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Jakub Wujek (1541 – 27 April 1597, son of Maciej Wujek) was a Polish
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
, religious writer, Doctor of Theology, Vice-Chancellor of the Vilnius Academy and
translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...
of the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...
into Polish. He is well-known for his translation of the Bible into Polish: the Wujek Bible.


Life

He studied at the Cistercian School in
Wągrowiec (german: Wongrowitz) is a town in west-central Poland, from both Poznań and Bydgoszcz. Since the 18th century it has been the a seat of a powiat. Administratively it is attached to the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The town is situated in the ...
and continued with humanities and classical science studies in
Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...
where he proved himself exceptionally talented, especially in languages. On his parents' advice he moved to Cracow from Silesia in 1558 and studied classics, where in 1559 he received a master's degree in Philosophy. He began to teach at the bishop of Cracow's,
Jakub Uchański Jakub Uchański (1502–81), of Radwan coat of arms, was an archbishop of Gniezno and primate of Poland from 1562 to 1581, interrex from 1572 to 1573 and from 1574 to 1575. Biography He began his service at the royal court as a secretary and a ...
, school in Cracow. When Uchanski was made
Primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter includin ...
he sent Wujek to the Jesuit's College in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
. Here Wujek completed a master's degree in Philosophy and supplemented his philosophical studies with mathematical lectures and learning Greek. In 1565 he joined the
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
Order in Vienna and after novitiate he began theological studies at Collegium Romanum where he received a doctor's degree. After two years in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
he returned to Poland to
Pułtusk Pułtusk (pronounced ) is a town in northeast Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it had a population of about 19,000 . Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( ...
, where he became a lecturer in Jesuits’ College. He was ordained a priest in 1568 in Pułtusk and from that moment he devoted himself the undertaking of preaching and writing. In 1571–1578 as Chancellor he organized the Jesuit College in Poznań. In 1578–1580 he was Chancellor of the Vilnius Academy. In 1579–1584 he founded the Jesuits province of
Cluj ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Status , subdivision_name2 = County seat , settlement_type = City , ...
in
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
and was the first Chancellor of the Cluj Academy. Wujek published two books: ''Postylla katoliczna'' (Postylla catholica, 1573), ''Postylla mniejsza'' (Lesser Postilla), "Żywoty" (Lives), "Pasja" (Passion) and others. In 1584 the authorities of the Society of Jesus commissioned Wujek to translate the Bible from
Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...
- St. Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible which was sanctioned by the
Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...
as the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church in 1546. The first official version of the Vulgate, known as the
Sistine Vulgate The Sixtine Vulgate or Sistine Vulgate () is the edition of the Vulgate—a 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible that was written largely by Jerome—which was published in 1590, prepared by a commission on the orders of Pope Sixtus V a ...
, was published on Pope Sixtus V's recommendation in 1590 and was preceded by Sixtus V's bull
Aetenus Ille
. A revised edition of this Vulgate, known as the Clementine Vulgate, was officially published along with the bull
Com Sacrorum
by pope Clement VIII in 1592. Wujek's translation of the New Testament first appeared in 1593, complete with "teachings and warnings" regarding the Brest Bible and the Socinian versions of
Symon Budny Szymon Budny or Symon Budny ( be, Сымон Будны, pl, Szymon Budny, russian: Симеон Будный; c.1533, Budne – 13 January 1593, Vishnyeva) was a Polish- Belarusian humanist, educator, Hebraist, Bible translator, Protestant ...
and
Marcin Czechowic Martin Czechowic (or ''Marcin Czechowic'') (c.1532–1613) was a Polish Socinian (Unitarian) minister, Protestant reformer, theologian and writer. Life Born in Zbąszyń on the German border, Czechowic received a humanistic education in Pozn ...
. Czechowic accused Wujek of plagiarism, and Marcin Łaszcz responded on Wujek's behalf.Marcin Łaszcz, ''"Recepta na plastr Czechowica"''. In terms of language, Wujek continued to write in his predecessors' style. His translation is precise and multilateral; its language is easy and clear whilst at the same time serious and dignified. Wujek's translation, known as the Wujek Bible, replaced the and served as the fundamental Polish Catholic translation for over three centuries. Jakub Wujek was buried in the grounds of Saint Barbara's Church in Cracow.


References


External links

* Encyklopedia Polski, Kraków, Wydawnictwo Ryszard Kluszczyński, 1996, p. 768. * Jan Sygański,
''Ks. Jakób Wujek z Wągrowca w świetle własnej korespondencji 1540-1597''
Kraków 1914


''Postilla Catholica. To iest Kazania na Ewangelie Niedzielne...'' Kraków, 1584 at Opolska Biblioteka Cyfrowa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wujek, Jakub 1541 births 1597 deaths Translators of the Bible into Polish 16th-century Polish Jesuits Rectors of Vilnius University People from Wągrowiec