A fragment of an extremely early German translation of the Gospel of Luke, with a collection of other Biblical or liturgical leaves in Latin, all on vellum [twelfth to fifteenth century]

a fragment, 40mm. by 35mm., with remnants of 8 lines in black ink in a small and precise early gothic vernacular hand, with a German translation of Luke 10:38-42, some offset from another part of same text partially obscuring lowest lines, back partially covered with paper, some glue stains and discolouration, else good, Germany, probably thirteenth century; with 4 other leaves (including 1 bifolia) from other medieval manuscripts: (i) Gregory the Great, Moralia in Job (ch.xxi), 298mm. by 195mm., single column, 34 lines in a strong Romanesque bookhand, Germany, c.1100; (ii) bifolium from a Lectionary, each leaf 305mm. by 235mm., single column, 32 lines of main text with music in smaller script accompanied by neumes, words broken up by musical score joined up with delicate red penstrokes, rubrics and simple initials in red, Germany, late twelfth or early thirteenth century; (iii) leaf from a monumental Homiliary (with Gregory the Great’s homily xxxii, chs.5-7), 475mm. by 358mm., double column, 32 lines, capitals touched in red, probably France, first half of the fifteenth century; all recovered from bindings and hence with stains, holes and folds

It is a common misunderstanding that Luther wrote the first German translation of the Bible. Notker Labeo (d.1022), one of the founders of German vernacular literature, translated the Psalter, and around 1060 Williram of Ebersberg translated the Song of Songs, however, it was not until the late fourteenth century, that we have evidence of a complete translation of the New Testament (the so-called Augsburg Bible, surviving in 14 manuscripts: Augsburg, Staatsbibl. 2º Cod.3, from c.1350, the rest from the fifteenth century, see Donalies, Die Augsburger Bibel, 1992). The first fragment here shares common readings in all its lines with that of the Nuremberg, Stadtbibl. Cod. cent.VII,10 witness to the Augsburg Bible (written c.1440), with the whole of the fourth and last lines repeated verbatim (see Donalies, p.160, ll.18 and 20). The fragment here appears to be a century older than the presumed date of the composition of the Augsburg Bible, and it perhaps comes from an earlier and now lost translation, used by the Augsburg Bible translator.