The Ethiopic bible, was written around the early 5th Century CE

The Ethiopic bible, was written around the early 5th Century CE.

Unlike the King James Bible which contains 66 books, the Ethiopic Bible comprises a total of 84 books.
It also includes some writings that were rejected or lost by other Churches.

Carbon dating gives a date between 330 and 650.

The scribe who wrote the text, and the artist who decorated it are unknown.
However, it is likely that the manuscript was created in Gondar, probably for the local church, Dabra Birham Selasse, meaning ‘Mount of the Light of the Trinity.

The bible was given to the British Museum Library in 1868, by the Secretary of State for India.

The volume retains its original wooden bindings covered with stamped leather, thought to be goatskin, and lined with silk.

Beautifully illustrated, the colours are still vivid and thanks to the Ethiopian Heritage Fund, have been painstakingly conserved.