Bible translations (Amharic)
Encyclopedia
Although Christianity
became the state religion
of Ethiopia in the 4th century, and the Bible
was first translated into Ge'ez at about that time, only in the last two centuries have there appeared Translations of the Bible into Amharic.
was by Abu Rumi
in the early 19th century. In the opinion of Edward Ullendorff
, "The history of the first translation of the Bible into Amharic is a romantic and exciting story which deserves to be better known among éthiopisants. The French Consul in Cairo
, Asselin de Cherville, possessed a manuscript containing a complete translation of the Bible into Amharic, created by the mutual efforts of the Consul and Abu Rumi. As Ullendorff relates, for ten years "every Tuesday and Saturday his [de Cherville's] door was shut to all visitors when he read with 'my Abyssinian, slowly and with the utmost attention, every verse of the Sacred Volume, in the ArabicVersion which we were able to translate.' But we are not told from which Arabic version the rendering was made." Where the Arabic words were "abstruse, difficult, or foreign", de Cherville then consulted "the Hebrew Original, the Syriac Version, or the Septuagint" for clarification.
William Jowett purchased de Cherville's manuscript, consisting of 9,539 pages written in "the fine hand" of Abu Rumi for £1,250, which he then presented for review to Professor Samuel Lee, and the final manuscript was printed by Thomas Pell Platt in increasing portions: the four Gospels in 1824, the entire New Testament in 1829, and the complete Bible in 1840. This translation, "with some changes and amendments, held sway until the Emperor Haile Selassie I ordered a new translation", which was published in 1960/61.
. After it was printed, this translation (sometimes referred to as the "Barnhouse New Testament") was found to contain a serious error so most copies were destroyed.
), and the 31st year of his reign (i.e. AD 1962 in the Gregorian Calendar
), and states that it was translated by the Bible Committee he convened between AD 1947 and 1952, "realizing that there ought to be a revision from the original Hebrew and Greek of the existing translation of the Bible". It included the 66 books of the protocanon (i.e. those held canonical in common with Protestant and Catholic Christians), as the 5 narrow canon deuterocanonical books were published separately. The five narrow canon Ethiopian deuterocanonical books comprise 1 Enoch (Henok; different from the standard editions of Ge'ez manuscripts A~Q by foreign academics), Jubilees
(Ge'ez: Mets'hafe Kufale) and I, II, and III Meqabyan
(substantially different from I
, II
, and III Maccabees
)
The 81 book Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Bible, including the deuterocanonicals, 46 books of the Old Testament and 35 books of the New Testament, was published in 1986. This version incorporates a few minor changes or corrections to the 1962 Amharic text of the New Testament, but the text of the Old Testament and Deuterocanon are identical to those previously published under Haile Selassie I.
), a new translation was printed in 1987, translated directly from Hebrew and Greek
. A revised version of this appeared in 2005. These versions contain only the 66 books of the Protestant canon, and they have not been widely embraced by the Tewahedo Church.
produced a New Testament in 1985. Following the 1992 merger of LBI with IBS the International Bible Society
produced a complete Bible in 2001. This is a translation from the English NIV, or is at least very heavily reliant upon it.
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the predominant Oriental Orthodox Christian church in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Church was administratively part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All...
became the state religion
State religion
A state religion is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state...
of Ethiopia in the 4th century, and the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
was first translated into Ge'ez at about that time, only in the last two centuries have there appeared Translations of the Bible into Amharic.
Abu Rumi translation
The first translation of the Bible into AmharicAmharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
was by Abu Rumi
Abu Rumi
Abu Rumi is the name recorded as being the translator for the first complete Bible in Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia. Previously, only partial Amharic translations existed, and the Ethiopian Bible existed only in Ge'ez, the ancient liturgical language of Ethiopia. His story is recorded...
in the early 19th century. In the opinion of Edward Ullendorff
Edward Ullendorff
Edward Ullendorff FBA was a British scholar and historian, especially in Semitic languages and Ethiopia.-Biography:...
, "The history of the first translation of the Bible into Amharic is a romantic and exciting story which deserves to be better known among éthiopisants. The French Consul in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Asselin de Cherville, possessed a manuscript containing a complete translation of the Bible into Amharic, created by the mutual efforts of the Consul and Abu Rumi. As Ullendorff relates, for ten years "every Tuesday and Saturday his [de Cherville's] door was shut to all visitors when he read with 'my Abyssinian, slowly and with the utmost attention, every verse of the Sacred Volume, in the ArabicVersion which we were able to translate.' But we are not told from which Arabic version the rendering was made." Where the Arabic words were "abstruse, difficult, or foreign", de Cherville then consulted "the Hebrew Original, the Syriac Version, or the Septuagint" for clarification.
William Jowett purchased de Cherville's manuscript, consisting of 9,539 pages written in "the fine hand" of Abu Rumi for £1,250, which he then presented for review to Professor Samuel Lee, and the final manuscript was printed by Thomas Pell Platt in increasing portions: the four Gospels in 1824, the entire New Testament in 1829, and the complete Bible in 1840. This translation, "with some changes and amendments, held sway until the Emperor Haile Selassie I ordered a new translation", which was published in 1960/61.
First Haile Selassie I Bible (1935)
A new translation was underway, under the Emperor Haile Selassie I's patronage, when the Italian army invaded. This manuscript was later sent to Britain and printed, but most of the copies were destroyed in a fire during the bombing of London. This translation is sometimes known as the "Buxton" translation because a British BCMS missionary named Alfred Buxton (1891–1940) was instrumental in sending the manuscript from occupied Ethiopia to Britain. This same basic translation, with some changes, was later printed in the USA, with funds raised by Rev. Donald BarnhouseDonald Barnhouse
Donald Grey Barnhouse Th.D , was an American Christian preacher, pastor, theologian, radio pioneer, and writer.-Career:...
. After it was printed, this translation (sometimes referred to as the "Barnhouse New Testament") was found to contain a serious error so most copies were destroyed.
New Haile Selassie I Bible (1962)
In 1962, a new Amharic translation from Ge'ez was printed, again with the patronage of the Emperor. The preface by Emperor Haile Selassie I is dated "1955" (E.C.Ethiopian calendar
The Ethiopian calendar , also called the Ge'ez calendar, is the principal calendar used in Ethiopia and also serves as the liturgical calendar for Christians in Eritrea belonging to the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Church and Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea...
), and the 31st year of his reign (i.e. AD 1962 in the Gregorian Calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
), and states that it was translated by the Bible Committee he convened between AD 1947 and 1952, "realizing that there ought to be a revision from the original Hebrew and Greek of the existing translation of the Bible". It included the 66 books of the protocanon (i.e. those held canonical in common with Protestant and Catholic Christians), as the 5 narrow canon deuterocanonical books were published separately. The five narrow canon Ethiopian deuterocanonical books comprise 1 Enoch (Henok; different from the standard editions of Ge'ez manuscripts A~Q by foreign academics), Jubilees
Jubilees
The Book of Jubilees , sometimes called Lesser Genesis , is an ancient Jewish religious work, considered one of the pseudepigrapha by Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Churches...
(Ge'ez: Mets'hafe Kufale) and I, II, and III Meqabyan
Meqabyan
I, II, and III Meqabyan are three books in the Ethiopian Orthodox Old Testament Biblical canon....
(substantially different from I
1 Maccabees
The First book of Maccabees is a book written in Hebrew by a Jewish author after the restoration of an independent Jewish kingdom, about the latter part of the 2nd century BC. The original Hebrew is lost and the most important surviving version is the Greek translation contained in the Septuagint...
, II
2 Maccabees
2 Maccabees is a deuterocanonical book of the Bible, which focuses on the Jews' revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes and concludes with the defeat of the Syrian general Nicanor in 161 BC by Judas Maccabeus, the hero of the work....
, and III Maccabees
3 Maccabees
The book of the 3 Maccabees is found in most Orthodox Bibles as a part of the Anagignoskomena, while Protestants and Catholics consider it non-canonical, except the Moravian Brethren who included it in the Apocrypha of the Czech Kralicka Bible...
)
The 81 book Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the predominant Oriental Orthodox Christian church in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Church was administratively part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All...
Bible, including the deuterocanonicals, 46 books of the Old Testament and 35 books of the New Testament, was published in 1986. This version incorporates a few minor changes or corrections to the 1962 Amharic text of the New Testament, but the text of the Old Testament and Deuterocanon are identical to those previously published under Haile Selassie I.
UBS Versions (1987, 2005)
Under the Bible Society of Ethiopia (a member of the United Bible SocietiesUnited Bible Societies
The United Bible Societies is a worldwide association of Bible societies. In 1946 delegates from 13 countries formed the UBS, as an effort to coordinate the activities of the bible societies. The first headquarters were London and in Geneva...
), a new translation was printed in 1987, translated directly from Hebrew and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. A revised version of this appeared in 2005. These versions contain only the 66 books of the Protestant canon, and they have not been widely embraced by the Tewahedo Church.
IBS Version (2001)
Living Bibles InternationalLiving Bibles International
Living Bibles International was an American religious publisher dedicated to producing modern language translations of the New Testament in around 100 languages worldwide....
produced a New Testament in 1985. Following the 1992 merger of LBI with IBS the International Bible Society
International Bible Society
Biblica, formerly named named IBS-STL Biblica, formerly named named IBS-STL Biblica, formerly named named IBS-STL (from a merger of International Bible Society (IBS) and Send the Light (STL), has its headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is a nonprofit Christian organization that...
produced a complete Bible in 2001. This is a translation from the English NIV, or is at least very heavily reliant upon it.
External links
- An 1886 Amharic translation of the Old Testament (protocanon only) - reprinted by E.O. Tewahedo Church
- 1886 Amharic translation of the New Testament