Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1804 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAP. VII. Books in Use in Abyssinia--Enoch--Abyssinia not cmverted by the Apostles--Conversion from Judaism to Christianity by Frumentius. A He Abyssinians have the whole Scriptures entire as we have, and reckon the same number of books; but they divide them in another manner, at least in private hands; few of them, from extreme poverty, being able to purchase the whole, either of the historical or prophetical books of the Old Testament. The same may be said of the New; for copies containing the whole of it are very scarce. Indeed, no where, except in churches, do you see more than the Gospels, or the Acts of the Apostles, in one person's possession, and it must not be an ordinary man that possesses even these . The following is a list of the Ethiopic MSS. brought from Gondar by Mr Bruce: I. The Old Testament, in five large quarto volumes, each about a foot in length and breadth. These contain all the books in our canon, except the Psalms, and several of the Apocrypha. II. Two copies of the Gospels, in four volumes, two of which are in small quarto, answering in size to the two volumes which contain the writings of the apostles, and the rest of the New Testament, mentioned in No. IV. Many books of the Old Testament are forgot, so that it is the same trouble to procure them, even in churches, for the purpose of copying, as to consult old records, long covered with dust and rubbish. The revelation of St John is a piece of favourite reading III. The Synodos, or Constitutions of the Apostles; beautifully written, and containing about 300 folia. An analysis of this large volume is given by Ludolf in his Commentarius ad Historiara Abyssinia;. It forms what is called the kanoun, or positive law of the church, beyond the letter of which the...
