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THE ANCIENT LANGUAGE OF GE'EZ
It is to be remembered that following the collapse of the Tower of Babylon
people had begun to speak different tongues and to use different alphabets.
That had marked the creation of nations, tribes and clans with conflicting
tongues. At first the Ge’ez language was no different from Sabean. Inscriptions
preserved on rocks and monuments proved this beyond any grain of doubt. The
Ge’ez language was originally spoken by the generation belonging to the
grandchild of Abraham, Yacob, and had entered Ethiopia through the port of
Babel-el-Mandeb. Ge’ez is a Semitic language.
The word Ge’ez means ‘Original’. This originality refers to the combination of
consonants with the vowels. It’s originality as the first language alludes to the
fact that following the destruction of Babylon, it was the most important Semitic
tongue spoken first by Adam. It is to be recalled that the Semites were inter-
marrying with the Cushitic people and had succeeded in inheriting their
kingdom under the name of the Agazians. The country they had conquered
through a process of cultural and ethnic assimilation had begun to be known as
the Nation of Agziit. This had witnessed the progressive flowering of Ge’ez until
the 12th century when it eventually assumed a national status.
It was in the 12th century that Amharic began to appear for the first time.
However, to that day, Amharic has not been a working language in palaces and
churches. It was only the language of a particular nationality that was serving as
a lingua franca.
For instance, prayers were not being said in churches in Amharic. Neither were
praises being sung to God in that language. Church liturgies were not going on in
Amharic. Secondly, the administration was not being carried out in Amharic;
neither was justice being dispensed in this language. The history of kings was
not being recorded in Amharic.
Therefore, all the relics of antiquity in the form of books and works of art
belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church found either here or
abroad are all written in the Ge’ez language.
Today, Ge’ez assumes the character of the private property of the Ethiopian
Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Old Testament, the New Testament and
scholarly works were all first translated into Ge’ez. This ancient language
provides also the medium for addressing prayers and praises to God.
It is common knowledge that Ge’ez is known as an ancient language in Ethiopia
both in palaces and in public places it had served as a medium of
communication. People had been also recording their temporal and spiritual
values through the intermediary of this ancient language for centuries on end.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is a living testimony of this
immutable fact of life. Scholars both in and out of Ethiopia testify also to the
truth behind this statement.
Fundamentally speaking, Ge’ez is a language with its own particular
characteristics capable of conveying different messages with one word alone.
There are many people who aspire to carry out meticulous research into ancient
Ethiopian history. Such a healthy aspiration can only be fully realized when one
is well versed in the Ge’ez language. As the heritage of every Ethiopian, Ge’ez is
and should be a source of great pride for generations to come.
Source: Tsega Tekle Haimanot FB Post ~ 30 October 2017 ~ https://www.facebook.
com/tsega.teklehaimanot/posts/2097544766925970
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**Chart of Amharic fidel**
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As we are introduced to various cultural experiences we have the propensity to
integrate a portion of the culture to which we are exposed. Cultural experiences
lead to the same beginning as the source from which it comes.
Enlightenment!
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Nothing is hidden from God's view!...
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