Antique Ethiopian Coptic Christian Protection Magic Manuscript Bible 18th - 19th c.

This is a Prayer protection scroll this kind of scrolls consist of red and black text written on goatskin in Ge’ez, the ancient liturgical language of Ethiopia. Red ink usually indicates the name of the Holy Spirit or, towards the bottom of the scroll, the owner’s name. This particular scroll dates to the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, although it looks much older. When unfurled, this scroll measures up to 79 inches tall by 4 inches wide In some parts of Ethiopia, these scrolls were designed to be as long as the owner was tall.

Amulet scrolls carry magic formulas or prayers specific to the person, most often a couple for whom they were made. They were prepared and written by a dabtara, an unordained cleric, a class thought to have a particularly close association with the spirit world. The scrolls carried a variety of spells, prayers and magic formulas that offered protection or cure against the Evil Eye, malevolent spirits and physical ailments. Small undecorated scrolls were rolled and worn but it is thought that larger and more decorative ones, such as the present example, may have been hung as 'wall amulets'.

69 inches tall

3 1/2 inches wide