Gothic Bible History (3)

**List: Gothic Ministry Bible ( Bibel ) Gothic... "II.--CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LANGUAGE.    Although the Gothic is by no means the oldest Teutonic language, being nearly cognate with Saxon, Friesic, Alemannic, and other ancient branches of the Germanic family, yet it is especially interesting to the philologist, because, owing to its preservation in the precious version of Ulphilas, it affords means for the examination of one of the earliest stages through which the speech of the great Germanic family has passed.   Many of the elements of the modern Germanic languages are traceable in the Gothic, and it is through the medium of this ancient language that their original connection with Sanscrit, Persian, Greek, and Latin, is most clearly to be demonstrated.   The Gothic retains several ancient forms which have wholly disappeared in modern languages.   Like the Sanscrit and the Greek, it possesses a dual number and a passive form of the verb, and it forms its past tense by means of a reduplication.   It is also remarkable for uniformly exchanging the p of Latin, Greek, and Sanscrit words for f: thus, the Latin word pes, in Greek πο{υ^}ς, and in Sanscrit padas, is in Gothic fotus; so πολύ in Greek is converted into filu in Gothic, and the Latin piscis becomes fisks.   In the same way the t of the Sanscrit, Greek, and Latin becomes th in Gothic; and other uniform mutations of con- sonants might be cited.   The characters used in writing the Gothic language were invented by Ulphilas, and are merely modifications of the Greek and Roman capitals. III.--VERSION OF THE SCRIPTURES IN THIS LANGUAGE.    One of the most valuable remnants of antiquity, a part of a version of the Scriptures belonging to the fourth century, exists in this language.   The version of the New Testament was made with great accuracy and fidelity from Constantinopolitan MSS., and that of the Old Testament from the Septuagint. Many readings from the Latin have been interpolated in more recent times, but they are easily dis- tinguished from the genuine version.   This work is, therefore, of great importance in the history of the sacred text, as it affords a correct representation of the state of Constantinopolitan MSS. during the fourth century of our era.   Unfortunately the fragments of this version now known to be in existence consist only of large portions of the Four Gospels, part of the Pauline Epistles, fragments of the Psalms, of the Pentateuch, a few remnants of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and of some of the Minor Prophets.   The translator was Ulphilas, the celebrated bishop of the Mœso-Goths.   He was a Goth by birth, but of Cappadocian ancestry. He was born A.D. 318, and was educated at Constantinople, where he embraced Christianity, and was ordained bishop in 348.   By his moral and mental endowments he acquired unlimited influence over his countrymen, and easily induced them to embrace a religion the doctrines of which were exemplified in his own holy life.   It became at last a proverbial saying among the Goths, "whatever is done by Ulphilas, is well done."   But Arianism was then the prevailing form of religion in the eastern part of the empire, and the history of Ulphilas affords but too many proofs that he upheld this heresy. In one passage of this version a vestige of Arianism is apparent: Phil. 2:6 is rendered "galeiko Gutha," like God; instead of the true rendering, "equal with God:"   But the version of Ulphilas is in general accurate, and in many cases of great importance in a critical and hermeneutical point of view.    The most important codex of the Gothic version now extant is that called Codex Argenteus, or the Silver Book, from the circumstance of the letters being of a silver hue, except some of the initials, which are of gold.   The vellum itself is chiefly purple, but in some parts of a violet colour. The MS. was produced in Italy, but the time of its execution is doubtful: by some authors it is attributed to the fifth century.   It has evidently no claim to be regarded as the autograph of Ulphilas, for it possesses some marginal readings which clearly attest that several transcripts had been made since his time.   This valuable codex was not generally known to be in existence till it was discovered in the Benedictine Library at Werden on the Ruhr, in Rhenish-Prussia, where it had lain for several centuries; but when or by what means it found its way thither cannot be ascertained.   Its subsequent history is curious.   About the beginning of the seventeenth century it was removed to Prague; but in 1648, Prague being taken by the Swedes, it was sent among other spoils to Christina, queen of Sweden, who presented it to the Royal Library at Stockholm.   Vossius, the keeper of that library, by some means now unknown, possessed himself of the codex, and took it in 1655 to Holland.   Here it was borrowed by his uncle Junius for the purpose of publication, as will hereafter be mentioned.   Puffendorf, who in 1662 was travelling through Holland, purchased it for the Swedish Count de la Gardie: the purchase money was 400 rix-dollars.   The count had it bound in silver, and presented it to the Royal Library at Upsal, where it is still carefully preserved in a glass box, under lock and key; and no one, whatever be his rank, is allowed access to it, but as a great favour, and in presence of the chief librarian.   This jealous care appears to have arisen from eleven leaves having been stolen by some one who examined it.   Gabelenz and Loebe, however, were allowed the free use of the MS.    Another Gothic Codex was discovered in 1756 in the Ducal Library at Wolfenbuttel, in the duchy of Brunswick, by Knittel, archdeacon and counsellor of the consistory of that city.   This MS. contains part of Ulphilas' version of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (namely, part of the 11th and following chapters, as far as the 13th verse of the 15th chapter), with a parallel Latin version.   It is familiarly known as the "Codex Carolinus," which name it received in honour of Charles, duke of Brunswick, the patron of Knittel.   The text of this MS. was expunged during the eighth or ninth century, to make room for a Latin work, the Origines of Isidore of Seville in Spain, which was written over it on the same vellum.   The letters of this latter composition, however, faded, and Knittel was thus enabled to detect the vestiges of the original writing, which had not been completely obliterated. The characters are similar to those of the Codex Argenteus, but not so beautifully formed.    Other fragments of the Gothic version have been since discovered.   In 1817, Angelo Mai, then keeper of the Ambrosian Library at Milan, found portions of St. Paul's Epistles under the homilies of Gregory the Great on Ezekiel.   In subsequent years he discovered other remnants of the version con- cealed under various works.   Among the most important of his discoveries were passages from the Gospels, which supplied chasms in the Codex Argenteus.   In other Palimpsest MSS. he found frag- ments of the Old Testament, and a Gothic homily, rich in quotations from the version of Ulphilas, which have also been used in filling up some of the lacunæ in the Upsal MS.    The first portion of this version committed to the press was the mutilated copy of the Gospels contained in the Codex Argenteus.   It was printed from a beautiful facsimile MS. made by Derrer, but with continual reference to the original codex.   It was edited by Junius and Marshall, and pub- lished in two volumes 4to., at Dort, in 1665.   This edition was provided with an imperfect glossary, and contained the Anglo-Saxon and Gothic versions in parallel columns, printed in their original characters from types cast for the purpose at Dort.   Such copies of the work as remained uncirculated were reissued, by means of a new title-page affixed to them in 1684, at Amsterdam.   In 1671, Stiernhelm published an edition at Stockholm in Roman characters, but it is not esteemed so accurate as that of Junius.   In addition to the Gothic, the edition of Stiernhelm contains the Icelandic, Swedish, German, and Latin versions.   Dr. Eric Benzel, archbishiop of Upsal, made a new copy of the original Codex, with a literal Latin translation, and prepared it for the press.   He wished to publish the whole MS. in facsimile, engraved on wood: a specimen which he had thus engraved was published in 1705.   After his death, his MS. was edited and published by Lye at Oxford, in 1750, in royal quarto. This edition is in Gothic letters, and has a short but very imperfect Gothic grammar prefixed by Mr. Lye.    In 1762, Knittel published the first impression of the Codex Carolinus, with several other fragments connected with biblical criticism, especially the text of two Palimpsest MSS. of part of the Gospels in Greek.   The whole was accompanied by an elaborate commentary, and is esteemed very correct; but, for want of sale, many copies were used as waste paper, and the twelve copper-plates employed in printing were sold for old copper: this edition is consequently scarce.   The Codex Carolinus was reprinted at Upsal in 1763, by Ihre, a learned Swede: this edition was in quarto, and consisted of ninety pages: it was in Roman characters, and accompanied by a Latin version and notes. Another impression of this Codex has been given by Manning in the appendix to his edition of Lye's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, printed in 1772.   The Codex was again printed in 1773, by Busching, at Berlin.    A corrected and very important edition of the fragments of Ulphilas, including those of the Codex Argenteus, was published by Zahn, at Weissenfels, in 1805, from a revised text which had been carefully prepared by Ihre, and from which he had expunged errors of preceding editors.   This work comprises critical annotations on the text, a Latin version by Ihre, a literal interlinear Latin version, a grammar and glossary by Fulda, and a history of the version by Zahn.    In 1819 some extracts from the Ambrosian Palimpsest MSS. were published, with a Latin version, by Mai and Castiglione, at Milan.   Ten years afterwards, Count Castiglione published the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, from one of the codices discovered by Mai; and in 1834 he pub- lished, at Milan, the Epistle to the Romans, the First Epistle to the Corinthians, and the Epistle to the Ephesians.    During the same year (1834) a work was published by H. F. Massmann at Munich, containing a Gothic Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, with a Latin translation, and several critical appendages of great service in the study of the Gothic codices.   In 1835, Castiglione published the Epistles to the Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians; and in 1839 he published 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus.   This completed the publication of the fragments that had been discovered.    Two editions of the version of the Gospel according to St. Matthew yet remain to be noticed: the first was published from the Codex Argenteus in London, in 1807, by Samuel Henshall, with the cor- responding English or Saxon, from the Durham book of the eighth century, and various etymological dissertations.   The other separate editions of this Gospel appeared at Stuttgart, in 1827.   Schmeller, the editor, drew the text from the Codex Argenteus and from the fragments of the version discovered by Mai: his design in this publication was to compare the version of Ulphilas with the translation of the Harmony incorrectly ascribed to Tatian, executed by a Saxon writer of the ninth century, and he therefore printed both versions in this volume.    We now come to the latest and the most complete editions of the remains of the Gothic version. One edition comprises all the Gothic fragments of the New Testament then known to be extant, and the Skeireins: it is furnished with collations and emendations from MSS. and from various printed editions; and also with a glossary, a grammar, learned prolegomena, and various critical annotations. This valuable work was published at Leipsic, between the years 1836 and 1847: it was edited by Dr. H. C. de Gabelenz and Dr. J. Loebe.   The editors recollated the MSS. at Upsal and Wolfenbuttel, and corrected many errors of previous editions: the Milan MSS. were re-examined for this work by Count Castiglione.   This edition has, therefore, superseded all that went before it.   A small and not very accurate edition was published by Gaugengigl, at Passau, in 8vo., 1848; from which our specimen is taken.   It contains fragments of the Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon; also from the Old Testament, and the Skeireins, or exposition of St. John's Gospel.   A better edition has lately been published at Stuttgardt, by Massmann, in one volume, 8vo."--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only] GOTHIC.   Gaugengigl--1860   S. Bagster   [Info only: "1848" John 15:1-12 unknown.]

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