February 2024

The following presentation is taken directly from “The Liturgy Book of The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church,” reprinted and re-published in a new edition by the Lion of Judah Society. Imperial permission granted in advance.

“We in Ethiopia have one of the oldest versions of the Bible, but however old the version may be, in whatever language it might be written, the Word remains the same. It transcends all boundaries of empires and all conceptions of race. It is eternal.

“No doubt you all remember reading in the Acts of the Apostles how Philip baptized the Ethiopian official. He is the first Ethiopian on record to have followed Christ, and from that day onwards the Word of God has continued to grow in the hearts of Ethiopians. And I might say for myself that from early childhood I was taught to appreciate the Bible, and my love for it increases with the passage of time…

“Because of this personal experience in the goodness of the Bible, I was resolved that all my countrymen should also share its great blessing, and that by reading the Bible they should find truth for themselves. Therefore I caused a new translation to be made from our ancient language into the language which the old and the young understood and spoke.

“Today man sees all his hopes and aspirations crumbling before him. He is perplexed and knows not whither he is drifting. But he must realize that the Bible is his refuge and the rallying point for all humanity. In it man will find the solutions to his present difficulties and guidance for this future action, and unless he accepts with clear conscience the Bible and its great message, he cannot hope for salvation. For my part I glory in the Bible.”

References:

The Lion of Judah Society. The Liturgy Book of The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. (The Lion of Judah Society, 2012).