The Old Chants for St. Gärima: New Evidence from Gärˁalta


The article presents an old folio kept in the church of Däbrä Śaḥl (Gärˁalta, northern Ethiopia), one of a few other leaves, all originating from a codex dating to a period well before the mid–14thcentury. The codicological and palaeographical features reveal the antiquity of the fragment. The conte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scrinium
Main Author: Nosnitsin, Denis (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2016
In: Scrinium
IxTheo Classification:KAF Church history 1300-1500; late Middle Ages
KBL Near East and North Africa
KDF Orthodox Church
RD Hymnology
Further subjects:B palaeography
 codicology
 manuscripts
 Ethiopia
 Aksum
 “Nine Saints”
 Ethiopic script
 Gǝˁǝz
 liturgical chants
 hagiography
 Acts
 miracles

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Summary:The article presents an old folio kept in the church of Däbrä Śaḥl (Gärˁalta, northern Ethiopia), one of a few other leaves, all originating from a codex dating to a period well before the mid–14thcentury. The codicological and palaeographical features reveal the antiquity of the fragment. The content of the folio is remarkable since it contains chants dedicated to St. Gärima (also known as Yǝsḥaq) which can be identified as the chants for the Saint from the Dǝggwa, the main Ethiopian chant book. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwaḥǝdo Church the feast of Gärima is celebrated on the 17th of Säne. By means of the fragment of Däbrä Śaḥl, the composition of the liturgical chants for Gärima can be dated to a time much prior to the mid-14th century. Moreover, both the chants and the 15th-century Acts of Gärima by Bishop Yoḥannǝs refer to a famous miracle worked by the Saint. This fact proves that the miraculous account, in whatever form, was in circulation prior to the mid-14th century.

ISSN:1817-7565
Contains:In: Scrinium
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/18177565-00121p08