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Gothic Bible

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Page from the Codex Argenteus showing part of the Gothic Bible.

The Gothic Bible or Wulfila Bible is the Christian Bible in the Gothic language, which was spoken by the Eastern Germanic (Gothic) tribes in the Early Middle Ages.[1]

The translation was allegedly made by the Arian bishop and missionary Wulfila in the fourth century. In the late 2010s, scholarly opinion, based on analyzing the linguistic properties of the Gothic text, holds that the translation of the Bible into Gothic was not or not solely performed by Wulfila, or any one person, but rather by a team of scholars.[2][3]

Codices

Surviving fragments of the Wulfila Bible consist of codices and one lead tablet from the 5th to 8th century containing a large part of the New Testament and some parts of the Old Testament, largely written in Italy. These are:

  • Codex Argenteus, the longest and most celebrated of the manuscripts, which is kept in Uppsala,[4]
  • Codex Ambrosianus A through Codex Ambrosianus E, containing the epistles, Skeireins (in a fragment of Codex Ambrosianus E known as the Codex Vaticanus Latinus 5750), and Nehemiah 5–7,
  • Codex Carolinus, a Gothic-Latin diglot palimpsest containing Romans 11–14,
  • Codex Gissensis, apparently also a Gothic-Latin diglot, containing fragments of the Gospel of Luke,
  • Gothica Bononiensia (also known as the Codex Boniensis), a recently discovered (2009) palimpsest fragment with what appears to be a sermon, containing direct Bible quotes and allusions, both from previously attested parts of the Gothic Bible (the text is clearly taken from Wulfilas' translation) and previously unattested ones (e.g. Psalms, Genesis).[5]
  • Fragmenta Pannonica (also known as the HΓ‘cs-BΓ©ndekpuszta fragments or the Tabella Hungarica), which consist of 1 mm thick lead plates with fragmented remnants of verses from the Gospels.

Historical context

During the third century, the Goths lived on the northeast border of the Roman Empire, in what is now Ukraine, Bulgaria and Romania. During the fourth century, the Goths were converted to Christianity, largely through the efforts of Bishop Wulfila, who is believed to have invented the Gothic alphabet. The translation of the Bible into the Gothic language is thought to have been performed in Nicopolis ad Istrum in today's northern Bulgaria. Traditionally ascribed to Wulfila, in reality it is believed the translation was performed by a group of scholars. Portions of this translation survive, affording the main surviving text written in the Gothic language.

During the fifth century, the Goths conquered parts of the Western Roman Empire, including Italy, southern France, and Spain. Gothic Christianity reigned in these areas for two centuries, before the re-establishment of the Catholic Church, and, in Spain, until the mass Gothic conversion to Catholicism in 589, after the Third Council of Toledo.[6]

Modern importance

The Wulfila Bible, although fragmentary, is the only extensive document in an ancient East Germanic language and one of the earliest documents in any Germanic language. Since the other East Germanic texts are of very limited extent, except maybe Skeireins, it is of great significance for the study of these languages.

The Lord's Prayer

The following is the text of The Lord's Prayer in the Wulfila Bible, with transliteration into the Latin alphabet:

πŒ°π„π„πŒ° πŒΏπŒ½πƒπŒ°π‚ 𐌸𐌿 𐌹̈𐌽 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌼·
atta unsar ΓΎu Γ―n himinam,
π…πŒ΄πŒΉπŒ·πŒ½πŒ°πŒΉ πŒ½πŒ°πŒΌπ‰ 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽·
weihnai namo ΓΎein.
𐌡𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌹 πŒΈπŒΉπŒΏπŒ³πŒΉπŒ½πŒ°πƒπƒπŒΏπƒ πŒΈπŒ΄πŒΉπŒ½πƒΒ·
qimai ΓΎiudinassus ΓΎeins.
π…πŒ°πŒΉπ‚πŒΈπŒ°πŒΉ π…πŒΉπŒ»πŒΎπŒ° πŒΈπŒ΄πŒΉπŒ½πƒΒ·
wairΓΎai wilja ΓΎeins.
πƒπ…πŒ΄ 𐌹̈𐌽 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌹𐌽𐌰 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌰𐌽𐌰 πŒ°πŒΉπ‚πŒΈπŒ°πŒΉΒ·
swe Γ―n himina jah ana airΓΎai.
πŒ·πŒ»πŒ°πŒΉπ† πŒΏπŒ½πƒπŒ°π‚πŒ°πŒ½πŒ° 𐌸𐌰𐌽𐌰 πƒπŒΉπŒ½π„πŒ΄πŒΉΜˆπŒ½πŒ°πŒ½ πŒ²πŒΉπ† πŒΏπŒ½πƒ 𐌷𐌹𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌰·
hlaif unsarana ΓΎana sinteΓ―nan gif uns himma daga.
𐌾𐌰𐌷 πŒ°π†πŒ»πŒ΄π„ πŒΏπŒ½πƒ πŒΈπŒ°π„πŒ΄πŒΉ πƒπŒΊπŒΏπŒ»πŒ°πŒ½πƒ πƒπŒΉπŒΎπŒ°πŒΉπŒΌπŒ°Β·
jah aflet uns ΓΎatei skulans sijaima,
πƒπ…πŒ°πƒπ…πŒ΄ 𐌾𐌰𐌷 π…πŒ΄πŒΉπƒ πŒ°π†πŒ»πŒ΄π„πŒ°πŒΌ 𐌸𐌰𐌹𐌼 πƒπŒΊπŒΏπŒ»πŒ°πŒΌ πŒΏπŒ½πƒπŒ°π‚πŒ°πŒΉπŒΌΒ·
swaswe jah weis afletam ΓΎaim skulam unsaraim.
𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌽𐌹 πŒ±π‚πŒΉπŒ²πŒ²πŒ°πŒΉπƒ πŒΏπŒ½πƒ 𐌹̈𐌽 π†π‚πŒ°πŒΉπƒπ„πŒΏπŒ±πŒ½πŒΎπŒ°πŒΉΒ·
jah ni briggais uns Γ―n fraistubnjai,
𐌰𐌺 πŒ»πŒ°πŒΏπƒπŒ΄πŒΉ πŒΏπŒ½πƒ πŒ°π† 𐌸𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐌿𐌱𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌽·
ak lausei uns af ΓΎamma ubilin;
πŒΏπŒ½π„πŒ΄ 𐌸𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰 πŒΉΜˆπƒπ„ πŒΈπŒΉπŒΏπŒ³πŒ°πŒ½πŒ²πŒ°π‚πŒ³πŒΉΒ·
unte ΓΎeina Γ―st ΓΎiudangardi.
𐌾𐌰𐌷 πŒΌπŒ°πŒ·π„πƒ 𐌾𐌰𐌷 π…πŒΏπŒ»πŒΈπŒΏπƒ 𐌹̈𐌽 πŒ°πŒΉπ…πŒΉπŒ½πƒΒ·
jah mahts jah wulΓΎus Γ―n aiwins.
𐌰𐌼𐌴𐌽·
amen.

References

  1. Back to citation Falluomini, Carla (2015). The Gothic Version of the Gospels and Pauline Epistles: Cultural Background, Transmission and Character. Berlin: de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-033469-2. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  2. Back to citation Ratkus, ArtΕ«ras (2018). "Greek ἀρχιΡρΡύς in Gothic translation: Linguistics and theology at a crossroads". NOWELE. 71 (1): 3–34. doi:10.1075/nowele.00002.rat.
  3. Back to citation Miller, D. Gary (2019). The Oxford Gothic grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 15–18. ISBN 9780198813590.
  4. Back to citation "Codex argenteus – Library – Uppsala University". www.uu.se. December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  5. Back to citation Carla Falluomini, 'Zum gotischen Fragment aus Bologna II: Berichtigungen und neue Lesungen', Zeitschrift fΓΌr deutsches Altertum und Literatur 146.3 (2017) pp. 284-294.
  6. Back to citation VerΓ­ssimo SerrΓ£o, Joaquim (1979). HistΓ³ria de Portugal (third ed.). Verbo.

Bibliography

  • Carla Falluomini (2015). The Gothic Version of the Gospels and Pauline Epistles: Cultural Background, Transmission and Character. Berlin: de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-033469-2.
  • H. C. von Gabelentz, J. Loebe, Ulfilas: Veteris et Novi Testamenti Versionis Gothicae fragmenta quae supersunt, Leipzig, Libraria Schnuphasiana, 1843.
  • Frederick Lauritzen (January 2019). "Nonnos and Wulfila". Parekbolai. 9, 2019: 19–30.
  • Frederick Lauritzen. "The gothic Psalter between Crimea and Bologna". Revue des Γ‰tudes Tardo-Antiques. 9, 2019: 109–120.
  • Wilhelm Streitberg (ed.), Die Gotische Bibel (1908), Heidelberg: UniversitΓ€tsverlag C. Winter, 2000, (7th edition) ISBN 3-8253-0745-X
  • Carla Falluomini. "Textkritische Anmerkungen zur gotischen Bibel" (PDF). AnnalSS. 5, 2005 (2009): 311–320. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
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