The Bible in Ethiopia

The Ethiopic version provides a window into the state of the Greek Bible as it circulated in East Africa at the end of the fourth century. It is, therefore, an extremely important witness to the Bible's early transmission history, yet its testimony has typically been ignored or misunderstood by text critics. This study examines the history of the book of Acts in Ethiopia and reconstructs its earliest attainable text, which then is assessed using the latest text-critical methods. It therefore provides a solid base for interpreting the data of this key witness and lays the groundwork for future text-critical work in Ethiopic and other early versions. ""There are not many scholars who deeply and effectively engage in Ethiopic studies. Curt Niccum is one of them. His carefully prepared edition of the book of Acts will not only enormously enrich our knowledge of the Ethiopic New Testament, but also demonstrate the Ethiopic Bible is of more than secondary importance for the textual criticism of the Greek New Testament."" --K. Martin Heide, Privatdozent, Philipps Universitat Marburg, Germany ""Curt Niccum, an acknowledged expert in the area of the Ethiopic New Testament, here shares with his readers the fruit of his investigations into the Ethiopic text of the book of Acts. In view of the relatively early (probably late fourth-century) date of the translation, the Ethiopic represents an important witness to the much-debated text of this document. . . . Niccum's careful work offers a valuable and needed corrective to previous views. Textual critics and historians of Christianity in East Africa will find here much of interest."" --Michael W. Holmes, Professor of Biblical Studies and Early Christianity, Bethel University Curt Niccum is Professor of New Testament at Abilene Christian University. He is also co-director of the Textual History of the Ethiopic Old Testament (THEOT) Project.