Matthias Dévay
Encyclopedia
Mátyás Biró, also known as Matthias Dévay (b. Deva
n.d.; d. Debrecen
1547), was a Protestant Reformer who has been called the "Luther
of Hungary
."
Dévay was born in Deva
, Hunyad County, Transylvania
in the late 15th century or early 16th century. (He was called "Dévay" because he was from Deva.) He may have studied with Simon Grynaeus
, the first Hungarian proponent of the Protestant Reformation
, at Buda
. The University of Cracow listed him as a student there in 1523. After two years of study, he was ordained
as a priest
and monk
in the Roman Catholic Church
.
Sometime between 1527 and 1529, Dévay became a supporter of the Protestant Reformation, and in 1529, he traveled to the University of Wittenberg to study under Martin Luther
. As Luther's student, Dévay lived in Luther's house.
He returned to Buda by 1531, becoming the minister of a Protestant congregation. Protestant ideas were able to flourish in Hungary at this time because there had been a general breakdown in church discipline
after virtually all Hungarian bishops
were killed at the Battle of Mohács
(1526) and the Kingdom of Hungary
in general was in disarray. During his time in Buda, Dévay wrote a work denouncing prayer to saints. He also published 52 propositions explaining the Protestant position. Biro convinced members of the Batthyány
and Bocskay families to support the Reformation. The Hungarian Reformation under Biro's leadership came to resemble the position later known as Calvinism
. Hungarian Protestants came to distinguish between their faith, which they called Magyar hit (Hungarian faith), from what they called Nemes hit (German faith) (i.e. Lutheranism
).
Dévay soon left Buda to become minister at Košice
. He was soon arrested by Thomas Szalaházy, bishop of Erlau
, a close adviser to King Ferdinand I of Hungary
. He was imprisoned first at Likavka
, then at Bratislava
, then at Vienna
. He was tried before Johann Faber
, Bishop of Vienna, another close adviser of Ferdinand, and a committed opponent of the Reformation. Biro was released soon after his trial, and returned to Buda where he resumed his work as a reformer. In 1532, he was re-arrested, and remained in prison until 1534.
Upon his release from prison, Dévay came under the protection of Tamás I Nádasdy
. Dévay devoted his time to refuting the works of Gregory Szegedy, a doctor
of the Sorbonne
and provincial superior
of the Franciscans in Hungary , who had written in opposition to the Reformation. Dévay wrote Orthographica Hungarica, the first book published in Hungarian
.
In spite of King Ferdinand's opposition to the Reformation, Dévay supported Ferdinand's claim to the throne as opposed to his rival János Szapolyai, who was supported by the Ottoman Empire
. The civil war between Ferdinand and János Szapolyai ultimately drove Miro from Hungary. He traveled to the court of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
, bearing a letter of introduction from Philipp Melanchthon
. From there, he traveled to Switzerland
, where he adopted the view of the framers of the First Helvetic Confession on the topic of the Lord's Supper
.
After returning to Hungary, Dévay was a zealous advocate of the Reformed position on the Lord's Supper, and denounced the Lutheran position
. In 1544, the ministers of Sárvár complained to Martin Luther
of the doctrine being taught by his former student, and Luther denounced Dévay's position as an abomination that he would fight against.
In Hungary, Dévay settled in Debrecen
under the protection of one of Nádasdy's relatives. During this time, he wrote expositions of the Ten Commandments
, the Lord's Prayer
, the Apostles' Creed
, and the Nicene Creed
in the Hungarian language
for the common man.
Deva, Romania
Deva is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, on the left bank of the Mureș River. It is the capital of Hunedoara County.-Name:...
n.d.; d. Debrecen
Debrecen
Debrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :...
1547), was a Protestant Reformer who has been called the "Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
."
Dévay was born in Deva
Deva, Romania
Deva is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, on the left bank of the Mureș River. It is the capital of Hunedoara County.-Name:...
, Hunyad County, Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
in the late 15th century or early 16th century. (He was called "Dévay" because he was from Deva.) He may have studied with Simon Grynaeus
Simon Grynaeus
Simon Grynaeus , German scholar and theologian of the Reformation, son of Jacob Gryner, a Swabian peasant, was born at Veringendorf, in Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.He adopted the name Grynaeus from the epithet of Apollo in Virgil...
, the first Hungarian proponent of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, at Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
. The University of Cracow listed him as a student there in 1523. After two years of study, he was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
as a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
and monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
Sometime between 1527 and 1529, Dévay became a supporter of the Protestant Reformation, and in 1529, he traveled to the University of Wittenberg to study under Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
. As Luther's student, Dévay lived in Luther's house.
He returned to Buda by 1531, becoming the minister of a Protestant congregation. Protestant ideas were able to flourish in Hungary at this time because there had been a general breakdown in church discipline
Church discipline
Church discipline comes in two types: formative and corrective. Formative discipline, or discipleship, seeks to help form the character and life of the believer. In this sense, every church disciplines it members. Jonathan Leeman has noted that "every church disciplines its members formally...
after virtually all Hungarian bishops
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
were killed at the Battle of Mohács
Battle of Mohács
The Battle of Mohács was fought on August 29, 1526 near Mohács, Hungary. In the battle, forces of the Kingdom of Hungary led by King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia were defeated by forces of the Ottoman Empire led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent....
(1526) and the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
in general was in disarray. During his time in Buda, Dévay wrote a work denouncing prayer to saints. He also published 52 propositions explaining the Protestant position. Biro convinced members of the Batthyány
Batthyány
Batthyány is the name of an old distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. The members of this family bear the title count or countess respectively prince or princess Batthyány von Német-Ujvár...
and Bocskay families to support the Reformation. The Hungarian Reformation under Biro's leadership came to resemble the position later known as Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
. Hungarian Protestants came to distinguish between their faith, which they called Magyar hit (Hungarian faith), from what they called Nemes hit (German faith) (i.e. Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
).
Dévay soon left Buda to become minister at Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
. He was soon arrested by Thomas Szalaházy, bishop of Erlau
Erlau
Erlau is a municipality in the district of Mittelsachsen in Saxony in Germany....
, a close adviser to King Ferdinand I of Hungary
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
. He was imprisoned first at Likavka
Likavka
Likavka is a village and municipality in Ružomberok District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 520 metres and covers an area of 18.261km². It has a population of about 3012 people.-External links:...
, then at Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, then at Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He was tried before Johann Faber
Johann Faber
Johann Faber was a Catholic theologian known for his writings opposing the Protestant Reformation and the growing Anabaptist movement.-Biography:...
, Bishop of Vienna, another close adviser of Ferdinand, and a committed opponent of the Reformation. Biro was released soon after his trial, and returned to Buda where he resumed his work as a reformer. In 1532, he was re-arrested, and remained in prison until 1534.
Upon his release from prison, Dévay came under the protection of Tamás I Nádasdy
Tamas I Nadasdy
Baron Tamás Nádasdy de Nádasd et Fogarasföld , called the Great Palatine , Hungarian statesman, was the son of Ferenc I Nádasdy and was educated at Graz, Bologna and Rome....
. Dévay devoted his time to refuting the works of Gregory Szegedy, a doctor
Doctor (title)
Doctor, as a title, originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb docēre . It has been used as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread...
of the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and provincial superior
Provincial superior
A Provincial Superior is a major superior of a religious order acting under the order's Superior General and exercising a general supervision over all the members of that order in a territorial division of the order called a province--similar to but not to be confused with an ecclesiastical...
of the Franciscans in Hungary , who had written in opposition to the Reformation. Dévay wrote Orthographica Hungarica, the first book published in Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
.
In spite of King Ferdinand's opposition to the Reformation, Dévay supported Ferdinand's claim to the throne as opposed to his rival János Szapolyai, who was supported by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. The civil war between Ferdinand and János Szapolyai ultimately drove Miro from Hungary. He traveled to the court of George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
George, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach
George of Brandenburg-Ansbach was a Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach from the House of Hohenzollern.- Early life :...
, bearing a letter of introduction from Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...
. From there, he traveled to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where he adopted the view of the framers of the First Helvetic Confession on the topic of the Lord's Supper
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
.
After returning to Hungary, Dévay was a zealous advocate of the Reformed position on the Lord's Supper, and denounced the Lutheran position
Consubstantiation
Consubstantiation is a theological doctrine that attempts to describe the nature of the Christian Eucharist in concrete metaphysical terms. It holds that during the sacrament, the fundamental "substance" of the body and blood of Christ are present alongside the substance of the bread and wine,...
. In 1544, the ministers of Sárvár complained to Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
of the doctrine being taught by his former student, and Luther denounced Dévay's position as an abomination that he would fight against.
In Hungary, Dévay settled in Debrecen
Debrecen
Debrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :...
under the protection of one of Nádasdy's relatives. During this time, he wrote expositions of the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
, the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, the Apostles' Creed
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol"...
, and the Nicene Creed
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325.The Nicene Creed has been normative to the...
in the Hungarian language
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
for the common man.