Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 34:1 (Oct 2022)
Article: Scripture And Context In Conversation: The Ethiopian Andəmta Interpretative Tradition
Author: Yimenu Adimass Belay

Conspectus 34:1 (October 2022) p. 41

Scripture And Context In Conversation: The Ethiopian Andəmta Interpretative Tradition

Yimenu Adimass Belay

VUA; EGST; MK College

About The Author

Mr. Yimenu Adimass Belay came to Christ from the context of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church (EOTC). He completed a B.A. in Bible and Christian Ministry at Meserete Kristos College, an M.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies, and M.Th. at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology (EGST). He is an instructor and academic dean at Meserete Kristos Seminary. Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate in New Testament studies under a joint program of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology. [email protected]

This article: https://doi.org/10.54725/conspectus.2022.2.4

Abstract

The Ancient Ethiopian Orthodox Church has a rich historical and religious heritage that is shaped and anchored by the scriptural interpretation of the andəmta interpretive tradition. The Ethiopian andəmta interpretive tradition uses Scripture in dialogue with the Ethiopian context through translating Ethiopic (Ge’ez) into Amharic and presenting different interpretations and applications of the text considering different horizons of readers.The sensitivity to the cultural context is an important aspect of contextualization to address the needs of the people to whom Scripture is being applied, and this is an extensive practice in the Ethiopian interpretive tradition. This article argues that the Ethiopian Church has possessed the most ancient Bible in the Ethiopic language and uses a unique interpretive tradition that focuses on the textual context and the context of the reader, presenting alternative interpretive options. Therefore, the Ethiopian andəmta interpretative tradition enables us to engage in an ongoing dialogue between Scripture and context to shape positively the context of the reader. In addition, it facilitates scriptural teaching by presenting an alternative application for an individual biblical text. Further, the emphasis on the andəmta interpretive tradition, with the awareness of balancing both the textual context and the context of the reader, opens a better understanding of the text and its application for contemporary readers.

Keywords

Ethiopic tradition, andəmta hermeneutics, Scripture in context, Scripture and tradition

Conspectus 34:1 (October 2022) p. 42

1. Introduction

Ethiopia as an ancient sub-Saharan country received the Christian faith at the earliest time and has sustained the remarkable experience of scriptural interpretation and application for the last 1700 years with continued existence (Woldegiyor...