Ulfilas

The Visigoths, or West Goths, a warlike people, lived along the Roman frontier west of the Black Sea. After they had been "Christianized," Ulfilas (311-382), their bishop, saw they needed the Bible in their own tongue, "to speak to their hearts."

First, Ulfilas had to make an alphabet. He knew that neither the Greek nor the Roman alphabet would fit a Germanic language. He chose from these alphabets only the letters that corresponded to the speech sounds of Visigoth. For sounds for which there were no letters, he used runes, an early Germanic alphabet of limited use. With this, he translated the Bible.

The Visigoths migrated west and were the first to conquer Rome (A.D. 410) Their aim, however, was not so much to destroy but to acquire the benefits of civilization. It was largely due to the work of Ulfilas that these plunderers became peacemakers.

To see an enlarged sample of the Visigoth script, click on the image.