''Catechismus in der windischenn Sprach'' or simply ''Catechismus'' (

Catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...

, also known as or simply in modern Slovene), is a book written by the Slovene

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

preacher

Primož Trubar Primož Trubar or Primus Truber () (1508 – 28 June 1586) was a Slovene Protestant Reformer of the Lutheran tradition, mostly known as the author of the first Slovene language printed book, the founder and the first superintendent of the Prot ...

in 1550. Along with Trubar's 1550 book, ''

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 ...

'' (Abecedary), ''Catechismus'' was the first book published in Slovene. ''Catechismus'' served as part of a foundation of the establishment of a national identity for

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 ...

History

Although it was for decades assumed that ''Catechismus'' was printed in

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 ...

, new research has shown that it was most probably printed in 1550 by Peter Frentz in Schwäbisch Hall.

''Catechismus'' was originally published in the

schwabacher The German language, German word Schwabacher (pronounced ) refers to a specific style of blackletter typefaces which evolved from Gothic Blackletter#Textualis, Textualis (''Textura'') under the influence of Humanist minuscule, Humanist type desi ...

(Gothic script) and reprinted in 1555 in the

Latin script The Latin script, also known as the Roman script, is a writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae in Magna Graecia. The Gree ...

. It also contains

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

s and a

litany Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin ''wikt:litania, litania'' from Ancient Greek wikt:λιτα ...

, all with musical notation. Based on the German patterns, they are original poems in four different forms of

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...

s comprising altogether 500 verses.

Modern edition

''Catechismus'' was released in October 2009 for the first time in modern Slovene. This scholarly edition includes both the Trubar-era Slovene and a translation into modern Slovene with scholarly notes. Similarly, ''Abecedarium'' was published in October 2008, the other "first" Slovene book. The "Pridiga o veri" (Sermon on Faith) from ''Catechismus'' is available in Slovene, English, German, and Esperanto.

Cultural references

A phrase from Cathecismus, ''Stati inu Obstati'' ("To Stand and Withstand"), is inscribed on the Slovenian 1 euro coin and has also been the slogan of the former Slovenian

metropolitan archbishop Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

Franc Rode.

References

1550 books Slovene-language books Cultural history of Slovenia {{christian-book-stub

History

Contents

Modern edition

Cultural references

See also

References