2. The next documentary evidence bearing on the Old German Bible is a translation of Tatian’s Harmony of the Gospels, contained in a St. Gall MS (No. 56) of the second half of the 9th cent., in which the Latin and German are given in parallel
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columns. The Latin version rests on that of the Fulda MS of the 6th cent., and this is closely followed by the German, in an East Frankish dialect. The translation is not, as Sievers sup- posed, the work of a number of men, but of one, who perhaps received assistance from others, and may perhaps have used already existing transla- tions of the separate Gospels made by different translators. The style of translation is not so vigorous as that of the Monsee St. Matthew, but itis clear, and runs easily. In one section there are peculiarities, best explained by supposing that there was a defect in the MS copied, which was supplied from another source.
3. We must leave on one side, as not properly belonging to our subject, such sacred poems, em- bodying a good deal of the Bible narrative, as the Krist of Otfrid and the Heliand by an unknown author. Both these belong to the middle or second half of the 9th century.
4, To the 10th or early llth cent. belongs the work of Notker Labeo (d. 1022), a monk of St. Gall, who translated and commented on Job and the Psalter. His work on Job has been lost. That on the Psalter is contained in its entirety only in one MS (No. 21) at St. Gall, but fragments of different MSS of it are to be found at Munich, Basle, Maihingen, and elsewhere. The method adopted is to give each verse of the Psalms in the shortest pos- sible sentences, first in Latin and then in German. This is followed by commentary or paraphrase. Above the Latin words an interlinear German rendering is given in the St. Gall MS; but this is later than Notker, and is not contained in the fragments in other libraries. Probably Notker’s work was intended not for reading in the services, but for students in the monastery.
5. A little later than Notker is to be placed the work of Williram, abbot of Ebersberg in Bavaria (d. 1085), who translated and commented on the Song of Songs. Of this work many MSS survive, showing its popularity. The Latin text of the Vulgate is written in the middle of the page; on the left of this comes a Latin paraphrase in leonine hexameters, and on the right an explanation in German appended to little sections of the text in German, which are of varying length. The German translation is generally very free, often too free, but the style is good and almost ideal. ‘Such a true translation was only possible because Williram loses himself in his text, and has sought to repro- duce it even to the smallest details. Williram has absorbed the Song of Songs into his very being, and from his being it has welled out in purest German.’
6. The next fragments of Bible text are some portions of the four Gospels recovered from the bindings of volumes at Vienna (now Suppl. 2559) and Munich (now e.g.m. 5250) attributed by Walther (p. 456) to the 12th century. These are clearly copied from a MS belonging to an older, perhaps a much older, date. ‘The sections are marked. for liturgical use, both in the Latin and the German, and the ‘use’ points to the diocese of Constance, perhaps to St. Gall. The aim of the translator has been to give a ‘flowing and popular’ German version; and in this, in spite of an im- perfect knowledge of Latin, he has succeeded. It is possible, but cannot be certainly proved, that the version was made for reading at church services.
7, To the 12th cent. belongs a MS of the Psalter now at Munich (Cod. Germ. 17), which came from the monastery at Windberg, and is dated 1187. With this may be discussed another MS of the Psalter belonging to the same century, now at Vienna (MS 2682). Both these are Latin Psalters with interlinear German versions. In the Wind-
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berg Psalter the Latin is represented sometimes by more than one synonym, and a fuller explana- tion given in the margin; the German is often omitted, or given only in part, possibly, as Walther suggests, because the scribe could not read the German he was copying. The synonyms were probably. added later, possibly from a MS like the
ienna Psalter. The translation in this last Psalter is less exact than that in the Windberg Psalter. .
8. To the next century Walther ascribes a Ziirich MS (Stadtbibl. C. 55. 713) of the Gospels, which, like a later MS of the same family at Basle (A. iv. 44), shows signs of being copied from an earlier MS, in which corrections had been made, for two German words are often given for one Latin. Walther notices the effective and impressive char- acter of the translation.
9. The beginning of the 14th cent. marks, accord- ing to Walther, an epoch in the history of the German Bible, and MSS begin to multiply. We need not therefore pursue beyond that date the history of separate MSS of the whole or part of the Bible. The multiplication of MSS is explained by the desire of the Christians in Germany to have translations of the Bible to which they might appeal in regard to matters of doctrine and practice, as the authority of the Pope was weakened by the events of the early 14th century. The result was that a number of independent translations were made, often very inexact and inadequate.