Ethiopic / Ge`ez / Gəʿəz / ግዕዝ Language Courses Around the World

Gəʿəz is an ancient African language that originated in the first millennium BCE in southern Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. It has been a scholarly and liturgical language in Ethiopia since the sixth century CE and remains in use today in the liturgy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Thousands of unique texts are written in this language, including many valuable texts of history, literature, and theology, and the earliest versions of the biblical books of Jubilees and Enoch. 

Institutions and Instructors

Gəˁəz language teaching is conducted in the following academic institutions by the following faculty around the world (as of Spring 2017):

Abilene Christian University, Curt Niccum

Addis Ababa University, Zelalem Meseret, Sirgiw Gelaw, Yikunnoamlak Zerabiruk

Bahir Dar University, Muluken Andualem

Cambridge University Faculty of Divinity, Ralph Lee

Catholic University, Aaron M. Butts

Dabra Markos University, Be’aman Girum, also Hiruyan Tegbaru Adane, at the Haddis Alemayehu Institute of Cultural Studies

Florida State University, Matthew Goff

Frei University Berlin, Stefanie Rudolf, Klaus Geus

Göttingen University, Michael Kleiner

Hamburg University, Alessandro Bausi, Maija Priess

Heidelberg University, Andreas Fink

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Loren Stuckenbruck

Mekelle University, Hagos Abrha Abay

Oriental University Naples, Gianfrancesco Lusini

Paris, Institut Catholique, ELCOA, Jacques-Noël Peres

Philipps-Universität Marburg, Stefan Weninger

Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, Tedros Abraha

Princeton Theological Seminary, Heath Dewrell

Russian State University of Humanities (Moscow), Maria Bulakh

SOAS, University of London, Ralph Lee

St Petersburg University, Sergei Frantsouzoff

St Tichon University in Moscow, Iosif Fridman, Oleg Davydenkov

Saint Mary Theological College and Ethio-American Cultural Institute, Houston, Texas, online learning

University of Chicago, Rebecca Hasselbach-Andee

University of Texas, Austin, John Huehnergard (retiring)

University of Toronto, Robert Holmstedt

University of Vienna, George Hatke

University of Washington, Seattle, Hamza Zafer

Uppsala University, Witold Witakowski (retiring)

(also called Ethiopic language teaching, Ge’ez language teaching, Ge`ez courses, Geez language courses, Ethiopian language courses, Giʻiz language courses