János Sylvester Explained

János Sylvester sometimes known as János Erdősi (1504 - 1552) was a 16th-century Hungarian figure of the Reformation, and also a poet and grammarian, who was the first to translate the New Testament into Hungarian, in 1541.[1]

Life

He was born into a middle-class family at Szinérváralja in Hungary.[2]

He was a disciple of Erasmus, studying at the University of Krakow in 1526/27.

He went to study at the university of Wittenberg in central Germany in 1529 and returned in 1534 to 1536, studying theology under Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon. In Wittenberg he lived in accommodation on Schlossplatz east of the Schlosskirche.[3]

On return to Hungary he set up one of the first printing presses in Újsziget.

In 1543 he moved to the University of Vienna to teach Latin and Greek.

He died on 6 May 1552.

Publications

He is also credited with creating the idea of an "essay".[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: János Sylvester | Hungarian translator.
  2. Web site: János Sylvester - oi.
  3. Plaque to Janos Sylvester, Schlossplatz Wittenberg
  4. Sylvester, János. Religion Past and Present. April 2011. Blázy. Árpád.
  5. Géza Hegedüs: The Portrait Gallery of Hungarian Literature. Budapest: Trezor. 1995.