The Racovian New Testament refers to two separate translations produced by the Unitarian Polish Brethren at the printing presses of the

Racovian Academy The Racovian Academy (') was a Socinian school operated from 1602 to 1638 by the Polish Brethren in Raków, Kielce County, Raków, Sandomierz Voivodeship of Lesser Poland. The communitarian Arianism, Arian settlement of Raków was founded in 1569 b ...

, Raków, Poland.

Enyedi's "Preface to the Racovian New Testament"

Christopher Sandius Christopher Sandius Jr. (Königsberg, October 12, 1644 – Amsterdam, November 30, 1680) was an Arian writer and publisher of Socinian works without himself being a Socinian. His name was Latinized as Christophorus Sandius, though his German name ...

in his '' Anti-Trinitarian Library'' lists the preface in Latin to a "Racovian New Testament", by the Transylvanian Unitarian bishop George Enyedinus, which Sand notes is impossible since Enyedi died before either of the known Racovian versions were published. It may be that Enyedi's preface attached to some other translation produced by the Polish Brethren, for example, as the suggestion by

Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name Wa ...

that this may refer to the translation into Polish of the New Testament of

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 Pozna� ...

published at Raków before the existence of the academy in 1577 by Alexius Rodecki, and without the place of printing being indicated. Or alternatively since the preface attributed to Enyedi is in Latin, there may have conceivably have been a Latin New Testament originating from Rodecki's press which is now unknown.

Polish New Testament

Aside from Rodecki's printing of Czechowicz' version in 1577 the first official translation was that translation by Walenty Smalc from Greek to Polish in 1606, reprinted 1620. The existence of a preface from 1605 suggests that the 1606 edition may have been a second printing. An extensive subtitle argues for

sola scriptura (Latin for 'by scripture alone') is a Christian theological doctrine held by most Protestant Christian denominations, in particular the Lutheran and Reformed traditions, that posits the Bible as the sole infallible source of authority for ...

view of scriptures and the typical

Socinian Socinianism ( ) is a Nontrinitarian Christian belief system developed and co-founded during the Protestant Reformation by the Italian Renaissance humanists and theologians Lelio Sozzini and Fausto Sozzini, uncle and nephew, respectively. I ...

belief in Jesus as "Son of God,... not God, ...born of the virgin birth".Michał Wiszniewski ''Historya literatury polskiej'' 1844 p597

German New Testament

1630 saw the appearance of a German translation by Johannes Crell and

Joachim Stegmann Joachim Stegmann Sr.(Potsdam 1595 - Cluj-Napoca 1633) was a German Socinian theologian, Bible translator, mathematician and rector of the Racovian Academy. Stegmann was born in Potsdam, and was a Lutheran pastor in Brandenburg, but from 1626 he be ...

Other Unitarian New Testaments

The version of Stegmann and Crell is not to be confused with the German New Testament based on Courcelles' Greek text by Jeremias Felbinger, Amsterdam 1660.

References

{{reflist, 2 Unitarianism Bible translations into Polish Bible translations into German Protestantism in Poland History of Protestantism in Germany Christianity in the Holy Roman Empire