Daniel Adam z Veleslavína (literally translated ''Daniel Adam of Veleslavín''; 31 August 1546 – 18 October 1599), was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoretica ...

, publisher, translator, and writer. (''Veleslavína'' is the genitive declension of

Veleslavín Veleslavín (, german: Weleslawin) is a district of Prague, part of Prague 6, situated in the west of the city approximately 5 km from Ruzyně International Airport. It was probably founded in the 10th or 11th century, first recorded in reco ...

, a district of today's Greater Prague) Adam Veleslavín studied at the University of Prague, and from 1569 to 1576 he was professor there. When he married the daughter of the publisher Jiří Melantrich z Aventina (1511–1580), he was forced to leave the university (professors were required to keep celibacy). He started working at the print press and later took it over. He and his collaborators translated and published many historical, religious, and scientific books. Adam himself wrote only one book, the ''Kalendář historický'' (''Historical Calendar,'' 1578 and 1590, an overview of

European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD 500), the Middle Ages (AD 500 to AD 1500), and the modern era (since AD 1500). The first early ...

). Adam was a secret member of the Unity of the Brethren. His work of most impact was publishing a Czech translation of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

– the '' Bible kralická'' (six volumes, between 1579 and 1594). The language used in the translation was considered the best literary language in the

Czech lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Together the three have formed the Czech part of Czechoslovakia since 1918, the Czech Socialist Republic since ...

and in the area of today's

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

(the so-called '' bibličtina'', Bible language).

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Biography
(in Czech) 1546 births 1599 deaths 16th-century Bohemian people 16th-century publishers (people) 16th-century writers Writers from Prague Czech publishers (people) Czech male writers Czech philosophers Czech translators Translators to Czech Academic staff of Charles University Charles University alumni Czech lexicographers Philosophers from the Holy Roman Empire {{CzechRepublic-writer-stub

See also

External links