About US
THEOT Personnel
Daniel Assefa, THEOT Oversight Team
Addis Ababa University (AAU); Tibeb Research and Retreat Center, Ethiopia.
Daniel Assefa is Associate professor in Addis Ababa University (AAU: Linguistics and Philology Department) and director of Tibeb Research and Retreat Center. He got his masters in Biblical Sciences from the Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome and his PhD in Biblical Theology from the Catholic Institute of Paris. His research interests include 1 Enoch, Second Temple Judaism and Origins of Christianity, Ethiopian biblical hermeneutics, the textual history of the Ethiopic Bible, and apocalyptic literature. He is author of l’Apocalypse des animaux (1 Hen 85-90): une propagande militaire? (Leiden: Brill, 2007) and Space and Time in 1 Enoch 1-36; A Narrative Critical Analysis, 2018 (UNISA, Unpublished dissertation).
Steve Delamarter, THEOT Oversight Team, co-director
Portland, Oregon
Steve Delamarter lives in Portland, Oregon USA. He received his PhD from Claremont Graduate School working with Dr. James A. Sanders in an emphasis on the Old Testament and Early Judaism. He has served as chair of the Society of Biblical Literature's section on The Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, and was founding chair of the section on Ethiopic Bible and Literature. For several years he served on the board of the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion and did frequent consulting in the area of online pedagogy. Since 2005 he has directed the Ethiopic Manuscript Imaging Project which has digitized over 12,000 manuscripts in North America, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, England, and Ireland.
Garry Jost, THEOT Oversight Team, Head Programmer
Garry Jost lives in Gig Harbor, Washington USA. He received an M.S. in Computer Sciences (with a focus on artificial intelligence and database) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a D.Min. from Drew University (with a focus on teaching biblical languages). He is Senior Software Engineer for Sage Software, and is the computer programmer for the THEOT project. Garry's research interests are the interaction of manual and computer processes for the analysis of the textual history of Ethiopic manuscripts, and natural language processing.
Ralph Lee, THEOT Oversight Team
Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, living in Cambridge, UK
Ralph Lee lives in Cambridge with his family, having lived and worked in Ethiopia for a total of 16 years, first teaching engineering, and later, following doctoral studies at SOAS University of London, theology at the Holy Trinity Theological College in Addis Ababa. His research focusses on Ethiopian texts, especially the traditional commentary of the Ethiopia Orthodox Church, especially commentary on 1Enoch, and more broadly on Ethiopian thought, and the contemporary religious profile of Ethiopia, especially on relations between Evangelical and Orthodox Christian expressions.
Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas.
Curt has an M.Div. from Abilene Christian University where he focused on Greek New Testament with Carroll Osburn. At Notre Dame, where he earned his Ph.D., he helped Eugene Ulrich edit five volumes of Discoveries in the Judaean Desert and wrote a dissertation on the book of Acts in Ethiopic under Greg Sterling and James van der Kam. Curt is now Professor of Bible and Assistant Director of ACU’s Center for the Study of Ancient Religious Texts. He is a member of the International Greek New Testament Project Committee. He is co-editor of Colossians for the Novum Testamentum Graecum Editio Critica Maior (ECM) and is responsible for the Ethiopic evidence for the other ECM volumes.
James Prather, Data Analyst
Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas.
James has a bachelor's degree in computer science, a masters in applied cognition and neurosceicne, two masters in religion (where he learned multiple semitic languages including Ge'ez), and a Ph.D. in computer science. James' research interests are in digital humanities and human-computer interaction. Recent work has focused on novice programmer interaction with compilers, error messages, and large language models (like ChatGPT).
Brent Reeves, Data Analyst
Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas
Brent has degrees in Computer Science and Biblical Studies. Research interests include computer science education, state machines, and cognitive science.
Jarod Jacobs, Data Visualization Consultant
Will be updated when available.
Abenet Bedilu, ADDIS Transcription Team
Addis Ababa
Abenet Bedilu has studied electronics and painting. He has worked as Librarian and technician in the Capuchin Francican Institute of Philosophy and Theology. Later on, he served as purchaser and driver in the Capuchin Franciscan Research and Retreat Center. Currently he works in the Tibeb Research center as transcriber, but also as technician. He has been involved in transcription of Ge’ez texts for the last five years.
Abenezer Hussen, ADDIS Transcription Team
Addis Ababa
Abenezer Husen has studied accounting and has acquired skills in bookbinding. Currently he works in Tibeb Research and Retreat Center as transcriber and curator of the duplicating machines. Together with Abenet Bedilu and Wondesson Eshetu, he works on the proof reading of new Amharic books edited and published by Tibeb Research Center.
Hiwot Samuel, ADDIS Transcription Team
Addis Ababa
Hiwot Samuel has studied tourism and accounting. She has been receptionist and administrator in the Capuchin Franciscan Research and Retreat Center from 2014 to 2019. She has been transcribing for the last eight years, not only biblical texts but also liturgical and devotional texts written in Ge’ez.
Nardos Worku, ADDIS Transcription Team
Addis Ababa
Nardos Worku has studied Hotel Management and worked as a receptionist in a hotel. She then opened her own business. She has been transcribing Ge’ez manuscripts for the last four years.
Wondeson Eshetu, ADDIS Transcription Team
Addis Ababa
Wondesson Eshetu has studied road survey and music. Wondesson is active in the pastoral activities of the Parish of Saint Francis, including being an active member of the Choir. He has been transcribing for the last eight years. Together with Abenet Bedilu and Abenezer Husen, he is involved in proofreading and publication of books prepared by Tibeb Research Center.
Daniel Alem, ADDIS Transcription Team
Addis Ababa
Will be updated when available.
Kaleab Demeke, Video Production
Addis Ababa
Will be updated when available.
Demeke Berhane, Transcriber and Editor of the Digital Text of Newly Discovered Recensions
Addis Ababa
Demeke Berhane received his BA at Addis Ababa University (1981) in Ethiopian Languages and Literature and an MA in Archives, Paleography and Diplomatics in Rome (1986). He has studied Oromiffa, Tәgriňňa, German and Italian, and served in various roles at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies over a long career. Most notable among the latter was his establishment (1979) of the Manuscript and Archive Department where he served as director for nearly 25 years. He has also catalogued manuscripts at the National Archives and Library Agency. He has served on various committes and advised various agencies in the Ministry of Education.
Martijn Naaijer, Data Scientist and AI Consultant
University of Copenhagen
Martijn Naaijer studied Molecular Life Sciences (MSc) at Wageningen University and Theology (MA) at Radboud University Nijmegen. He wrote his PhD dissertation (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) on syntactic variation in Biblical Hebrew. Presently, he is in a postdoc at the University of Copenhagen, where he is writing a monograph on spelling variation in Hebrew. He has particular interest in combining Data Science and Semitic linguistics.
