Howard Divinity School returns sacred manuscript to Ethiopian monastery
A delegation from Howard University Divinity School has returned an ancient manuscript to an Ethiopian monastery after scholars discovered its place of origin.
The manuscript contains two texts, the Acts of Paul and the Acts of Serabamon, and is part of one of the largest collections of Ethiopian sacred artifacts in the United States. The manuscript was owned by the late André Tweed, a psychiatrist and Howard alumnus, who donated it in 1993.
Alton B. Pollard III, the school’s dean, said the manuscript was returned to the Debre Libanos monastery, which is about two hours away from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. Several thousand spectators were on hand as dignitaries formally received the manuscript, which will be housed in a glass case and available for the public to touch once a year on January 11, the date of its return, he said.
