A Romanian Book on Bishop Wulfila

source: Erbiceanu family archive
(http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fi%C8%99ier:Ulfila.JPG)
no copyright infringement intended

(click here for the Romanian version)

I would love to have access to this book, only it is very hard to find it: a book published in Bucharest in 1898, and carrying a pretty long title, Ulfila, Viata si Doctrina lui, sau Starea Crestinismului in Dacia Traiana si Aureliana in Seculul al IV [Ulfila, His Life and Doctrine, or The State of Christianity in Dacia of Trajan and Aurelius in the Fourth Century]. At first view, it seems that the author intended to tackle together two very different subjects. Wulfila was the bishop of Goths and translated the Bible in their language (the manuscript is kept today in Sweden, at Uppsala University). As for the Romanized Dacia of the fourth century, the native populations were everything but Goths.

Actually there was a connection between the two subjects, and the author considered important to stress it out with an annotation on the book cover, on the copy that remained in his family archive: Carte foarte importanta pentru existenta Crestinismului la Romani, C. Erbiceanu [A very important book for the existence of Christianity at Romanians, C. Erbiceanu]. You can see it in the image above, a hand written phrase.

A few details about the author. Constantin Erbiceanu, who lived from 1838 to 1913, was a historian, theologian and Hellenist. He was a member of Junimea, the famous literary circle from Iassy, also he was a member of two scholarly associations from Constantinople, Hellenikos Philologikos Syllogos and Hetairia Mesaionikon Spoudon. He also was a member of the Romanian Academy. The title of one of his books explains very well the main area of his preoccupations: Cronicarii greci care au scris despre romani în epoca fanariota [Greek Chroniclers Who Wrote About Romanians in the Phanariote Epoch]. He dedicated most of his life to the study of Greek manuscripts from the Phanariote epoch, looking there for any information relevant for the Romanian history. He was the road opener (wiki) in the systematic approach of the Phanariote epoch in the Romanian countries, also in the Romanian church history.

Constantin Erbiceannu (1838-1913)
(http://www.fundatia-erbiceanu.ro/index.php?pag=2&id=-600)
no copyright infringement intended

A comparison comes to mind, with one of his fellows at the Romanian Academy, the philologist Ioan Bogdan. What Erbiceanu did in the field of Hellenistic studies, did Bogdan in Slavistics - search of Slavonic manuscripts to find there information relevant for the history of Romanian language. Both of them realized the paramount importance of situating the studies of Romanian history (language and culture, church and society) in the regional context: a national space is not closed, it is evolving in conjunction with its neighbors, there are continuous influences, and all that happens in the history of each of them echoes in the whole region.

So, coming now back to Erbiceanu's book on Wulfila and the Christianity in Dacia of the fourth century, the connection becomes obvious, I think. Bishop Wulfila lived many years in Nicopolis ad Istrum, in the South of Danube, and the Goths were the rulers of the region for some time. It was at Nicopolis ad Istrum that Wulfila worked on his translation of the Bible. Dacia had been modeled by the epoch of Roman rule, from Trajan to Marcus Aurelius. It was, as Erbiceanu named it, Dacia of Trajan and Aurelius. It was the fourth century, Wulfila was translating the Bible in the Gothic language on the South of Danube, the Romanized population on both sides of the river was in some stage of becoming Christian, all this was happening in the same regional context. Studying one of the subjects brings lights on the other one.

And there is another important thing: after the Tristia and the Epistolae created by Ovid during his exile at Tomis, there was no other literary work produced in this region, till Wulfila's translation of the Bible.

More I cannot say on the book of Constantin Erbiceanu. Could it be today a bit outdated? Well, the science of history is evolving and some of yesteryear's ideas do not hold any more, that's the way with any science. It would keep in any case the importance of a road opener. I have to find it, then I'll come back.


(on the life of Consatntin Erbiceanu, see also Istoria Familiei Erbiceanu, pagina din Crestin Ortodox consacrata lui Erbiceanu, articolul din Dictionarul Teologilor Romani, Vieţa şi activitatea literară a protosinghelului Naum Rîmniceanu: Discurs de receptiune la Academia Romana, rostit la 17 (30) martie 1900)



(Bishop Wulfila)

Episcopul Wulfila

ilustratie de Gustave Doré
(publicata in madamepickwickartblog)
no copyright infringement intended

Gustave Doré: Episcopul Ulfilas, in veacul al patrulea, si-a luat sarcina talmacirii Biblei pe limba gotilor lasand insa ceva la o parte, ceea ce sigur ca pare de mirare: Cartile Regilor. Gotii, socotea el, erau si asa prea indragostiti de razboaie, deci “le trebuia in privinta asta doar o bucatica sa muste, si nu un pinten sa-i imboldeasca si mai mult.” Si nu pot sa zic ca nu i-as da dreptate.

(click here for the English version)


Sa va explic interesul meu pentru Episcopul Wulfila, pai asta-i o istorie lunga. A inceput in liceu, cand profesorul nostru de istorie ne-a pomenit de el si de traducerea Bibliei facuta de el. Wulfila fusese episcopul gotilor candva prin veacul al patrulea, si scrierile lui sunt pastrate astazi intr-o veche universitate suedeza, la venerabila Uppsala. Numai ca el a lucrat la traducerea lui in timp ce traia aproape de malurile Dunarii, intr-un tinut locuit de populatii trace, asa incat opera lui a fost prima realizare literara in aceasta parte a lumii: populatii trace aflate in lungul proces al romanizarii.

Exista mai multe feluri de a-i ortografia numele: Wulfila, Ulfilas, Ulfila, Ulphilas, Orphila. Diferentele sunt minore, desigur, insa altfel aproape fiecare aspect al vietii lui este pentru specialisti subiect de controversa. De fapt doar cateva lucruri pot fi considerate certitudini: in principal ca a tradus Biblia in vreme ce era episcop la Nicopole ad Istrum, in sudul Dunarii.

Sa cauti date despre viata lui Wulfila este un lucru fascinant, oricat de controversat poate fi ceea ce gasesti. Poate si pentru ca orice noua informatie aduce lumini noi asupra unei perioade de timp atat de indepartate, despre cei ce au trait atunci, despre locuri dela sud si dela nord de Dunare, cum erau pe atunci si cum sunt acum, despre intamplari legate de aceste locuri, din vremea lui Wulfila, dar si din veacurile ce au urmat, si multe alte asemenea lucruri.

Asa ca as vrea sa revin aici si sa mai vorbesc despre subiectul asta, insa intr-un mod cat mai informal. Cumva este si povestea mea proprie, un fel de poveste despre o calatorie in timp (doar ca va rog sa nu o luati literal: nu e domeniul meu de specialitate, o fac doar de placere). Voi reveni deci.

Bishop Wulfila

image by Gustave Doré
(published in madamepickwickartblog)
no copyright infringement intended

Gustave Doré: Bishop Ulfilas, in the fourth century, undertook the task of translating the Bible into the Gothic language with a curious omission: he left out the Book of Kings. The Goths, in his opinion, were already too fond of fighting, and “needed in that matter the bit, rather than the spur.” I can’t say that I blame him.


(click here for the Romanian version)


About my interest for Bishop Wulfila, that is a long story. It began in the high school, when our history teacher told us about him and about his translation of the Bible. Wulfila had been the bishop of the Goths sometime in the fourth century, and his writings are now kept in a Swedish university, at the venerable Uppsala. He had worked on the translation while he was living near the borders of Danube, in a land inhabited by Thracian populations, and so his output was the first literary achievement in this part of the world: Thracian populations in the long process of Romanization.

There are several spellings in use for his name: Wulfila, Ulfilas, Ulfila, Ulphilas, Orphila. The differences are minor, of course, but otherwise almost every aspect of his life is matter of scholarly controversy. Actually a few things can be considered certain: mainly that he translated the Bible while he was the bishop of Nicopolis ad Istrum, in the South of Danube.

To search for data on Wulfila is fascinating, as controversial these data might be. Maybe also because each piece of information brings new lights on a period so distant in time, about the people that lived then, about places on the South and North of Danube, how they have been in those remote times, how they are today, about events related to those places, during Wulfila's times and also during the centuries that followed, and about so many other things.

So I would love to come back here on this topic, only I would do it in a very informal way. Somehow it is also my own story: well, I don't think that I am Wulfila, don't take me wrong, but looking for data related to him is kind of time travel (and of course it's not my domain of expertize, it's just my pleasure). I will come back on this for sure.

• A Romanian Book on Bishop Wulfila

(German and Nordic Literature)

Constantin Erbiceanu

sursa: arhiva familiei Erbiceanu
(http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fi%C8%99ier:Ulfila.JPG)
no copyright infringement intended

(click here for the English version)

Mi-as dori mult sa ajung sa citesc cartea aceasta, numai ca e foarte greu de gasit: o carte publicata la Bucuresti in 1898, si purtand un titlu deosebit de lung, Ulfila, Viata si Doctrina lui, sau Starea Crestinismului in Dacia Traiana si Aureliana in Seculul al IV. Pare la prima vedere ca autorul a vrut sa se ocupe deodata de doua subiecte foarte diferite. Ulfila a fost episcopul gotilor si a tradus Biblia in limba lor (manuscrisul este pastrat in Suedia, la Universitatea Uppsala). Cat despre Dacia romanizata a veacului al patrulea, populatiile native erau orice, numai goti nu.

De fapt intre cele doua subiecte era o legatura, iar autorul a considerat important sa o evidentieze printr-o adnotare pe coperta cartii, pe exemplarul care a ramas in arhiva familiei: Carte foarte importanta pentru existenta Crestinismului la Romani, C. Erbiceanu. O puteti vedea in imaginea de mai sus, o fraza scrisa de mana.

Cateva cuvinte despre autor. Constantin Erbiceanu, care a trait intre 1838 si 1913, a fost istoric, teolog si elenist. A fost membru al Junimii, de asemeni a fost membru in doua asociatii de carturari din Constantinopole, Hellenikos Philologikos Syllogos si Hetairia Mesaionikon Spoudon. Si a fost membru al Academiei Romane. Tiitlul uneia din cartile sale explica foarte bine aria sa principala de preocupari: Cronicarii greci care au scris despre romani în epoca fanariota. Si-a dedicat cea mai mare parte a vietii studiului manuscriselor grecesti din epoca fanariota, cautand in ele orice informatie relevanta pentru istoria Romaniei. A fost un deschizator de drumuri (wiki) in abordarea sistematica a epocii fanariote din Tarile Romanesti, de asemeni in istoria bisericii noastre.

Constantin Erbiceannu (1838-1913)
(http://www.fundatia-erbiceanu.ro/index.php?pag=2&id=-600)
no copyright infringement intended

O comparatie imi vine in minte, cu unul din colegii sai dela  Academia Romana, filologul Ioan Bogdan. Ce a facut Erbiceanu in elenistica, Bogdan a facut in slavistica - cautare de manuscrise slavone ca sa gaseasca in ele informatii relevante pentru istoria limbii romane. Amandoi au inteles importanta uriasa a situarii studiilor de istorie romaneasca (limba si cultura, biserica si societate) intr-un context regional: un spatiu national nu este inchis, ci evolueaza in conjunctie cu vecinii, exista influente continue, iar tot ce se intampla in istoria unuia are ecou in intreaga regiune.

Asa incat daca ne intoarcem acum la cartea lui Erbiceanu despre Ulfila si crestinismul in Dacia celui de-al patrulea veac, legatura devine evidenta, cred. Episcopul Ulfila a trait multi ani la Nicopolis ad Istrum, in sudul Dunarii, iar gotii au fost stapanii regiunii pentru o bucata de vreme. La Nicopolis ad Istrum a lucrat Ulfila la traducerea Bibliei. Dacia fusese modelata de epoca stapanirii romane, de la Traian pana la Marc Aureliu. Era, asa cum Erbiceanu a numit-o, Dacia Traiana si Aureliana. Era veacul al patrulea, Ulfila talmacea Biblia in graiul gotilor la sud de Dunare, populatia romanizata de pe ambele maluri ale fluviului era intr-un anumit stadiu al lungului proces de adoptare a crestinismului, totul se intampla in acelasi context regional. Studiul unuia din subiecte aducea lumini noi asupra celuilalt.

Si mai e ceva important: dupa Tristiile si Epistolele create de Ovidiu in timpul exilului la Tomis, nu a existat o alta opera literara produsa in aceasta regiune pana la traducerea Bibliei facuta de Ulfila.

Mai mult nu am ce sa spun despre cartea lui Constantin Erbiceanu. Ar putea fi depasita? Sigur ca stiinta istoriei evolueaza si unele idei de odinioara nu mai rezista timpului, asta se intampla in orice stiinta. Cred totusi ca lucrarea aceasta isi pastreaza importanta de deschidere de drumuri. Trebuie sa o gasesc, apoi voi reveni.


(despre viata lui Consatntin Erbiceanu, vezi si Istoria Familiei Erbiceanu, pagina din Crestin Ortodox consacrata lui Erbiceanu, articolul din Dictionarul Teologilor Romani, Vieţa şi activitatea literară a protosinghelului Naum Rîmniceanu: Discurs de receptiune la Academia Romana, rostit la 17 (30) martie 1900)


In fotografia facuta in 1912 la Academie, Constantin Erbiceanu este al treilea in randul din stanga al mesei din dreapta (in spatele lui Nicolae Quintescu si in fata lui Andrei Barseanu).



(1912: Sedinta la Academia Romana)