István Küzmics (also known in
Slovene as Štefan or Števan Küzmič, c.1723 – December 22, 1779) was the most important
Lutheran
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 ...
writer of the
Slovenes in Hungary.
He was born at
Strukovci, in the
Prekmurje region of what was then
Vas County, in the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...
(now in
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
). His father György Küzmics (1703–1769) was a tailor. From 1733 to 1747 he went to school in
Sopron and in
Győr
Győr ( , ; german: Raab, links=no; names in other languages) is the main city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron County and Western Transdanubia region, and – halfway between Budapest and Vienna – situated on one of ...
, and studied at the
lyceum in Pozsony (now
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...
). He later became a pastor and teacher in the
Slovene-speaking towns of
Nemescsó (1751–1755) and
Surd (1755–1779), in what is now
Zala County, but was then part of
Somogy, an area where many Slovene families settled in the 17th and 18th centuries. He also wrote
catechism
A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adul ...
s and schoolbooks, and he translated 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 Chris ...
into
Prekmurje Slovene
Prekmurje Slovene, also known as the Prekmurje dialect, East Slovene, or Wendish ( sl, prekmurščina, prekmursko narečje, hu, vend nyelv, muravidéki nyelv, Prekmurje dialect: ''prekmürski jezik, prekmürščina, prekmörščina, prekmör ...
. The translated text, ''
Nouvi zakon ali testamentom'', was published in the German town of
Halle Halle may refer to:
Places Germany
* Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt
** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt
** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany
** Hal ...
in 1771. He died at Surd.
Works
* ''Male szlovenszki katekizmus'', 1752 (Little Slovene Catechism)
* ''ABC kni'snicza'', 1753 (Primer)
* ''Vöre Krsztsanske krátki Návuk csiszte rejcsi Bo'ze vözebráni i na nyou'', 1754 (Brief Doctrine of the Christian Religion)
* ''
Nouvi Zákon ali Testamentom Gospodna nasega Jezusa Krisztusa zdaj oprvics zGrcskoga na sztári szlovenszki jezik obrnyeni po Stevan Küzmicsi Surdanszkom. F.'', 1771 (New Testament)
See also
*
Slovenes in Somogy
*
Hungarian Slovenes
*
Prekmurje
*
Mihály Bakos
*
List of Slovene writers and poets in Hungary
*
Primož Trubar
Primož Trubar or Primus Truber () (1508 – 28 June 1586) was a Slovene Protestant Reformer of the Lutheran tradition, mostly known as the author of the first Slovene language printed book, the founder and the first superintendent of the Prot ...
References
* Mária Mukics: ''Changing World – The Hungarian Slovenes'' (''Változó Világ'' – ''A magyarországi szlovének'') Press Publica ISSN 1219-5235
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuzmics Istvan
Slovenian writers and poets in Hungary
Hungarian translators
Slovenian Lutheran clergy
Hungarian Lutheran clergy
1723 births
1779 deaths
People from the Municipality of Puconci
18th-century translators