Translating Faith: Ethiopian Pilgrims in Renaissance Rome

"Tucked behind the apse of St Peter's Basilica in Rome, the ancient church of Santo Stefano hosted an unusual community during the sixteenth century: a group of Orthodox pilgrims from the Christian-ruled realm of Ethiopia. Translating Faith is the first book-length study of this community in nearly a century. Drawing on both Ethiopic and European-language sources, Kelly documents how pilgrims maintained Ethiopian Orthodox practices while adapting to a society increasingly committed to Catholic conformity. Kelly's account of the Santo Stefano pilgrim community is a timely story about the possibilities and pitfalls of ecumenical dialogue, in an age marked by intensive, often violent, negotiations of religious and racial difference"--