1) This New Testament was printed in view of the “Fourth Oromo Expedition”
Quote from Arén, Pioneers (1978), p. 383‒84:
“It was after his return from Shoa in 1886 that Onesimos had resolved to undertake this great project [of translating the Bible into Oromo]. Though he had earlier translated Luther’s Catechism […], he found it very hard to produce an Oromo version of Holy Scripture. […] Help eventually came through Aster Ganno, one of the girls who had been entrusted to the mission at Imkullu in 1886. […, p. 384] Onesimos continuously benefited by her work of seeking idiomatic words and expressions as he reviewed his draft translation of the New Testament. This revised version was published by the Imkullu Press in 1893 [fn. 68]. It rightfully bore the name of Onesimos Nesib, but it is evident that much credit for the final structure of the language ought to go to his young female assistant.
While the members of the Fourth Oromo Expedition headed south [to Lamu and Harer] with the first copies of the Oromo New Testament, Onesimos set about translating the Old Testament. […] With due assistance from Aster, Onesimos completed his translation of the Old Testament in June 1897 [fn. 72].”
- footnote no. 68: “SEM/E I 78.367: [W.] Segerberg’s report on 1893, 1894.01.02.” [Emphasis added; Segerberg was the first missionary printer (Arén, p. 302)]
- footnote no. 72: “SEM/E I 99.2259: Onesimos to Kolmodin, 1897.07.12. For annual progress reports, see SEM/AR 1894 117, 1895 105, 1896 115, 1897 106.”
2) The New Testament was printed in 1893 with financial aid from the British and Foreign Bible Society
Quote from Darlow & Moule, Catalogue, # 4119:
“In 1865, on the advice of Krapf, the Swedish Evangelical National Society started a mission among the Galla people. For many years their agents were confined to the immediate neighbourhood of Massowah, but since 1889 they have been able to extend their sphere of labour. Finding that their natives could not understand Krapf’s Central Galla version they determined to issue a fresh translation [in Northern Galla]. This was prepared by Onesimus Nesib, a Galla teacher, who used Krapf’s version as a basis; and an edition of the N.T. was printed in 1893 at the mission-press at Moncullo near Massowah, with financial aid from the B.F.B.S.”
- Coldham, Bibliography, # 766, adds no new information.
3) The first draft of the New Testament might have been completed in 1891
Quote from Persson, Anthology, p. 43
(* Almqvist, “Onesimos, the Useful One“):
“At an early stage it became clear that Krapf’s translation was not easily revised. Instead of revising it, Onesimos and Aster, with the assistance of the Swedish missionaries, rather decided to start working on a completely new translation. The translation of the New Testament was completed 1891, and the first edition was printed
in the small printing press at Monkullo the same year [SR: 1893!].”
- Check letters written in 1891-92
4) In July 1893, Onesimos Nesib and Hylander read the proofs of the New Testament in Imkullu
Quote from Persson, Anthology, p. 159 [* Excerpts transl. by Arén]
(Onesimos to Kolmodin, Geleb 1893.07.28)
“Aster has also translated the Bible Stories [published by Barth]. She did it entirely on her own while I was at Imkullu and read the proofs [of the New Testament] … I have not found any mistakes except such as I might have made myself. Our dear brother [Rev. Nils] Hylander reads what up to now has been printed of the New Testament almost as well as anybody else among us. This makes me exceedingly happy.”
Further reading
Arén, Gustav. Evangelical Pioneers in Ethiopia: Origins of the Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus. Stockholm (Sweden): EFS förlaget; Addis Ababa: Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, 1978. [View online]
Persson, Paul, ed. More than Hope: An Onesimos Nesib Anthology. Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus—Department of Mission and Theology, 2024.