The Invisible Lives of Ethiopic Manuscripts

Wednesday, December 15, 2021, 4:22 PM

The Fourth Annual Helen White Memorial Lecture featured Dr. Gay L. Byron, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, DC.

In this lecture, Dr. Byron introduced the Ethiopic (Ge‘ez) Manuscripts housed at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University. This collection of 112 manuscripts includes biblical writings, liturgical collections and prayer books, hagiographies, hymns, magic (religious) scrolls, theological treatises, and various material artifacts. These sources are a gateway for exploring questions about provenance and the related ethical and cultural questions revolving around ownership of and access to ancient manuscripts and artifacts in Western universities and museums. The lack of attention on Ge‘ez sources yields a one-sided view of antiquity, which invariably renders Ethiopian texts and traditions invisible to biblical interpreters, scholars of religion, and clergy and laity of various church communities.

Learn more about Dr. Byron

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