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Merkelis Petkevičius ( pl, Melchior Pietkiewicz; 1550–1608) was a
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
(
Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
) activist in the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...
. He was a nobleman who worked as a court scribe in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...
for almost thirty years. In 1598, he published the first
Lithuanian-language Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.8 milli ...
Protestant book printed in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (the first Lithuanian Protestant book was printed in Konigsberg in 1547 by
Martynas Mažvydas Martynas Mažvydas (1510 – 21 May 1563) was a Protestant author who edited the first printed book in the Lithuanian language. Variants of his name include Martinus Masvidius, Martinus Maszwidas, M. Mossuids Waytkūnas, Mastwidas, Mažvyda ...
). This book, a bilingual catechism in Polish and Lithuanian, was published in response to the publication of the Roman Catholic
catechism of Mikalojus Daukša The ''Catechism, or Education Obligatory to Every Christian'' ( lt, Katekizmas, arba mokslas kiekvienam krikščioniui privalus, original Lithuanian: ''Kathechismas, arba Mokslas kiekwienam krikszczionii priwalvs'') of Mikalojus Daukša was the ...
. However, book's heavy, artificial language with numerous
loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because t ...
s make it linguistically inferior to Daukša's work.


Biography

Petkevičius was born to a wealthy family of
Lithuanian nobles The Lithuanian nobility or szlachta ( Lithuanian: ''bajorija, šlėkta'') was historically a legally privileged hereditary elite class in the Kingdom of Lithuania and Grand Duchy of Lithuania (including during period of foreign rule 1795–1918 ...
around 1550. According to the
military census of 1528 The census of 1528 was the first census carried out in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was not a true census since it had limited scope: it only sought to count peasant households ( lt, dūmas) for military purposes. The Grand Duchy used a consc ...
, his grandfather Grigas Petkevičius had to send four men to the army in case of war. Petkevičius' father Jonas had manors near
Maišiagala Maišiagala ( pl, Mejszagoła) is a historic town in Vilnius district municipality, Lithuania. It is located about northwest of Vilnius city municipality near the Vilnius–Panevėžys highway. According to the 2021 census, it had a population ...
and
Salakas Salakas is a town in northeastern Lithuania with a population of 519 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. It is famous for the neo-romantic church of Lady of Sorrows. It was built in 1911. History The settlement of Salakas was first mentio ...
. Orphaned as a teen, he was raised by his uncle Motiejus, cup-bearer of Lithuania, who had a manor in Panevėžiukas. Based on analysis of Petkevičius language, linguist
Zigmas Zinkevičius Zigmas Zinkevičius (January 4, 1925 in Juodausiai, Ukmergė district – February 20, 2018 in Vilnius) was a leading Lithuanian linguist-historian, professor at Vilnius University, and a full member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. He ha ...
determined that he grew up in that area. Petkevičius knew several languages (Lithuanian, Latin, Polish,
Chancery Slavonic Ruthenian (Belarusian: руская мова; Ukrainian: руська мова; Ruthenian: руска(ѧ) мова; also see other names) is an exonymic linguonym for a closely-related group of East Slavic linguistic varieties, particularly t ...
) and held various offices: tax collector (1580), scribe of
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...
Court (1581–1608),
starosta The starosta or starost ( Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. T ...
of
Raseiniai Raseiniai (; Samogitian: ''Raseinē'') is a city in Lithuania. It is located on the south eastern foothills of the Samogitians highland, some north from the Kaunas–Klaipėda highway. History Grand Duchy of Lithuania Raseiniai is one of t ...
(before 1586–1599), secretary of the
Lithuanian Tribunal The Lithuanian Tribunal (; pl, Trybunał Główny Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego) was the highest appellate court for the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was established by King Stephen Báthory in 1581 as the counterpart to th ...
when it met in Vilnius. He owned a house in Vilnius as well as several manors around
Maišiagala Maišiagala ( pl, Mejszagoła) is a historic town in Vilnius district municipality, Lithuania. It is located about northwest of Vilnius city municipality near the Vilnius–Panevėžys highway. According to the 2021 census, it had a population ...
,
Giedraičiai left, Bell tower of Church of St. Bartholomew Giedraičiai is a town in Molėtai district municipality, Lithuania with about 700 residents. It is located some 45 km north of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, on the banks of Lake Kiementas. ...
,
Salakas Salakas is a town in northeastern Lithuania with a population of 519 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. It is famous for the neo-romantic church of Lady of Sorrows. It was built in 1911. History The settlement of Salakas was first mentio ...
. He sponsored the construction of a Protestant church in Glitiškės. He was married twice. Three sons from the first marriage became students of the Protestant
University of Königsberg The University of Königsberg (german: Albertus-Universität Königsberg) was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as the world's second Protestant academy (after the University of Marburg) by Duke Albert of Pruss ...
in 1596. His second wife was widowed Darata Jokūbaitė Giedraitytė, cousin of Bishop
Merkelis Giedraitis Merkelis Giedraitis ( pl, Melchior Giedroyć; – 6 April 1609) was Bishop of Samogitia from 1576 to 1609. Educated at Protestant universities in the Duchy of Prussia and Germany, he actively combated the Reformation implementing resolutions of t ...
. In 1598, Petkevičius established his own press in Vilnius specifically for the purpose of printing Protestant books. First he published a Polish book by on teachings of Paul the Apostle (a copy is kept by the
National Library of Poland The National Library ( pl, Biblioteka Narodowa) is the central Polish library, subject directly to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. The library collects books, journals, electronic and audiovisual publica ...
), and then he published bilingual catechism in Polish and Lithuanian. The press was very expensive to maintain and it is believed that Petkevičius sold it to brothers Sultzeris. Petkevičius was a member of the laity and he published religious texts on his own initiative. The first Lithuanian Protestant books published in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, unlike the Lithuanian Protestant books published in the
Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the region of Prussia establish ...
almost fifty years earlier, were a result of individual efforts of nobles and not of the clergymen or the synod. Petkevičius died in Vilnius in early 1608 when the
Lithuanian Tribunal The Lithuanian Tribunal (; pl, Trybunał Główny Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego) was the highest appellate court for the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was established by King Stephen Báthory in 1581 as the counterpart to th ...
was in session.


Catechism


Publication history

The catechism is titled in Polish () and is a truncated version of the Polish catechism most likely prepared by Stanisław Sudrowski and printed in Vilnius in 1595 (its title page is missing which makes it hard to determine its author or date of publication). In turn, Sudrowski's work drew from the Polish catechism sponsored by
Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł (4 February 1515 – 28 May 1565), nicknamed ''The Black'' (Polish: ''Czarny''), was a Polish-Lithuanian noble who held several administrative positions within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Voivode of Vilnius, G ...
and printed in
Nesvizh Nesvizh, Niasviž ( be, Нясві́ж ; lt, Nesvyžius; pl, Nieśwież; russian: Не́свиж; yi, ניעסוויז; la, Nesvisium) is a city in Belarus. It is the administrative centre of the Nyasvizh District (''rajon'') of Minsk Region a ...
in 1563. Petkevičius' catechism was expanded and republished as ''Kniga Nobaznistes'' (1653). The catechism was found and published by
Aleksander Brückner Aleksander Brückner (; 29 January 1856 – 24 May 1939) was a Polish scholar of Slavic languages and literatures (Slavistics), philologist, lexicographer and historian of literature. He is among the most notable Slavicists of the late 19th ...
in ''Archiv für slavische Philologie'' in 1891. A photocopied edition was prepared and published by
Juozas Balčikonis Juozas Balčikonis (24 March 1885 in Ėriškiai, Panevėžys District – 5 February 1969 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian linguist and teacher, who contributed to the standardization of the Lithuanian language Lithuanian ( ) is an Eastern B ...
in 1939. The copy was kept at a city library in
Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
, but it disappeared during World War II. After the war, a new copy was found in
Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...
and is currently kept at the Gotha Research Library (german: Forschungsbibliothek Gotha). In 1970, linguist
Jonas Kruopas Jonas may refer to: Geography * Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands * Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States * Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States People with the name * Jonas (name), people with the given name or surname Jonas * Jonas, one of ...
published a dictionary of all words used in the catechism.


Content

The catechism of Petkevičius is printed in Polish on the left and in Lithuanian on the right. Such format was likely intended to assist the clergymen, who were often Polish and knew little Lithuanian, in learning the Lithuanian language. The text also includes an 8-line poem urging the children to learn. As such, the book was likely intended for both audiences – the clergy and the students. Each language contains 252 pages. The book starts with a Polish foreword which emphasizes the need of catechisms in local languages to reach the faithful but, unlike
Mikalojus Daukša Mikalojus Daukša (other possible spellings include ''Mikalojus Daugsza'', pl, Mikołaj Dauksza and ''Mikolay Dowksza''; after 1527 – February 16, 1613 in Medininkai) was a Lithuanian and Latin religious writer, translator and a Catholic church ...
, does not advocate switching back from Polish to Lithuanian. In addition to basic catechism, the book includes prayers, 93 hymns, 40
psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...
(one psalm translated twice), and
Agenda Agenda may refer to: Information management * Agenda (meeting), points to be discussed and acted upon, displayed as a list * Political agenda, the set of goals of an ideological group * Lotus Agenda, a DOS-based personal information manager * Per ...
. The hymns and psalms were taken from various previous publications. Five of the hymns were taken from the
Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas The ''Simple Words of Catechism'' ( lt, Katekizmo paprasti žodžiai) by Martynas Mažvydas is the first printed book in the Lithuanian language. It was printed on 8 January 1547 by Hans Weinreich in Königsberg. The 79-page book followed the t ...
(1547). 27 of the psalms were taken from the Nesvizh catechism of 1563; two of them were translated to Polish by
Mikołaj Rej Mikołaj Rej or Mikołaj Rey of Nagłowice (4 February 1505 – between 8 September/5 October 1569) was a Polish poet and prose writer of the emerging Renaissance in Poland as it succeeded the Middle Ages, as well as a politician and musician. H ...
. Six other psalms were translated by
Jan Kochanowski Jan Kochanowski (; 1530 – 22 August 1584) was a Polish Renaissance poet who established poetic patterns that would become integral to the Polish literary language. He is commonly regarded as the greatest Polish poet before Adam Mickiewicz. L ...
. The Lithuanian translation of the psalms attempted to keep the same number of syllables so that they could be sung to the same music. The Lithuanian translation is consistent and reflects the same
Aukštaitian dialect Aukštaitian ( lt, Aukštaičių tarmė) is one of the dialects of the Lithuanian language, spoken in the ethnographic regions of Aukštaitija, Dzūkija and Suvalkija. It became the basis for the standard Lithuanian language. Classification ...
as Daukša's work. However, the word-by-word translation from Polish led to stilled and artificial language full of
loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because t ...
s (almost a quarter of vocabulary is loanwords). As such, it is of much lower linguistic quality and importance than works by Daukša. However, the prayers were not translated by Petkevičius but taken from already existing translations. Thus their language is much more archaic and with much less loanwords. Linguist
Zigmas Zinkevičius Zigmas Zinkevičius (January 4, 1925 in Juodausiai, Ukmergė district – February 20, 2018 in Vilnius) was a leading Lithuanian linguist-historian, professor at Vilnius University, and a full member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. He ha ...
determined that these translations date back to the 13th century when King
Mindaugas Mindaugas (german: Myndowen, la, Mindowe, orv, Мендог, be, Міндоўг, pl, Mendog, c. 1203–1263) is the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only crowned King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or ...
converted to Christianity.


References


External links


Digital copy of ''Clypevs albo tarcz duchowna z słow Apostoła Pawła swiętego''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petkevicius, Merkelis 1550 births 1608 deaths 16th-century Lithuanian nobility 17th-century Lithuanian nobility Lithuanian Calvinist and Reformed Christians Writers from Vilnius Protestant Reformers