited with developing the Ge'ez chant system, includes accounts of revelation, angelic instruction, sacred audition, and inspiration during worship. The associated Gädlä Yared and later liturgical traditions can be compared with cross-cultural accounts of music, absorption, and altered religious consciousness. The material is hagiographic and has accumulated through oral, liturgical, and manuscript transmission. Researchers should identify which version they are using and distinguish historical claims about Yared from later explanations of the origins and authority of Ethiopian chant.