Folia Theologica 9. (1998)
György Benyik: Hungarian Bible Translation
216 GY. BENYIK The so called Beguine Codices7 were written as readings for a monastic community of women engaged in nursing sick people.They were founded around 1200 in Lüttich by Lambert de Beguie and spread to Hungary in the 16th century. Lady Kinizsi was one of their members and it was for her that the Festetich Codex8 was written (1493). This richly ornate codex contains a collection of prayers for lay people, a translation of the Psalms based on the translation of the Apor Codex and in it we can also find the sixth chapter from the Book of Isaiah. The 98 folios long Czech Codex9 was also written for Lady Kinizsi in 1513 in Nagyvázsony. It contains 127 psalms and hymns. Another Beguine codex is the Kesztehelyi Codex10 named after the town of George Festetich in whose library it was found. It contains psalms and hymns and according to the note on page 450 it was copied in Léka11 12 in 1522 by GERGELY VELIKEI. The text closely relates to the Kulcsár Codex 12 (1539) and it is possible therefore that it was copied from it. The latter codex belonged to a monk called PÁL PÁPAI, member of a contemplative community. It contains psalm translations, 32 chapters of Deuteronomy, prayers and the text of a creed. The Székelyudvarhelyi Codex13 was compiled by ANDRÁS NYÚJ- TÓDI in 1526. It contains the Gospel passages for Sunday readings (copied by 6 authors), and also has the Book of Judith, which is a rare text in codices. Its full length is 232 pages. Among the Codices written for nuns there is The Book of Proverbs (1510). It was written by LEA RÁSKAI14 in the Hare Island15 Convent of Dominican nuns. In addition to several biblical fragments the codex contains also the Ten Commandments. 7 GODÁN, Felicián. Kinizsyné Magyar Begina imádságos könyvei, in Békefi- Emlékkönyv Budapest, 1919. pp. 196-211. 8 VOLF, Gy. Nyelvemléktár Vol. XIII. Budapest, 1885. HORVÁTH, Cyrill. Világiak régi magyar imádságos könyvei. ITK V.,1895. pp. 257-281. BOROS, Alán. Zsoltárfordítások im. pp. 57-74. 9 VOLF, Gy. Magyar nyelvemlékek Vol. IV. 1890; SZABÓ, Flóris A hóráskönyvek hatása kódexirodalmunkra. ITK, 1967. 10 VOLF, Gy. Nelyvemléktár Vol. XIII. Budapest, 1885. 11 Today Lockenhaus in Austria. 12 VOLF, Gy. Nelyvemléktár Vol. VIII. Budapest, 1879.; TÍMÁR, Kálmán. Néhány Ferencrendi Írónkról. ITK, 1914. 13 SZABÓ, Sámuel. Nyelvemkéltár Vol. XV. Budapest, 1908. ZÁDOR, Béla. A Székelyudvarhelyi kódex kiadásához NYR XLII. 1913. pp. 234-236. edn. with corrections and errors. 14 She wrote the pages 19-64 and signed the text at the end. 15 Today Margarete Island in Budapest.
