I had been under the impression that only two manuscripts of the Chronicle of John of Nikiu exist. This was based on Hermann Zotenberg’s and Robert H. Charles’ studies of the Ethiopic manuscripts, published in 1883 and 1916 respectively.[1] Charles says: There are only two manuscripts at present known of this version,” and, for convenience, he designates them A and B:
- Manuscript A: was in Paris in the Bibliothèque Nationale, given 146 in Zotenberg’s Catalogue of the Ethiopic manuscripts (John of Nikiu beginning on fol. 62 and ending on fol. 138). Zotenberg thought it was written in the 17th century.
- Manuscript B: was in London in the British Museum, given the designation Orient 818 (John of Nikiu beginning on fol. 48a and ending on fol. 102b). Charles says it belongs to the first half of the 18th[2]
Charles says that these two manuscripts are not copies of the same manuscript, but are derived, and not distantly, from one and the same exemplar.[3] But there is no study on how they differ.
I am indebted to the recent article by Jeremy R. Brown, A New Witness to the Chronicle of John of Nikiu: EMML 7919, published in 2018,[4] in getting to know that there are actually more manuscripts of the Chronicle. Brown tells us that there are actually five more manuscripts, in addition to the two Ethiopic manuscripts which were known in 1883 and 1923, and which both Zotenberg and Charles used:[5]
Three more Ethiopic manuscripts:
- Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Éthiopien d’Abbadie 31 (= BnF d’Abbadie 31), fols 104-165, 1677 (fol. 103v)
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Manuscript Microfilm Library, 7919 (= EMML 7919), fols 49-08, early 18th century
- Rome, Accademia Nazionale dei Linceti, Biblioteca dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Linceti e Corsiniana, Fondo Caro Conti Rossini 27 (= ANL Conti Rossini 27), pp. 1-120, 20th century
Two manuscripts in Amhara:
- Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Éthiopien 240/Mondon-Vidailhet 53, fols 2-83, 20th century
- Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Éthiopien 241/ Mondon-Vidailhet 54, fols 1-61, 20th century
Table showing the different manuscripts of the Chronicle of John of Nikiu, their location, folios, and date
| Language | City | Location | Manuscript | Folios | Date |
| Ethiopian | Paris | Bibliothèque Nationale de France | BnF d’Abbadie 31) | Fols 104-165 | 1677 |
| Paris | Bibliothèque Nationale de France | BnF Éth. 123
(No. 146 in Zotenberg’s Catalogue) |
Fols 62-138 | 17th century | |
| London | British Library (Previously, British Museum) | Orient 818 | Fols. 48a-102b | 1st half of 18th century | |
| Addis Ababa | Ethiopian Manuscript Microfilm Library | EMML 7919 | Fols 49-108 | Early 18th century | |
| Rome | Accademia Nazionale dei Linceti, Biblioteca dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Linceti e Corsiniana | ANL Conti Rossini 27 | Fols 1-120 | 20th century | |
| Amharic | Paris | Bibliothèque Nationale de France | Éthiopien 240/Mondon-Vidailhet 53 | Fols 2-83 | 20th century |
| Paris | Bibliothèque Nationale de France | Éthiopien 241/Mondon-Vidailhet 54 | fols 1-61 | 20th century |
So, there are now seven manuscripts of the Chronicle, and there are some differences between them. These differences can be used to reconstruct the text of Chronicle as in Zotenberg’s and Charles’ texts, which have, admittedly, some problems.
The Chronicle of John of Nikiu is important, but it is particularly important in its last 12 chapters (from Chapter CX to Chapter CXXI), which deal with the immediate Arab invasion of Egypt in 640 AD and after. That part in the Chronicle has a few problems associated with it and noticed by both Charles and Butler (in his The Arab Conquest of Egypt),[6] as, e.g., in the ordering and arrangement of the chapters and in the correct rubric for each chapter. There are also problems attached to the right names of individuals and places.
So, the hope is that somebody will be able to study all manuscripts and produce a more accurate translation and reflection of the Arabic manuscript that was first translated into Ethiopic in 1602, and from the Ethiopic, it was translated later to Amharic in the late 19th century. The history of the Arab invasion of Egypt will be clearer.
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[1] La Chronique de Jean de Nikioû, ed. and translated into French by H. Zotenberg in Notices et Extraits des manuscrits de la Bibliothèque Nationale, t. XXIV, I, pp. 125–605 (Paris, 1883); and, Charles, Robert H., The Chronicle of John, Bishop of Nikiu: Translated from Zotenberg’s Ethiopic Text. (London, 1916).
[2] The Chronicle of John, pp. v-vi.
[3] Ibid, p. vi.
[4] Jeremy R. Brown, A New Witness to the Chronicle of John of Nikiu: EMML 7919, Aethiopica 21 (2018), pp. 120-136.
[5] The Paris manuscript had undergone re-designation since 1916, and is now known as BnF Éth. 123.
[6] Butler,Alfred J., The Arab Conquest Of Egypt (Oxford At The Clarendon Press, 1902).