The Role of the Book of Ethiopic Enoch in the Production of Medieval G3.'3.Z Texts: Identification, Explanation and Analysis with Translation
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Date
2018-03
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The book of Enoch is one of the ancient compositions, which exists centuries before the
birth of Christ. It was thought to have been lost, for over 2,000 years, with many ancient
sources referring to it. However, it is believed that the Greek version was entirely .' translated and preserved in G ':)z language. Consequently, this book was not known in
Europe until James Bruce, Scottish explorer, took the manuscripts of Enoch from
Ethiopia to England in 773. Currently, Scholars of philology, ancient history, and 'I •
Second Temple Judaism, and the Origins of Christianity are very much interested in
studying the book of Enoch. Nevertheless, attention has been given to its role neither in
the study of Ethiopic literatures nor in the study of Enochic traditions. The objective of
this dissertation, therefore, is to explore the place of Ethiopic Enoch in medieval G:)':)z
• Literature and to make annotated translation and textual analysis on some selected
Ethiopic prose and poetic texts which might indicate the Ethiopian socio-religious
context in which the book has been transmitted and used. Hence, both prose and poetic
manuscripts dated from 14th _18th centuries were consulted, In addition, various
collections of Q:)':)z Q:)ne were assessed for the search of Enocruc Q~ne. Then, the
Enochic poems were categorized according to their subject matter and form. Besides, the
Enochic readings in each manuscript were transliterated and translated followed by
annotation and brief explanation of the quotations which are taken from lEnoch. Using
the hermeneutical approach of textual analysis, the Enochic poems were analyzed from
different point of views such as theological, philological, historical, cosmological, moral,
and other aesthetic qualities. The study, in general, showed that the contents of book of
Enoch were repeatedly referred and used as a source of prose and poetic genres of Q:)':)z
literatures.
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Philology