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The ''Simple Words of Catechism'' () by Martynas Mažvydas is the first printed book in the
Lithuanian language Lithuanian (, ) is an East Baltic languages, East Baltic language belonging to the Baltic languages, Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the language of Lithuanians and the official language of Lithuania as well as one of t ...
. It was printed on 8 January 1547 by Hans Weinreich in
Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
. The 79-page book followed the teachings of
Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
, but reflects both religious and secular needs. The book included the first Lithuanian-language poem, primer with alphabet, basic
catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...
, and 11 religious
hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
s with
sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...
. The book was written in the
Samogitian dialect Samogitian ( or sometimes , or ; ), is an Eastern Baltic language spoken primarily in Samogitia and is often considered a dialect of Lithuanian. It has preserved many features of the extinct Curonian language, such as specific phonologica ...
and printed in Gothic (
schwabacher The German language, German word Schwabacher (pronounced ) refers to a specific style of blackletter typefaces which evolved from Gothic Blackletter#Textualis, Textualis (''Textura'') under the influence of Humanist minuscule, Humanist type desi ...
) font; the Latin dedication and preface are printed in Latin font ( antiqua).


History

There is no direct evidence, but initiators of the book were most likely Abraomas Kulvietis and Stanislovas Rapalionis, professors of the Königsberg University, who witnessed the publications of the first Lutheran books in the Polish and Prussian languages. The cost of the publication was defrayed from the treasury of the grand Duke. The Catechism had a circulation of 200–300, but not all copies were actually used. This happened due to objective reasons. Firstly, there were few
parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
, which means less demand; secondly,
Luther's Small Catechism Luther's Small Catechism () is a catechism written by Martin Luther and published in 1529 for the training of children. Luther's Small Catechism reviews the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Sacrament of Holy Bapti ...
, which was translated into Lithuanian by Baltramiejus Vilentas and satisfied Church's needs better, came out shortly after. Only two copies of the Catechism survived: one is held by the
Vilnius University Library Vilnius University Library or VU Library (also ''VUL'') is the oldest and one of the largest academic libraries of Lithuania. It was founded in 1570 by the Jesuits and as such is nine years older than Vilnius University. VU Library holds 5.4 mil ...
, and the other by the Nicolaus Copernicus University Library in
Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
.


Authorship

The book does not mention its author or editor. Still, the book was considered the work of Martynas Mažvydas since the 16th century, based on a mention by Baltramiejus Vilentas. Any doubts were dispelled when in 1938, Polish linguist
Jan Safarewicz Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Nu ...
discovered an
acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...
in the Lithuanian preface of the Catechism. When reading the initial letters of lines 3–19 of the preface, it spells out ''MARTJNVS MASVJDJVS'', or the name Martynas Mažvydas in Latin. About two-thirds of the text in the book was written by Mažvydas. Other authors probably include Abraomas Kulvietis, Stanislovas Rapalionis, Jurgis Zablockis, and possibly rector Friedrich Staphylus. Martynas Mažvydas followed examples set by other authors. Besides the catechisms of Germans Georg Sauermann ( 1492–1527) and Jodocus Willich, and Polish Jan Malecki-Sandecki, the booklet was mainly written by referencing to the catechisms and hymnals of Jan Seklucjan, who at that time worked in Königsberg.


Contents

The book content can be divided into eight parts: #Title page is decorated with a
vignette Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...
in the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
style, which encloses the title of the book. It is the only illustration in the book and, looking from the artistic point of view, the book is humble. The full title is as follows: #* Original Lithuanian: ''Catechismvsa prasty Szadei, Makslas skaitima raschta yr giesmes del kriksczianistes bei del berneliu iaunu nauiey sugulditas Karaliavczvi VIII. dena Meneses Sausia, Metu vßgimima Diewa. M.D.XLVII.
Soli Deo gloria ' (S.D.G.) is a Latin term for Glory to God alone. It has been used by artists like Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and Christoph Graupner to signify that the work was produced for the sake of praising God in Christianity, God ...
'' #* Modern literally Lithuanian: ''Katekizmo prasti aprastižodžiai, mokslas skaitymo rašto ir giesmės, dėl krikščionystės bei dėl bernelių jaunų naujai suguldytos Karaliaučiuj VIII dieną mėnesies sausio metų užgimimo Dievo MDXLVII'' #* English: ''The Simple Words of Catechism, Instruction in Reading and Writing, and Hymns for Christendom and for Young Children Newly Put Together In Königsberg on the Eight Day of the Month of January of the Year of the Birth of God 1547. Glory to God alone'' #Latin dedication is a Latin
quatrain A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four Line (poetry), lines. Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India ...
in
elegiac couplet The elegiac couplet or elegiac distich is a poetic form used by Greek lyric poets for a variety of themes usually of smaller scale than the epic. Roman poets, particularly Catullus, Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid, adopted the same form in L ...
addressed and dedicated to the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
. It expresses patriotism and loyalty to the Grand Dukes and emphasizes that the Lithuanian
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
serves not only God, but the country as well. The dedication also reveals that the book was meant not for the
Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (, , ) or Ducal Prussia (; ) was a duchy in the region of Prussia established as a result of secularization of the Monastic Prussia, the territory that remained under the control of the State of the Teutonic Order until t ...
, to which Mažvydas arrived a year ago, but to his homeland Lithuania. #Latin preface, or ''Grace and Peace for the Pastors and Servants of the Lithuanian Churches'', was likely written by Mažvydas and Friedrich Staphylus, the rector of the
University of Königsberg The University of Königsberg () was the university of Königsberg in Duchy of Prussia, which was a fief of Poland. It was founded in 1544 as the world's second Protestant Reformation, Protestant academy (after the University of Marburg) by Duke A ...
. As he had lived in Lithuania, he knew the Lithuanian, Polish and Ruthenian languages. The preface presents the key idea of
Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
: the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
and other religious literature should be available to everyone and not just the clergy. This is accomplished by publishing the religious books in national languages. The preface also bemoans that the Lithuanian nation is very poorly educated and continues to embrace pagan Lithuanian gods. It promises to publish a better, more comprehensive catechism. #Lithuanian preface, or ''The Booklet Speaks to
Lietuvininkai The Prussian Lithuanians, or Lietuvininkai (singular: ''Lietuvininkas'', plural: ''Lietuvininkai''), are Lithuanians, originally Lithuanian language speakers, who formerly inhabited a territory in northeastern East Prussia called Prussian Lithuan ...
and
Samogitia Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...
ns'', is the first poem in the Lithuanian language. Its 112 lines could be divided into three parts:
personification Personification is the representation of a thing or abstraction as a person, often as an embodiment or incarnation. In the arts, many things are commonly personified, including: places, especially cities, National personification, countries, an ...
(lines 1–62), peasant's speech (lines 63–78), and address to the nobility (lines 79–112). At first, the book addresses the reader and urges them to read and learn about the "true faith" (''Brothers sisters, take me and read me''). In the second part, the poem records a speech of a peasant. This poetic character appears to be very poorly educated: he has never heard of the
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...
and would rather consult a witch than attend
mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
. In the last part, the author emotionally addresses the lords and the clergy, asking them to educate the people in the Christian way. An English translation was published in ''Lituanus''. #Primer, or ''Cheap and Short Instruction in Reading and Writing'', is a four-page introduction to learning to read. It presents the first
Lithuanian alphabet Lithuanian orthography employs a Latin-script alphabet of 32 letters, two of which denote sounds not native to the Lithuanian language. Additionally, it uses five digraphs. Alphabet Today, the Lithuanian alphabet consists of 32 Letter (alphabet) ...
: 23 uppercase letters in Latin font and 26 lowercase letters in Gothic font. It also included exercises in constructing
syllable A syllable is a basic unit of organization within a sequence of speech sounds, such as within a word, typically defined by linguists as a ''nucleus'' (most often a vowel) with optional sounds before or after that nucleus (''margins'', which are ...
s, i.e. taking all
consonant In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract, except for the h sound, which is pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Examples are and pronou ...
s and systematically pairing them with all
vowel A vowel is a speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract, forming the nucleus of a syllable. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness a ...
s. The primer ends with two tips. First, the teachers are advised not to spend too much time on the exercises and actually teach children to learn. Second, the schoolboys were urged to learn and not to be lazy. #Catechism is the first religious text in the book. It included translations of the
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...
,
Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". "Its title is first found c.390 (Ep. 42.5 of Ambro ...
,
Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also known by its incipit Our Father (, ), is a central Christian prayer attributed to Jesus. It contains petitions to God focused on God’s holiness, will, and kingdom, as well as human needs, with variations across manusc ...
, the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and
Holy Communion The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...
, and short social and moral instructions. For example, readers were told to respect their parents and to protect love and harmony in families. #End-word is short but has two parts. The first part, once again, asks Lithuanians and Samogitians to learn about
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
and to teach their families as well. The second part is a
quatrain A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four Line (poetry), lines. Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India ...
addressed to the reader. It proclaims that books are now being printed in the reader's native language and asks to correct any errors that might occurred. #Hymnal includes 11 hymns and 10
sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...
(two hymns used the same sheet). Neither authors nor translators of the hymns are indicated. The main source for these texts was a Polish hymnal by Jan Seklucjan.


See also

* Postil of Jonas Bretkūnas – collection of sermons and Bible commentaries published in 1591 * Catechism of Mikalojus Daukša – the first Lithuanian Roman Catholic catechism published in 1595 * Catechism of Merkelis Petkevičius – the first Lithuanian Protestant (Calvinist) catechism published in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1598 * '' Mokslas skaitymo rašto lietuviško'' – the first Catholic primer of the Lithuanian language * '' Universitas lingvarum Litvaniae'' – the oldest surviving grammar of the Lithuanian language * ''
Grammatica Litvanica ''Grammatica Litvanica'' () is the first prescriptive printed grammar of the Lithuanian language which was written by Daniel Klein in Latin and published in 1653 in Königsberg, Duchy of Prussia. Overview The ''Grammatica Litvanica'' was print ...
'' – the first printed grammar of the Lithuanian language


References


External links

* Digitized versions of the original book: *
University Library in Vilnius
*
Nicolaus Copernicus University Library in Toruń


{{DEFAULTSORT:Catechism Of Martynas Mazvydas Mazvydas, Martynas Lithuanian books 1547 books History of the Lithuanian language History of printing History of Samogitia Protestant education