EDITIONS.--The classical edition is that of Mommsen (in _Mon. Germ. hist. auct. antiq._, v., ii.), which supersedes the older editions, such as that in the first volume of Muratori's _Scriptt. rer. Ital._ The best MS. is the Heidelberg MS., written in Germany, probably in the 8th century; but this perished in the fire at Mommsen's house. The next of the MSS. in value are the Vaticanus Palatinus of the 10th century, and the Valenciennes MS. of the 9th.
AUTHORITIES.--Von Sybel's essay, _De fontibus Jordanis_ (1838); Schirren's _De ratione quae inter Jordanem et Cassiodorum intercedat Commentatio_ (Dorpat, 1858); Kopke's _Die Anfänge des Königthums beiden Gothen_ (Berlin, 1859); Dahn's _Die Könige der Germanen_, vol. ii. (Munich, 1861); Ebert's _Geschichte der Christlich-Lateinischen Literatur_ (Leipsic, 1874); Wattenbach's _Deutschlands Geschichtsquellen im Mittelalter_ (Berlin, 1877); and the introduction of Mommsen to his edition. (T. H.; E. Br.)
[1] The evidence of MSS. is overwhelming against the form Jornandes. The MSS. exhibit Jordanis or Jordannis; but these are only Vulgar-Latin spellings of Jordanes.
[2] The terms of the dedication of this book to a certain Vigilius make it impossible that the pope (538-555) of that name is meant.