Primož Trubar or Primus Truber () (1508 – 28 June 1586) was a Slovene Protestant Reformer of the

Lutheran 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 ...

tradition, mostly known as the author of the first

Slovene language Slovene ( or ) or Slovenian ( ; ) is a South Slavic languages, South Slavic language of the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. Most of its 2.5 million speakers are the ...

printed Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and Printmaking, images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabon ...

book, the founder and the first superintendent of the Protestant Church of the

Duchy of Carniola The Duchy of Carniola (, , ) was an imperial estate of the Holy Roman Empire, established under House of Habsburg, Habsburg rule on the territory of the former East Frankish March of Carniola in 1364. A hereditary land of the Habsburg monarc ...

, and for consolidating the

Slovenian language Slovene ( or ) or Slovenian ( ; ) is a South Slavic language of the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. Most of its 2.5 million speakers are the inhabitants of Slovenia, the majority of them ethnic Slovenes. As Slo ...

. Trubar introduced

The Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

in Slovenia, leading the Austrian Habsburgs to wage the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

, which a small Protestant community survived. Trubar is a key figure of Slovenian history and in many aspects a major historical personality.

Life and work

Trubar was born in the village of Rašica (now in the

Municipality of Velike Lašče The Municipality of Velike Lašče (; ) is a municipality in Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Velike Lašče. It is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Central Slovenia Statistical Regi ...

) in the

, then under the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

. In the years 1520–1521 he attended school in

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

, in 1522–1524 he continued his education in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

. From there he went to

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

under the tutorship of the Roman Catholic bishop Pietro Bonomo, where he got in touch with the

Humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

writers, in particular

Erasmus of Rotterdam Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and theologian, educationalist, satirist, and p ...

. In 1527 the bishop Pietro Bonomo assigned Trubar a priest position in

Loka pri Zidanem Mostu Loka pri Zidanem Mostu () is a village on the left bank of the Sava River in the Municipality of Sevnica in central Slovenia. The area is part of the historical region of Styria. The municipality is now included in the Lower Sava Statistical Regi ...

. In 1528 he enrolled at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

, but did not complete his studies. In 1530 he returned to the Slovenian Lands and became a preacher in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

, where he lived up until 1565. While in Ljubljana, he lived in a house, on today's Fish Square (''Ribji trg''), in the oldest part of the city. Living in Ljubljana had profound impact on his work, he considered Ljubljana the capital of all

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( ), are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, Slovenian culture, culture, and History of Slove ...

because of its central position in the heart of the

Slovene lands The Slovene lands or Slovenian lands ( or in short ) is the historical denomination for the territories in Central and Southern Europe where people primarily spoke Slovene. The Slovene lands were part of the Illyrian provinces, the Austrian Empi ...

and because its residents spoke Slovene as their first language, unlike several other towns in today's

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. It is estimated that in Trubar's period around 70% of Ljubljana's 4000 inhabitants attended mass in Slovene. It was the language of Ljubljana that Trubar took as a foundation of what later became standard Slovene, with small addition of his native speech, that is Lower Carniolan dialect. Trubar considered Ljubljana's speech most suitable, since it sounded much more noble, than his own, simple dialect of his hometown Rašica. His decision to write in Ljubljana's variety was later adopted also by other Protestant writers, who also lived in Ljubljana during Trubar's time. He gradually leaned towards Protestantism and was expelled from

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

in 1547. In 1550, while a Protestant preacher in Rothenburg, he wrote the first two books in Slovene, ''

Catechismus ''Catechismus in der windischenn Sprach'' or simply ''Catechismus'' (Catechism, also known as or simply in modern Slovene), is a book written by the Slovene Protestant preacher Primož Trubar in 1550. Along with Trubar's 1550 book, ''Abecedari ...

'' and ''

Abecedarium An abecedarium (also known as an abecedary or ABCs or simply an ABC) is an inscription consisting of the letters of an alphabet, almost always listed in order. Typically, abecedaria (or abecedaries) are practice exercises. Non-Latin alphabet ...

'', which were then printed that year in

Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall (; 'Swabian Hall'; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the N ...

by Peter Frentz. ''Catechismus'' also contained the first Slovene musical manuscript in print. Altogether, Trubar authored 22 books in Slovene and two books in German. He was the first to translate parts of the Bible into Slovene. After the exhortation by Pier Paolo Vergerio, he translated the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...

in 1555 and until 1577 in three parts published the translation of the entire

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

. In period between 1561 and 1565 Trubar was the manager and supervisor of the South Slavic Bible Institute. Eschatologically minded, he also endeavored to proselytize Muslims in Turkey with his books. Trubar died in Derendingen,

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

(now part of the city of

Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...

, Germany), where he is also buried.

Commemoration

On June 4, 1952, the street ''Šentpeterska cesta'' in Ljubljana was renamed ''Trubarjeva cesta'' after Trubar. It is one of the oldest roads in the city, first mentioned in 1802, and starts in ''Prešernov trg'' (Prešeren Square), named after Slovenia's national poet. The street is currently known for its high concentration of ethnic restaurants. In 1986, Slovene television produced a TV series, directed by Andrej Strojan with the screenplay written by

Drago Jančar Drago Jančar (; born 13 April 1948) is a Slovenian writer, playwright and essayist. Jančar is one of the most well-known contemporary Slovene writers. In Slovenia, he is also famous for his political commentaries and civic engagement. Jančar' ...

, in which Trubar was played by the Slovene actor Polde Bibič. Trubar was commemorated on the 10 tolar banknote in 1992, and on the Slovene 1 euro coin in 2007. In 2008, the

Government of Slovenia The Government of the Republic of Slovenia () exercises executive (government), executive authority in Slovenia pursuant to the Constitution of Slovenia, Constitution and the laws of Slovenia. It is also the highest administrative authority in Slo ...

proclaimed the Year of Primož Trubar and the 500th anniversary of Trubar's birth was celebrated throughout the country. A commemorative €2 coin and a postage stamp were issued. An exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Primož Trubar, and the achievements of the Slovene Reformation Movement was on display at the National Museum of Slovenia from 6 March to 31 December 2008. In 2009, the Trubar Forum Association printed Trubar's Catechism and Abecedarium in modern Slovene, in a scholarly edition that includes both the Trubar-era Slovene and the modern Slovene translation with scholarly notes. The "Sermon on Faith", a portion of the Catechism, is available in modern Slovene, English, German and Esperanto. Since 2010, 8 June is commemorated in Slovenia as Primož Trubar Day.

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celebrated his 505th birthday anniversary with a dedicated

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Bibliography

Books written or published by Trubar include: * * * * * * * ''Ta pervi deil tiga noviga testamenta'', 1557, doi:10.3931/e-rara-79377 (Digitized Edition at E-rara). * ''Katehismus. Edna malahna kniga ... : Catechismus, mit Außlegung, in der Syruischen Sprach,'' 1561, doi:10.3931/e-rara-79803 (Digitized Edition at E-rara). * ''Ta celi catehismus : Catechismus mit des Herrn Johañis Brentzij kurtzen Außlegung in Windischer und Teutscher Sprach zůsamen getruckt'', 1567, doi:10.3931/e-rara-79802 (Digitized Edition at E-rara). * (Übersetzung:) ''Artikuli ili deli prave stare krstjanske vere. Confessio oder bekanntnuß des glaubens.'' Tübingen 1562, doi:10.3931/e-rara-79378 (Digitized edition at E-rara). * ''Postila to est, kratko istlmačenǵe vsih' nedelskih' evanéliov', i poglaviteih' prazdnikov, skrozi vse leto, sada naiprvo cirulickimi slovi štampana : Kurtze auszlegung über die Sontags vnd der fürnembsten Fest Euangelia durch das gantz jar jetzt erstlich in crobatischer sprach mit Cirulischen bůchstaben getruckt.'' Tübingen 1562, doi:10.3931/e-rara-79379 (Digitized edition at E-rara)

Notes

References

External links