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The Aftermath: Sheba and Her Son
Sheba's life after Solomon was more fortunate. Upon returning home, she gave birth to a son, whom she named Ibn al-Hakim, "son of the wise man." Some Jewish, Islamic and Persian sources state that this child was Nebuchadnezzar (44); Ethiopians believe him to be David II (the name given him by Solomon), who later called himself Menelek, and who was the first king of the Ethiopian dynasty.
No existing Jewish or Christian documents refer to the Queen giving up her throne, or insisting that only "kings" descending from Solomon should rule, or converting to Islam. In the Bible, Bilqis offered respect to the Hebrew god "El," but returned to her own country and customs. The Kebra Negast presents a different picture. Written to establish the Solomonic kings as the basis of the Ethiopian dynasty, and Islam as the national religion, the Kebra Negast emphasizes her decree that "there shall be no more queens in Ethiopia, but only a man." Here she is portrayed telling Solomon, "Henceforward a man who is of thy seed shall reign, and a woman shall nevermore reign; only seed of thine shall reign and his seed after him." (45)
Here too, Sheba is described writing Solomon a letter, requesting that he send her a "fringe from the holy Ark of the Covenant," so that the Sabaean people might revere it. When Solomon demanded that his counselors send their eldest sons to Sheba to spread the religion of the Israelites, his counselors rebelled and arranged for the theft of the Ark, which was then secretly transported to Sheba.
"From this moment I will not worship the sun, but will worship the Creator of the sun, the God of Israel," Bilqis had told Solomon. Now, she declared that her people "shall not worship the sun and the magnificence of the heavens, or the mountains and the forests, or the stones and three trees of the wilderness, or the abysses and that which is in the waters... or feathered fowl which fly...and they shall not pay adoration unto them." (46) Not only did she forbid pagan worship, but she also declared the Hebrew god the national god.
After her visit to Solomon, Sheba continued to earn respect from her people for the wisdom she had gained and continued to gain, as a result of her commitment to learning, spiritual development, and benevolent leadership. She was also revered for her kindness to her people, and her capacity to live by her philosophical and religious principles. In her prayers to her new god, she said:
Through her I have dived down into the great sea and have seized her depths a pearl whereby I am rich. I went down like the great iron anchor whereby men anchor ships for the night on the high seas, and I received a lamp which lighteth me, and I came up by the ropes of the boat of understanding. I went to sleep in the depths of the sea, and not being overwhelmed with the water I dreamed a dream.
And it seemed to me that there was a star in my womb, and I marvelled thereat, and I laid hold upon it and made it strong in the splendour of the sun; I laid hold upon it, and I will never let it go. I went in through the doors of the treasury of wisdom and I drew for myself the waters of understanding. I went into the blaze of the flame of the sun, and it lighted me with the splendor thereof, and I made of it a shield for myself, and I saved myself by confidence therein, and not myself only but all those who travel in the footprints of wisdom, and not myself only but...my country." (47)
Viewzone's Gary Vey translated many texts using an ancient root Hebrew algorythm called proto-Canaanite. These same scripts have been found in the deserts East of Egypt and in the Southern Negev desert in Israel.
According to Vey, "The Himyaridic script of the Ethiopian culture is phonetically different from the Sabaean script, although both use a similar alphabet." According to Vey, the script on the large oval Temple of the Moon, in Marib, tells of the Ark being retrieved by Menelik and then being buried in an underground chamber along with the Queen's only son. [A complete translation can be found here.] Is the Ark still buried in Yemen? Is this why the Queen moved her kingdom and abandoned her luxurious temple to the desert sands for 3000 years? 
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The Kebra Negast states that when Menelek was 12 years old, he began asking his mother about his father. When he was 22, he traveled to Jerusalem bearing the ring which Solomon had given to his mother. Because Menelek's facial features, eyes, legs and gait were similar to his father's, Solomon recognized him instantly. Rejoicing in his firstborn male heir, he wanted Menelek to be his successor, but Menelek refused. Although he remained for a time to study the laws of the Hebrews, Menelek, like his mother, chose to return to Sheba. Solomon was deeply grieved at his departure, and also dreamed of laying with Makeda, experiencing once again the glory that they had known together. 
"Grant unto me that I may follow Wisdom, and may not become a castaway; grant that I may make her a foundation for me, and may never be overthrown; grant that I may stand upon her as firmly as a pillar and may not topple over; grant that I may become vigorous through her, and not suffer from exhaustion; grant that I may grasp her firmly, and may not slide; grant that I may dwell in her in peace.... 
At some point, it is believed that Bilqis moved her entire kingdom from what is now Yemen to the land of Ethiopia. Archaeologists, like Wendell Philips (the basis for the Indiana Jones character in films), traced the Sabaean culture from Ethiopia to Marib, noting the similarities in the old writing found at each site. But Phillips also noted that the writing styles in Marib, the Queens older kingdom, appeared to contain "Hebrew like" characters.|
(1) Kebra Negast, chapter 90. Our Ethiopian source, the Kebra Negast or "Glory of Kings", is the national/religious epic of Ethiopia, translated from the Coptic version of the 12th century, and entitled by the translator Ernest A. Wallis Budge as THE QUEEN OF SHEBA AND HER SON MENYELEK. The Kebra Negast is regarded as the final authority on the early history of Ethiopia, and its origin in the Solomonic lines of kings, which "descends without interruption from the dynasty of Menelik I, son of Queen of Ethiopia, Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Jerusalem." (2) Kebra Negast, chapter 27 (3) The story of the Queen of Sheba in recorded in the Old Testament in I Kings 10:1-13; a similar version also appears in II Chronicles 9:1-12. Other references to the Queen of Sheba are: Psalms lxxii, 15, and in the New Testament, Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31.
The story of the Queen of Sheba is recorded in the Old Testament in I Kings 10:1-13; a similar version also appears in II Chronicles 9:1-12. Other references to the Queen of Sheba are: Psalms lxxii, 15, and in the New Testament, Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31
(8) Budge, chapter 23
(22) Midrash Hachefez, quoted in Rappoport, p. 128, Ginzberg
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Who was Solomon || Solomon and Sheba || Sheba and Her Son || Viewzone's Translations
