[work in progress]
W. Jowett’s Testimony
“It was the wish of M. Asselin to have two copies of the work taken; one in folio, and one in large quarto. All, however, that he obtained to be copied was the following in large quarto—Genesis (sent, by Colonel Misset, to the Prince Regent)—Exodus (sent to the Rev. Mr. Renouard, and the receipt acknowledged)—Leviticus and Numbers (to the Pope])—Deuteronomy (to the French Institute [i.e. _ _ _?])—Joshua and Judges (to the French King [Louis XVIII]): and, in small quarto, only the book of Genesis, entrusted to the Author for the British and Foreign Bible Society” (Christian Researches, p. 202).
In April 1820, Jewett bought all folios of Abba Abraham’s manuscript for the British and Foreign Bible Society (Christian Researches, p. 202f).
From the manuscript to the printed Bible
After several partial publications (the four Gospels in 1824, etc.), the entire Bible was published in 1840. However, Abba Abraham’s Amharic translation was not printed as it stood, but was changed by Thomas Pell Platt and his advisors where they recognised significant deviations from the Hebrew resp. Greek Bible text.
- The Pentateuch was printed unchanged until 1840. It was not until the second edition in 1844 that a revision was made according to the perceived Hebrew original.
Abba Abraham’s translation was the basis for almost all Amharic Bibles printed until the 1960s.
Manuscript sold to the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1820
The Bible, “including [which?] deutero-canonical books but with Isaiah, Jeremiah and Lamentations now missing”. The 19th-century editions of the Amharic Bible are based—with numerous ‘improvements’ by the editors—on the manuscript deposited in the Bible Society Archive at Cambridge University Library Cambridge (Ref. Code: GBR/0374/BFBS/BSMS 15).
- The manuscript of several thousand pages has apparently not yet been digitised.
A facsimile of Matthew 1 and a specimen of Mark 9 were printed in Platt, Catalogue of Ethiopic Biblical Manuscripts, London 1823. [View online]
Earlier copies of Abba Abraham and Asselin de Cherville’s translation
(1) Genesis. The manuscript was signed on 1 August 1814 and sent to the Prince Regent (later King George IV). The document is now deposited in the Royal Collection Trust. [RCINs 1005085; view selected pages]
(2 *) The Book of Exodus. The manuscript was sent to Rev. George Cecil Renouard, who returned from Istanbul to Cambridge in 1815. The manuscript is not listed separately in the online databases of The National Archive and Cambridge University.
(3) Genesis and Exodus. Signed on 2 November 1814 and sent to “the President, Vice-Presidents, Committee and Members of the Honourable British and Foreign Bible Society”. The Book of Exodus is probably the manuscript sent to Rev. Renouard. [Ref Code: GBR/0374/BFBS/BSMS 16; not yet digitised]
(4 *) Leviticus and Numbers. Sent to Pope Pius VII. This writer couldn’t find the manuscript in the Vatican Library’s database.
(5 *) Deuteronomy [= Exodus?]. Signed in 1814 and sent to the “French Institute”, i.e. the Institut de France in Paris. However, the database lists a Book of Exodus, not Deuteronomy. (Ref. Ms 1768; not digitised, yet described in Journal des Savants, 1916, p. 184.)
(6a) Joshua. Manuscript submitted to the King of France on 10 July 1814. [Ref: Ethiop 28; view online]
(6b *) Judges. The manuscript mentioned by Jowett appears to be missing.
- However, there is a Book of Genesis (6 June 1815; Ethiop. 25) and a Book of Leviticus (6 June 1815; Ethiop. 26). These books were translated by persons associated with al-Azhar Mosque. Asselin de Cherville collected numerous old Quranic manuscripts in Egypt.
Cross-references
» Main Sources on Abraham’s Life
» On Abraham’s life journey
» Abraham and Asselin’s translation work
» Bibliography with links