Református ujság - Fraternity-Testvériség, 1940 (18. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1940-05-01 / 5. szám
16 TESTVÉRISÉG THE BIBLE IN HUNGARIAN LITERATURE By Dr. GÉZA TAKARÓ. It is 350 years since the first complete printed Bible in their language was handed to the Hungarian people. This anniversary suggests several questions, for example, what part did the Bible play in the life, history and culture of the Hungarians? One of these questions: what part it played particularly in the literature of the Hungarians? We know of the influence of the 400 year old English Bible on the life and literature of the Anglo-Saxon people. Even more significant was the influence of the Hungarian Bible on the life and literature of the people of Hungary. In the chronological order of the Bible’s translation into foreign languages, the Hungarian occupies the twenty-second place. The “editio princeps” of the entire Hungarian Bible appeared in 1590 in Gáspár Károli’s translation, however, various sections of it had been translated as early as 1533 by B. Komjáti, John Sylvester, S. Székely, G. Heltai and others. Although the translation of the Bible from the original languages was made in 1675 by George Csipkés de Komárom, the earlier edition of Károli remained in use. By the way, of the four thousand copies of the Csipkés translation which were published, some three thousand were confiscated by the Jesuits and later burned. During the past 350 years Károli’s translation of the Bible has succeeded well over 100 printings. The growth and development of the Hungarian language, however, necessitated the revision — the latter part of the last century — of the old translation. The Roman Catholic church published a specially annotated edition for its followers. The appearance of the Hungarian Bible coincides with the awakening of Hungarian spiritual life and with the birth of Hungarian literature. This was the most critical period of the struggles of the Hungarian people for their national existence as well as their political freedom in the 16— 17th centuries. Just as once the people returning from Babylonian captivity grasped a sword in one hand and building tools in the other, so the Hungarians of the 16th and succeeding centuries can only be pictured as gripping a sword and pen in either hand. The Hungarian nation saw many similarities between their tribulations and those of the “chosen people.” This explains the many references made in the sermons and also other writings of the period to the lot of the Israelites. These allusions were made sometimes to comfort, and sometimes to warn the people. The first work to parallel the lot of the Hungarian nation with that of the Jews, was Andreas Farkas’ Cronicle, which appeared in 1538. This connection between religious and patriotic spirit became a characteristic theme in discourses and essays on the Bible and on history, alluding to the sufferings and hardships borne by the Hungarians due to Turkish and German aggrandizment. After Farkas, came the working into literary forms and publication of the Bible stories. The stories of the God-fearing and brave Gedeon, Isaac’s marriage, the prophet Jonah and many others were worked up in verse-form. Peter Ká- konyi wrote in expressive verse the story of Samson. The stories of Moses, Joshua, the Macabees, the sacrifice of Isaac, etc. were written by the clever pen of Andreas Dézsi. The unusually prolific learned and musically talented Michael Sztá- rai is outstanding among his contemporaries by virtue of his works. Among the products of his many sided talents were his works about Elijah and King Achab, Holofernes and Judith. There were many others, there number ending with Stephen Illyefalvi, who following the English poet Buchannan, wrote up the Tragedy of Jephta. The most famous among Albert Molnár’s de Szene (1574—1634) works is his translation of David’s 150 psalms, by which he gave new songs for the voices of the people. Although this translation was his greatest triumph as a distinguished linguist and verse-technician, still greater acclaim is due him for the much greater service which he performed by this translation - giving to the Hungarian people this best expression their religions devotion and Calvinistic spirit. This most weidely distributed book even superceeded the Hungarian Bible in printings. Various psalms were translated by other poets such as B. Balassa, J. Székács. Numerous Hungarian poets revealed their greater or lesser knowledge of the Bible in one or another of their works. P. Rádai, Rákóczi’s minister to six different European countries, J. Rajnis, Count Nicholas Zrínyi, the great epic poet, F. Kölcsey, composer of the National Anthem (Vanitatum vanitas) etc. There are poets, however, who were more deeply influenced by the Scriptures. John Arany (1817—1882) the greatest epic- poet in his youth spent in a simple peasant home in Nagyszalonta, practically learned to read from the Bible, learned with the help of his parents and could recite many passages from the Bible even before he could read. He read with pleasure the books of Moses and those of the Kings, later the other parts of the Bible as well. This close association with the knowledge of the Bible shines
