Nouvi Zákon

Second issue of the Nouvi Zákon (1817).

The Nouvi Zákon (New Testament) is the most famous work of the Hungarian Slovene writer István Küzmics. The Nouvi Zákon is the translation of the New Testament into the Prekmurje Slovene language. This text and the "Szvéti Evangyeliomi" by Miklós Küzmics are the most important works in standard Prekmurian.

The Prolog (Predgovor)

Küzmics published Nouvi Zákon in 1771 in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, with the assistance of Hungarian and Slovene Evangelics (Nouvi Zákon ali Testamentim Goszpodna Nasega Jezusa Krisztusa zdaj oprvics zGrcskoga na sztári szlovenszki jezik obrnyeni po Stevan Küzmicsi Surdánszkom f.)

There is dispute as to whether the Prolog (Predgovor), was written by Küzmics or by some other person. One other possible author is József Torkos, the Hungarian Evangelic Pastor. Torkos evidently wrote the Prolog in Latin while Küzmics in turn translated it into Prekmurian. This question was raised by the Slovene writer Mihály Bakos, who followed Küzmics as head of the Evangelic Parish of Surd.

Original edition in the Library of Murska Sobota

The language

István Küzmics translated the Nouvi Zákon from the Greek language, (zGrcskoga na sztári szlovenszki jezik). Küzmics was born in Strukovci in Ravensko, the flatland subregion of Prekmurje, so the Nouvi Zákon was written in his Ravensko dialect. It is similar to the Bible of Jurij Dalmatin, inasmuch as numerous terms and idioms are included in the Nouvi Zákon. His immediate sources apparently were Kajkavian books. The Bishop of Zagreb in the Middle Ages led the Hungarian Slovenes, and his believers wrote the Kajkavian books. The Old Hymn-book of Martjanci was also used as a Kajkavian source, hence the Prekmurian language bears similarities to Kajkavian features.

The Catholic pastor Miklós Küzmics used the Nouvi Zákon when he translated the Catholic Gospel. The Nouvi Zákon, the Szvéti evangyeliomi of Miklós Küzmics and the Kniga molitvena (Old Slovene Prayer Book) of József Borovnyák are the most significant texts in the Slovene and the South Slavic literature.

Reprints

See also

References

External links

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