Work dossier · summary and historical context
The Geʿez work መልእክተ፡ ጳውሎስ፡ ኀበ፡ ሰብአ፡ ቈላስይስ፡ is a translation of the canonical New Testament Epistle to the Colossians, attributed to Paul. It forms part of the Ethiopic biblical corpus, transmitted in manuscripts of the Octateuch and New Testament. The source edition (betmas) is based on a single manuscript witness and provides a diplomatic transcription without critical apparatus. The date of the Geʿez translation is uncertain, likely falling within the Aksumite or early medieval period (5th–13th c.). The text includes a chapter heading and thematic subtitle, reflecting liturgical or devotional emphases in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition. The greeting and references to figures like Epaphras align with the standard Pauline epistolary form.
This Geʿez translation of Colossians is a key witness to the early reception of Pauline literature in the Ethiopian Christian tradition. It reflects the liturgical and devotional adaptation of the New Testament in the Aksumite and medieval periods. The text's inclusion in the Ethiopic biblical corpus underscores the unity of the Ethiopian Orthodox canon with broader Christianity, while its manuscript transmission highlights the challenges of reconstructing the history of Geʿez biblical versions.
The Geʿez version of Colossians belongs to the broader Ethiopic biblical tradition, which likely began with translations from Greek or Syriac during the Aksumite period (4th–7th c.) and continued through the early medieval era (8th–13th c.). The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has always accepted Colossians as canonical, and it is read liturgically as part of the Pauline corpus. The specific manuscript underlying the betmas edition is not identified by date or provenance, but the text's chapter divisions (e.g., 'ምዕራፍ 1') are later editorial additions, not original to the Geʿez. The translation may have been influenced by Coptic or Syriac intermediaries, though direct Greek-to-Geʿez transmission is also possible. The work's survival in a single manuscript witness limits knowledge of its textual history and variation. The subtitle's focus on prayer for the cross suggests a liturgical or devotional context, possibly linked to the Ethiopian veneration of the cross.
Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded
| Coptic | Rendering | Count | First |
|---|---|---|---|
| no glossary terms recorded | |||