Description: An analysis and reconstruction of the Ethiopian version of the Book of Acts, showing it to be very relevant to the study of the Greek text.
The Ethiopic version provides a window into the state of the Greek Bible as it circulated in East Africa at the end of the fourth century. It is, therefore, an extremely important witness to the Bible's early transmission history, yet its testimony has typically been ignored or misunderstood by textual critics. This study examines the history of the book of Acts in Ethiopia and reconstructs its earliest attainable text, which is then assessed using the latest text-critical methods. It provides a solid base for interpreting the data of this key witness and lays the groundwork for future text-critical work in the Ethiopic and other early versions.Review Quotes: There are not many scholars who deeply and effectively engage in Ethiopic studies. Curt Niccum is one of them. His carefully prepared edition of the book of Acts will not only enormously enrich our knowledge of the Ethiopic New Testament, but also demonstrate that the Ethiopic Bible is of more than secondary importance for the textual criticism of the Greek New Testament.--K. Martin Heide, Privatdozent, Philipps Universität Marburg, Germany