Ethiopian Coptic Bible Manuscript (est 18th Century)
Description
Ethiopian Coptic Bible Manuscript (est 18th Century)
5 ¼ x 3 ¼ x 1 ½. Approx. 40 leaves with five full page hand painted color icons. Bound in hand carved wooden covers. Repaired. Vellum leaves interlaced with aged twine and sinew, but barely holding. Front board detached. Otherwise, rest still bound. Detailed color icons depicting Biblical scenes. A majority of the text looks to be liturgical prayers or sections of the Bible itself. Each page of this Coptic manuscript is written in black or red ink on parchment from goat skin, then hand painted following the tradition of Ethiopian orthodox church manuscript writing techniques kept for generations. The red text indicates sacred words spoken by the savior intermixed with the color religious scene icons. A true treasure, indeed.
Ethiopian Handwritten Coptic Ge’ez Bibles were produced as early as the fourteenth century until the late 19th century throughout Ethiopia, the first country to become an independent African nation. Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia in the 4th century when Syrian missionaries first translated the Bible into Ge’ez, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox. The surviving body of Ge’ez literature is composed almost entirely of Christian liturgy, as education was exclusively the responsibility of priests and monks. The bibles produced typically contain the gospels of the New Testament, recounting the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the foundation of the Christian faith with illuminated miniature paintings depicting the lives of the Saints.
Price: $795
Shipping: FREE via USPS Priority Mail
Inventory Number: 29350
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