The Bible in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the Early Modern Period: Translators, Editors, Readers WH-KON-BiblPolLit

I would like to discuss many aspects of the phenomenon of translation and commentary work of the Bible in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th and 17th centuries. As it was a very special or even unique movement, extremely varied and long-time lasting, it would be difficult to offer its complete synthesis in one course. Though, the exhaustive presentation of the historical and linguistic contexts would help us to understand the phenomenon. Intensified interest in translations of the Bible was connected in a very special way with the interest in the Polish language, its literary expression as well as its grammatical and orthographic standardisation that occurred just in the same time. The intellectual activity related to the Bible contributed simultaneously to the development of the Polish literary language and even inspired the translations of the sacred texts of other religions present in the country. Moreover, contacts between different languages of Central and Eastern European area, where many attempts of new translations appeared, are very important. A quick rise of the different Reformation currents contributed to a ‘natural’ need for new translations and commentaries to be used by community members. These new currents, first easily accepted and spread in the country, even when suppressed, could not arrest this activity, and later new Catholic translations and commentaries of the post-Trident period, both in Polish and Lithuanian, proved it. We will dedicate our attention also to some concrete typographical realizations of this activity and provide an interesting example of the musical expression directly inspired by the biblical translation.