425th anniversary of the first Hungarian Bible
An illustrious ecclesiastical event was commemorated in Vizsoly on Sunday, which is also decisive for the Hungarians as well: 425 years ago, on July 20, 1590, printing of the Bible translated into Hungarian was finished.
In the town in Abaúj, thanksgiving church service was held in the House of Books, then program continued with a festive concert, exhibition and commemoration in the Rákóczi Zsigmond Ground School of the village. Zsolt Levente Kovács, Protestant pastor told MTI: they formulated a gratitude announcement for the jubilee. It also clarifies that 425 years ago, an epochal church historical event took place in the life of Hungarian people; Vizsoly Bible as the first completely Hungarian scripture was born.
The work of Protestant Bible scientist Gáspár Károli has centuries of influence on the piety of the Church, on the mother tongue’s development, the literary work of our “Bible people”; the Hungarian Bible is the Christian base document of personal faith and godly morality – the pastor said, adding: the publishing of the Hungarian Bible greatly contributed to the development of society, the embourgeoisement, the spiritual ascent and the renewal of Hungary.
Zsolt Levente Kovács highlighted: the Protestant and Catholic churches of Vizsoly give thanks by ecumenical collaboration for the Hungarian Bible. At Sunday’s jubilee celebration, he wanted to call the whole Hungarian nation for a common remembrance. Gáspár Károli began the translation of the Bible into Hungarian supported by Zsigmond Rákóczi, Prince of Transylvania and István Dobó, Voivode of Transylvania in 1586. The printing of the Károli Bible began on February 18, 1589 and finished on July 20, 1590, and during this period, 700-800 copies were made. 54 copies have survived by now, 24 of them are located in Hungary.
Vizsoly Bible included among the Hungaricums this January, which meant not only the strengthening of the Hungarian Reformation and the naturalization of book printing, but it also meant the perfection of the literary Hungarian language, its impact on the development of the literary Hungarian language is almost immeasurable. In Vizsoly, there was also a commemoration about that a diploma from 1215 mentioned the name of the settlement 800 years ago for the first time, it was written in the beginning: Vysl, Wysl, Wysol.
Photo: Wikipedia