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The Medieval Church · c. 863–871
The Gospel Book
Evangelienbuch
Otfrid of Weissenburg · c. 800–c. 870
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What it is
A harmony of the gospels in rhymed German verse, prefaced by a defence of writing sacred poetry in a language the author admits is unpolished.
Why it lasted
The first substantial poem in German and the first in any Germanic language to use rhyme rather than alliteration.
Where to read it
Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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