Work dossier · summary and historical context
The Sayfa Śǝllāse-type collection is an anonymous apocryphon in Geʿez, transmitted in multiple Ethiopic manuscripts. It was used in liturgical and devotional contexts, as shown by its inclusion in manuscript compilations. The text opens with a trinitarian invocation and scribal humility topos, then shifts to ritual instructions for reading, including fasting and wearing linen. The collection includes daily prayers beginning with Monday and Tuesday. Its dating is uncertain, but it likely originated in the Aksumite period. The edition lacks a critical apparatus, limiting assessment of textual variants.
The Sayfa Śǝllāse-type collection is significant as a witness to Ethiopic apocryphal literature and its liturgical use. It relates to other Ethiopic apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, such as 2 Enoch, through shared motifs like the inexpressibility topos. The collection's prayers and ritual instructions offer insight into devotional practices in the Aksumite and later Ethiopian Orthodox tradition.
The Sayfa Śǝllāse-type collection is an anonymous apocryphon transmitted in Geʿez, preserved in multiple Ethiopic manuscripts. It was used in Ethiopic Christian liturgical and devotional contexts, as indicated by its inclusion in manuscript compilations. The dating of the collection is uncertain; it likely originated in the Aksumite period (roughly 1st–7th centuries CE) but cannot be precisely dated from available evidence. The text reflects a ritual framework common in Ethiopic apocrypha, where the book's power requires purity from its audience. The collection's structure, with daily prayers, suggests a monastic or ecclesiastical setting. The transmission history is unclear, and the edition does not provide a critical apparatus or stemma, limiting assessment of textual variants.
Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded
| Coptic | Rendering | Count | First |
|---|---|---|---|
| no glossary terms recorded | |||