http://biarjournal.com/index.php/lakhomi <p>E-ISSN: <a href="http://u.lipi.go.id/1607498174">2774-311X&nbsp;</a> || P-ISSN: <a href="http://u.lipi.go.id/1607499865">2774-4728</a></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Lakhomi Journal : Scientific Journal of Culture is an international journal using a peer-reviewed process published in December, March, June and September by Britain International for Academic Research Publisher (BIAR-Publisher). Lakhomi welcomes research papers in culture and other researches relating to culture, ancient and also modren culture. It is published in both online and printed version.</p> <p align="center"><a href="https://moraref.kemenag.go.id/archives/journal/99047180253344422" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://mahesainstitute.web.id/ojs2/public/site/images/admin/moraref-150-px.png" alt=""></a><a href="https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/search/details?id=68896&amp;lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://mahesainstitute.web.id/ojs2/public/site/images/admin/copernicus2.png" alt=""></a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=&amp;user=F4BW7G4AAAAJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://mahesainstitute.web.id/ojs2/public/site/images/admin/google_scholar.png" alt=""></a><a href="https://search.crossref.org/?q=2774-4728&amp;from_ui=yes" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://mahesainstitute.web.id/ojs2/public/site/images/admin/crossref1.png" alt=""></a></p> <p style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</p> Britain International for Academic Research (BIAR-Publisher) en-US Lakhomi Journal Scientific Journal of Culture 2774-4728 <p><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" rel="license"><img style="border-width: 0;" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/4.0/88x31.png" alt="Creative Commons License"></a><br>This work is licensed under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>.</p> <center><strong><br></strong> <p style="text-align: justify;">Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:</p> <ol> <li class="show" style="text-align: justify;">Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a> that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.</li> <li class="show" style="text-align: justify;">Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.<span style="font-size: 10px;">Penulis.</span></li> <li class="show" style="text-align: justify;">Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (Refer to <a href="http://opcit.eprints.org/oacitation-biblio.html" rel="license">The Effect of Open Access</a>).</li> </ol> </center> http://biarjournal.com/index.php/lakhomi/article/view/1545 <p>The Star of Bethlehem in Matthew 2:1–12 has long resisted definitive explanation, with astronomical hypotheses (planetary conjunctions, comets, novae) and theological readings often proceeding in isolation. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition, which identifies the star as the Archangel Michael, remains virtually unknown in mainstream scholarship.&nbsp;This review reassesses the star by integrating three lenses: natural astronomical candidates, theological functions within Matthew’s narrative, and the Ethiopian angelic interpretation.&nbsp;An interdisciplinary review of astronomical literature (retrospective celestial mechanics, ancient Chinese records), patristic exegesis (Origen, Chrysostom), and Ethiopian primary sources (<em>The Book of the Mysteries of the Heavens and the Earth</em>, 15th c.), supplemented by liturgical and architectural analysis. No single astronomical candidate fully accounts for the star’s narrative behaviors (cessation, reappearance, “standing over” a house). Patristic writers, especially Chrysostom, interpreted the star as an angelic power. The Ethiopian tradition uniquely names the star as Michael, embeds this identification in the&nbsp;<em>Genna</em>&nbsp;Christmas procession (candles, three circuits of the church), and reflects it in the eastern orientation of the “Bethlehem” prothesis room. Conclusion:&nbsp;The star is best understood as a “providentially timed convergence” natural astronomical event (e.g., the 5 BCE comets) used by God as the vehicle for angelic guidance and theological revelation. The Ethiopian voice resolves narrative difficulties and enriches the interdisciplinary conversation. Future research should systematically survey Ge‘ez manuscripts (e.g.,&nbsp;<em>Te’amrä Iyasus</em>, homiliaries) and compare Ethiopian angelology with Coptic and Syriac traditions.</p> Belay Sitotaw Goshu Copyright (c) 2026 Lakhomi Journal Scientific Journal of Culture https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 2026-07-13 2026-07-13 7 3 157 173 http://biarjournal.com/index.php/lakhomi/article/view/1546 <p><em>Ethiopian sacred arts represent one of the world's oldest continuous traditions of material and spiritual transformation, yet the chemical knowledge embedded in these practices remains largely unexplored in the historiography of science and art history. Purpose: This study examines Ethiopian sacred metalwork and manuscript illumination as a form of applied alchemy, investigating the practical chemistry, techniques, and theological symbolism underlying these traditions. Drawing on interdisciplinary approaches combining archaeometric analysis (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry), art historical examination, ethnographic documentation, and textual analysis, this study synthesizes existing research and presents new interpretations of Ethiopian sacred material culture. Ethiopian artisans possessed sophisticated indigenous chemical knowledge encompassing metallurgy (smelting, lost-wax casting, alloying, gilding), parchment-making, ink preparation (carbon-based and iron-gall inks), and pigment production (mineral, plant-based, and imported pigments). This practical chemistry was deeply intertwined with theological symbolism: gold signified divine light, red represented the blood of Christ, and the processes of transformation were understood as acts of purification and devotion. The Ethiopian tradition, continuous since late Antiquity, serves as a vital source for understanding vanished historical practices. Ethiopian sacred arts constitute a distinctive tradition of applied alchemy that challenges Eurocentric narratives of chemical knowledge, demonstrating that sophisticated material practices flourished in non-European contexts. Future research should prioritize systematic chemical analysis of wider manuscript and metal object corpora, ethnographic studies of living craftspeople, comparative studies with other African and Eastern Christian traditions, and digital humanities approaches to preserve and analyze this endangered heritage.</em></p> Belay Sitotaw Goshu Muhammad Ridwan Copyright (c) 2026 Lakhomi Journal Scientific Journal of Culture https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 2026-07-13 2026-07-13 7 3 174 193