Fourth-century Latin Commentary on the Gospels Rediscovered [LINK]
The earliest Latin commentary on the Gospels, lost for more than 1,500 years, has been rediscovered and made available in English for the first time. The extraordinary find, a work written by a bishop in northern Italy, Fortunatianus of Aquileia, dates back to the middle of the fourth century.
The biblical text of the manuscript is of particular significance, as it predates the standard Latin version known as the Vulgate and provides new evidence about the earliest form of the Gospels in Latin.
Despite references to this commentary in other ancient works, no copy was known to survive until Dr Lukas Dorfbauer, a researcher from the University of Salzburg, identified Fortunatianus’ text in an anonymous manuscript copied around the year 800 and held in Cologne Cathedral Library. The manuscripts of Cologne Cathedral Library were made available online in 2002 [LINK].
Fourth-century commentary on the Gospels discovered
Discussion in 'Bible Versions & Translations' started by Deacon, Sep 1, 2017.
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Oh, that is cool.
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Thanks for the heads up. Very interesting. This discovery has probably been known in academic circles for awhile, but I had not heard about it. And an English translation of the Latin text is open access on PDF HERE.
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Candida Moss (at Notre Dame) has weighed in on the commentary by Fortunatianus of Aquileia with Interpreting the Bible Just Got More Complicated. She focuses on allegorical/non-literal interpretation.
My greater interest is what disputed passages he might mention as part of the Bible accessible to him in the 4th century. I've printed out the introductory matter, but haven't gotten around to reading it.