(1) Published sources
1.1 Amharic Translations
Maier, Johannes, tr. Die württembergische Kinderlehre und das Confirmations-Büchlein [The Württemberg Children’s Doctrine and the Confirmation Booklet] / ለዘላለም ደህንነት። በጥያቄና በምላሽ የሚያስተምር መጽሐፍ። ለክርስቲያን ልጆች የተጻፈ። [Forever safe: A book that teaches through questions and answers; written for Christian children]. Revised and edited by Ludwig Krapf. St. Chrischona: Mission Press, 1866. [View online]
⸻. ……….. [“Die Christliche Haustafel”]. Translated into Amharic by J. Mayer. [Traktat] Nr. 7. St. Chrischona: Mission Press, 1876.
- 24 pp. Data according to Lüthi, p. 47. Copy available in St. Chrischona; Ref. Code: PM074857.
⸻. ……….. [“Unterweisung im christlichen Glauben für Jung und Alt”]. Translated into Amharic by J. Mayer. St. Chrischona: Mission Press, 1876.
- Data according to Lüthi, p. 47. Copy available in St. Chrischona; Ref. Code: PM076095.
⸻. Short Stories for Young Abyssinians / ትንሽ ታሪኮች ለሐበሻ ልጆች, transl. by Johannes Mayer, ed. by Martin Flad. St. Chrischona: Mission Press, 1883. [View online]
1.2 Gurage, etc.
Maier, Johannes. Kurze Wörter-Sammlung in Englisch, Deutsch, Amharisch, Gallanisch, Guraguesch von Johannes Mayer, Missionar der Pilger Mission in Schoa [Short collection of words in English, German, Amharic, (Oromo), and Gurage by Johannes Mayer, missionary of the Pilgrim Mission in Shoa (and a Gurage translation of Matthew 2)], edited by Ludwig Krapf. St. Chrischona: Mission Press, 1878. [Google Books]
Maier, Johannes [et al. ?], tr. “Uebersetzung des 2. Kapitels des Evang. Johannis in der Gurague Sprache, für Herrn Dr. Petermann in Berlin,” [John 2 in Gurage] in Die amharische Sprache by Franz Praetorius, p. 507‒08. Halle: Verlag der Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses, 1879. [Google Books]
- The manuscript is located in the estate of Franz Praetorius in the Library of the German Orientalist Society (Halle).
Ref. Code: DMG Yi 135 III B (3) - Mayer’s accompanying letter to Dr. Petermann in Berlin appears to have been lost. (The letter is not listed in Petermann’s estate and also appears to be missing from Nöldeke’s estate, through whom Praetorius received the translation.)
(2) Personal diary
Diary of Johannes Mayer, written in Adwa, Ankobar, Entotto and Balli, April 1869 to October 1883. [To be published by Makeda Ketcham and Wolbert Smidt]
(3) Letters and articles in mission journals
Mittheilungen aus der Correspondenz der Pilgermission
[available in the Library of Theologisches Seminar St. Chrischona]
» View Mayer & Bender, Letters and journals
published in St. Chrischona
Der Glaubensbote
[available in the Library of Theologisches Seminar St. Chrischona]
- vol. 16, no. 6 (1893), p. 75‒76: Obituary J. Mayer
Missions-Tidning (Swedish Evangelical Mission)
[available in the Mission’s Historical Archives]
- 1870 (no. 9), p. 68: Mayer and Bender to “Brothers”, Adwa, 1870.05.14
(4) Secondary Literature
Arén, Gustav. Evangelical Pioneers in Ethiopia: Origins of the Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus. Stockholm: EFS förlaget; Addis Ababa: Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, 1978. [See p. 14, 90, 92, 99, 145, 151‒57, 161, 170‒71, 247, 262, 272‒74, 277, 447; view online]
Crummey, Donald. Land and Society in the Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia: from the Thirteenth to the Twentieth Century. Oxford: James Currey, 2000. [See p. 116‒20 (216?)].
Gräber, Gerd. “Die befreiten Geiseln Kaiser Tewodros’ II. Aus dem Photoalbum der Royal Engineers 1867/68”, Aethiopica 2 (1999): 159-82. [Download article; view picture in Museum Ludwig]
Rappard, Carl Heinrich. Die Pilger-Mission zu St. Chrischona. 2nd ed. St. Chrischona: Mission Press, 1908. [See p. 123‒27, 132‒33, 266]
Smidt, Wolbert G. C. “Mayer, Johannes”, in Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 3, ed. S. Uhlig, p. 890‒91. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2007.
(5) Unpublished letters and other archival material
5.1 Staatsarchiv Basel-Stadt
Mayer, Johannes. “Magdala”, Dossier, 1859‒84 [!]
(Ref. Code: PA 653a D. 3.8)
“Mayer und Bender”, 1861‒1868
(Ref. Code: PA 653a D. 3.1), includes i.a.
- Mayer and Bender to Krapf, 1868.11.08
“Galla Mission”, 1872
(Ref. Code: PA 653a D. 1.8), includes i.a.
- Maier, Wora Illu 1872.10.25: Order of Amharic and Oromo Bible texts
5.2 Bible Society’s Library / BFBS Archive (Cambridge Univ. Library)
» For an overview of books with incoming editorial correspondence (1858‒97), see Ref. Code GBR/0374/BFBS/BSA/E3/1/4
The BFBS Archives Index lists under “Mayer, Jacob” [= Mayer, Johannes; confused with a St. Chrischona student who arrived in Ankober in 1874], missionary and colporteur:
- about 15 letters. These include:
– Maier and Bender to Krapf, 1868.12.29
[Zännäb and 2 men from Nonno transl. the NT into Oromo]
– Maier and Bender to Krapf, Adwa, 1869.05.03: suggest trial edition in Ethiosemitic script [BFBS/ Agents’ Book 119, p. 319]
– Maier to Krapf, Adwa, 1869.06.03
– Maier to Krapf, 1869.08.05: Zännäb assisted by 2 Oromo royal eunuchs and his friends, who love the Word of God, Gebre Mika’el and Waaree [BFBS/ AB 128, p. 351]
– Maier & Bender to Krapf, 1869.10.04
– Maier to Krapf, 1870.05.23
– Maier to Krapf, 1870.06.24 - Journal Bender & Maier, 1868.12.03‒1870.12.31
(former Ref.: BFBS/AB 128) - Journal Maier, 1869.08.01‒1869.12.31
(former Ref.: BFBS/AB 128)
5.3 Swedish Evangelical Mission Archives, Uppsala
Letters (manuscripts and/or published in Missions-Tidning):
- Mayer to Englund, 1870.09.27
- Mayer to Lundahl, Warra Illuu, 1872.07.20
- Mayer to Lundahl and Mayer to Harnisch, Warra Illuu, 1872.10.04
- Mayer to Lundahl, Warra Illuu, 1872.10.05
- Mayer to Lundahl, Ankober, 1880.05.13,
in Missions-Tidning, no. 20, 15 October 1880, p. 157. - Mayer to Lundahl, Balli, 1884.04.23
Cross-References
» Report of the BFBS, excerpts (1865-96)
» Monthly Reporter of the BFBS, Maier and Bender’s Bible colportage (1869f)