Original Version Ethiopian Bible

The Ethiopian Bible: Original & English Version offers readers an opportunity to explore the ancient biblical tradition preserved by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, a Christian tradition renowned for its distinctive scriptural collection and its preservation of ancient writings.

Unlike the commonly encountered Protestant collection of 66 books, the Ethiopian biblical tradition is traditionally counted as 81 canonical books, although historical and editorial systems sometimes enumerate the books differently. Its distinctive collection includes writings such as 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and 1–3 Meqabyan, alongside biblical books familiar to readers of other Christian traditions.

This edition presents the material in English for modern readers, opening a window into a scriptural heritage preserved for centuries in Geʿez, the classical liturgical language of Ethiopian Christianity. Among its most notable writings are the Book of Enoch, with its visions of heavenly realms, angels, judgment, and the mysterious Watchers, and the Book of Jubilees, which retells portions of Genesis and Exodus while presenting its own chronology and sacred-calendar traditions.

Readers will also encounter the Meqabyan books, which are distinct from the Greek books of Maccabees despite their similar names, as well as other writings associated with the Ethiopian biblical and ecclesiastical tradition. The collection therefore provides an opportunity to study how different Christian communities have preserved, organized, and interpreted ancient sacred literature.

More than simply another Bible edition, this book is intended as a historical and spiritual journey into an ancient Ethiopian scriptural tradition—bringing together familiar biblical narratives and writings that many English-speaking readers may never have encountered.

For readers of biblical history, ancient Christianity, apocryphal literature, Enochian studies, Ethiopian Christianity, and comparative scripture, this volume offers a fascinating doorway into one of Christianity's most distinctive biblical traditions.



Editorial note: English editions marketed as “complete Ethiopian Bibles” do not necessarily contain the same collection or use the same translation sources. The traditional Ethiopian Orthodox count is generally given as 81, while some modern commercial editions use different counts such as 88.