Rare 15th-century Biblical manuscripts shed light on Ethiopian Jewish heritage

The sacred texts were passed down over generations by religious leaders known as Kessim, who serve as the spiritual authorities in Ethiopia’s Jewish tradition.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Researchers in Israel have uncovered two handwritten biblical manuscripts from the 15th century that belonged to the country’s Ethiopian Jewish community, making them the oldest known sacred texts of their kind.

The rare discovery was made as part of a project led by Tel Aviv University (TAU) aimed at documenting and preserving the ancient religious heritage of Ethiopian Jewry.

The two books, known as Orit — Ethiopian Judaism’s version of the Bible — were found during a recent field workshop held in June 2024 by Tel Aviv University’s Orit Guardians program.

The project aims to document and preserve the ancient religious heritage of Ethiopian Jewry.

Written in Ge’ez, an ancient liturgical language used by Ethiopian Jews, the texts include not only the Five Books of Moses but also the Books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth.

“This is the oldest Orit ever found among the Beta Israel community,” said Prof. Dalit Rom-Shiloni, the project’s founder and a scholar of biblical studies at TAU.

“While similar Christian Ethiopian manuscripts from this period are known, this is the first time that Jewish texts from the 15th century have come to light. It is a breakthrough for scholars and for the community itself.”

The books are part of a trove of 17 sacred manuscripts identified by the program, which is supported by the Koret Center for Jewish Civilization, a partnership between Tel Aviv University and ANU – Museum of the Jewish People.

The project works in cooperation with Israel’s National Library and the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center.

The sacred texts were passed down over generations by religious leaders known as Kessim, who serve as the spiritual authorities in Ethiopia’s Jewish tradition.

The manuscripts were brought to Israel by the Kessim and their families, often at great personal risk, and remain in use today in prayer houses across the country.

Many were preserved in private homes and had never before been made accessible to scholars or the general public.

“These books are not museum pieces — they’re living books,” Rom-Shiloni explained. “They are still read and used by religious leaders in Ethiopian Jewish communities in Israel today.”

More than 100,000 Ethiopian Jews fleeing civil war and economic hardship have moved to Israel in various waves of immigration including the Operation Solomon airlift of 1991, which brought more than 14,000 of the Beta Israel to Israel.

Another 4,000 died trying to reach transit camps in neighboring Sudan by foot.

Israel’s Ethiopian community stands at 171,600, of whom 54% were born in Ethiopia as of 2023, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The workshop brought together an interdisciplinary team, including anthropologists, linguists, and students from TAU’s Orit Guardians program, along with international experts in Ethiopian sacred texts.

Using paleography—the study of ancient handwriting—the team was able to determine that two of the manuscripts date back to the 1400s.

“All the texts remain with their original owners, who allowed us to photograph and document them,” said Rom-Shiloni. “This allows the books to continue playing a role in community life, while also making them available for research and preservation.”

The discovery was recently announced at an event at ANU – Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. Prof. Youval Rotman, academic director of the Koret Center, called the find “exceptional,” noting that very few such manuscripts have survived.

“The real achievement of this project is not only in uncovering manuscripts, but in building trust with the community and helping preserve traditions that have been passed down orally for generations,” he said.

According to Rom-Shiloni, time is of the essence. Only 18 senior Kessim trained in Ethiopia remain active in Israel, and much of their sacred knowledge—particularly the oral interpretations and translations of the Ge’ez texts—has never been written down.

“If we don’t act now,” she warned, “we risk losing an irreplaceable part of Jewish and Ethiopian heritage.”