Jim Marchand (Illinois), October 1994:

I am teaching Gothic this semester, and I have to acquaint the students with problems of the Goths and their milieu. One of the most important documents is the famous `introduction' to the Codex Brixianus, a codex purpureus of the Gospels in the Biblioteca communale in Brescia. Important for the study of the Gothic Bible, for textual criticism of the Bible, for the Goths and Jerome, etc. etc. These two leaves may not have anything to do actually with the codex brixianus, but there are two Latin Bible texts which have been infleunced by the Gothic, f (Brixianus) and gue. Like everyone, I simply follow: Friedrich Kauffmann, "Beiträge zur Quellenkunde der gotischen Bibelübersetzung," Zeitschrift für deutsche Philologie 31 (1898), 305-335, though I have seen and photographed the manuscript in Brescia, Summer 1958, and I do not follow his conjectures. There are no real textual problems, on a little `bad' grammar, such as secundum not construed with the accusative. This ought to be read with Jerome's Ad Damasum and his Ad Pammachium in mind. Kauffmann points out some verbal reminiscences. We Goths did not like Jerome. You ought to read ad Sunniam et Fretelam also. In spite of the fact that it is not well-known today, it was widespread in the Middle Ages.

Sanctus Petrus, apostolus et discipulus saluatoris domini nostri Iesu Cristi, edocens fideles, propter diuersitatem adsertionis linguarum admonet cunctos -- ut in octauo libro Clementis continet scribtum -- dicens sic: "audite me, conserui dilectissimi. bonum est ut unusquisque uestrum secundum quod potest prosit accendentibus ad fidem religionis nostrae. et ideo non uos pigeat, secundum sapientiam quae uobis per dei prouidentiam conlata est, disserentes instruere, ignaros edocere: ita tamen ut his, quae a me audistis et tradita sunt uobis, uestri tantum sermonis eloquentiam societis, nec aliquid proprium et quod uobis non est traditum proloquamini, etiamsi uobis uerisimile uideatur. sed ut dixi, quae ipse a uero propheta suscepta uobis tradidi, prosequimini, etiamsi minus plenae adsertionis esse uidebuntur." (1 Recognitiones, viii, 37.)

Et ideo, ne in interpraetationibus linguarum, secundum quae in interiora libri ostenduntur, legenti uideatur aliud in Graeca lingua, aliud in Latina uel Gotica designata esse conscribta: illud aduertat quis quod, si pro disciplina lingua[e] discrepationem ostendit, ad unam tamen intentionem concurrit. quare nullus exinde titubare debet de quod ipsa auctoritas manifestat secundum intentione[m] linguae. propter declinationes sonus uocis diligenti perceptione statuta sunt, ut in subsequentibus conscribta leguntur.

Haec res fecit probanter publicare propter aliquos qui falsa adsertione secundum uolumtatem] sua[m] mendacia in lege uel in euangeliis per interpraetationem propria[m] posuerunt. quare illa declinantes haec posita sunt quae antiquitas legis in dictis Graecorum contineri inueniuntur, et ipsas etymologias linguarum conuenienter sibi conscribtas ad unum sensum concurrere demonstra[n]tur. nam et ea[s] conuenit indicare pro quod in uulthres factu[m] est -- latina uero lingua adnotatio significatur -- quare id positum est agnosci possit. ubi littera .gr. super uulthre inuenitur, sciat qui legit quod in ipso uulthre secundum quod Graecus continet scribtum est. ubi uero littera .la. super uulthre inuenitur, secundum latina[m] lingua[m] in uulthre ostensum est. et ideo ista instructio demonstrata [i]ta est, ne legentes ipsos uulthres non perciperent pro qua ratione positi sint. sed quod. ...