Antique Ethiopian Coptic Christian Manuscript Hand Written Vellum Bible + Cross

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Antique Ethiopian Coptic Christian Manuscript Hand Written Vellum Bible + Cross:
$599.00

This is a rare antique Ethiopian Coptic Christian handwritten Bible / Manuscript which is a Psalter.This Codex measures 5 inches long by 3.5 inches wide and is 2.75 inches thick. This Bible has a hand carved wooden cover on the front through which very fine holes are drilled and strung with string which goes through all the pages to make a very simple yet effective binding. The pages are made of goat skin called vellum that has an amazing parchment like texture. The writing is in black and red paint or ink (red usually being reserved for the names of God, Saints and the Holy Family) made from plant juices and is in Ethiopic (Ge\'ez) a language no longer used today except by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for religious purposes.Ge\'ez which is the country\'s earliest language and which has been referred to as the \'Latin of Ethiopia\' andis usedtoday onlyin the liturgy of the Ethiopian Church. Please see \'Ethiopian Magic Scrolls\' by Jacques Mercier and \'The coinage of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Italian Somalia\' by Dennis Gill for more information.Very sturdy and in great although slight worn condition from past use by previous owners. 18th / 19th Century

String has detached from one point on wooden cover ( SEE PHOTOS)

The cross is an antique of hinged Coptic Christian Ethiopian type in VG Cond (SEE PHOTOS)

Both items are from the Debra Damo monastery in Ethiopia. They were purchased in NYC from the estate sale of the relative of an American missionary who travelled there in the early 1950s.

Items come framed in a hinged glass medal display case andwill be shipped via Fed EX fully insured with signed delivery confirmation.