Folia Theologica 9. (1998)
György Benyik: Hungarian Bible Translation
HUNGARIAN BIBLE TRANSLATIONS 239 ENDRE NEMÉNYI’s Psalms are more paraphrases than translations (1917). LAJOS SZIMONIDESZ (1884-1965) studied Theology at Arad, Lugos, Pozsony and Göttingen. In 1948 he became Lutheran Chaplain-General to the military forces. He wrote a remarkable study, The Life of Jesus (1922). He published the translation of The Book of Relevations under the title, The End of the World (1917). GEDEON MÉSZÖLY (1880-1960) a linguist, translator, a member of to Hungarian Academy of Sciences, professor of several theological schools among them the school of Szeged, and expert in the language of Hungarian codices. He translated Letters to Thessalonians I and II, The First Letter to the Corinthians, parts of the Gospel of St. Mark (1922) and introduced the Gospel text of the Viennese Codex to the public (1916). SÁNDOR SÍK (1889-1963) a Piarist, received a diploma of Arts at Budapest. In 1929 he went on a journey to Rome then became a professor at the University of Szeged and member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His aesthetic views were definitive in his days. He translated psalms100 into verse and corrected them many times. His acknowledged aim was to find a Hungarian verse form closely related to the original meter of the Psalms. From the textual point of view he found Géza Hellebroth’s translation the most valuable and from a formal viewpoint, the Hungarian iambus.101 To obtain a more creditable text he worked with Ambrus Szörényi. SÁNDOR CZEGLÉDY (1883-1944) studied Calvinist Theology at Pápa. His main work, The Biblical Lexicon (1929-31) was made with István Hamar and Kálmán Kállay. He translated The Book of Hosea (1908) and The New Testament (1924), the latter based upon Textus Receptus and its recently-found codices. BÉLA TELEKES (1873-1960), a writer and translator, with diplomas in Philosophy and Law, exercised influence on Endre Ady. His poetry represents a kind of transition from late 19th century verse to modern lyrics.102 He worked for years on the translation of Psalms (1927).Since 100 Budapest, 1923.; revised version, 1955. new revision, 1961. 101 Cf. Sík, Sándor. Zsoltárkönyv. Budapest, 1936. Translator’s comments on pp. 250-253. 102 Káprázatok. 1895.; Fekete gályán. 1936.; Az én múzsám. 1981.
