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Walters Ms. W.836, Ethiopian GospelsBrowse images (Browse images in a new window) | TEI in XML format
Manuscript
Ethiopian Gospels
Text title
Vernacular: á áá£áá±á¡ ááááá¡
Abstract
This Gospel Book was written in TÇgray, Northern Ethiopia, in the early fourteenth century, and was once owned by the church of St. George in Däbrä Mäâar. It was written by the scribe Mäá¹re KrÇstos (áá¥á¬á¡ áááµá¶áµá¡) in the official liturgical language of Ethiopia, GÇâÇz. Most notable is its prefatory image cycle, which makes references to holy places in Jerusalem, such as Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher, as they appeared in the sixth century. The manuscript therefore appears to be based on a sixth-century exemplar containing images connected to the Byzantine cult of holy places. Several related manuscripts have been identified that seem to be based on the same prototype, most notably Paris, Bibliothèque nationale eth. 32, a fragment in the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, Inventory No. 3475 a-b, and another fragment in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, NM B 2034. The Paris manuscript contains a mid-fourteenth-century colophon which helps date the group. Although water has damaged some of its elaborately decorated pages, this Gospel Book is still an important record of the resurgence of monasticism that flourished in fourteenth-century Ethiopia.
Date
Early 14th century CE
Origin
TÇgray, Northern Ethiopia
Scribe
As-written name: Mäá¹re KrÇstos
Name, in vernacular: áá¥á¬á¡ áááµá¶áµá¡
Language:
The primary language in this manuscript is Geez.
Support material
Parchment
Heavy, yellow parchment
Extent
Foliation: 248
Modern pencil foliation upper right corners; stubs of two contemporary flyleaves, unfoliated, present at beginning of codex; fol. 128 blank
Collation
Formula: 1(8), 2(10-10), 3-30(8), 31(10,-1,8,9)
Catchwords: None
Signatures: None
Comments: Quires begin on fols. 1(1), 10(2), 18(3), 26(4), 34(5), 42(6), 50(7), 58(8), 66(9), 74(10), 82(11), 90(12), 98(13), 106(14), 114(15), 122(16), 130(17), 138(18), 146(19), 154(20), 162(21), 170(22), 178(23), 186(24), 194(25), 202(26), 210(27), 218(28), 226(29), 234(30), and 242(31)
Dimensions
16.5 cm wide by 26.6 cm high
Written surface
12.0 cm wide by 21.0 cm high
Layout
Contents:
fols. 1r - 248v:Decoration:
fol. 1r:
fol. 1v:
fol. 2r:
fol. 2v:
The inscription for the agreement of the Four Gospels begins "á¥áááµá¡ á© ááá¥á©á¡ á¬á¡ áá´ááµá¡ ááááµá¡ áááµá¡ á®áááµá¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ áá³áá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ á áá£áá±á¢."
fol. 3r:
The inscription for the agreement of Matthew, Mark, and Luke begins "á¥áááµá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ á ááµá±á¡ áá´ááµá¡ ááááµá¡ áááµá¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ á³ááá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ á ááµá±á¢."
fol. 3v:
The inscription for the third ÅÇrâat for the agreement of Matthew, Luke, and John reads "á¡á«á¡ ááá¥á©á¡ á ááµá±á¡ áá´ááµá¡ áááµá¡ á®áááµá¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ á£ááµá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ á ááµá±á¢." The inscription for the fourth ÅÇrâat for the agreement of Matthew, Mark, and John reads "á¡á¬á¡ ááá¥á©á¡ á ááµá±á¡ áá´ááµá¡ ááááµá¡ á®áááµá¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ á«á¥áá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ á ááµá±á¢."
fol. 4r:
The inscription for the fifth ÅÇrâat for the agreement of Matthew and Luke reads "á¡áá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ ááá¤á±á¡ áá´ááµá¡ áááµá¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ áááµá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ ááá¤á±á¢."
fol. 4v:
The inscription for the sixth ÅÇrâat for the agreement of Matthew and Mark reads "á¡á®á¡ ááá¥á©á¡ ááá¤á±á¡ áá´ááµá¡ ááááµá¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ [áááá¡] á³áµáµá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ ááá¤á±á¢." The inscription for the seventh ÅÇrâat for the agreement of Matthew and John reads "á¡á¯á¡ ááá¥á©á¡ ááá¤á±á¡ áá´ááµá¡ á®áááµá¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ á³á¥áá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ ááá¤á±á¢."
fol. 5r:
The inscription for the eighth ÅÇrâat for the agreement of Luke and Mark reads "á° ááá¥á©á¡ ááá¤á±á¡ áááµá¡ ááááµá¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ á³ááá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ ááá¤á±á¢." The inscription for the ninth ÅÇrâat for the agreement of Luke and John reads "á± ááá¥á©á¡ ááá¤á±á¡ áááµá¡ á®áááµá¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ á³áµáá¡ ááá¥á©á¡ ááá¤á±á¢." The inscription for the first part of the tenth ÅÇrâat for Matthew alone reads "á² ááá´ááµá¡ á£áá²á±á¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ áá¥áá¡ ááá´ááµá¡ á£áá²á±á¡." The inscription for the second part of the tenth ÅÇrâat for Mark alone reads "á² áááááµá¡ á£áá²á±á¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ áá¥áá¡ áááááµá¡ á£áá²á±á¡."
fol. 5v:
The inscription for the third part of the tenth ÅÇrâat for Luke alone reads "á² ááááµá¡ á£áá²á±á¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ áá¥áá¡ ááááµá¡ á£áá²á±á¡." The inscription for the fourth part of the tenth ÅÇrâat for John alone reads "á² áá®áááµá¡ á£áá²á±á¡," and ends with "á°áá¸áá¡ áááá¡ áá¥áá¡ áá®áááµá¡ á£áá²á±á¡."
fol. 6r:
The inscription reads "áá£á¬á¡ á¥áááµá¡ áá¨áá¡ áá¥á©á¡ á áá£áá±á¡ áááááµá¡ ááá°á¡."
fol. 6v:
fol. 7r:
The moon and the sun (one of them not giving its light) and the three crosses are depicted at the top.
fol. 7v:
fol. 9v:
Under the portrait there is a note regarding the donation of the manuscript "to [the church of] Mary [of] á¹¢Çkuâ" (ááá«áá¡ á½á©á) by "Abba Arkä ÅÇllus" (á áá¨á¡ á¥ááµá¡), in an early eighteenth-century hand.
fol. 79v:
The inscription on the image names Mark and reads "á á±áµá¡ ááááµá¡."
fol. 123v:
The inscription on the image names Luke and reads "áááµá¡."
fol. 193v:
Binding
The binding is not original.
Bound in TÇgray, Ethiopia; plain wooden boards, broken and stitched, front and back; chain stitching at four points
Provenance
Copied by Mäá¹re KrÇstos (áá¥á¬á¡ áááµá¶áµá¡) (see colophon, fol. 217v) in Northern Ethiopia, early fourteenth century, based on stylistic analysis and comparanda
Note of donation of the manuscript "to [the church of] Mary [of] á¹¢Çkuâ" (ááá«áá¡ á½á©á) by "Abba Arkä ÅÇllus" (á áá¨á¡ á¥ááµá¡), in an early eighteenth-century hand under the portrait of Matthew (fol. 9v)
Owned by church of St. George at Dabra Ma'ar before 1973
Robert and Nancy Nooter collection (Nooter 20.15), Washington, D.C., until 1996
Acquisition
Alton W. Jones Foundation Acquisition Fund purchase from the Robert and Nancy Nooter Collection, 1996
Bibliography
áá½ááá¡ á á³á´á¢ á ááááá¡ á á áááᢠá á²áµá¡ á á á£á¡ á²á±á»á¶á©á¡ ááá°á¡ ááá¨áµá¢ (Mäṣḥafä QÇddase. bä-GÇâÇz-Çnna bä-AmarÇñña. Addis Ababa 1951 EC. = 1958/9 AD.), pp.39-41(parag. 160-175). Used for added prayer, fols. 122v-123r.
Daoud, Marcos and Marsie Hazen. The Liturgy of the Ethiopian Church. Cairo: The Egyptian Book Press, 1959, pp. 48-50 (parag. 160-175). Used for added prayer, fols. 122v-123r.
Heldman, Marilyn. "An Early Gospel Frontispiece in Ethiopia." Konsthistorisk Tidskrift, 48, 1979, pp. 107-121.
Novum Testamentum Aethiopice: The Synoptic Gospels. General Introduction. Edition of the Gospel of Mark. Edited by Rochus Zuurmond. Franz Steiner Verlag, Wiesbaden, 1989. Edition used for Mark text.
Heldman, Marilyn, Stuart C. Munro-Hay and Roderick Grierson. African Zion: The Sacred Art of Ethiopia. Yale University Press, 1993, pp. 130-131.
Vikan, Gary. "Recent Acquisitions: Ethiopian Art at the Walters." 49, No.7. The Walters Monthly Bulletin. 10/1996:cover, fig. 2 (fol. 7r); pp. 2-3.
Novum Testamentum Aethiopice Part III. Edited by Rochus Zuurmond. Harrasowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2001. Edition used for Matthew text - it is clearly a copy of what Zuurmond calls B-Text.
Ethiopian Art: The Walters Art Museum. Third Millennium Publishing, 2001, pp. 96-97, cat. no. 10 (fols. 6v-7r).
Evangelium Iohannis Aethiopicum. Edited by Michael G. Wechsler. Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientaliun, vol. 617, script. aeth. t. 109 (2005).
Contributors
Principal cataloger: Getatchew Haile, .
Cataloger: Herbert, Lynley
Conservators: Owen, Linda; Quandt, Abigail
Contributors: Bockrath, Diane; Emery, Doug; Isaac, Ephraim; Noel, William; Pizzinato, Riccardo; Tabritha, Ariel; Toth, Michael B.
Publisher
The Walters Art Museum
License
Licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Access Rights, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/legalcode. It is requested that copies of any published articles based on the information in this data set be sent to the curator of manuscripts, The Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201.
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