Folia Theologica 9. (1998)

György Benyik: Hungarian Bible Translation

HUNGARIAN BIBLE TRANSLATIONS

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inczy, he was also the first Catholic to urge ecumenical dialogue in Hungary. Guzmics translated The Book of Psalms, Ecclesiastes and The Book of Job from Latin72 and, in accordance with the spirit of his time, he concentrated on its moral teaching.

MÓR BALLAGI BLOCH (1815-1891) was of Jewish origin and wanted to be a Talmud teacher, but he never became a rabbi. He learnt Hungarian at the age of 20 and enrolled in the Calvinist College of Pápa. From 1842 he studied in Tübingen where he decided to become a theologian. He started his career as a teacher at the Lutheran High Scool in Szarvas. He took part in the 1848 War of Independence both as an officer and secretary to general commander Arthur Görgey. After the war he was interned to Szarvas. Later he became the member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and a professor of Calvinist and Lutheran Theology. Although from 1861 he was a Member of Parliament he continued his editorial work for a Calvinist theological paper and went on with compiling dictionaries and studying Hebrew. In his translation of the Pentateuch73 he combines the traditionalist Jewish view with critical ideas he learnt at Tübingen. In the Preface written for the New Testament he gives useful points for translators which are still followed by Hungarian Protestant scholars.

Jewish Translations

The cultural and theological activity of Hungarian Jews had its beginning in the 19th century when they published works in German, Hebrew and Hungarian. The parliament of 1843-44 supported only those Jews who renounced their religious principles. In 1844 Lajos Kossuth proposed that the Jews convoke their synedrium in order to set about reform. At this point LIPÓT LOW (1811-1875) emerged into political life and a parlaimentary and social debate began about Jewish emancipation.74 At first the Jews were against emancipation because this meant that they had to give up their religious principles. On 22 June 1847 new principles of emancipation, now acceptable to the Jews, were introduced. As a result of the debate the literary activities of the Jews increased, and they published more and more works in Hungarian. At the same time

72 Zsoltárok. Buda, 1832.; Prédikátor. Buda, 1836Jób könyve. Pest, 1839.

73 Mózes öt könyve 1-5. (annotated translation) Buda, 1840-41.; Joshua. Buda, 1842.; other important works, Bibliai tanulmányok. Buda, 1865-68.

74 VENETIANER, L. A magyar zsidóság története. Budapest, 1986.