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What is the Ethiopian Bible, and is it valid?

The Ethiopian Bible, or Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Bible, is the oldest and most complete Bible on earth, containing 81 books written in Ge'ez. It includes ancient texts such as Enoch, Jubilees, and Maccabees, which are missing from Protestant and Catholic Bibles. It is a valid, ancient Christian scripture, primarily used by Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox traditions.

Some Details About the Ethiopian Bible:

Unique Canon: With 81 books, it is the largest and most diverse biblical canon in traditional Christendom.

Oldest Complete Bible: It is considered one of the earliest translations, with early manuscripts dating from the 4th to 6th centuries, potentially predating many Western texts.

Language: It is written in Ge'ez, an ancient Semitic language of Ethiopia.

Validity/Acceptance: While it is considered sacred scripture by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, it differs from the Protestant Bible. Some books in the Ethiopian Bible are classified as pseudepigrapha by Western traditions because they were not included in the biblical canon by the early Roman Church.

Is the Ethiopian Bible Valid?

Theologically: It is a valid, authentic scripture for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

Historically, it is a valuable preservation of ancient Jewish and Christian literature (like Enoch) that was omitted from other traditions.

For Study: Christians and researchers often read it as an insightful, scholarly, or devotional resource, even if they do not consider all 81 books to be divinely inspired. 

An interesting thought: Martin Luther believed that the Ethiopian church kept true apostolic practices, which the Lutherans would adopt through reading the scriptures.

Christians can read the Ethiopian Bible for historical or study purposes, as it offers insight into early Christian traditions. Still, it should not be considered authoritative or a replacement for standard 66-book Bibles.

While it offers a unique, older perspective, its "accuracy" is defined by its adherence to early tradition rather than providing a fundamentally different theological message. 

Scholars generally view it as a highly accurate preservation of early Christian and Jewish traditions that were lost or excluded in Western branches of Christianity.

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