Through a rare autobiographical act, Zara Yacob, who acquainted himself with the teachings of the Catholic Church, becomes the first self-conscious founder of a philosophical tradition in Ethiopia. Indeed, it is a mild exaggeration to assert that it is Zara Yacob who gave the continent of Africa an original autobiography, something that was until then confined to literate traditions outside Africa. His treatise is a powerful example of self-presentation, clearly and masterfully expressed in a captivating literary style.