Summary

Ethiopian bible

Ethiopian bible

The Forbidden Library? Unveiling the Secrets of the Ethiopian Bible vs. King James

Introduction: The Bible You Never Knew Existed

 

For centuries, Western Christianity has rested comfortably on the leather-bound bedrock of the King James Version (KJV) or its modern descendants (NIV, ESV, etc.). We grow up reciting the number “66”—the canonical number of books we are told constitutes the entirety of God’s Word. But what if I told you that for millions of Christians in one of the oldest civilizations on earth, the Bible is not 66 books, but 81?

What if I told you that the oldest illustrated Christian manuscript in the world isn’t in Rome or London, but in a monastery in the highlands of Ethiopia?

Welcome to the enigmatic, fascinating world of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. While the West was debating councils and canons, Ethiopia—isolated by mountains and Islam—preserved a version of the Bible that looks radically different from the one on your nightstand.

As a historian of the faith, I have spent years analyzing the divergence of Christian traditions. The comparison between the Ethiopian Bible and the King James Bible is not just a comparison of books; it is a collision of two worlds, two histories, and two ways of viewing the supernatural. Today, we are going to open the heavy, ancient covers of the Ethiopian canon and see what “shocking” differences lie inside.

Part 1: The Size of the Canon – 66 vs. 81

 

The most immediate and staggering difference is the sheer volume. The Protestant KJV contains 66 books. The Catholic Bible contains 73. But the Ethiopian Bible stands alone with 81 books.

Why the difference? To understand this, we must look at history. The KJV relies on the “closed canon” established largely by the Jewish Council of Jamnia and later Protestant Reformers who wanted to return to the “original” Hebrew canon. They stripped away the “Apocrypha” (books written between the Old and New Testaments).

Ethiopia, however, traces its spiritual lineage back to Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. They received the Old Testament scriptures early and never felt the need to “trim” the library. When Christianity arrived in the 4th century (before it arrived in most of Europe), they adopted the New Testament but kept the expansive Jewish library they already revered.

The “Narrow” and “Broader” Canons: The Ethiopian canon is unique because it has two forms:

1. The Narrow Canon: 81 books (Grouped differently).

2. The Broader Canon: Includes even more liturgical texts and theological treatises.

Part 2: The “Forbidden” Books – Enoch, Jubilees, and Meqabyan

 

This is where the comparison gets thrilling. The Ethiopian Bible includes books that the West rejected, suppressed, or lost for centuries.

1. The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch)

 

This is the crown jewel of the Ethiopian Bible. While the KJV mentions Enoch briefly in Genesis as a man who “walked with God and was no more,” the Ethiopian Bible gives us his entire story.

• The Shocking Content: Enoch describes the fall of the “Watchers” (Angels) who came to earth, mated with human women, and produced the Nephilim (Giants). It details the origins of demons, the pre-existence of the “Son of Man,” and detailed tours of Heaven and Hell.

• Why it Matters: The New Testament writer Jude actually quotes the Book of Enoch (Jude 1:14-15), suggesting the early apostles respected it. The Ethiopian church considers it inspired Scripture; the West considers it interesting history.

2. The Book of Jubilees

 

Known as the “Little Genesis,” this book retells the history of the world from Creation to Moses but claims to be a revelation given to Moses by the “Angel of the Presence.” It fills in massive gaps in the Genesis narrative, explaining the names of Adam and Eve’s daughters, the specific dates of events, and the legal reasons behind the Patriarchs’ actions.

3. The Books of Meqabyan (Ethiopian Maccabees)

 

Do not confuse these with the Roman Catholic books of Maccabees. The Ethiopian Meqabyan are entirely distinct texts. They do not focus on the Hasmonean revolt but describe a different set of Jewish martyrs who refused to worship idols. They are unique to the Ethiopian tradition and found nowhere else in Christendom.

Part 3: The Theological Lens – Tewahedo

 

The difference isn’t just in the number of books, but in the nature of the Christology. The Ethiopian Church is “Tewahedo,” which means “Unified” or “One.”

The Nature of Christ:

• Western View (KJV/Catholic/Protestant): Follows the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD), believing Jesus has two natures (Divine and Human) in one person.

• Ethiopian View (Oriental Orthodox): Rejects Chalcedon. They believe Jesus has one united nature—fully divine and fully human, fused together without separation or confusion.

This might seem like splitting hairs to a modern reader, but people died over this distinction in the ancient world. It explains why the Ethiopian Bible emphasizes the divinity and mystery of Christ so heavily.

Part 4: The Language – The Majesty of Ge’ez

 

While the KJV was written in majestic Early Modern English (1611), the Ethiopian Bible was written in Ge’ez, an ancient Semitic language that is now used only for liturgy (similar to Latin in the Catholic Church).

Ge’ez is a linguistic bridge between Hebrew and Arabic. Because the Ethiopian translation was made directly from early Greek, Syriac, and Hebrew sources in the 4th-6th centuries, it often preserves readings that are older than the manuscripts used for the King James Version. In some cases, scholars use the Ethiopian Bible to “correct” or understand confused passages in the Hebrew Bible!

Conclusion: A Treasure, Not a Threat

 

Is the Ethiopian Bible a threat to the King James Bible? Absolutely not. It is a treasure chest. It represents a Christianity that was not filtered through Rome, the Reformation, or the Enlightenment. It is Christianity in its raw, Semitic, African form.

For the believer today, discovering the Ethiopian Bible is like finding a new room in your childhood home that you never knew existed. It is filled with strange artifacts, ancient wisdom, and a testimony to the fact that the Gospel is big enough to encompass cultures, continents, and canons.

Deep Dive FAQ: 30 Questions on the Ethiopian Bible vs. KJV

General Differences & Accessibility

 

1. How does the Ethiopian Bible differ from the standard Bible? The primary difference is the canon size. The Protestant/KJV Bible has 66 books. The Ethiopian Bible has 81 books. It includes texts like 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and the Ethiopian Maccabees, which are not found in Western Bibles.

2. Is the Ethiopian Bible the oldest Bible in the world? Yes and no. The manuscripts are incredibly old. The “Garima Gospels,” found in Ethiopia, are radiocarbon-dated to between 330 and 650 AD, making them perhaps the oldest illustrated Christian manuscripts. However, the collection of 81 books developed over centuries.

3. Can Christians read the Ethiopian Bible? Absolutely. There is no restriction. Many Christians read books like Enoch or Jubilees to understand the historical context of the New Testament, even if they don’t consider them “inspired” in the same way their own denomination does.

4. Is there a good Ethiopian Bible in English? This is a challenge. There is no single, mass-market “Complete Ethiopian Bible” in English that translates all 81 books in one volume with high scholarly standards.

• The Books of Enoch, Jubilees, and Jasher are widely available in English.

• The Apocrypha (including Tobit, Judith) is available.

• However, the specific Ethiopian books like Meqabyan are harder to find in English, though some independent translations exist online.

5. Has anyone actually read the full Ethiopian version? Millions of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians read and hear it liturgically every day. In the West, biblical scholars and historians study it extensively. Laypeople usually read specific books (like Enoch) rather than the whole 81-book canon.

Theology & Jesus

 

6. Does the Ethiopian Bible say Jesus is God? Yes, emphatically. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is strictly Trinitarian. They believe Jesus is God Incarnate. In fact, their “Tewahedo” theology emphasizes his divinity so strongly that they refuse to separate his humanity from his divinity.

7. What is God called in the Ethiopian Bible? In the Ge’ez language, God is called Egziabher (Lord of the Universe/God). They also use the term Amlak. In the Amharic translation, these terms are also used.

8. What does the Ethiopian Bible REALLY say about Jesus? It affirms the Virgin Birth, the Miracles, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection. However, through books like Enoch, it provides a deeper “cosmic” backstory to Jesus as the pre-existent “Son of Man” who was destined to judge the fallen angels.

9. Does the Ethiopian Bible remove any books found in the KJV? No. It contains all the books found in the King James Version. It adds to them; it does not subtract.

10. Do Ethiopian Christians believe in the Trinity? Yes. They believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The difference lies in how they define the nature of Christ (Miaphysite) compared to Western churches (Dyophysite), but they are fully Trinitarian.

The Specific Books (Enoch, etc.)

 

11. Why was the Book of Enoch removed from the KJV? The Book of Enoch was never “removed” from the KJV because it was never in the canon used by the KJV translators. The KJV translators used the Masoretic Text (Jewish canon) for the Old Testament, which had excluded Enoch centuries prior. Ethiopia is the only church that preserved it.

12. What is the “Book of Giants”? This is a text associated with Enoch, found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and present in Manichaean tradition. While themes of giants (Nephilim) are in the Ethiopian Enoch, the “Book of Giants” is a separate fragmentary text.

13. Does the Ethiopian Bible explain where demons come from? Yes. The Book of Enoch (canonical in Ethiopia) explicitly teaches that evil spirits/demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim (the offspring of angels and humans) who died in the Flood.

14. Is the Book of Jubilees in the Ethiopian Bible? Yes. It provides a detailed timeline of history from Creation to Moses, dividing history into “Jubilees” (50-year periods). It is considered canonical scriptural history in Ethiopia.

15. What are the “Garima Gospels”? They are two ancient Ethiopic Gospel books. Recent radiocarbon dating suggests they were written between 390-570 AD, making them the earliest surviving illuminated Christian manuscripts in the world.

Cultural & Historical Context

 

16. Why did Ethiopia keep these books when everyone else dropped them? Ethiopia was geographically isolated by the rise of Islam in the 7th century. They were cut off from Rome and Constantinople. Therefore, they did not participate in the later councils that standardized (and reduced) the canon. They preserved the older, looser collection of scriptures.

17. Is the Ethiopian Bible the “Original” Bible? It represents an older stage of the biblical collection. It reflects the library of Second Temple Judaism (the time of Jesus) before the Jewish and Christian canons were rigidly closed. In that sense, it is a window into the “Bible” as Jesus and the Apostles might have known it.

18. Do Rastafarians use the Ethiopian Bible? Rastafari theology reveres Ethiopia (Zion) and Haile Selassie. While they respect the Ethiopian texts (especially the Kebra Nagast), many Rastafarians actually read the King James Version, interpreting it through an Afrocentric lens.

19. What is the Kebra Nagast? It means “The Glory of Kings.” It is an Ethiopian national epic (not part of the 81-book Bible, but highly revered) that tells the story of the Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon and their son, Menelik I, bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia.

20. Is the Ark of the Covenant really in Ethiopia? The Ethiopian Church adamantly claims yes. They believe the original Ark is housed in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum, guarded by a single monk who never leaves.

Comparison: KJV vs. Ethiopian

 

21. Which is more accurate: KJV or Ethiopian? “Accuracy” depends on the goal. The KJV is a beautiful translation of the Masoretic (Hebrew) and Textus Receptus (Greek). The Ethiopian Bible is a translation of older Greek/Syriac texts into Ge’ez. The Ethiopian text often aligns with the Dead Sea Scrolls in places where the Masoretic text differs, suggesting it preserves very ancient readings.

22. Does the Ethiopian Bible have the Apocrypha? Yes, and more. The KJV originally included the Apocrypha (books like Tobit, Judith) in 1611, but they were removed in later printings (1885). The Ethiopian Bible keeps them as fully canonical, interspersed with the Old Testament.

23. Is the Ethiopian Bible longer than the Catholic Bible? Yes. The Catholic Bible has 73 books. The Ethiopian has 81.

24. Why does the Ethiopian Bible have a “Narrow” and “Broad” canon? The “Narrow” canon (81 books) is for general use. The “Broad” canon includes detailed liturgical books, canon law (Clement), and church order books (Didascalia), bringing the count higher. The number 81 is symbolic and maintained by grouping different books together differently.

25. Are the 10 Commandments different in the Ethiopian Bible? No, the text of Exodus 20 is present. However, the numbering or grouping of the commandments follows the tradition common in the East, but the substance is identical to the KJV.

Practical Use for Believers

 

26. Should I switch to the Ethiopian Bible? For most Western Christians, no. The KJV/ESV/NIV are sufficient for salvation and Christian living. However, reading the Ethiopian unique books (like Enoch) can powerfully enrich your understanding of the New Testament world.

27. Does the Ethiopian Bible contradict the KJV? On core doctrines (Salvation, God, Morality), no. They are harmonious. The “contradictions” are mostly regarding the extra details found in the additional books (e.g., the names of angels, the history of demons).

28. Where can I buy an Ethiopian Bible? You can buy English translations of the Canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church online (Amazon, specialty retailers). Just be sure you are buying a translation of the Ethiopic text, not just a KJV with a different cover.

29. Why is the book of Enoch quoted in Jude? Jude 1:14-15 quotes 1 Enoch 1:9 word-for-word. This proves that the early church leaders read Enoch and considered it prophetic, which validates the Ethiopian decision to keep it.

30. What can Western Christians learn from the Ethiopian Bible? We learn that the “Bible” is a library that has been curated differently by different families of God. We learn humility—that our Western tradition is not the only valid one. We learn the deep, mystical worldview that sustained African Christianity for 1,600 years.