Dr. Barth’s Bible-Stories, translated into Amharic by J.M. Flad / ሁለት ጊዜ አምሳ ሁለት ታሪክ ከብሉይና ካዲስ [= አዲስ] ኪዳን [Twice 52 stories from the Old and New Testament]. 4th, enlarged edition. St. Chrischona: Mission Press, 1892.
Note
These illustrated Bible stories were translated from the German Zweimal zwei und fünfzig Biblische Geschichten für Schulen und Familien [Twice 52 Biblical Stories for Schools and Families], written by Rev. Christian Gottlob Barth (1799–1862).
Flad first translated the book into Amharic in 1862. Before the manuscript could be sent for printing, it was taken away by Emperor Tewodros II, making it necessary to translate it again (with the help of debtera Birru).
- The first edition appeared in 1867 [Google Books],
- the second edition in 1872 [Digitale Sammlungen]
- the third edition in 1875.
Cross-references
Barth published the original edition of his Biblical Stories in 1832. The book became a worldwide bestseller in the 19th century. The first edition in an African language appears to be Johannes Zimmermann‘s translation into the Ga language of Ghana:
- Biblias Sâdṣi: Dr. Barth’s Bible Stories. Translated into the Akra-Language from the eightieth German edition. Calw: J.F. Steinkopf, 1854. [Google Books]
There were two Oromo editions:
- Si’a lama oduu shantamii lama Kakuu Moofaatii fi Kakuu Haaraatii, transl. by Yooseef Gaaluu (St. Chrischona: Mission Press, 1881)
- Si’a lama Oduu Shantamii lama, transl. by Aster Ganno and Onesimos Nesib (St. Chrischona: Mission Press, 1899).