Brest Bible
Encyclopedia
The Brest Bible was the first comprehensive Polish language
Protestant Bible translation
, published in 1563 in Brest
and dedicated to King Sigismund II Augustus
.
Polish full original title: "Biblia święta, Tho iest, Księgi Starego y Nowego Zakonu, właśnie z Żydowskiego, Greckiego, y Łacińskiego, nowo na Polski ięzyk, z pilnością y wiernie wyłożone."
It is sometimes also named after the Radziwiłł family surname of Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł, the benefactor of the undertaking, or after Pińczów
, where the translating was commissioned and translators chosen and authorized at the Calvinist
synod
s of 1559 and 1560, and where the work was accomplished.
The Brest Bible is one of the earliest modern era
translations of all of the Bible
, from, for the most part, the original
Hebrew
and Koine Greek
languages. Latin
Vulgate
was also utilized to a lesser degree and so was a French translation. The Brest Bible, produced by a group of Calvinist scholars, was preceded by the Luther Bible
of 1534 and the Geneva Bible
of 1560.
The text of the translation, which stresses contextual and phraseological, rather than word-for-word translating, is highly reliable in respect to the originals and represents some of the finest Polish usage of the period. Among the leading theologians
involved with the team translation project were Grzegorz Orszak, Pierre Statorius
, Jean Thénaud of Bourges, Jan Łaski, Georg Schomann
, Andrzej Trzecieski, Jakub Lubelczyk, Szymon Zacjusz
, Marcin Krowicki
, Francesco Stancaro
of Mantua, and Grzegorz Paweł of Brzeziny. The translation work took six years to complete.
Mikołaj Radziwiłł's son, Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł, converted to Catholicism
and as a Counter-Reformation
zealot arranged for a public burning of all the specimens of the Bible of Brest that he could locate and buy (some have survived) at Vilnius
' central market.
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
Protestant Bible translation
Bible translations
The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Indeed, the full Bible has been translated into over 450 languages, although sections of the Bible have been translated into over 2,000 languages....
, published in 1563 in Brest
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
and dedicated to King Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus
Sigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...
.
Polish full original title: "Biblia święta, Tho iest, Księgi Starego y Nowego Zakonu, właśnie z Żydowskiego, Greckiego, y Łacińskiego, nowo na Polski ięzyk, z pilnością y wiernie wyłożone."
It is sometimes also named after the Radziwiłł family surname of Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł, the benefactor of the undertaking, or after Pińczów
Pinczów
Pińczów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodship, about 40 km south of Kielce. It is the capital of Pińczów County. Population is 12,304 .-History:...
, where the translating was commissioned and translators chosen and authorized at the Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
s of 1559 and 1560, and where the work was accomplished.
The Brest Bible is one of the earliest modern era
Modern history
Modern history, or the modern era, describes the historical timeline after the Middle Ages. Modern history can be further broken down into the early modern period and the late modern period after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution...
translations of all of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, from, for the most part, the original
Biblical languages
Biblical languages are any of the languages employed in the original writings of the Bible. Partially owing to the significance of the Bible in society, Biblical languages are studied more widely than many other dead languages...
Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and Koine Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
languages. Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
was also utilized to a lesser degree and so was a French translation. The Brest Bible, produced by a group of Calvinist scholars, was preceded by the Luther Bible
Luther Bible
The Luther Bible is a German Bible translation by Martin Luther, first printed with both testaments in 1534. This translation became a force in shaping the Modern High German language. The project absorbed Luther's later years. The new translation was very widely disseminated thanks to the printing...
of 1534 and the Geneva Bible
Geneva Bible
The Geneva Bible is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into the English language, preceding the King James translation by 51 years. It was the primary Bible of the 16th century Protestant movement and was the Bible used by William Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, John...
of 1560.
The text of the translation, which stresses contextual and phraseological, rather than word-for-word translating, is highly reliable in respect to the originals and represents some of the finest Polish usage of the period. Among the leading theologians
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
involved with the team translation project were Grzegorz Orszak, Pierre Statorius
Pierre Statorius
Pierre Statorius was a French grammarian and theologian, who settled among the Polish Brethren, becoming rector of a the Calvinist Academy in Pińczów at the invitation of Francesco Lismanino....
, Jean Thénaud of Bourges, Jan Łaski, Georg Schomann
Georg Schomann
Georg Schomann was a Socinian theologian.In his youth, was distinguished by a deep Catholic religiosity. In the years 1552-1554 he studied at the Krakow Academy and then at Wittenberg, where he was Lutheran...
, Andrzej Trzecieski, Jakub Lubelczyk, Szymon Zacjusz
Szymon Zacjusz
Szymon Zacjusz or Szymon Żak was a Polish Protestant pastor, supporter of Reformation in Lesser Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania....
, Marcin Krowicki
Marcin Krowicki
Marcin Krowicki was a Polish Catholic priest, then from 1551 Calvinist, then finally from 1562 Unitarian. He was one of the translation team for the original Pinczow Bible. He was one of those who argued against a fully pacifist stance in the Polish Brethren. He published in Vilnius in 1561 Obraz...
, Francesco Stancaro
Francesco Stancaro
Franciscus Stancarus was an Italian priest, professor of Hebrew at the University of Königsberg.He engaged in debate with Jan Laski and Peter Martyr Vermigli.- References :...
of Mantua, and Grzegorz Paweł of Brzeziny. The translation work took six years to complete.
Mikołaj Radziwiłł's son, Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł, converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and as a Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
zealot arranged for a public burning of all the specimens of the Bible of Brest that he could locate and buy (some have survived) at Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
' central market.
- For other Polish Bibles see Slavic translations of the BibleSlavic translations of the BibleThis article deals with the history of translation of the Bible into Slavic languages, beginning in the second half of the 9th century....