The author’s layman status also exposed his translation of the Holy Scripture to vehement hostilities, which he confidently stood up to, especially in the prefaces to his Old Testament Work and in individual biblical books.  In these prefaces, for example in his preamble to the Psalm Commentaries, he even explicitly promotes the translation of the Holy Scripture into the German language, in order to make it more easily available for the faithful.

Still, the bible translator not only emphasizes the importance of a translation, he also points out the need of providing the texts selected for laypersons with an interpretation (bedeutnus), an accompanying glossary explaining and annotating the text. In doing so, the Anonymous relies on being inspired by the Holy Spirit but also on the support and advice of well educated people (wol gelerter leut hilf und rat). Besides the popular Glossa ordinaria, medieval standard reference for the exegesis and commentaries on the biblical story, he also consults the contemporary Latin postil on the Psalms by Franciscan Nikolaus von Lyra while it was still being written.

References to Powerful and Affluent Benefactors

As of today there is still little known about the Anonymous industriously translating the books of the Bible, but there is quite some evidence that he had wealthy and powerful benefactors. Among the Gospel Work manuscripts there are quite splendid and precious ones, their rich decor implying influential and affluent clients. Yet the importance of his work for understanding pre-Reformation, German-language Bible translations has been recognized. These findings as well as numerous indications of the Austrian Bible Translator’s influence on the literary history of Austria, Bavaria and the Central German area as well as on the entire Late Middle Ages in this region, encourage further research.