HISTORY/DESCRIPTION:
THE CODEX ARGENTEUS, ALSO KNOWN AS THE SILVER BOOK OR SILVER BIBLE, IS WRITTEN IN GOLD AND SILVER INK ON STAINED PURPLE VELLUM. THIS CODEX WAS A SERIES OF GOSPELS TRANSLATED FROM GREEK INTO THE GOTHIC LANGUAGE SOMETIME IN THE 4TH CENTURY BY BISHOP WULFILA, WHO ALSO CREATED THE GOTHIC ALPHABET. THE CODEX ARGENTEUS’ ORIGIN AND AGE WAS UNKNOWN UNTIL SCHOLARS HAD IT CARBON DATED. THROUGH THIS CARBON DATING IT WAS LEARNED THAT THE CODEX PROBABLY CAME FROM RAVENNA, NORTHERN ITALY AREA, AROUND THE EARLY 6TH CENTURY. DATING LED SCHOLARS TO BELIEVE THE CODEX WAS PROBABLY COMMISSIONED FOR THE OSTROGOTHIC KING THEODERIC THE GREAT. THE CODEX ARGENTEUS IS ONLY COMPRISED OF REMNANTS OF THE FOUR GOSPELS THAT WERE TRANSLATED LEAVING ONLY HALF OF THIS CODEX AVAILABLE.
THIS CODEX IS A TRUE TREASURE TO SCHOLARS AND HISTORIANS ALIKE, AS IT IS THE BEST SURVIVING EXAMPLE OF THE GOTHIC LANGUAGE. THE GOTHIC LANGUAGE IS AN EXTINCT VERSION OF THE GERMANIC LANGUAGE. 187 SURVIVING PAGES OF THE CODEX ARE ON DISPL
