![Przeklady biblijne - Czeslaw Milosz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Przeklady_biblijne_-_Czeslaw_Milosz.jpg)
The earliest
Bible translations
The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. all of the Bible has been translated into 724 languages, the New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,617 languages, a ...
into
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
date to the 13th century. The first full ones were completed in the 16th.
Background
The history of translation of books of the Bible into
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
begins with the
Psalter. The earliest recorded translations date to the 13th century, around 1280; however, none of these survive.
[ ks. prof. dr Jan Szerud]
Geneza i charakter Biblii Gdańskiej
/ref> The oldest surviving Polish translation of the Bible is the St. Florian's Psalter (''Psałterz floriański''), assumed to be a copy of that translation, itself a manuscript of the second half of the 14th century, in the abbey of Saint Florian
Florian ( la, Florianus; 250 – 304 AD) was a Christian holy man, and the patron saint of Linz, Austria; chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighters. His feast day is 4 May. Florian is also the patron saint of Upper Austria, jointly with Le ...
, near Linz
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital ...
, in Latin, Polish and German.[Bernard Wodecki, ''Polish Translations of Bible'', in ]
A critical edition of the Polish part of the St. Florian's Psalter was published by Wladysław Nehring (''Psalterii Florianensis pars Polonica'', Poznań, 1883) with a very instructive introduction.
Slightly more recent than the St. Florian's Psalter is the Puławy Psalter (now in Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
) dating from the end of the 15th century (published in facsimile, Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
, 1880).
There were also a 16th-century translation of the New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
, and more fragmentary translations, none of which have been preserved in their full form to the present.[
In the mid-15th century, an incomplete Bible, the " Queen Sophia's Bible" (''Biblia królowej Zofii'', named after Sophia of Halshany, for whom it was intended, dating to before 1455), contains Genesis, Joshua, Ruth, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, II (III) Esdras, Tobit, and Judith.]
With the Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, translation activity increased as the different confessions endeavored to supply their adherents with texts of the Bible. An effort to secure a Polish-language Bible for Lutherans
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...
was made by Duke Albert of Prussia
Albert of Prussia (german: Albrecht von Preussen; 17 May 149020 March 1568) was a German prince who was the 37th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, who after converting to Lutheranism, became the first ruler of the Duchy of Prussia, the s ...
in a letter directed in his name to Melanchthon.
List of translations
Brest Bible (1563)
The Brest Bible, the first complete Bible in Polish, was commissioned by Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł and printed in 1563 in Brest-Litovsk.[Various authors, ed. Marek Derwich and Adam Żurek, ''Monarchia Jagiellonów, 1399–1586'' (The Jagiellon Monarchy: 1399–1586), p. 131-132, Urszula Augustyniak. Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie, Wrocław 2003, .][''Polskie przekłady Biblii'' (Polish translations of the Bible) from Biblia, biblijna.strona.pl web site]
Jan Seklucjan (1510–1578), preacher at Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...
, was commissioned to prepare a translation, and he published the New Testament at Königsberg in 1551 and 1552.[ The Polish Reformed ( Calvinists) received the Bible through Prince Nicholas Radziwill (1515–65).][ A company of Polish and foreign theologians and scholars undertook the task, and, after six years' labor at the "Sarmatian Athens" at ]Pińczów
Pińczów is a town in southern Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about 40 km south of Kielce. It is the capital of Pińczów County. Population is 12,304 (2005). Pińczów belongs to the historic Polish province of Lesser Poland, a ...
, not far from Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
, finished the translation of the Bible which was published at the expense of Radziwill in Brest-Litovsk, 1563 (hence called the Brest Bible ''Biblia Brzeska''). The translators state that for the Old Testament they consulted besides the Hebrew text the ancient versions and different modern Latin ones.
Socinian versions
Two years after the Brest Bible was completed the Calvinist and Radical wings of the Reformed church split in 1565, and the Bible was suspect to both groups: The Calvinist ''Ecclesia Major'' suspected it of Arian interpretations; the Radical ''Ecclesia Minor'' complained that it was not accurate enough. Symon Budny
Szymon Budny or Symon Budny ( be, Сымон Будны, pl, Szymon Budny, russian: Симеон Будный; c.1533, Budne – 13 January 1593, Vishnyeva) was a Polish- Belarusian humanist, educator, Hebraist, Bible translator, Protestant ...
, a Belarusian of the Judaizing wing of the ''Ecclesia Minor'' especially charged against the Brest Bible that it was not prepared according to the original texts, but after the Vulgate and other modern versions, and that the translators cared more for elegant Polish than for a faithful rendering. He undertook a new rendering, and his translation ("made anew from the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin into the Polish") was printed in 1572 at Nesvizh
Nesvizh, Niasviž ( be, Нясві́ж ; lt, Nesvyžius; pl, Nieśwież; russian: Не́свиж; yi, ניעסוויז; la, Nesvisium) is a city in Belarus. It is the administrative centre of the Nyasvizh District (''rajon'') of Minsk Region ...
. As changes were introduced in the printing which were not approved by Budny, he disclaimed the New Testament and published another edition (1574) Zasłaŭje
Zaslawye or Zaslaŭje ( be, Засла́ўе, ; russian: Засла́вль; pl, Zasław; lt, Zaslavlis) is a historical town in the Minsk Region of Belarus, 20 kilometres northwest of Minsk. In 2009 its population was 14,400.
History
Accordin ...
, and then finally a third edition (1589) where he withdrew some of his Judaizing and Talmudic readings. The charges which he made against the Brest Bible were also made against his own, and Budny's former colleague Marcin Czechowic Martin Czechowic (or ''Marcin Czechowic'') (c.1532–1613) was a Polish Socinian (Unitarian) minister, Protestant reformer, theologian and writer.
Life
Born in Zbąszyń on the German border, Czechowic received a humanistic education in Pozn ...
of Lublin - who was concerned with Budny's preference for Hebrew over Greek sources - published the Polish Brethren
The Polish Brethren (Polish: ''Bracia Polscy'') were members of the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, a Nontrinitarian Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658. By those on the outside, they were called " Arians" or " Socinians" ( ...
's own edition of the New Testament (Cracow, 1577). The interesting preface states that Czechowic endeavored to make an accurate translation, but did not suppress his Socinian ideas; e.g., he used "immersion" instead of "baptism." A further truly Socinian
Socinianism () is a nontrinitarian belief system deemed heretical by the Catholic Church and other Christian traditions. Named after the Italian theologians Lelio Sozzini (Latin: Laelius Socinus) and Fausto Sozzini (Latin: Faustus Socinus), uncle ...
Racovian New Testament
The Racovian New Testament refers to two separate translations produced by the Unitarian Polish Brethren at the printing presses of the Racovian Academy, Raków, Poland.
Enyedi's "Preface to the Racovian New Testament"
Christopher Sandius in his ...
was published by Valentinus Smalcius, a pupil of Fausto Sozzini
Fausto Paolo Sozzini, also known as Faustus Socinus ( pl, Faust Socyn; 5 December 1539 – 4 March 1604), was an Italian theologian and, alongside his uncle Lelio Sozzini, founder of the Non-trinitarian Christian belief system known as Socinian ...
(Racovian Academy
The Racovian Academy ('' la, Gymnasium Bonarum Artium'') was a Socinian school operated from 1602 to 1638 by the Polish Brethren in Raków, Sandomierz Voivodeship of Lesser Poland.
The communitarian Arian settlement of Raków was founded in 1569 ...
, 1606).
Gdańsk Bible (1632)
The Brest Bible was superseded by the so-called Gdańsk Bible, which finally became the Bible of all Evangelical Poles.[ At the synod in Ożarowice, 1600, a new edition of the Bible was proposed and the work was given to the Reformed minister Martin Janicki, who had already translated the Bible from the original texts.][ In 1603 the printing of this translation was decided upon, after the work had been carefully revised. The work of revision was entrusted to men of the Reformed and Lutheran confessions and members of the ]Moravian Church
, image = AgnusDeiWindow.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, caption = Church emblem featuring the Agnus Dei.Stained glass at the Rights Chapel of Trinity Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
, main_classification = Proto-Prot ...
(1604), especially to Daniel Mikołajewski (died 1633), superintendent of the Reformed churches in Great Poland
Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city ...
, and Jan Turnowski, senior of the Moravian Church in Great Poland (died 1629).[
After it had been compared with the Janicki translation, the Brest, the Bohemian, Pagnini's Latin, and the Vulgate, the new rendering was ordered printed.][ The Janicki translation as such has not been printed, and it is difficult to state how much of it is contained in the new Bible.][ The New Testament was first published at Gdańsk, 1606, and very often during the 16th and 17th centuries. The complete Bible was issued in 1632, and often since.][ The Gdańsk Bible differs so much from that of Brest that it may be regarded as a new translation. It is erroneously called also the Bible of Pavel Paliurus (1569–1632) (a Moravian, senior of the Evangelical Churches in Great Poland, d. 1632); but he had no part in the work.
]
Jakub Wujek's Bible (1599)
For the Roman Catholics the Bible was translated from the Vulgate by Jan Nicz of Lwów (Jan Leopolita, hence the ''Biblia Leopolity'') Kraków, 1561, 1574, and 1577. This Bible was superseded by the new translation of the Jesuit Jakub Wujek
Jakub Wujek (1541 – 27 April 1597, son of Maciej Wujek) was a Polish Jesuit, religious writer, Doctor of Theology, Vice-Chancellor of the Vilnius Academy and translator of the Bible into Polish.
He is well-known for his translation of the Bi ...
(c.1540 - Kraków 1593) that became known as the Jakub Wujek Bible. Wujek criticized the Leopolita and non-Catholic Bible versions and spoke very favorably of the Polish of the Brest Bible, but asserted that it was full of heresies and of errors in translation. The first copies of Wujek's New Testament appeared in 1593 - containing Wujek's "teachings and warnings" regarding the Protestant versions. Czechowic went into print with a booklet accusing Wujek of plagiarism and following the Latin over the Greek. With the approbation of the Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
the New Testament was first published at Kraków, 1593, and the Old Testament in 1599, after Wujek's death. This Bible ('' Biblia Wujka'') has often been reprinted. Wujek's translation follows, in the main, the Vulgate.
Modern versions
Today the official and most popular Bible in Poland is the Millennium Bible (''Biblia Tysiąclecia'') first published in 1965. Other popular Catholic translations include the Poznań Bible (''Biblia Poznańska'', 1975) and Biblia Warszawsko-Praska (1997).
Polish Protestants had been widely using the Gdańsk Bible (''Biblia Gdańska''), until they prepared their modern translation: Warsaw Bible (''Biblia Warszawska'') in 1975.
Jehovah's Witnesses have translated their New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is a translation of the Bible published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; it is used and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. The New Testament portion was released first, in 1950, ...
into Polish, as ''Przekład Nowego Świata'' (New Testament: 1994, Bible: 1997).
The Millennium Bible (''Biblia Tysiąclecia''), was published in 1965 for the millennium
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
of the 966 C.E. Baptism of Poland
The Christianization of Poland ( pl, chrystianizacja Polski) refers to the introduction and subsequent spread of Christianity in Poland. The impetus to the process was the Baptism of Poland ( pl, chrzest Polski), the personal baptism of Mieszk ...
, the traditional date of Poland's statehood.
In 2009, a grammatical update of the Gdańsk Bible New Testament, ''Uwspółcześniona Biblia Gdańska'' (UBG), containing cross references was published by the Foundation Wrota Nadziei in Toruń
)''
, image_skyline =
, image_caption =
, image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg
, image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg
, nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town
, pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...
. The translation and modernization of archaisms found in the old Gdańsk Bible was done by a team of born-again
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sep ...
Polish and American Christians.Fundacja Wrota Nadziei
/ref>
Text examples
References
{{reflist
External links
Bible translations into Polish
Polish literature