St. Luke in Oromo (1870)

The Gospel According to St. Luke, from the Greek Translated into the Galla Language by Dr. L[udwig] Krapf, at Kornthal, near Stuttgart, Germany. With the Assistance of Debtera Saneb, a Native of Efat [Ifaat], and Roofo, a young Galla of the Gooma [Gummaa] tribe. /

Wangeelii Luqaasii Afaan Yoonaaniirraa Afaan Oromootii kan hiike Luudowiikoo Kraaphif biyya Niimsaa Korantaalii [?] gandaatii. Dabtaraa Zannebiin Ilma biyya Ifatee Ruufiiniis [?] Ilma Ormaa biyya Gummaatii yoo gargaarani guddaa.
[The Gospel of Luke was translated from the Greek into English by Ludwig Krapf from the village of Korntal in Germany. Däbtära Zännäb from [or: a descendant of?] Efat and Ruufoo, an Oromo from Gummaa, have helped]. /

Printed by the Pilgrim-Mission-Press of St. Chrischona, near Basle, (Switzerland.) 1870.

Notes

Darlow & Moule, Catalogue, # 4112, reads:

“In 1863 the B.F.B.S. received a communication from J. L. Krapf asking them to publish a translation of the Bible which he intended to prepare, mainly on behalf of the Pilgim Mission to the Galla people, which had been founded by Frederick Spittler, a philanthropist of Basel. He hoped, moreover, that the missionaries of the United Methodist Free Churches, working among the Wanika at Ribe (near Mombasa), might with the aid of such a version reach the Southern Galla tribes. The B.F.B.S. at once voted 300l., but little was done in execution of the project till after the Abyssinian Expedition of 1867, in which Krapf acted as interpreter.

Of Krapf’s two native assistants, Debtera Saneb and Roofo, the former was an Abyssinian who had already prepared a translation of the Gospels and of the Psalter at the request of J.M. Flad of the London Jews Society. St. Luke’s Gospel was printed at St. Chrishona […] in 1870, and other portions soon followed. These are all printed in Ethiopic character; and, in order to render the version serviceable to more tribes than one, dialectical variations are often inserted within brackets in the text. Each of the editions printed between 1870 and 1876 consisted of 1000 copies.”


Coldham, Bibliography, # 756, reads:

“St. Luke, translated by J. L. Krapf, assisted by Dbtera [!] Saneb and Roofo. As this edition was expected to circulate among other Galla tribes, a number of dialectal variations occur within brackets in the text.”


The title page of the Oromo Gospel According to St. Luke does not mention that this publication was printed at the request and expense of the BFBS.