Szimón Krofey was born in 1545 in the Kashubian village of Dąbie, Gmina Bytów,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. From paternal side he had German (Prussian) blood from his great great grand father who married a Kashubian woman. His father, Wawrzyniec Krofey, was the mayor of Dąbie, and was well enough off to send young Szimón off to the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon language, Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the Ri ...

. In 1579, after finishing his studies, he became pastor of the Lutheran church in

Bytów Bytów (; csb, Bëtowò; formerly german: Bütow ) is a town in the Gdańsk Pomerania region of northern Poland with 16,730 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the capital of Bytów County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. The origins of Bytó ...

. In 1586 and 1588, respectively, Reverend Krofey published two vitally important works in Kashubian, both of which were translations from German intended for Kashubian Lutherans: ''Duchowne piesnie D. Marciná Lutherá y ynßich naboznich męzow. Zniemieckiego w Slawięsky ięzik wilozone Przes Szymana Krofea, sluge slova Bozego w Bytowie''. ("Spiritual Songs of Doctor Martin Luther") and ''Maly katechizm D. Marciná Lutherá Niemiecko-Wándalski ábo Słowięski to jestá z Niemieckiego językáw Słowięski wystáwion'' ("Small Catechism"). In 1896, the songbook was rediscovered in Smoldzino by Franz Tetner; the catechism was republished in 1643 by the Lutheran pastor Michael Brüggemann (also known as Mostnik or Pontanus), "polonised" in 1758, and ultimately "re-Kashubised" by

Florian Ceynowa Florian Ceynowa ( Kashubian ''Florión Cenôwa'') (May 4, 1817 – March 26, 1881) was a doctor, political activist, writer, and linguist. He undertook efforts to identify Kashubian language, culture and traditions. He and Alexander Hilferding were ...

in 1861 as ''Pjnc głovnech wóddzałov evangjelickjeho katechizmu z njemjeckjeho na kaśebsko-słovjenskj jęzek''. Scholarly opinion is divided on whether Reverend Krofey's two books were the first books published in Kashubian, but the dispute hinges strictly on linguistic concerns, not historical. One side holds that Reverend Krofey wrote, as

Józef Borzyszkowski Józef Borzyszkowski (born 6 February 1946, Karsin) is a prolific Polish historian,Marcin Pacyno, "Borowy Młyn. Mieszkańcy żądają zwrotu Piety", 2004-12-21,/ref> professor of history at Gdańsk University, and Kashubian activist, who serve ...

puts it, "in Polish with abundant Kashubianisms." Jerzy Treder and Cezary Obracht-Prondzyński, on the other hand, hold that the works were written in Kashubian and therefore constitute "the origins of Kashubian literature:" These two books are also considered important for an understanding of

Slovincian Slovincian may refer to: * Slovincian language * Slovincians Slovincians, also known as Łeba Kashubians, is a near-extinct ethnic subgroup of the Kashubian people, who originated from the north western Kashubia, located in the Pomeranian Voivodes ...

, along with Brüggemann's reworking of the "Small Catechism" and similar texts published in 1700 by the Lutheran pastor J.M. Sporgius, also of Smoldzino. Reverend Szimón Krofey died in 1590. To honor his undisputed importance in the history of Kashubian literature, the Bytow chapter of the

Kashubian-Pomeranian Association The Kashubian-Pomeranian Association ( Kashubian- Pomeranian: ''Kaszëbskò-Pòmòrsczé Zrzeszenié'', Polish: ''Zrzeszenie Kaszubsko-Pomorskie'') is a regional non-governmental organization of Kashubians ( Pomeranians), Kociewiacy and other p ...

has recently issued a souvenir golden ducat called the "Krofeya."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krofey, Szimon Polish people of Kashubian descent Polish people of German descent Kashubian clergy Kashubian culture Polish Lutheran clergy University of Wittenberg alumni 16th-century Lutheran clergy Protestant Reformers