Rare ETHIOPIAN Coptic BIBLE Manuscript ANTIQUE Handwritten GE\'EZ Vellum OCCULT
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Rare ETHIOPIAN Coptic BIBLE Manuscript ANTIQUE Handwritten GE\'EZ Vellum OCCULT:
$749.99
You are offerding on a true piece of Biblical history!
Presenting a handwritten Coptic Ethiopian Bible/Psalm Book w/ great aging throughout ;
a rare version with early iconography not often seen for sale on the market! Written in the Ethiopic (Ge\'ez) script, a Semitic language that is no longer spoken, but is still used for liturgical and other religious purposes by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The subject of these \"Bibles\" are generally always Christian, but actual content varies. Dating Ethiopian manuscripts is very difficult as scribes copied old monastic manuscripts using the same materials as had been used for centuries, and have been as old as the 14th century; this carries many examples of an much older age, with original vellum animal skin pages, faded, browned, stained, chipped, repaired and aged, as shown with text rubbing and fading, sewing to tears, bound in hand stitched and attached partial wood and leather boards, themselves lacking large portions, warped and with loss- certainly 18th century or earlier. The Bible presents itself in a stout, larger format, measuring 6\" x 6.25\" x 3\" thick; most Coptic manuscripts are meant to be more portable and pocket sized (ie., less than 5\" tall), this one surely a bit larger and thicker is seldom seen. We could loosely guess the book originated sometime c1600s- late 1700s, with wear to the vellum and covers as an indicator. A majority of the text are incantations to protect the owner from supernatural forces, combined with what looks to be possibly the Book of Psalms, liturgical prayers, or the Bible. Highlighted is a \'frontispiece\' icon drawing of the Lord in very faded linework, certainly one of the earlier versions of the much brighter and detailed icon paintings found in more modern Coptic manuscripts. Written in red/black, as shown, the red indicating sacred words spoken by the savior, intermixed with hand drawn border designs and some newer annotations in a later hand in a few instances the text. There is some definitive age to the interior of this example, and some staining, notable water damage, boards and leather again with loss, chipping and such, which is normal for these rare gems; this one undoubtedly hundreds of years old. There are roughly 198-200 leaves/400+ pages in this, as shown; much more than the usual less than 200 pages found more commonly. Obtained in an online sale direct from Ethiopia.
A true treasure, these have sold for $1,000s of dollars, and is extremely rare and unique in this larger format. Best of luck!!
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Rare ETHIOPIAN Coptic BIBLE Manuscript ANTIQUE Handwritten GE\'EZ Vellum OCCULT:
$749.99