Wulfila Bible facts for kids
The Wulfila Bible, also known as the Gothic Bible, is a very old version of parts of the Bible. It was translated into the Gothic language by a Christian Bishop named Wulfila. This important work happened in the 3rd century.
The Wulfila Bible mainly contains a translation of the New Testament. Wulfila used a Greek version of the Bible as his source. Before Wulfila, the Goths used Runes for writing. Runes were not very practical for long texts. Because of this, Wulfila also created the Gothic alphabet. This new alphabet was based on the Greek alphabet.
Many copies of parts of the Wulfila Bible still exist today. Most of these copies were made between the 6th and 8th century. The Wulfila Bible is very important because it is the oldest known written text in a Germanic language. It helps researchers learn a lot about old languages and history.
Contents
What is the Wulfila Bible?
The Wulfila Bible is a special translation of parts of the Christian Bible. It was made for the Goths, who were a Germanic people. This Bible helped spread Christianity among them. It also gave them a written language that was easier to use.
Why was it created?
Bishop Wulfila wanted the Goths to be able to read the Bible in their own language. This made it easier for them to understand Christian teachings. Creating a new alphabet also helped the Goths write other things down.
Importance for Language
The Wulfila Bible is a key text for studying Germanic languages. It shows us what the Gothic language was like long ago. Without this Bible, we would know much less about Gothic and how it relates to other languages like English or German.
The Lord's Prayer in Gothic
One famous part of the Wulfila Bible is its translation of The Lord's Prayer. This prayer is a well-known part of the Bible. Below is how it looks in the Gothic language from Wulfila's translation.
The letter þ is pronounced like the th in the English word the.
- atta unsar þu ïn himina
- weihnai namo þein
- qimai þiudi nassus þeins
- wairþai wilja þeins
- swe ïn himina jah ana airþai
- hlaif unsarana þana sin teinan gif uns himma daga
- jah aflet uns þatei skulans sijai ma
- swaswe jah weis afletam þai skulam unsaraim
- jah ni brig gais uns ïn fraistubnjai
- ak lau sei uns af þamma ubilin
- unte þeina ïst þiudangardi
- jah mahs jah wulþus ïn aiwins
- amen
Images for kids
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The Lord's Prayer written in Wulfila's Gothic alphabet.
See also
In Spanish: Biblia gótica para niños
