The Bible in Ethiopia: The Book of Acts

by Curt Niccum

Overview

The Ethiopic version provides a window into the state of the Greek Bible as it circulated in East Africa at the end of the fourth century. It is, therefore, an extremely important witness to the Bible's early transmission history, yet its testimony has typically been ignored or misunderstood by textual critics. This study examines the history of the book of Acts in Ethiopia and reconstructs its earliest attainable text, which is then assessed using the latest text-critical methods. It provides a solid base for interpreting the data of this key witness and lays the groundwork for future text-critical work in the Ethiopic and other early versions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780227174357
Publisher:	James Clarke & Co. Ltd
Publication date:	12/25/2014
Series:	EMIP
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x (d)

About the Author

Curt Niccum is Associate Professor of New Testament at Abilene Christian University, Texas. He is also Co-Director of the Textual History of the Ethiopic Old Testament (THEOT) Project.

Table of Contents

List of Tables List of Abbreviations Preface Acknowledgements 1 Acts in Ethiopia - Transmission History 2 The Fidelity of the A-text to Its Greek Vorlage 3 The Greek Text-type Underlying the Ethiopic Acts 4 Critical Text and Apparatus Appendix A: Additional Ethiopic Misreadings Suggesting a Greek Vorlage Appendix B: Agreement between the A-text and Select Witnesses in 419 Units of Variation Appendix C: Variants Found in the Apparatus Criticus of the Greek New Testament with Apparent Ethiopic Support Bibliography Index List of Tables List of Abbreviations Preface Acknowledgements 1 Acts in Ethiopia - Transmission History 2 The Fidelity of the A-text to Its Greek Vorlage 3 The Greek Text-type Underlying the Ethiopic Acts 4 Critical Text and Apparatus Appendix A: Additional Ethiopic Misreadings Suggesting a Greek Vorlage Appendix B: Agreement between the A-text and Select Witnesses in 419 Units of Variation Appendix C: Variants Found in the Apparatus Criticus of the Greek New Testament with Apparent Ethiopic Support Bibliography Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"There are not many scholars who deeply and effectively engage in Ethiopic studies. Curt Niccum is one of them. His carefully prepared edition of the book of Acts will not only enormously enrich our knowledge of the Ethiopic New Testament, but also demonstrate the Ethiopic Bible is of more than secondary importance for the textual criticism of the Greek New Testament."
—K. Martin Heide, Privatdozent, Philipps Universitat Marburg, Germany

"Curt Niccum, an acknowledged expert in the area of the Ethiopic New Testament, here shares with his readers the fruit of his investigations into the Ethiopic text of the book of Acts. In view of the relatively early (probably late fourth-century) date of the translation, the Ethiopic represents an important witness to the much-debated text of this document. . . . Niccum's careful work offers a valuable and needed corrective to previous views. Textual critics and historians of Christianity in East Africa will find here much of interest."
—Michael W. Holmes, Professor of Biblical Studies and Early Christianity, Bethel University

Editorial Reviews

This work constitutes an enormous step forward in our knowledge of Ethiopic Acts, and one would wish that each published PhD brought the state of knowledge as much forward as this one.

Volume 38.5, August 2016 - Dirk Jongkind