E.Or Ms 461: Gadala Georgios (The Life of St George); Taʾāmmǝra Giyorgis (The Miracles of St George). Vol. 1 of 2, undated (c. 18th C.E.)
Scope and Contents
This is a copy of Gadla Giyorgis (The Life of St George), CAe 1455, and Taʾāmmǝra Giyorgis (The Miracles of St George), CAe 4006, according to Theodotus of Ancyra, and in two volumes (E.Or Ms 461 and 462).
The contents of the current volume are:
7ra–91rb: Gadla Giyorgis (The Life of St George)
Supplications for Tawalda Madḫǝn (fols 18ra, 58ra, 60ra, 91rab, 158vb, etc.), for his wife Walatta Dǝngǝl (fols 18ra, 58ra, 60ra, 91rb, etc.).
92ra–122vb: Taʾāmmǝra Giyorgis (The Miracles of St George)
The second part contains forty numbered miracles.
It is richly decorated with miniatures in a style of painting that bears comparison with illuminations from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In addition to an image of the Virgin and Child, the miniatures show episodes from the life and martyrdom of St George.
The manuscript at one point in time belonged to the Church of the Saviour of the World (Madḫāne ʿĀlam) at Magdala (fol. 7r).
Fol. 2r contains a note in Amharic and Gǝʿǝz, beginning (in Gǝʿǝz) ‘I, Yoḥannǝs, gave [this] to my wife ʾƎnqʷǝlāl […]’.
The scribe of the manuscript is Za-Ṗarāqliṭos (fol. 159ra).
Dates
- Creation: undated (c. 18th C.E.)
Language of Materials
Ge'ez (Script: Ge'ez)
Amharic (Script: Ge'ez)
Physical Description
The manuscript has 163 folios, is on vellum, is 30 cm by 26 cm, and includes 7 full-page coloured illustrations. It is in a brown camel or calf skin binding over thick wooden blind-tooled boards with a central cross motif.
The volume was repaired by D.Cockerell in 1961.
Conditions Governing Access
Open. Please contact the repository in advance.
Extent
1 volume
Other Finding Aids
Clavis Aethiopica (Hamburg-based project Beta maṣāḥǝft) [external link. Accessed 30 May 2023].
Custodial History
With the manuscript is a letter written by a John Wilson to Sir Alexander Grant, Principal of the University, that accompanied the gift of the manuscript in 1871. Wilson states that it was "Acquired by my friend Captain James after the taking of Magdala".
This manuscript belonging to the Church of the Saviour of the World (Madḫāne ʿĀlam) at Magdala is attested within the Ethiopic text (fol. 7r).
Fol. 2r contains a note in Amharic and Gǝʿǝz, beginning (in Gǝʿǝz) ‘I, Yoḥannǝs, gave [this] to my wife ʾƎnqʷǝlāl […]’.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The manuscript was gifted to the University in 1871 by a John Wilson.
Physical Description
The manuscript has 163 folios, is on vellum, is 30 cm by 26 cm, and includes 7 full-page coloured illustrations. It is in a brown camel or calf skin binding over thick wooden blind-tooled boards with a central cross motif.
The volume was repaired by D.Cockerell in 1961.
Source
- Wilson, John, fl 1871 (donor of Ethiopic manuscripts) (Donor, Person)
- James, Captain, fl 1868 (former owner of Ethiopic manuscript) (Former owner, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk