Matthias Bel or Matthias Bél (; ; ; ; 22–24 March(?), 1684 – 29 August 1749) was a
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 ...
pastor and
polymath
A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...
from the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
. Bel was active in the fields of
pedagogy
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
, philosophy,
philology
Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...
, history, and theoretical theology; he was the founder of Hungarian geographic science and a pioneer of descriptive ethnography and economy. A leading figure in
pietism
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life.
Although the movement is ali ...
. He is also known as the Great Ornament of Hungary (''Magnum decus Hungariae'').
Origin, life
Matthias Bel was born in
Ocsova,
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
(now Očová,
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
) to Matthias (Matej) Bel Funtík
or Bel-Funtík, a
Slovak wealthy peasant and butcher.
Little is known about his
Hungarian mother Elisabeth born Czesnek (, ) except that she was very religious and that she was born in
Veszprém
Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name.
Etymology
The city's name derives ...
.
He described himself as ''"lingua Slavus, natione Hungarus, eruditione Germanus"'' ("by language a Slav/Slovak, by nation a
Hungarian, by erudition a German").
In 1710, he married an ethnic German woman from Hungary, Susanna Hermann, and the couple had eight children together.
Bel attended schools in Losonc (now
Lučenec
Lučenec (; ; ; ; Lelkes György (1992), Magyar helységnév-azonosító szótár, Balassi Kiadó, Budapest, 508 p.) is a town in the Banská Bystrica Region of south-central Slovakia. Historically, it was part, and in the 18th century the capital ...
), Kálnó (today
Kalinovo) and Alsósztregova (today
Dolná Strehová), and then grammar schools in Besztercebánya (today
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...
), Pressburg (Pozsony, today's
Bratislava
Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
), and briefly in
Veszprém
Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name.
Etymology
The city's name derives ...
and in the
Calvinist
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
college of
Pápa
Pápa is a historical town in Veszprém county, Hungary, located close to the northern edge of the Bakony Hills, and noted for its baroque architecture. With its 28,549 inhabitants (2024), it is the cultural, economic and tourism centre of the r ...
. Between 1704 and 1706, he studied theology, philosophy, and medicine at the
University of Halle
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...
and he was appointed rector at the school of
Klosterbergen near
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river.
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
after that. Later, returning to the Kingdom of Hungary, became an assistant rector and became afterwards the rector at the Lutheran grammar school in Besztercebánya (Banská Bystrica), where he was also simultaneously a pastor. As a
Rákóczi
The House of Rákóczi (older spelling Rákóczy) was a Hungarian nobility, Hungarian noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary between the 13th century and 18th century. Their name is also spelled ''Rákoci'' (in Slovakia), ''Rakoczi'' and ''Rako ...
-sympathisant, he was almost executed by General
Sigbert Heister. Between 1714 and 1719, he was the rector of the Lutheran grammar school and then also a pastor of the German Lutheran church in Pressburg. He published his articles in the Latin language newspaper ''Nova Posoniensia'', the first regular periodical in Hungary. In 1735 Bel drew up a proposal for the creation of a scientific academy, to be based in Pressburg.
Bel spoke Slovak, Hungarian, and German, and his works had been published mostly in Latin, which were steeped in the Hungarian national consciousness as had been manifested for instance in his writing, the ''Notitia Hungariae novae historico geographica'', which is an extolment of the Hungarian history, influenced by his deep affection for the Hungarian language.
Bel died on 29 August 1749. He was buried in Pressburg, the cemetery has now disappeared.
Work
Religious literature
Bel was a translator, editor, publisher and distributor of several religious works. His long-term goal was to publish the Bible in a language intelligible to the community he served (that is,
Biblical Czech used as a Church and literal language by Slovak Lutherans). In the preface for The New Testament (
Halle, 1709), he emphasized that the Bible was already translated, but it is barely available among common people and even among preachers. Bel then participated on the re-edition of
Bible of Kralice (
Halle, 1722) during which he was responsible especially for the correction of Calvinisms. He also participated on publication of the Hungarian Bible (
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, 1714) and of New Testament (
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, 1717) and was the author of the preface for reprint of
Sébastien Castellion's Latin New Testament (
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, 1724 and 1735).
He translated and published several influencing works like ''The Compendium of Christian Revelation'' (
Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen, Hungarian translation), ''True Christianity'' (
Johann Arndt, Czech translation supposed mainly for Slovaks), ''The Garden of Paradise'' (
Johann Arndt, Hungarian and Czech translations).
Pedagogy
As a teacher Bel wrote books, introduced natural science lessons, and emphasized the importance of using visual aid and experimental education. His methods spread and had a modernizing effect on the education system of the entirety of Hungary.
Linguistics
As a philologist, Bel was the first to study the
Hungarian runes
The Old Hungarian script or Hungarian runes (, 'székely-magyar runiform', or ) is an alphabetic writing system used for writing the Hungarian language. Modern Hungarian is written using the Latin-based Hungarian alphabet. The term "old" refer ...
and also contributed to the evolution of the Hungarian
literary language
Literary language is the Register (sociolinguistics), register of a language used when writing in a formal, academic writing, academic, or particularly polite tone; when speaking or writing in such a tone, it can also be known as formal language. ...
. He revised and republished
Gáspár Károli's Bible-translation. He wrote Hungarian, Latin and German grammars – in the latter he also reviewed the German communities and dialects in Hungary. His work as a translator and editor in the field of religious work is also copious.
One of his notable writings is the ''Institutiones linguae Germanicae'' (Rules of the German grammar) written in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for Hungarians, of which special edition was published in
Halle in 1730 for Hungarian students studying in Germany.
He also wrote a popular book, ''"Der ungarische Sprachmeister" (Hungarian language master)'', on Hungarian grammar for Germans.
[ He mistakenly suspected that the Hungarian language was relative of the ]Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
one.[ In the one work of him whose name is ''"Literatura Hunno-Scythica"'' published in 1718, Bél endeavoured to prove that there existed, at one time, a Hun-]Scythian
The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people who had migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC fr ...
alphabet, of which he thought that that must have been known to the Székelys
The Székelys (, Old Hungarian script, Székely runes: ), also referred to as Szeklers, are a Hungarians, Hungarian subgroup living mostly in the Székely Land in Romania. In addition to their native villages in Suceava County in Bukovina, a ...
.
In the introduction of Grammatica Slavico–Bohemica by Pavel Doležal, he commends biblical Czech as a language that positively influences cultivation of Slovak
History and geography
A pioneer of collaborative research in the history of the Kingdom of Hungary, Bel undertook a comprehensive historical and geographic examination of the territory in his well-known '' Notitia Hungariae Novae Historico Geographiaca''. His work about the counties of Hungary
Hungary is subdivided administratively into 19 county, counties (''vármegyék'', singular: ''vármegye'') and the capital city (''főváros'') Budapest. The counties are further subdivided into 174 Districts of Hungary, districts (''járások'', ...
was aided by many – while others accused him of espionage. The chancery entrusted Sámuel Mikoviny to supplement his work with detailed maps. The Notitia's complete edition could not be achieved during Bél's lifetime. Only eleven county descriptions were issued in print: Szepes County
Szepes (; , , ) was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary, called Scepusium before the late 19th century. Its territory today lies in northeastern Slovakia, with a very small area in southeastern Poland. For the current region, see S ...
's description was published in Bél's Notitia project introduction, the Prodromus, the other ten county descriptions – namely Pozsony County
Pozsony county was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now mostly part of Slovakia, while a small area belongs to Hungary. In 1969, the three villages that remained in H ...
, Turóc County
Turóc (Hungarian language, Hungarian, historically also spelled ''Túrócz''), , /''comitatus Thurociensis'', ) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in north-we ...
, Zólyom County
Zvolen (; ; ) is a city in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina River (Slovakia), Slatina rivers. It is famous for several historical and cultural attractions. It is surrounded by Poľana Protected Landscape Area, Po� ...
, Liptó County
Liptó County (, , , , ) was an administrative county ( comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in northern Slovakia.
Geography
Liptó county shared borders with the Austrian land Galicia and the Hungarian counties Árva ...
, Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun County
Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun is the name of an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in central Hungary, comprising roughly the territory of the present Hungarian county Pest ( ...
, Nógrád County
Nógrád (, ; ) is a counties of Hungary, county () of Hungary. It sits on the northern edge of Hungary and borders Slovakia.
Description
Nógrád county lies in northern Hungary. It shares borders with Slovakia and the Hungarian counties Pest ( ...
, Bars County, Nyitra County
Nyitra County (; ; ; ) was an administrative county ( comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory lay in what is now western Slovakia.
Geography
Nyitra County shared borders with the Austrian land Moravia and Trencsén County, Turó ...
, Hont County
Hont County was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Most of its territory is now part of Slovakia, while a smaller southern portion is part of Hungary.
Today, in Slovakia Hont is the i ...
, Moson County
Moson (German language, German: Wieselburg, Slovak language, Slovak: Mošon) was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary, situated mostly on the right (south) side of the Danube river. Its t ...
– were published in five volumes of the Notitia. The remaining 37 county descriptions along with the Jász-Kun districts' description were left in manuscripts due to the revising county authorities' negligence or hostility, and the problems with the printery. These manuscripts have been scattered to several archives or collections. In his works, he notes greatness of the Slavic people, also mentioning many positive characteristics of Slovaks, as well as their autochthony in the Kingdom of Hungary.
Honours and awards
Bel's works met with recognition and respect beyond the Kingdom: he was a member of a number of learned societies abroad (e.g., Prussian Royal Academy (Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
), Royal Society of London
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...
, Societas eruditorum incognitorum in terris Austriacis
(from Latin: "The Society of Anonymous Scholars in the Austrian Lands") was the first learned society in the lands under control of Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Habsburgs. It was established, formally, in 1746 at the University of Olomouc, unive ...
(Olomouc
Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region.
Located on the Morava (rive ...
), Jena
Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
). He was elevated to noble rank by Charles VI of Austria, and received a golden medallion with his (Bel's) own portrait from Pope Clement XII
Pope Clement XII (; ; 7 April 16526 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740.
Clement presided over the growth of a surplus in the papal ...
.
Legacy
Recently Hungarian historians and philologists began to publish a critical edition of the county descriptions remained in manuscripts, based on the results of a comprehensive research made by the Hungarian historian Gergely Tóth. Calculating the length of the descriptions, they find it achievable to publish all the descriptions left in manuscript in 10 volumes. The first volume, which contains the descriptions of Árva and Trencsén counties, has already been published.
Matej Bel University (''Univerzita Mateja Bela'') in Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...
is named after him, as well as elementary schools in Očová
Očová (, until 1899: ) is a village and municipality of the Zvolen District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia.
History
Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, Očová was part of Zólyom County within the Kingdo ...
(''Základná škola s materskou školou Mateja Bela Funtíka'') and in Šamorín
Šamorín (; , ) is a small town in western Slovakia, southeast of Bratislava.
Etymology
The name is derived from a patron saint of a local church Sancta Maria, mentioned for the first time as ''villa Sancti Marie'' (1285). Today's name is an a ...
(''Základná škola Mateja Bela''). Encyclopaedia Beliana is also named in his honor.
Publications
*''Forma sacrorum verborum (Halle, 1707)''
*''Compendium (1713)''
*''Invitatio ad symbola conferenda dum historia linguae hungaricae libri II...edere parat... (Berolini, 1713)''
*''Grammatica Latina (Leutschoviae, 1717)''
*''Rhetorices veteris et novae praecepta (Lipsiae, 1717)''
*''Institutiones linguac germanicae et slavicae in Hungaria ortu (Leutschoviae, 1718)''
*''De vetera literatura hunnoscythica exercitatio (Lipsiae, 1718)''
*''Christophori Cellarii latinitatis probatae et exercitae liber memorialis naturali ordine dispositus (Norimbergae, 1719)''
*''Flos medicinae scholae Salernitanae (Posonii, 1721)''
*''Hungariae antiquae et novae prodromus (Norinbergae, 1723)''
*''Preces christianae (Lipsiae, 1728)''
*''Die Gatt suchende Seele (1729)''
*''Der ungarische Sprachmeister. (Pressburg, 1729)''
*''Adparatus ad historiam Hungariae. Decades II. (Posonii, 1735–46)''
*''Notitia Hungariae novae historico-geographica. Partis I. Tom. I–IV. Partis II. Tom. V. Viennae, (1735–42)''
*''Compendium Hungariae geographicum (Posonii, 1753)''
*''Kurze und zuverlässige Nachricht von dem Zustande der protestantischen Kirche in Ungarn''
*''Compendiolum regnorum Slavoniae, Croatiae, Dalmatiae, Gallicae et Lodomeriae. Posonii et Cassoviae (1777)''
*''Miscellanea Berolinensia (1734)''
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
Bel, Matthias (Bél Mátyás): Notitia Hungariae novae historico-geographica... Comitatuum ineditorum Tomus II. in quo continentur... Comitatus Soproniensis, Castriferrei, Szaladiensis et Veszprimiensis. Ed. Gregorius Tóth. Textum recensuerunt notisque instruxerunt: Bernadett Benei (et al.) Budapestini, 2012. (Prefaces, samples from the text edition)
(pdf)
Matthias Bel: Notitia Hungariae novae historico geographica... Comitatuum ineditorum tomus primus, in quo continentur... Comitatus Arvensis et Trentsiniensis. Edd. Gregorius Tóth, Ladislaus Glück, Zoltanus Gőzsy. Budapestini, 2011. (The introduction in Hungarian and in English can be read on this link)
Catalogus manuscriptorum Matthiae Bél, quae in bibliotheca Lycei Evangelici Posoniensis asservantur
Tóth, Gergely: Discipuli Posonienses Matthiae Belii. Lymbus 2007. 179–208.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bel, Matthias
1684 births
1749 deaths
People from Zvolen District
People from the Kingdom of Hungary
Cseszneky family
Hungarian nobility
Hungarian Lutheran clergy
Slovak Lutherans
Hungarian scientists
Slovak scientists
18th-century Hungarian people
Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences
Fellows of the Royal Society