Aba Gorgorios

Aba Gorgorios engraving by Christopher Elias Heiss, Elias Christopher Heiss, Augsburg, 1681

Abba Gorgorios, English: Father Gregory (1595 in Mekane Sellase in Amhara Province – 1658, İskenderun) was an Ethiopian priest and lexicographer of noble origin. He is famous for co-authoring encyclopedias with his friend and companion Hiob Ludolf in two Ethiopian languages, Amharic and Ge'ez script.

Abba Gorgorios was invited to Gotha in 1652 by Ludolf, who at the time was in the service of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha. Lodolf and the Duke were interested about Ethiopia and prepared a list of queries which were presented to the Abba. The Duke took particular interest in the legend of Prester John. While Ludolf was interested in Christianity in Ethiopia and the teaching of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The findings of Ludolf is included in his work Theologica aethiopica.^[1]

Abba Gorgorios worked with Hiob Ludolf in co-authoring the earliest grammar of the Amharic language, as well as an Amharic-Latin dictionary, which became the first African language to be translated to Latin. The Abba also developed a Ge'ez lexicon.

On his return to Ethiopia in 1658, he died in a shipwreck off the Turkish city of İskenderun.

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