Church History · About AD 400 to 650

The Garima Gospels: One of the Oldest Illustrated Bibles

The Garima Gospels are two Gospel books written in Ge'ez and kept for centuries at the Abba Garima monastery in northern Ethiopia. Radiocarbon tests date them to roughly AD 390 to 660, making them among the oldest illustrated Christian books in the world. They come from one of the oldest churches on earth, whose Bible includes books like 1 Enoch.

Read it in the Bible: Acts 8:26-39 Jude 1:14-15 Matthew 28:19 Psalm 68:31

The Garima Gospels are two ancient books of the four Gospels, handwritten in the Ethiopian language Ge'ez and kept for about 1,500 years at the monastery of Abba Garima in the mountains of northern Ethiopia. Radiocarbon tests date them to roughly AD 390 to 660. They are among the oldest illustrated Christian manuscripts in the world, with bright paintings of the Gospel writers. They are also a reminder that Christianity in Africa is ancient, not a modern import.

What Are the Garima Gospels?

There are two main books, called Garima 1 and Garima 2, written by different scribes. Garima 1 has about 348 surviving pages and Garima 2 about 322. Both are written on goatskin parchment and contain the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They are Gospel books, not complete Bibles.

The paintings are what make them famous. Garima 1 has richly decorated canon tables, which are charts that show where the Gospels tell the same stories. Garima 2 has 17 painted pages, including portraits of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, a portrait of the church historian Eusebius, and a striking picture of a building that may show the temple in Jerusalem. The colors are still bright after more than a thousand years. Garima 1 has a gilded copper cover that may be as old as the book itself.

How Old Are the Garima Gospels?

For a long time, art historians thought the books were made around 1100, based on their style. Then a scholar named Jacques Mercier had tiny fragments of the parchment tested at Oxford. The first results, announced around 2010, gave a range of about AD 330 to 650. Later tests, reported in 2013, dated Garima 2 to about 390 to 570 and Garima 1 to about 530 to 660.

That puts both books in late antiquity, centuries older than once thought. Radiocarbon dating gives a range, not an exact year, so scholars still debate which end of that range is most likely. But either way, they are among the oldest surviving illustrated Christian books anywhere.

Who Was Abba Garima?

Ethiopian tradition says the books were made by Abba Garima, one of the Nine Saints, a group of monks who came to Ethiopia from the eastern Roman world in the late 400s. Tradition dates his arrival to about AD 494. A beloved legend says he copied all four Gospels in a single day, and God held back the sunset until he finished. That would make him the patron saint of every student who ever crammed for a test.

Historians can't confirm the legend, and the radiocarbon dates suggest the two books were made at different times. Still, they fit well with the era when monks like Garima were spreading the faith and translating Scripture in Ethiopia.

How Old Is the Ethiopian Church?

The Bible itself mentions an Ethiopian official who believed in Jesus.

So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, Acts 8:27

Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. Acts 8:35

In Bible times, Ethiopia often meant the kingdom of Kush, south of Egypt, in what is now Sudan. So this man may not have come from the land we call Ethiopia today. Ethiopian Christians still treasure the story as part of their heritage.

The kingdom of Aksum, in northern Ethiopia, became officially Christian in the 300s under King Ezana. A young Christian from Tyre named Frumentius had been brought to the royal court and helped spread the faith. Athanasius of Alexandria made him the first bishop of Ethiopia, which began a close tie between the Ethiopian and Egyptian churches that lasted until 1959. That makes Ethiopia one of the first nations in the world to adopt Christianity.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is part of the Oriental Orthodox family of churches, along with the Coptic and Armenian churches. Tewahedo means made one, pointing to its belief that Christ's divine and human natures are united. The Council of Chalcedon page on this site explains how that family of churches came to stand apart.

Why Is the Ethiopian Bible Bigger?

The Ethiopian Orthodox Bible is the largest in the Christian world. It is usually counted as 81 books, though the exact list varies. Along with the books in Catholic and Protestant Bibles, it includes books like 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and three books called Meqabyan, which are different from the Maccabees in Catholic Bibles.

1 Enoch is the most famous. It was widely read by Jews before Jesus, and copies were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The New Testament letter of Jude quotes it.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of His holy ones Jude 1:14

Most other churches did not include 1 Enoch in their Bibles. Some early writers, like Tertullian, valued it highly. Others, like Augustine, said it should not be treated as Scripture. Ethiopia is the only church that kept the whole book, which is why the complete text survives mainly in Ge'ez. The FAQ on this site called Why Do Some Bibles Have More Books explains how different church traditions drew their lists.

How Were the Garima Gospels Saved?

By the early 2000s, the manuscripts were in rough shape, and bits of parchment were crumbling. Since the books could not leave the monastery, a British group called the Ethiopian Heritage Fund began working with the monks in 2006 to repair and rebind them right there. The restorers put the pages back into their proper order. Plans were made for a protected building at the monastery to house them safely.

Why the Garima Gospels Matter for You Today

The Garima Gospels show that the gospel reached Africa early and took deep root. Long before many European nations heard about Jesus, Ethiopian monks were copying and painting the Gospels with love and skill.

They also show that God's word is meant for every language. The same good news Philip told an Ethiopian traveler on a desert road was copied in Ge'ez, Latin, Greek and now English, so that every nation can hear it.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19

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Questions People Ask

What are the Garima Gospels?

The Garima Gospels are two ancient manuscripts of the four Gospels written in Ge'ez, the classical language of Ethiopia. They are kept at the Abba Garima monastery in northern Ethiopia. They are famous for their colorful paintings of the Gospel writers.

How old are the Garima Gospels?

Radiocarbon tests date them to roughly AD 390 to 660. Later tests put Garima 2 at about 390 to 570 and Garima 1 at about 530 to 660. They are among the oldest illustrated Christian manuscripts in the world.

Is the Garima Gospels the oldest Bible?

No. The Garima Gospels contain only the four Gospels, and older Greek manuscripts exist, like Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus from the 300s. But the Garima Gospels are among the oldest illustrated Christian books and the oldest known Ethiopian Gospel books.

How many books are in the Ethiopian Bible?

The Ethiopian Orthodox Bible is usually counted as 81 books, though lists vary. It includes books not found in other Bibles, such as 1 Enoch, Jubilees and the three books of Meqabyan.

Sources

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