<P> The Kebra Nagast is divided into 117 chapters, and is clearly a composite work; Ullendorff describes its narrative as "a gigantic conflation of legendary cycles ." The document is presented in the form of a debate by the 318 "orthodox fathers" of the First Council of Nicaea . These fathers pose the question, "Of what doth the Glory of Kings consist?" One Gregory answers with a speech (chapters 3 - 17) which ends with the statement that a copy of the Glory of God was made by Moses and kept in the Ark of the Covenant . After this, the archbishop Domitius reads from a book he had found in the church of "Sophia", which introduces what Hubbard calls "the centerpiece" of this work, the story of Makeda (better known as the Queen of Sheba), King Solomon, Menelik I, and how the Ark came to Ethiopia (chapters 19 - 94). Although the author of the final redaction identified this Gregory with Gregory Thaumaturgus, who lived in the 3rd century before this Council, the time and the allusion to Gregory's imprisonment for 15 years by the king of Armenia make Gregory the Illuminator a better fit . </P> <P> Queen Makeda learns from Tamrin, a merchant based in her kingdom, about the wisdom of King Solomon, and travels to Jerusalem to visit him . She is enthralled by his display of learning and knowledge, and declares "From this moment I will not worship the sun, but will worship the Creator of the sun, the God of Israel" (chapter 28). The night before she begins her journey home, Solomon tricks her into sleeping with him, and gives her a ring so that their child may identify himself to Solomon . Following her departure, Solomon has a dream in which the sun leaves Israel (chapter 30). </P> <P> On the journey home, she gives birth to Menelik (chapter 32). </P> <P> At the age of 22, Menelik travels to Jerusalem by way of Gaza, seeking Solomon's blessing, and identifies himself to his father with the ring . Overjoyed by this reunion, Solomon tries to convince Menelik to stay and succeed him as king, but Menelik insists on returning to his mother in Ethiopia . King Solomon then settles for sending home with him a company formed from the first - born sons of the elders of his kingdom . This company of young men, upset over leaving Jerusalem, then smuggle the Ark from the Temple and out of Solomon's kingdom (chapters 45 - 48) without Menelik's knowledge . He had asked of Solomon only for a single tassel from the covering over the Ark, and Solomon had given him the entire cloth . </P>

The kebra nagast includes all of the following ideas except