Calvin Synod Herald, 1974 (74. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1974-08-01 / 8-9. szám
4 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD Beginnings of the Hungarian Bible Translation 11. Printed Parts Of The Hungarian Bible The codices, and in them the handwritten parts of the Bible in Hungarian, belonged to the local churches and monasteries and probably a few copies were owned by wealthy landowners, for example, the Festetieh and Czech codices by Benigna Magyar, wife of Pál Kinizsi, and one possibly by King Matthias. The invention of printing by Guttenberg in Europe gave new zeal and a challenge to the scholars, especially to those who were touched by the reformation. Many attempts were made to translate the whole Bible into Hungarian. The first printed text of the Bible in Hungarian was made by Benedek Komjáti. It was printed in Krakow in 1533 and published by Katalin Frangepán, a very wealthy woman. The title of this work is: “Epistolae Pauli lingua hungarica donatae. Az zenth Paal leueley magyar nyeluen.” Benedek Komjáti in the year 1529, a student at the Vienna University, was called by Katalin Frangepán into her Nyalábvár castle to be a tutor for her son, John. Lady Frangepán — or after her husband, Mrs. Gábor Perényi, asked him to make a new translation of Paul’s ietters for the one she owned, a handwritten translation was not adequate. So Komjáti engaged himself to complete this work and his translation was printed at the expense of Lady Frangepán. This translation was made in conjunction with the above mentioned copy and with Erasmus’ Greek- Latin translation, using all Erasmus’ explanations. Komjáti also consulted the work of others, and used those parts which were acceptable to him. In 1870 a fragment of the translation of Paul’s letter was found in Krakow. It was printed at the close of the 15th century which proves that at least a part of Paul’s letters were printed in Hungarian.34 This fragment is probably identical with the one mentioned by Pintér35 and found by Vilmos Fraknói, which word for word conforms with Komjáti’s translation. Fraknói states that this fragment is the same as the Bible mentioned in Komjáti’s foreword to his Bible. After a long literary discussion, it still was not proved that Komjáti plagiarized. Komjáti’s translation is made in poor Hungarian and he was unable to present the beauty of the original text.36 It is probable that the Hungarian text owned by Lady Frangepán was the translation made by Bertalan of Halabor, mentioned in connection with the codices.37 Gábor Pesti Mizsér in 1536 in Vienna published a translation of four gospels under the title: “Wy Testamentum magar nyeluen” — New Testament in Hungarian. His name is found differently, spelled as: Pesti Gábor, Gabriel Pannonius Pesthinus, and in the history of literature as Pesti Mizsér Gábor. In his new testament, he writes that he came from the “Myser” clan, which means that he came of tartar descendants living in Hungary.38 Other sources state that his forefathers might have come from a village “Mizsér” in Csallóköz, or his name might have originated of “miser”, a Latin word.39 He was probably born in Pest and studied in Vienna under the great humanist, Brassicanus, who wrote an introductory poem for Pesti’s new testament. Pesti, just as Komjáti worked under the influence of Erasmus. Some sources state that Komjáti and Pesti were Roman Catholics, others state they were Protestant. Pesti studied to be a priest, but he did not remain in the priesthood. For his translation, he probably used the Hungarian translation of Vulgata, since his translation is similar to the Munich and Jordanszky codices. He used Erasmus’ explanations to give a better interpretation to the text. His translation is divided into chapters, giving marginal explanations for his intention was “merészeli Isten igéjét az község nyelvén olvasmányul adni a laikusoknak.”40 His humanistic education is shown in his style. His new testament is understandable, stylish and of literary elegance. János Sylvester (Erdősi) was the first Protestant translator who translated the new testament into Hungarian.
