Which books in the Ethiopian Orthodox canon are not found in the Protestant, Catholic, or other Christian canons?
Executive summary
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s biblical canon is larger and includes books absent from standard Protestant and Catholic canons — notably 1 Enoch, Jubilees, the three Meqabyan (Ethiopian Maccabees), and the Paralipomena of Jeremiah (4 Baruch) among others — bringing the traditional count to about 81 books (some modern publications claim up to 88) [1] [2] [3]. English editions and lists vary; specialist projects warn many “complete” English Ethiopian Bibles are incomplete or include non‑canonical items [4] [5].
1. A uniquely large canon: numbers and why they matter
The Ethiopian Orthodox canon is consistently described as far larger than Western canons: traditionally 81 books (46 Old Testament, 35 New Testament) according to church sources and tourist/scholarly summaries, though some modern publishers promote editions with 88 books [3] [2] [6]. That numerical difference signals substantive textual inclusions — entire books (like Enoch and Jubilees) and Ethiopian‑specific works (Meqabyan, Sinodos and other church orders) that do not appear in Protestant or Roman Catholic lists [1] [7].
2. Books explicitly absent from Protestant and Catholic canons
Available sources name several works unique or canonical in the Orthodox Tewahedo tradition but not in mainstream Protestant or Catholic canons: the Book of Enoch (1 Enoch), the Book of Jubilees, the Paralipomena of Jeremiah (often called 4 Baruch), and three Books of Meqabyan (Ethiopian Maccabees that are different from the Greek Maccabees). These are described as “unique to the Orthodox Tewahedo canon” in a survey of the canon [1] [2].
3. New Testament additions and liturgical texts
The Ethiopian New Testament traditionally includes works beyond the 27 books recognized in most Western traditions. Contemporary compilations and sellers advertise expanded New Testaments with additional Ethiopian writings — Sinodos, Ethiopic Didascalia, Ethiopic Clement and other church orders — which are treated as canonical or liturgically authoritative in some Ethiopian collections [7] [5]. The scholarly overview notes an “expanded” New Testament in English editions popular with general readers [7].
4. Variations in counting and claims of “88 books”
Commercial and modern projects sometimes list 88 books rather than 81 [6] [8] [7]. Academic and church sources explain that traditional lists aim for 81 but that practices and manuscripts vary; some printed compilations include additional apocrypha or editorial additions, producing higher totals [1] [9]. The Ethiopian Orthodox Bible Project cautions that many English “complete” editions are inaccurate, either omitting canonical Ethiopian books or including non‑canonical material [4].
5. Accessibility, scholarship and translation gaps
Several sources warn that some Ethiopian canonical books are rare, hard to locate, and only recently being translated into English; projects and individuals are publishing new translations and filling gaps (e.g., missing verses in Ethiopic Clement) [5] [4]. Scholarly work notes the canon’s complexity and the historical processes (Fetha Negest and local scholarship) that led to the Ethiopian numbering and selection, underscoring that simple comparisons to Western canons can mislead [1] [9].
6. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas
Tourist and commercial listings emphasize the canon’s distinctiveness and sometimes inflate numbers for market appeal [6] [8] [7]. Conversely, church‑based and academic sources stress a traditional 81‑book framework while also acknowledging manuscript diversity [3] [1] [9]. The Ethiopian Orthodox Bible Project explicitly frames many English editions as “frauds,” signaling an institutional interest in controlling accurate translation and representation [4].
7. What the available reporting does not settle
Available sources do not produce a single, universally accepted list in English that all scholars and the Church formally endorse; they also do not settle which of the marginal or liturgical texts are treated uniformly as “canonical” across all Ethiopian communities [1] [4] [7]. Specific claims about a fixed 88‑book canon appear in commercial publications but are not corroborated by the church source that emphasizes 81 books [3] [6].
Bottom line: authoritative descriptions and academic summaries identify Enoch, Jubilees, Paralipomena of Jeremiah (4 Baruch), and the three Meqabyan as prominent examples of books in the Ethiopian Orthodox canon that are not found in Protestant or Catholic canons [1] [2]. Translation projects and contested English editions mean any list you use should be checked against church publications and specialist scholarship [4] [5].