Amharic Bible Translations in Ethiopian Orthodoxy
Historical and Cultural Context
For over a millennium the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s Scriptures and liturgy
were in Geʽez, a classical language unknown to most laypeople. By the 19th
century, foreign missionaries and Ethiopian reformers saw the need for a
vernacular Bible. Emperor Tewodros II (r. 1855–68) famously approved an
Amharic New Testament in 1840, noting that until then “the Bible in Ethiopia
was [only in] Geʽez…understood by the elites”. That first complete Amharic
Bible (published 1840) was translated by Abba Abū Rumi (a former Ethiopian
monk in Cairo) with European support. The move was driven by religious and
cultural motives: spreading Christianity among Amharic-speaking groups
(especially the Beta Israel) and educating the faithful. Amharic translation
also served nascent Ethiopian nationalism, standardizing the national
language and raising literacy among ordinary people.
Role of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Initially, translations were produced by missionaries and scholars, not by the
Church hierarchy. Over time, however, the Orthodox hierarchy came to
endorse and support vernacular Scripture. By the 20th century Emperor Haile
Selassie I – himself heavily involved in Church reforms – took a leading role.
He convened a Bible Committee (1947–52) to revise the text “from the
original Hebrew and Greek” and in 1962 published an updated Amharic Bible
from Geʽez sources. The Emperor also promoted clergy education (founding
Holy Trinity Theological College in 1944) and instructed that Abu Rumi’s
Amharic Bible be widely distributed. In 2007 (the Ethiopian millennium), the
EOTC officially issued its first church-sanctioned Amharic Bible. This
“Millennium Edition” was produced under Church auspices by the Ethiopian
Bible Society, following the EOTC tradition and canon. Today the Orthodox
Holy Synod recognizes the Amharic text for catechesis and personal
devotion, even though liturgy remains in Geʽez.
Key Translators and Institutions
Abu Rumi (ca. 1767–1819) – Ethiopian monk who translated the
Bible into Amharic (working in Cairo). His hand-written text was later
purchased and printed in Europe.
Étienne (Asselin) de Cherville – French consul in Cairo who helped
Abu Rumi’s long translation effort.
William Jowett, Samuel Lee, Thomas P. Platt – British
scholars/missionaries who edited and published Abu Rumi’s Amharic
Bible (Gospels 1824, NT 1829, full Bible 1840).
Emperor Haile Selassie I – Patron of 20th-century translations.
Convened the 1947–52 committee that produced the 1962 Amharic
Bible.
Bible Committee (1947–52) – Multi-ethnic scholarly body (ge’ez
priests and international experts) tasked by Haile Selassie to revise the
Bible.
Alfred Buxton and Donald Barnhouse – British and American
evangelicals who safeguarded and funded the partial Haile Selassie
translation during WWII.
Ethiopian Bible Society (member of UBS) – Established mid-20th
century, it produced modern Amharic editions: a New Testament in
1950s, and a complete Bible (66 books) in 1987 with a 2005 revision.
These served mainly Protestant communities.
Living Bibles International / IBS (International Bible Society) –
Issued an Amharic Bible (from the English NIV) in 2001.
Biblica (International Bible Society) – Produced an Amharic
translation (completed OT 2001, NT 1988) in a colloquial style.
Watch Tower Society – Published a Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Amharic
New World Translation (2008).
Impact on Orthodox Doctrine and Practice
Translating the Bible into Amharic made Scripture more accessible but did
not alter core Orthodox dogma. One clear effect was on canon awareness.
The Ethiopian canon is larger than Western ones. In 1962/1986, the EOTC
printed an authorized 81-book Bible (46 OT + 35 NT) in Amharic. (All books
are treated as equally inspired in EOTC teaching.) However, modern
vernacular editions have varied content. The Millennium Bible (2007)
explicitly follows the Geʽez and Septuagint traditions to include Ethiopian
deuterocanonicals (e.g. 1–3 Meqabyan, Jubilees, Enoch). By contrast, the
UBS-sponsored Amharic versions of 1987/2005 contain only the 66 books of
the Protestant canon, a fact “not widely embraced” by the Orthodox faithful.
Thus vernacular translation has highlighted interpretive differences:
Orthodox clergy often admonish that their canon (the “Geʽez canon”) must
not be supplanted by shorter ones.
Despite these differences, the arrival of the Amharic Bible did not change the
structure of the Orthodox system (monasticism, liturgical rites, Miaphysite
Christology all remained the same). However it did affect teaching. Having
Scripture in the vernacular enabled lay catechesis, Sunday schools and
sermons in Amharic, so that biblical teachings could penetrate everyday
culture. Orthodox laity increasingly learn Bible stories and doctrines (e.g. the
Incarnation, sacraments) directly from Amharic text. In sum, the translation
deepened popular religious knowledge within the Orthodox tradition without
altering its doctrinal foundations.
Clarifying the “Division into Four”
Some descriptions of Ethiopian Orthodoxy refer to a “division into four,”
which does not mean four different versions or sects. Instead, it refers to
how the Ethiopian Church classifies the Old Testament. Traditionally, the 46
Old Testament books are grouped into four categories (see Table 1): the
Books of Law (the five Books of Moses), History (Joshua through Enoch),
Psalms/Songs & Wisdom (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, etc.), and Prophecy (Isaiah
through Malachi). This fourfold scheme is a pedagogical arrangement (much
like other traditions’ divisions of the Old Testament). It is not a reference to
any separate “fourth rite” or competing canon; it simply reflects the
structure used in Orthodox Bible teaching.
Category Example Books (EOTC Canon) Notes
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Law The Pentateuch
Deuteronomy
Includes historical
Joshua; Judges; Ruth; 1–2 Samuel; 1–2
and Ethiopian
History Kings; 1–2 Chronicles; Ezra; Tobit; Judith;
deutero-canonical
Esther; 1–3 Meqabyan; Jubilees; Enoch
works
Psalms/Songs Job; Psalms; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Song Poetry and wisdom
& Wisdom of Songs; Wisdom; Sirach literature
Prophecy Isaiah; Jeremiah (incl. Lamentations); Major and Minor
Ezekiel; Daniel; Hosea; Amos; Micah; Joel; Prophets
Obadiah; Jonah; Nahum; Habakkuk;
Zephaniah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi
Category Example Books (EOTC Canon) Notes
(plus Baruch, etc.)
Table 1: Ethiopian Orthodox grouping of Old Testament books (46 total,
divided into four categories).
Cultural and Societal Impact
Introducing the Bible in Amharic had profound social effects. It spurred
literacy and education by giving people something meaningful to read. As
Regent (later Emperor) Tafari noted in 1926, printed Amharic Bibles “gave
Ethiopians more than mere ability to read” – many were eager “to hear the
Word of God… and… rejoice[d] even to read it… in the language they do
understand, namely Amharic”. Before this, Bibles in Geʽez were “extremely
expensive” and rarely available except in churches. Over the 1915–1935
period, the British and Foreign Bible Society printed over 99,000 Amharic
scripture texts (out of ~141,000 in all languages). These books were
distributed via schools, churches and mission stations, noticeably raising
literacy in Amharic (reports from the 1930s record rapid increases in reading
ability among urban youth).
The vernacular Bible also influenced culture and religion: it became a source
for Ethiopian literature, sermons and poetry in Amharic. Pastoral training and
Sunday schools began using the Amharic text, rooting biblical concepts in
everyday life. Because the Orthodox Church adopted Amharic for preaching
and teaching, the Church and Ethiopian identity became closely linked
linguistically. In many rural communities, owning an Amharic Bible (or NT) is
considered a mark of prestige. In short, the translation helped democratize
religion by bringing sacred texts into the hands of common Ethiopians,
integrating Christianity more deeply with Ethiopian language and culture.
Contemporary Availability and Use
Today the Amharic Bible is widely available in Ethiopia. Multiple translations
coexist: Orthodox parishes typically use the Ethiopian Authorized Version
(Haile Selassie’s 1960s edition) and the 2007 Millennium Edition (with the full
81-book canon), while Protestant churches tend to use the Bible Society’s
versions (the 1987 translation or its 2005 revision, containing 66 books). All
are printed and sold by religious organizations (the Ethiopian Bible Society
regularly publishes Amharic editions) and many households own a copy. In
urban areas, Bibles are also found in Amharic on smartphones and the
Internet.
Use is growing: Orthodox Sunday schools teach from the Amharic Bible text,
and in the diaspora Ethiopian Orthodox communities rely on it for Bible study.
However, formal liturgical rites in the church remain in Geʽez, so Amharic
scriptures are used mainly for education and private devotion. Among
younger generations, bilingual liturgies or sermons (Geʽez prayers with
Amharic explanation) are common. The availability of Amharic translations
across denominations has generally strengthened Christianity in Ethiopia:
nearly everyone, from Orthodox to Protestant, now has access to Scripture in
their mother tongue.
Sources: Historical details are drawn from EOTC and translation histories,
while Church publications and scholars provide canon information. Social
impacts are documented in contemporary accounts.
