His parents were of non-Gothic Anatolian origin but had been enslaved by Goths on horseback. Ulfilas converted many among the Goths, preaching an Arian Christianity, which, when they reached the western Mediterranean, set them apart from their Orthodox neighbors and subjects.
There are significant differences between the stories presented by the two camps. The Arian sources depict Ulfilas as an Arian from childhood. He was then consecrated as a bishop around 340 and evangelized among the Goths for 7 years during the 340s. He then moved to Moesia (within the Roman Empire) under the protection of the Arian Emperor Constantius II. He later attended several councils and engaged in continuing religious debate. They date his death in 383.
The accounts by the Catholic historians differ in several details, but the general picture is similar. According to them, Ulfilas was an orthodox Christian for most of his early life. He was only converted to Arianism somewhere around 360, and then only because of political pressure from the pro-Arian ecclesiastical and governmental powers. The sources differ in how much they credit Ulfilas with the conversion of the Goths. Socrates Scholasticus gives Ulfilas a minor role, and instead attributes the mass conversion to the Gothic chieftain Fritigern, who adopted Arianism out of gratitude for the military support of the Arian emperor. Sozomen attributes the mass conversion primarily to Ulfilas, though he also acknowledges the role of Fritigern.
For several reasons, modern scholars depend more heavily on the Arian accounts than the Catholic accounts. Auxentius was clearly the closest to Ulfilas, and so presumably had access to more reliable information. The Catholic accounts differ too widely among themselves to present a unified case. Debate continues as to the best reconstruction of Ulfilas's life.
The Creed of Ulfilas
The creed of Ulfilas, which concludes a letter praising him written by his foster-son and pupil Auxentius of Durostorum (modern Silistra) on the Danube, who became bishop of Milan, distinguishes God the Father ("unbegotten") from God the Son ("only-begotten"), who was begotten before time and who created the world, and the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son:
I, Ulfila, bishop and confessor, have always so believed, and in this, the one true faith, I make the journey to my Lord; I believe in one God the Father, the only unbegotten and invisible, and in his only-begotten son, our Lord and God, the designer and maker of all creation, having none other like him (so that one alone among all beings is God the Father, who is also the God of our God); and in one Holy Spirit, the illuminating and sanctifying power, as Christ said after his resurrection to his apostles: "And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49) and again "But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8); being neither God (the Father) nor our God (Christ), but the minister of Christ ... subject and obedient in all things to the Son; and the Son, subject and obedient in all things to God who is his Father ... (whom) he ordained in the Holy Spirit through his Christ.[7]
Maximinus, a 5th century Arian theologian, copied Auxentius' letter, among other works, into the margins of one copy of Ambrose's De Fide; there are some gaps in the surviving text.[8]
^ Socrates of Constantinople, Church History, book 4, chapter 33.
The Gothic alphabet was a modified Greek alphabet; see Wright, Joseph A Primer of the Gothic Language with Grammar, Notes, and Glossary, p. 2.
The most complete Gothic texts borrow elements from the Roman alphabet; see Bennett, William H. An Introduction to the Gothic Language, p. 126.
^ For an overview and evaluation of the historical sources, see Hagith Sivan, "Ulfila’s Own Conversion," Harvard Theological Review 89 (October 1996): pp. 373–86.
^ Heather and Matthews, Goths in the Fourth Century, p. 143.
^ Heather and Matthews, Goths in the Fourth Century, pp. 135-137.
Ulfilas — o Wulfila (que quizá significa “pequeño lobo”) (alrededor de 310 388) fue un obispo, misionero, y traductor godo que pasó cierto tiempo en el Imperio romano cuando el arrianismo era la corriente religiosa dominante. Ulfilas fue ordenado obispo… … Wikipedia Español
Ulfilas — • Apostle of the Goths, missionary, translator of the Bible, and inventor of an alphabet Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Ulfilas Ulfilas … Catholic encyclopedia
Ulfĭlas — (Ulfila), sollte aus einer kappadokischen Familie stammen, welche durch Kriegsgefangenschaft aus Sadagolthina nach dem Donaulande gekommen war, u. war geboren 310 od. 311 (nach And. 318), kam 328 od. 332 unter Constantin dem Gr. als Gesandter od … Pierer's Universal-Lexikon
Ulfĭlas — (Ulfila, Wulfilas, »Wölfel«), der Apostel der Goten, geb. 311, stammte von christlichen Vorfahren ab, die durch die Goten aus Kappadokien in die Gefangenschaft geführt worden waren, gest. 382 in Konstantinopel, wurde 341 von Eusebios von… … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
Ulfilas — Ulfĭlas (got. Wulfila), geb. 311, Apostel und seit 341 Bischof der arianischen Westgoten in Mösien, gest. 383 zu Konstantinopel, Verfasser der got. Bibelübersetzung, des Hauptdenkmals der got. Sprache, für die er aus dem griech. und Runenalphabet … Kleines Konversations-Lexikon
Ulfilas — [ul′filəul′fi ləs] [LGr for Goth Wulfila, lit., little wolf < wulfs,WOLF + ila, dim. suffix: cf. ATTILA] A.D. 311? 383?; bishop of the Goths: translated the Bible into Gothic: also Ulfila [ul′filə] … English World dictionary
Ulfilas — (c. 311 382/383) Gothic bishop, missionary, and translator, Ulfilas, which means little wolf in the Gothic language, was a key figure in the ongoing Christianization of the Goths. He was hailed as the Moses of his age by the emperor… … Encyclopedia of Barbarian Europe
Ulfilas — /ul fi leuhs/, n. A.D. c311 c382, Christian bishop to the Goths: translated Bible into the Gothic language. Also, Ulfila /ul fi leuh/, Wulfila. * * * ▪ bishop of the Goths Gothic (Goth) Wulfila born c. 311 died c. 382, , Constantinople [now… … Universalium
Ulfilas — Wulfila Wikipédia … Wikipédia en Français
Ulfilas — Ulfila, Ulfilas ou Wulfila (v. 311 383) évêque originaire de Cappadoce qui évangélisa les Goths et créa l alphabet gotique pour traduire le Nouveau Testament; adepte de l arianisme … Encyclopédie Universelle
