g_ - 0207.htm

196 Text

in episcopatu gloriose florens, apostolica gratia grecam et latinam et goticam linguam sine intermissione in una et sola eclesia Cristi predicavit, quia et una est eclesia dei vivi, columna et firmamenium veritatis, et unum esse gregem Cristi domini et dei nostri, unam culturam et unum aedificium, unam virginem et unam sponsam, unam reginam et unam vineam, unam domum, unum templum, unum conventum esse Cristianorum, cetera vero omnia conventicula non esse eclesias dei, sed synagogas esse satanae adserebat et contestabatur. Et haec omnia de divinis scribturis eum dixisse et nos describsisse qui legit intelligat. Qui et ipsis tribus linguis plures tractatus et multas interpre-tationes volentibus ad utilitatem et ad aedificationem, sibi ad aeternam memoriam et mercedem post se dereliquid. Quern condigne laudare non sufficio et penitus tacere non audeo; cui plus omnium ego sum debitor, quantum et amplius in me laborabit, qui me a prima etate mea a parentibus meis discipi-lum suscepit et sacras litteras docuit eī veritatem manifestavit et per misericordiam dei et gratiam Cristi et carnaliter et spiritaliter ut filium suum in fide educavit.'

Sokrates expressly mentions that Ulfilas invented the Gothic alphabet, and that he translated the whole of the Scriptures into Gothic, with the exception of the four books of Kings, which he is said to have omitted so as not to excite the warlike spirit of his people. The latter remark was no doubt a pure invention on the part of Sokrates, because the books of Joshua and judges would have even been more likely to stimulate the Gothic passion for fighting than the books of Kings. The probability is, as Bradley points out, that Ulfilas did not live to finish his translation, and that he intended to leave to the last the books which he thought least important for his great purpose of making good Christians.

The Manuscripts, containing the fragments of the biblical translation which have come down to us, are not contemporary with Ulfilas; but were written in Italy about the year 500. It is highly improbable that Ulfilas was the author of the fragments of a commentary on the Gospel of St. John, first published by Massmann under the title : Skeireins aíwaggēljōns þairh Jōhannen, Munich, 1834. See also: Die Bruchstilcke der Skeireins herausgegeben und erláutert von E. Dietrich, Strassburg, 1903.

The Manuscripts, containing the fragments of Gothic which have come down to us, are the following:—



		196 Text in episcopatu gloriose florens, apostolica gratia grecam et latinam et goticam linguam sine intermissione in una et sola eclesia Cristi predicavit, quia et una est eclesia dei vivi, columna et firmamenium veritatis, et unum esse gregem Cristi domini et dei nostri, unam culturam et unum aedificium, unam virginem et unam sponsam, unam reginam et unam vineam, unam domum, unum templum, unum conventum esse Cristianorum, cetera vero omnia conventicula non esse eclesias dei, sed synagogas esse satanae adserebat et contestabatur. Et haec omnia de divinis scribturis eum dixisse et nos describsisse qui legit intelligat. Qui et ipsis tribus linguis plures tractatus et multas interpre-tationes volentibus ad utilitatem et ad aedificationem, sibi ad aeternam memoriam et mercedem post se dereliquid. Quern condigne laudare non sufficio et penitus tacere non audeo; cui plus omnium ego sum debitor, quantum et amplius in me laborabit, qui me a prima etate mea a parentibus meis discipi-lum suscepit et sacras litteras docuit eī veritatem manifestavit et per misericordiam dei et gratiam Cristi et carnaliter et spiritaliter ut filium suum in fide educavit.' Sokrates expressly mentions that Ulfilas invented the Gothic alphabet, and that he translated the whole of the Scriptures into Gothic, with the exception of the four books of Kings, which he is said to have omitted so as not to excite the warlike spirit of his people. The latter remark was no doubt a pure invention on the part of Sokrates, because the books of Joshua and judges would have even been more likely to stimulate the Gothic passion for fighting than the books of Kings. The probability is, as Bradley points out, that Ulfilas did not live to finish his translation, and that he intended to leave to the last the books which he thought least important for his great purpose of making good Christians. The Manuscripts, containing the fragments of the biblical translation which have come down to us, are not contemporary with Ulfilas; but were written in Italy about the year 500. It is highly improbable that Ulfilas was the author of the fragments of a commentary on the Gospel of St. John, first published by Massmann under the title : Skeireins aíwaggēljōns þairh Jōhannen, Munich, 1834. See also: Die Bruchstilcke der Skeireins herausgegeben und erláutert von E. Dietrich, Strassburg, 1903. The Manuscripts, containing the fragments of Gothic which have come down to us, are the following:—