Dawit Amanuel
Encyclopedia
Dawit Amanuel is noted in Ethiopia
n and Eritrea
n church history as being the main translator of the New Testament in the Tigre language
, published in 1902. (By local custom, he is properly referred to as "Dawit".) In 1877, at about the same time as his father converted from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to Islam, Dawit became the first evangelical believer from among the Mänsa
people.
Dawit was educated at Gäläb at a school run by the Swedish Evangelical Mission
. There, he worked on Scripture translation, for some years together with Tewolde-Medhin Gebre-Medhin
. In addition to translating, Dawit began a Tigre dictionary and collected many Tigre songs and proverbs. Many of these were later published by the German scholar Enno Littmann
. Dawit was also active serving the church as a pastor and evangelist and was ordained in 1925.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n and Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
n church history as being the main translator of the New Testament in the Tigre language
Tigre language
For other uses please see Tigre Tigre is a Semitic language, which, along with Tigrinya, is believed to be one of direct descendants of the extinct Ge'ez language...
, published in 1902. (By local custom, he is properly referred to as "Dawit".) In 1877, at about the same time as his father converted from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to Islam, Dawit became the first evangelical believer from among the Mänsa
Mansa
Mansa is a Mandinka word meaning "king of kings". It is particularly associated with the Keita Dynasty of the Mali Empire, which dominated West Africa from the thirteenth to the fifthteenth century...
people.
Dawit was educated at Gäläb at a school run by the Swedish Evangelical Mission
Swedish Evangelical Mission
The Swedish Evangelical Mission is an independent organisation within the Church of Sweden. SEM cooperates with independent churches, Christian councils and other partners in Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Malawi, the Sudan and Tanzania...
. There, he worked on Scripture translation, for some years together with Tewolde-Medhin Gebre-Medhin
Tewolde-Medhin Gebre-Medhin
Täwäldä-Mädhin Gäbrä-Mädhin was a pastor, educator and translator, originally from the town of S'eä’azäga, Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. He was ordained as a deacon in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in 1872...
. In addition to translating, Dawit began a Tigre dictionary and collected many Tigre songs and proverbs. Many of these were later published by the German scholar Enno Littmann
Enno Littmann
- Works :* 1897: "Die Pronomina in Tigré", in: Zeitschrift für Assyriologie 12, pp. 188-230, 291-316.* 1898: "Das Verbum der Tigre-Sprache", in: Zeitschrift für Assyrologie 13, pp. 133-178; 14, pp. 1-102....
. Dawit was also active serving the church as a pastor and evangelist and was ordained in 1925.