Juraj Habdelić (17 April or 27 November 1609 – 27 November 1678) was a
Croatia
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, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
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n lexicographer, writer and
Jesuit
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priest.
Born in
Staro Čiče
Staro Čiče is a village in Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map = ...
, his parents were Boldižar Habdelić and Margarita Kraljić. He went to
gymnasium in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, studied
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
in
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
and
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
in
Trnava
Trnava (, german: Tyrnau; hu, Nagyszombat, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a ''kraj'' (Trnava Region) and of an '' okres'' (Trna ...
.
He worked as a teacher in
Rijeka
Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...
,
Varaždin
)
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and
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
where he became the
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of
Jesuit Collegium and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
of
Seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
.
During his rectorship, the gymnasium was attended by
Pavao Ritter Vitezović
Pavao Ritter Vitezović (; 7 January 1652 – 20 January 1713) was a Habsburg-Croatian polymath, variously described as a historian, linguist, publisher, poet, political theorist, diplomat, printmaker, draughtsman, cartographer, writer and print ...
who will, in his own way, continue the Habdelić's
linguistic
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
work, but on different foundations than those taught by the Jesuit gymnasium.
Although Habdelić's
prose
Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...
does not really fit the modern definition of
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
, his work is nevertheless powerful and fresh, especially in richness of the language he uses. His are the works of
moral-
didactic
Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to ...
issues, the first of which was ''Zrcalo Marijansko'' (''Mirror of Saint Mary'') published in Graz in 1662.
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
morals is the main theme of Habdelić's literary work, but because a man is prone in violating these strict Christian norms and easily gives himself to sin, this is Habdelić's main literary preoccupation. His book intended for public uses, ''Prvi otca našeg Adama greh'' (''First sin of our father Adam''), published by
Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
, had 1200 pages, and is a picture of man's fall and his tendency to sin. What is especially important is the ability of Habdelić to analyze through that main theme all parts of society: nobles, citizens, peasants, and he doesn't spare the clergy either.
Writing about the actual events in
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
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at that time (
Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy
The Magnate conspiracy, also known as the Zrinski-Frankopan Conspiracy ( hr, Zrinsko-frankopanska urota) in Croatia, and Wesselényi conspiracy ( hu, Wesselényi-összeesküvés) in Hungary, was a 17th-century attempt to throw off Habsburg mon ...
or
Croatian and Slovenian peasant revolt led by
Matija Gubec
Matija Gubec (, hu, Gubecz Máté) ( 1548 – 15 February 1573), with his real name Ambroz Gubec (or ''Gobec''), was a Croatian / Slovenian (nationality still disputed) revolutionary, best known as the leader of the Croatian–Slovene Peasant Re ...
) he reveals himself as an upholder of the existing order. He considers the peasant rebellion as "volatility of the common people" and their tendency to chaotic behaviour, and the conspiracy as "arrogance of grand nobility".
Habdelić wrote in
Kajkavian dialect
Kajkavian (Kajkavian noun: ''kajkavščina''; Shtokavian adjective: ''kajkavski'' , noun: ''kajkavica'' or ''kajkavština'' ) is a South Slavic regiolect or language spoken primarily by Croats in much of Central Croatia, Gorski Kotar and nort ...
and showed himself as an expert in the speech of
commoners
A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...
.
At the same time he was opponent of common, profane things in which he also included folk songs, instructing his readers to discard "shameful, ungodly and impure songs".
With his work ''Dictionar ili reči slovenske'' (''Dictionary or Slavic words'') from 1670, he takes prominent, although layman, place in history of Croatian literature and linguistics. Namely, being without any special linguistic knowledge and writing for school papers he wrote
Croatian-
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
dictionary
A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies ...
. His total work is a mirror of Christian devotion with numerous examples from Jesuit and other religious literature but also a
panoramic picture of Croatia in his time.
He died in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Habdelic, Juraj
1609 births
1678 deaths
Croatian lexicographers
Croatian writers
Linguists from Croatia
Croatian Jesuits
University of Graz alumni
Baroque writers