THE GOTHIC BIBLE - Facsimiles & Download
The first Bible translation into a Germanic language appeared already in the 4th century, about the year 350-380. Thus there was a Germanic Bible (Gothic Bible, Wulfila Bible, Wikipedia) even before the Latin Vulgate of Jerome came out in the year 382. The work was carried out by Bishop Ulfilas (Wulfila, *311; †383; Wikipedia) in today's Bulgaria. Ulfilas was consecrated in 336 by the Imperial Bishop of Constantinople, Eusebios of Nikomedia, as "Bishop of Christians in the Gothic Land".
The Goths (Gotons, Wikipedia) originally came from Scandinavia. At the time of Jesus, they settled in the Vistula region as a northern part of Germania Magna (Latin for "Great Germania"), as the Romans called the areas west of the Rhine. Beginning in the late 2nd century, parts of the people moved toward southern Europe and came into conflict with the Roman Empire. The Ostrogoths were subjugated by the Huns around 375. After their decline, they initially became Roman allies, but conquered Italy in 488 under Theoderic the Great (Flavius Theodericus Rex; *451/456; †526, Wikipedia), formally on behalf of Eastern Rome. After Theoderic's death, the Ostrogothic Empire disintegrated around 550 under the onslaught of the Eastern Roman troops of Emperor Justinian (*482; †565, Wikipedia).
The Goths were the first Germanic tribe to be converted to Christianity. Although many could speak Greek and Latin, the whole people should be able to understand the Word of God, which is why the NT should be translated. Gothic was an East Germanic language. Since it had only been passed on orally until then, Wulfila invented a new Gothic font, which consisted of a combination of Greek and Latin letters and had some special characters. Since Wulfila, a former freed slave of the Roman Empire, was fluent in Greek, he could use the New Testament manuscripts as a basis for translation. He carried out the work with several colleagues. Thanks to the Ulfilas Bible 350-380, Gothic became the oldest surviving written Germanic language and is therefore very important for the history of Germanic language. After the end of the Gothic empires around 700 A.D. and in the 18th century (Crimeans), however, this language was completely lost. Only single words remained. The similarities to German and English are given and in parts well understandable.
The Wulfilabibel is not completely available today, several chapters are missing, including the last sections of the Gospels Mt 28, Lk 24 and Joh 20 and the Acts of the Apostles, which are unfortunately lost. Several manuscripts from the 6th to 8th centuries with a large part of the New Testament and small parts of the Old Testament have survived from the Gothic Bible, mainly from Italy.
The Gothic Bible shows the resurrection of Jesus "early on the first Sabbath" (Mark 16:9), referring to the first Sabbath of a series of 7 Sabbaths to be counted each year in the biblical calendar between Passover (Nisan 15) and Pentecost. See the chapter "The Gothic Bible shows the Resurrection Sabbath".
A well-known partial copy of the Wulfilabibel is the Codex Argenteus (Silver Codex, Silver Bible; Wikipedia), which was created in Italy from 500-510 A.D. onwards. It was written on thin precious purple parchment of very high quality and with silver and gold lettering. For the production of the Word of God the most precious materials were used.
Although this Bible belonged to the treasure of the Ostrogoth king Theoderich, Christians were persecuted among their own people.
The codex was later owned by Rudolf II of Habsburg (*1552; †1612; Wikipedia), the Emperor of the Holy Roman Emperor, who kept it in Prague Castle. After the looting of Prague by the Swedish troops towards the end of the Thirty Years' War, the codex was taken as spoils of war to Sweden, then to the Netherlands and then again to Sweden, where it is still to this day (Carolina Rediviva University Library in Uppsala). In 2011 the Codex Argentus was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Many Christians should really be aware of what a treasure their own Bible is, which used to be only in the hands of kings. Much blood has been shed in wars where Bibles were part of the important booty.
Facsimiles, PDF download and Online Bible:
500-510 Codex Argenteus, complete scan of the original in Uppsala, Link2
500-510 Codex Argentus, Gospel of Matthew, Digial Reconstruction by Dr. Petersen (gotica.de)
500-510 Codex Argenteus, Faksimiles (Alvin-portal.org)
500-510 Codex Argenteus, Online-Text (wulfila.be), Bibliography
500-510 Codex Argenteus, Online-Text, TITUS-Project, The Gothic New Testament (Uni Frankfurt)
500-510 Codex Argenteus, Online-Text (sacred-texts.com)
More online texts see Streitberg 1919 (below). General info at plattdeutsch-niederdeutsch.net
Wulfila Bible texts and dictionaries
Germanic Lexicon Project, Gothic and Anglo-Saxon Dictionaries
HENSHALL. Title: "The Gothic Gospel of Saint Matthew, from the Codex Argenteus of the Fourth Century: With the Corresponding English, Or Saxon, from the Durham Book of the Eighth Century, in Roman Characters, a Literal English Lesson of Each, and Notes, Illustrations, and Etymological Disquisitions on Organic Principles."
1807 Gothic Gospel of Saint Matthew, London, Samuel Henshall (Archive)
1807 Gothic Gospel, Mt. London, Samuel Henshall (Google Books), Google Books-2, Google Books-3, Google B-4
GABELENTZ, Title: "Ulfilas: Veteris et Novi Testamenti versionis gothicae fragmenta quae supersunt ad fidem codd. castigata, latinitate donata, adnotatione critica instructa, cum glossario et grammatica linguae gothicae coniunctis curis, Hans Conon von der Gabelentz":
1836 Ulfilas, Band 1, Hrsg.: von der Gabelentz (Google Books), Google Books-2
1843 Ulfilas, Band 1, Hrsg.: von der Gabelentz, Leipzig: Brockhaus (Google Books), Google Books-2
1843 Ulfilas, Band 2, Glossarrium der gotischen Sprache, Leipzig: Brockhaus (Google Books), GB-2, GB-3, GB-4
1846 Ulfilas, Band 2, Glossarrium der gotischen Sprache, Leipzig, Brockhaus (Google Books)
HAHN, Title: "Auswahl aus Ulfilas gothischer Bibelübersetzung: mit einem Wörterbuch und mit einem Grundriss zur gothischen Buchstaben- und Flexionslehre", Heidelberg: Mohr. Autor / Hrsg.: Karl August Hahn:
1849 Ulfilas, Heidelberg: Mohr (BSB, Signatur: L.germ. 95 np), Link2-Europaea, Digitale Bibliothek
MASSMANN, Title: "Ulfilas. Die Heiligen Schriften alten und neuen Bundes in gothischer Sprache: Mit gegenüber-stehendem griechischem und lateinischem Texte, Anmerkungen, Wörterbuch, Sprachlehre, und geschichtlicher Einleitung von H. F. Massmann":
1857 Ulfilas, Massmann, Stuttgart: S. G. Liesching (Archive)
1857 Ulfilas, Massmann, Stuttgart: S. G. Liesching (Google Books)
STAMM, Title: "Ulfila oder die uns erhaltenen Denkmäler der gothischen Sprache: Text, Grammatik und Wörterbuch". Autoren: Friedrich Ludwig Stamm, Moritz Heyne, and Ferdinand Wrede:
1858 Wulfila, Friedrich Stamm, Text, Grammatik, Wörterbuch (Archive.org), Buch 2
1858 Wulfila, Friedrich Stamm, Text, Grammatik, Wörterbuch (Google-Books), Google Books-2, Google Books-3
1865 Ulfilas, Stamm, Paderborn : F. Schöningh (British Library, Digital Store T 6434), Google Books
1896 Ulfilas, Stamm, Germanic Lexicon Project (Lexicon-cz)
1896 Ulfina, Digital Germanic Lexicon Project, tiff, png and text, Glossary
BOSWORTH, Title: "Gotischer Text im Vergleich mit Anglo-Saxon, Wycliffe und Tyndale, bearbeitet von Joseph Bosworth und George Waring, gedruckt 1865 durch Russell Smith. Titel: "The Gothic and Anglo-Saxon Gospels in Parallel Columns with the Versions of Wycliffe and Tyndale":
1865 Gothic Gospels, London: Smith (Google Books), Google Books-2
1874 Gothic Gospels, London: Smith (Google Books), Google Books-2, Google Books-3, Google Books-4
SCHULZE, Title: "Gothisches Woerterbuch: nebst Flexionslehre von Ernst Schulze":
1867 Gothisches Woerterbuch, Schulze, Züllichau, Verlag: Carl Troemer (Google Books)
BERNHARDT, Title: "Vulfila oder die gotische Bibel : mit dem entsprechenden griechischen Text und mit Kritischem und erklärendem Commentar nebst dem Kalender, der Skeireins und den gothischen Urkunden / hrsg. von Ernst Bernhardt" und Titel: "Die gotische Bibel des Vulfila: nebst der Skeireins, dem Kalender und den Urkunden":
1875 Vulfila, Ernst Bernhardt, Halle: Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses (Gallica)
1875 Vulfila, Ernst Bernhardt, Halle: Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses (Archive), Buch 2, Buch 3
1875 Vulfila, Ernst Bernhardt, Halle: Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses (HathiTrust), Band 2
1875 Vulfila, Ernst Bernhardt, Halle: Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses (Google books), Google Books-2, GB-3
1884 Vulfila, Ernst Bernhardt, Halle (HathiTrust), Buch 2, Buch 3
1884 Vulfila, Ernst Bernhardt, Halle (Archive), Buch 2, Buch 3
1884 Vulfila, Ernst Bernhardt, Halle: Buchhandlung des Waisenhauses (Google books), GB-2, GB-3, GB-4, GB-5
BRAUNE, Title: "Gotische Grammatik, mit einigen Lesestücken und Wortverzeichnis":
1887 Gotische Grammatik, Braune (Archive)
1895 Gotische Grammatik, Braune (Archive), Buch 2
1900 Gotische Grammatik, Braune (Archive)
BALG, Title: "The first Germanic Bible, tr. from the Greek by the Gothic Bishop Wulfila ... and the other remains of the Gothic language. Ed., with an introduction, a syntax, and a glossary, by G.H. Balg." und Titel des Grammatik-Teiles: "Gothic grammar, with selections for reading and a glossary, by Wilhelm Braune. Translated from the second German Edition by G. H. Balg", und Titel: " A comparative glossary of the Gothic language with especial reference to English and German. With a preface by Francis A. March":
1887-1889 Comparative Glossary, Mayville (Archive)
1887-1889 Comparative Glossary, Online-Text (Germanic Lexicon Project)
1891 Wulfila, G.H. Balg, Milwaukee (HathiTrust), Buch-2
1891 Wulfila, G.H. Balg, Milwaukee (Archive.org), Buch-2
1895 Wulfila, G.H. Balg, Milwaukee (Archive.org)
1883 Gothic Grammar by Wilhelm Braune; Translated by G.H. Balg (HathiTrust), Buch-2, Buch-3, Buch-4
1895 Gothic Grammar by Wilhelm Braune; Translated by G.H. Balg (HathiTrust)
PRIESE, Title: "Deutsch-gotisches Wörterbuch : nebst einem Anhang enthaltend eine sachlich geordnete Uebersicht des gotischen Wortschatzes und eine Sammlung von Redensarten und Sprüchen von Dr. Oscar Priese":
1890 Deutsch-gotisches Wörterbuch, Priese, Leipzig: Voigtländer (Archive)
UHLENBECK, Title: "Kurzgefasstes etymologisches Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache von Dr. Christianus Cornelius Uhlenbeck":
1900 Etymologisches Wörterbuch, Uhlenbeck, Amsterdam: Johannes Müller (Archive)
STREITBERG (Wikipedia), Title: "Die gotische Bibel. Herausgegeben von Wilhelm Streitberg. Zum Gedenken an Wilhelm Braune". Herausgeber: Carl Winter, und Titel: "Gotisches Elementarbuch"
1908 Wulfila, Streitberg, Band 1-2, Heidelberg (Archive)
1908 Wulfila, Streitberg, Heidelberg (Archive), Google Books, Google Books-2
1908 Wulfila, Streitberg, Heidelberg (HathiTrust), Buch 2, Buch 3, Buch 4, Buch 5
1910 Wulfila, Streitberg, Heidelberg (HathiTrust), Buch 2
1910 Gotisches Elementarbuch. Streitberg (HathisTrust), Buch 2
1910 Gotisch-Griechisch-Deutsches Wörterbuch, Online-Text (wulfila.be)
1910 Wulfila, Die gotische Bibel, Streitberg (Z-Library), Vol.2, Vol.3
1919 Wulfila, Die gotische Bibel, Streitberg, 2. verbesserte Auflage, Heidelberg (Archive), Google Books
1919 Wulfila, Die gotische Bibel, Streitberg, Online-Text (wulfila.be), Wörterbuch und PDF
1919 Wulfila, Die gotische Bibel, Streitberg, Online-Text (Wikisource)
1920 Gotisches Elementarbuch. Streitberg (HathisTrust), Buch 2
1920 Gotisches Elementarbuch. Streitberg, Online-Text (wulfila.be)
Ulfilas Bible according Streitberg, Robert Pfeffer
WRIGHT, Title: "Grammar of the Gothic Language, and the Gospel of St. Mark: Selections from the Other Gospels, and the Second Epistle to Timothy, with Notes and Glossary":
1910 Gothic Language, Joseph Wright (Google Books)
1910 Gothic Language, Joseph Wright (Google Books)
RISCH, Title: "Die gotische Bibel." Sonderabdruck aus: "Theologische Studien und Kritiken." Info-Text von Adolf Risch.
1910 Die gotische Bibel, Risch (HathiTrust)
MAYR, Title: "Die gotische Bibel ... herausgegeben von Erich Mayr." Gotischer Text und Wörterbuch. Münchener Texte.
1913 Die gotische Bibel, Matthäus-Evangelium, München: Callwey (HathiTrust)
1913 Die gotische Bibel, Matthäus-Evangelium, München: Callwey (Archive.org)
1913 Die gotische Bibel, Matthäus-Evangelium, München: Callwey (Google Books)
KÖBLER, Title: "Gotisches Wörterbuch." Herausgeber: Gerhard Köbler:
1989 Gotsches Wörterbuch, Köbler, Leiden, Verlag: Brill (Google Books)
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