Ethiopian Hand Written Coptic Bibles

These bibles were hand written in Ethiopic (Ge’ez), a Semitic language that is no longer spoken, but is still used for liturgical and other religious purposes by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The leaves are vellum, usually calfskin, prepared by a lengthy exposure in lime, scraped with a rounded knife and finally rubbed smooth with pumice stone. The vellum is often scored with a pin, and they are written in black ink with titles and holy names often being in red.

The subjects of these “Bibles” are always Christian, but actual content varies. It is difficult to date these pieces, which were made as early as the fourteenth century and continued through about 1850.

For more information and fine examples, see Appleyard’s ETHIOPIAN MANUSCRIPTS and Mercvier’s ETHIOPIAN MAGIC SCROLLS.

To see examples of Ethiopian Hand Written Coptic Bibles as well as other interesting African Artifacts please visit our store at Africa Direct

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