The Freising Manuscripts – Brižinski Spomeniki

Topic: The Freising manuscripts / Brižinski spomeniki

Introductory note

The Freising manuscripts (in Slovenian Brižinski spomeniki or Brižinski rokopisi) are thousand-year old manuscripts written in Slovenian language of the time. They are the earliest preserved writings in the Slovenian language and the earliest Slavic texts in Latin script. They are part of a church codex – most probably used by the bishop of Freising himself – consisting of 169 pages and containing 70 items in Latin. Of these nine pages – three complete texts – are written in Old Slovenian presumably spoken in the area during the 10th century. The preserved Brižinski spomeniki are thought to be copies of even older 9th century originals in Upper Carinthia or in Freising in the present territory of Austria and most probably written by German and possibly Slovenian priests for their flock.

The Brižinski spomeniki consist of three texts. Brižinski spomeniki I, and Brižinski spomeniki III are translations of unidentified Old High German confession formulas. The first text was repeated after the priest in fragments in what has been liturgical practice to the present day, Brižinski spomeniki II is a homily on sin and its consequences for mankind.

 Source: excerpt from article in Sloveniana webzine (see References below)
 
About the document for reading

It provides: a detailed description and history of the Freising manuscripts.

Document:
Žbontar, Matjaž (2005), Introduction to multimedia presentation on the Brižinski spomeniki / Freising manuscripts, NUK, National and University Library, Ljubljana
in Slovenian
URL http://www.nuk.uni-lj.si/bs.html

To view and download
http://www.scribd.com/doc/113954774/Matjaž-Žbontar-Brižinski-spomeniki-Introduction-2005

in English
URL http://www.nuk.uni-lj.si/bs.html

To view and download

http://www.scribd.com/doc/113954982/Matjaž-Žbontar-The-Freising-Manuscripts-Introduction-2005

Resources
 
The Freising manuscripts (Brižinski spomeniki) : Monumenta Frisingiensa

Scholarly Digital Editions : 1.0, 2007-04-06

Editor of digital edition: Matija Ogrin

Publisher: Scientific Research Centre, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

URL http://nl.ijs.si/e-zrc/bs/index-en.html

It contains: an historical overview of the manuscripts, a series of studies and commentaries, a glossary, a bibliography, and translations of the manuscripts into Latin and five modern European languages. The electronic edition is enriched with a spoken reconstruction in early Slovenian, and is integrated with a transcription of the manuscripts in modern Slovenian language.

 

Digital facsimile of the Freising manuscripts:

URL http://nl.ijs.si/e-zrc/bs/html/bsFC.html

 
Collection of documents:

http://www.scribd.com/collections/3944856/Freising-Manuscripts

 
References
Ceferin, Aleksandra (2000), The Freising manuscripts (Brižinski spomeniki) 

Webzine

Websites
 
Related links
Sandi Ceferin

Sandi Ceferin (B.A. CELTA) is a researcher and Thezaurus editor. She is a writer of language materials and the Slovenian Webclassroom. Her studies in Slavic linguistics and Indo-European languages has been a springboard to collaboration and development of new model applications of technologies for languages and culture study. Sandi produces curricula and resource materials including Course Outline - Slovenian CSF Years 1-10, published by the Victorian School of Languages, Melbourne (2003).