Krist. Poetic account of the life of Christ by a 9th-century German monk

Otfrid von Weissenburg He is the first author in German literature whose name we know. His work, Evangelienbuch, or Krist, constitutes one of the greatest gems of German literature from the Middle Ages, and Otfrid himself is considered the one who introduced end rhyme into German literature. His Evangelienbuch is not, in any way, a translation of the Gospels, but rather a narration of the life and teachings of Christ in his own words, while remaining faithful to Holy Scripture. However, it is also a defense of the vernacular language, Frankish, as a legitimized language on a par with Greek and Latin, for praising God and for use as a poetic language, in contrast to those who granted it no more value than that of a vulgar rustic tongue. The firsthand description of the severe difficulties faced by a 9th-century author writing in a Germanic language using the Latin alphabet constitutes a document of great value. Its way of narrating the life of Christ and his relationship with his disciples, with a tone that sometimes recalls that of the Germanic heroic songs, its commentaries and interpretations, as well as the practical teachings it offers the reader, bring to the public of today how the New Testament was understood at that time, the way of preaching, the vision of daily life and its problems, the consideration of women, the image of God in his relationship with men and women, the vision of the end of earthly life, and many other aspects. All this means that this work, translated in its entirety for the first time and directly from Old German into Spanish, has much to contribute, not only to those interested in medieval culture and literature, but also to historians and scholars of Sacred Scripture.