THE PURE SOURCE #143 - THE FULL LIBRARY: RECLAIMING THE 81 BOOKS OF THE ANCIENT CANON
A Wider View
When we think about the Bible, most of us are used to the 66 books found in the standard Protestant version or perhaps the 73 in the Catholic tradition. But for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC), the library has always been larger, encompassing a total of 81 books. This is not just a historical detail, it is a statement about the richness of God’s communication with us. The EOTC has carefully preserved this "Full Library" through centuries of upheaval, keeping these texts safe in remote monasteries to serve as a repository of national and religious identity.
Kia ora e te whānau. It is a privilege to share this journey with you. There is a deep, ancient connection between the highlands of Ethiopia and the hills of our own Te Tai Tokerau, one that is woven together through the power of the Word and the continuity of the Spirit.
The Hidden Gems
This expansive canon includes books like Enoch, Jubilees, and the three books of Meqabyan. These are not "extra" stories, they are essential components of a worldview that sees the entire universe as a "Woven Universe," where the celestial and the earthly are deeply entangled. In these pages, we find a detailed cosmology and a focus on ancestral continuity that feels incredibly familiar to our Māori way of being. By reclaiming these books, we are not looking for a "new" faith, but rather the full version of the "Pure Source" that has been largely obscured by Western traditions.
Direct Teaching of Yeshua
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you things to come." – John 16:12–13 (NKJV).
Translation from the original Greek:
"He maha tonu aku kōrero hei kōrero ki a koutou, otirā e kore e taea e koutou te mau ināianei. Heoi ka tae mai ia, te Wairua o te pono, māna koutou e arahi ki te tino pono katoa."
Complete Spiritual Software
The 81 books act as a "complete spiritual software" for our lives. In Te Tai Tokerau, we often talk about the need for a system that actually works for our people, one that prioritises well-being over extraction. The EOTC canon provides exactly that, it dictates a rhythm of daily life through prayer, fasting, and liturgy that keeps the community in sync with the Creator. It moves us away from a fragmented, colonial way of thinking and back towards a holistic understanding of our place in the world.
Ancient Roots, Local Fruits
When we see scripture through this wider lens, we begin to realise that God’s promises are not foreign imports, they are part of a shared ancestral inheritance. The inclusion of books like Jubilees reminds us that time and nature are participants in God’s covenant, just as our own maramataka guides our relationship with the environment. This is the foundation we need to build a thriving future in the North, one where our faith and our whakapapa are fully integrated and flourishing.
