Vizsoly Bible
Encyclopedia
The Vizsoly Bible, also called Károli Bible was the first Bible
printed in the Hungarian language
. It was translated in the 16th century by pastor Gáspár Károli
and fellow Calvinists and was printed in 1590 by Bálint Mantskovit. A copy is kept on permanent display in the Hungarian village of Vizsoly
.
, began working on the translation in 1586 and finished it three years later. Since it would have been impossible for one person to translate the complete Bible in such a short time, others must have worked on it too; examination of the vocabulary and phrases used suggests that at least four people worked on it but the New Testament
was translated by Károli in its entirety.
Printing began on February 28, 1589 by Bálint Mantskovit who moved his press from Galgóc to Vizsoly. He imported type from the Netherlands and paper from Poland. Mantskovit was of Polish origin, and in a note he asks the reader to overlook the errors he possibly left in the text. When printing began, the full translation was not ready yet, so Károli's manuscripts were taken page by page to Mantskovit by students at Gönc, among them Albert Szenczi Molnár.
On March 3, 1589 Archduke Ernest and the royal secretary Faustus Verantius accused Manstkovit of printing calendars and other forbidden books, and asked for the press to be confiscated. On March 36, Zsigmond Rákóczi, the future Prince of Transylvania, to whose estate Vizsoly belonged, denied the accusations and asked to be allowed to finish the printing of the Bible. Thanks to Rákóczi and other powerful nobles supporting the cause, the printing was finished on July 20, 1590. Around 700–800 copies of the book were printed during this time.
, Santes Pagninus and Immanuel Tremellius
; he also used the Hebrew and Greek texts. It is not clear to what extent he utilized earlier, incomplete Hungarian translations; he does refer to those of Gáspár Heltai
and Péter Melius Juhász
, and he used the translation of Psalm 74 by István Székely.
The book has 2,412 pages and weighs about 6 kg. It consists of three volumes. The first volume, with the coat of arms of Hungary on its cover, includes the first 28 books of the Old Testament
, with a table of contents and a lengthy foreword by Károli addressed to “the lords and heroic nobles, God-fearing communities, preachers in Hungary and in Transylvania” and is dated January 1, 1589. The second volume includes the remaining books of the Old Testament, while the third volume is the “New Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ”, including a large folded-in page with Jesus's genealogy.
Károli also included short summaries and commentaries before each chapter, explaining some of the verses with parallels to situations that were well-known in the period. For example, to the Take off your sandals! part he added the following commentary: “Just like the Turks are known to take off their boots when entering their churches; it is done as a sign of respect for the place” – aspects of Islamic culture were well-known in Hungary during the Ottoman wars in Europe
, when the borders of the Ottoman Empire
reached as far as Abaúj County.
Károli was aware that the translation was not without errors, as he wrote in the foreword:
He asks all Christian readers not to scold him for his errors, but to pinpoint them to him, so that he can correct them. His death shortly after the first publication prevented him from revising his translation. In 1608 a former student, Albert Szenczi Molnár, published a revised edition known as the Hanau Bible.
Only 51 copies of the Vizsoly Bible exist today. Károli himself possessed twenty of them at the time of his death. Twenty of the fifty-one surviving copies are in Hungary, fourteen are in Romania
(Transylvania), thirteen in Slovakia, two in the Czech Republic
, one in Austria
and one in Denmark
.
Original Vizsoly Bibles reach a high price at auction. On November 28, 2003 an almost intact copy was sold at a Budapest auction for 12 million forints (53,571 USD), although experts assessed its value at 25–30 million forints; on another auction in London it reached that price in 2001. In May 2008 an Old Testament in good condition was auctioned for 2,2 million forints. In 1981, 28,000 copies of the Bible were reprinted.
A copy has been exhibited in the church of Vizsoly since October 31, 1940. After several pages had been stolen, the book was then secured in a glass display case. On February 10, 2002 it was stolen again, and found in September 2003 in a neglected building in Komarno
, Slovakia
. It is occasionally lent for exhibitions and was on display in the House of Tokay Wines in Tokaj
between August 13 and September 3, 2008.
Hungary
Romania
Slovakia
Other
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...
printed 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....
. It was translated in the 16th century by pastor Gáspár Károli
Gáspár Károli
Gáspár Károli was a Hungarian Calvinist pastor.Károli started his school in Nagykároly and finished in Brassó. In 1556 he went to the Wittenberg Academy. In 1566 he ordered the Synod of Gönc....
and fellow Calvinists and was printed in 1590 by Bálint Mantskovit. A copy is kept on permanent display in the Hungarian village of Vizsoly
Vizsoly
Vizsoly is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary.-Sights to see:A copy of the Károli Bible, the first complete Hungarian translation of the Bible is exhibited in the Reformed church of the village.The church was built in the 13th century...
.
History
Gáspár Károli, Calvinist pastor in the town of GöncGönc
Gönc is a small town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, 70 kilometers from county capital Miskolc. It is the northernmost town of Hungary and the second smallest town of the county.- History :...
, began working on the translation in 1586 and finished it three years later. Since it would have been impossible for one person to translate the complete Bible in such a short time, others must have worked on it too; examination of the vocabulary and phrases used suggests that at least four people worked on it but the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
was translated by Károli in its entirety.
Printing began on February 28, 1589 by Bálint Mantskovit who moved his press from Galgóc to Vizsoly. He imported type from the Netherlands and paper from Poland. Mantskovit was of Polish origin, and in a note he asks the reader to overlook the errors he possibly left in the text. When printing began, the full translation was not ready yet, so Károli's manuscripts were taken page by page to Mantskovit by students at Gönc, among them Albert Szenczi Molnár.
On March 3, 1589 Archduke Ernest and the royal secretary Faustus Verantius accused Manstkovit of printing calendars and other forbidden books, and asked for the press to be confiscated. On March 36, Zsigmond Rákóczi, the future Prince of Transylvania, to whose estate Vizsoly belonged, denied the accusations and asked to be allowed to finish the printing of the Bible. Thanks to Rákóczi and other powerful nobles supporting the cause, the printing was finished on July 20, 1590. Around 700–800 copies of the book were printed during this time.
The book
Károli names his sources in the foreword: the Vulgata, the Septuaginta, translations and commentaries by Franciscus Vatablus, Sebastian MünsterSebastian Münster
Sebastian Münster , was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and a Hebrew scholar.- Life :Münster was born at Ingelheim near Mainz, the son of Andreas Munster. He completed his studies at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen in 1518. His graduate adviser was Johannes Stöffler.He was appointed to...
, Santes Pagninus and Immanuel Tremellius
Immanuel Tremellius
Immanuel Tremellius was an Italian Jewish convert to Christianity. He was known as a leading Hebraist and Bible translator.- Life :He was born at Ferrara, and educated at the University of Padua...
; he also used the Hebrew and Greek texts. It is not clear to what extent he utilized earlier, incomplete Hungarian translations; he does refer to those of Gáspár Heltai
Gáspár Heltai
Gáspár Heltai was a Transylvanian Saxon writer and printer of Saxon descent. His name possibly derives from the village Heltau...
and Péter Melius Juhász
Péter Melius Juhász
Péter Melius Juhász was a bishop of the Calvinist Reformed Church in Transylvania. He famously debated with Ferenc David in a series of synods resulting in the Brief Confession of Pastors at Debreczen , the Confession of Kassa , and the Váraddisputation - held at "Várad", modern Nagyvárad , not...
, and he used the translation of Psalm 74 by István Székely.
The book has 2,412 pages and weighs about 6 kg. It consists of three volumes. The first volume, with the coat of arms of Hungary on its cover, includes the first 28 books of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, with a table of contents and a lengthy foreword by Károli addressed to “the lords and heroic nobles, God-fearing communities, preachers in Hungary and in Transylvania” and is dated January 1, 1589. The second volume includes the remaining books of the Old Testament, while the third volume is the “New Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ”, including a large folded-in page with Jesus's genealogy.
Károli also included short summaries and commentaries before each chapter, explaining some of the verses with parallels to situations that were well-known in the period. For example, to the Take off your sandals! part he added the following commentary: “Just like the Turks are known to take off their boots when entering their churches; it is done as a sign of respect for the place” – aspects of Islamic culture were well-known in Hungary during the Ottoman wars in Europe
Ottoman wars in Europe
The wars of the Ottoman Empire in Europe are also sometimes referred to as the Ottoman Wars or as Turkish Wars, particularly in older, European texts.- Rise :...
, when the borders of 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...
reached as far as Abaúj County.
Károli was aware that the translation was not without errors, as he wrote in the foreword:
He asks all Christian readers not to scold him for his errors, but to pinpoint them to him, so that he can correct them. His death shortly after the first publication prevented him from revising his translation. In 1608 a former student, Albert Szenczi Molnár, published a revised edition known as the Hanau Bible.
The Bibles today
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
(Transylvania), thirteen in Slovakia, two in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, one in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and one in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Original Vizsoly Bibles reach a high price at auction. On November 28, 2003 an almost intact copy was sold at a Budapest auction for 12 million forints (53,571 USD), although experts assessed its value at 25–30 million forints; on another auction in London it reached that price in 2001. In May 2008 an Old Testament in good condition was auctioned for 2,2 million forints. In 1981, 28,000 copies of the Bible were reprinted.
A copy has been exhibited in the church of Vizsoly since October 31, 1940. After several pages had been stolen, the book was then secured in a glass display case. On February 10, 2002 it was stolen again, and found in September 2003 in a neglected building in Komarno
Komarno
Komarno is a city located in the Horodok Raion of the Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine. It has 4,000 inhabitants. It was founded in 1324. In the center of town is an old Polish Kostel , as well as an old wooden Orthodox church complete with ancient icons...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. It is occasionally lent for exhibitions and was on display in the House of Tokay Wines in Tokaj
Tokaj
Tokaj , is a historical town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, 54 kilometers from county capital Miskolc. It is the centre of the famous Tokaj-Hegyalja wine district where the world famous Tokaji wine is produced.- History :...
between August 13 and September 3, 2008.
Location of the Bibles
A list of libraries and institutions owning a Vizsoly Bible. Several of them can be viewed at request.Hungary
- BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, National Széchényi LibraryNational Széchényi LibraryThe National Széchényi Library is a library in Budapest, Hungary. It is one of the two Hungarian national libraries, the other being the University of Debrecen Library.-History:...
(3 copies) - Budapest, Library of the Hungarian Academy of SciencesHungarian Academy of SciencesThe Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
(4; three of them has about 10% of the book missing, while one is a fragment with less than 50% intact) - Budapest, Library of ELTEElteElte can refer to the following:* Elte, North Rhine-Westphalia, former township now integrated into Rheine, Germany.* Eötvös Loránd University, a University in Budapest.* Harry Elte, Dutch architect.* E. L. Elte, Dutch mathematician...
(1) - DebrecenDebrecenDebrecen , 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 :...
, Library of Tiszántúl Protestant Diocese (2, a third one illegally sold in the 1950s) - Debrecen, University and National Library (1, incomplete, transferred from the Széchényi National Library in 1956)
- KalocsaKalocsaKalocsa is a town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary. It lies 88 miles south of Budapest. It is situated in a marshy but highly productive district, near the left bank of the Danube River. Historically it had greater political and economic importance than at present.Kalocsa is the Episcopal see...
, Library of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa (1, Old Testament only) - KecskemétKecskemétKecskemét is a city in the central part of Hungary. It is the 8th largest city of the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun.Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's third-largest city, Szeged, 86 kilometres from both of them and almost equal distance from the two...
, Library of the Diocese of Kecskemét (1) - MiskolcMiskolcMiskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 170,000 Miskolc is the fourth largest city of Hungary It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.- Geography :Miskolc is located...
, Minorite monastic quarters - SárospatakSárospatak----Sárospatak is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, northern Hungary. It lies northeast from Miskolc, in the Bodrog river valley. The town, often called simply Patak, is an important cultural centre.- History :The area has been inhabited since ancient times...
, Library of the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Collection - Sárospatak, Library of the Protestant College
- SopronSopronIn 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...
, Archives of the Lutheran Church - SzegedSzeged' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
- VizsolyVizsolyVizsoly is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary.-Sights to see:A copy of the Károli Bible, the first complete Hungarian translation of the Bible is exhibited in the Reformed church of the village.The church was built in the 13th century...
, Protestant church (1)
Romania
- Alba IuliaAlba IuliaAlba Iulia is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 66,747, located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania...
(2) - Cluj-NapocaCluj-NapocaCluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, Academy Library - Cluj-Napoca, University Library
- Sighetu MarmaţieiSighetu MarmatieiSighetu Marmației , formerly Sighet, is a city in Maramureş County near the Iza River, in north-western Romania. It administers five villages: Iapa, Lazu Baciului, Șugău, Valea Cufundoasă and Valea Hotarului.-Geography:...
- Târgu Mureş
Slovakia
- BratislavaBratislavaBratislava 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...
, Ústredná knižnica Slovenskej akadémie vied (1, Old Testament only) - Bratislava, academy
- Bratislava, university
- JasovJasovJasov is a small town and municipality in Košice-okolie District in the Kosice Region of eastern Slovakia.-St.John The Baptist Church:This is the biggest monastery complex in Slovakia and the , which forms its centrepiece, is considered one of the country's most important late-Baroque...
- KosiceKošiceKošice 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...
, Štátna vedecká knižnica (2, the authenticity of one of them is debated) - OponiceOponiceOponice is a municipality with 932 inhabitants in the Topoľčany District of the Nitra Region, Slovakia....
- PrešovPrešovPrešov Historically, the city has been known in German as Eperies , Eperjes in Hungarian, Fragopolis in Latin, Preszów in Polish, Peryeshis in Romany, Пряшев in Russian and Пряшів in Rusyn and Ukrainian.-Characteristics:The city is a showcase of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic...
- RožňavaRožnavaRožňava is a town in Slovakia, approximately 71 km by road from Košice in the Košice Region, and has a population of 19,120.The town is an economic and tourist center of the Gemer. Rožňava is now a popular tourist attraction with a beautiful historic town centre. The town is an episcopal seat...
- SabinovSabinovSabinov is a small town located in the Prešov Region , approximately 20 km from Prešov and 55 km from Košice. The population of Sabinov is 12,378.- History :...
- TopoľčiankyTopolciankyTopoľčianky is a village and municipality in Zlaté Moravce District of the Nitra Region, in western-central Slovakia.-Tourisme:Topol´čienky is unique for its European Bison Reserve. By the 1930s only a handful of wisents remained, in Poland...
Other
- Olmütz (2)
- ViennaViennaVienna 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...
(1) - CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
(1)