Original scientific paper

Widening the Marulić Circles: an Icelandic Translation and an Unknown German Edition of De Institutione

Branko Jozić orcid.org/0000-0003-2490-148X ; Marulianum, Split

Abstract

One of the indicators of the fineness of the literary expression and general greatness of the Split Humanist is the reception of his oeuvre: there are numerous editions of originals of his works and of translations into other languages. Apart from that, there is an immense number of works by religious writers, of preachers and historians who cite Marulić as a generally recognised authority. Parts of his writings appear within compilations of other authors, not only as short fragments but also as major units. Particularly prominent in this respect is the book Exempla virtvtvm et vitiorum...(Basel, 1555), in which the editor, Johannes Herold, put an abbreviated version of Marulić’s De institutione among the works that were composed by praestantissimi scriptores in both the classical languages (cf. the study of Darko Novakovic in CM IV [1995]). Now joining this string of publications of part of the work are three editions of his De institutione previously unknown in the Marulić horizon. In Iceland, in 1601, a book translated from german entitled Christeleg Vnderuiisun Vm odaudleika Sailarennar was published. In the second part is the Marulić text entitled Agiœtlegur Tractatus Marci Maruli Spalatehsis Vm Tilkomu Christi. As can be seen from the title, the book discusses the doctrine of the immortality of the soul and the last things, the topic of the sixth book of Marulić’s De institutione. It is known that a similar partial edition was published before that, in german, as: Ein schöner Tractat, Marci Maruli, Spalatensis, von der Zukunft Christi zum Gerichte... published as part of the book Die himmlische Weissheit of 1697. The author of the present paper has established that this »lovely treatise« was published one more time, five years later, this time in a compilation entitled Erbauliche Andachten (1702) by Abraham a Sancta Clara, an Augustininan, writer and famed sermon writer. It is interesting that the edition of 1702 was printed with the same layout and pagination as that of 1697. Still, both of these german editions of the tractatus were created after the Icelandic translation, and could not have served as an original. Only subsequent research led to an earlier and previously unknown german edition of the treatise. It was edited by Gregorius Weiser under the title Christlicher Bericht, Von vnsterbligkeit vnnd Zustandt der Seelen nach jrem Abschied, vnnd letzten Hendeln der Welt. Sampt gruendlicher vnd ausfuehrlicher erklerung aus den Schrifften der Veter, Jtem Herrn D. Martini Lutheri, Johannis Mathesij, D. Martini Mirj, vnd Johannis Gigantis, Jn Frag vnd Antwort Zusam[m]en getragen durch Gregorium Weiser, Pfarherrn zu Peritz (Budissin, 1583). Marulić’s text, here printed too under the title of Ein schöner Tractat, is in the second part of the book, and after it come the meditations of St Bernard and the orations of St Augustine (just as they would in the Iceland 1601 edition and the german editions of 1697 and 1702). The chronological order and the correspondence in title and in actual text clearly show that the original for the Icelandic version was the german edition of Georg Weiser. What was it in Marulić, or in the sixth book of his De Institutione, that so attracted translators and compilers? The topic of last things was extremely timelyin the Europe of the second half of the 16th century, shaken by many woes (wars, famine, epidemics, the threat from the Ottomans), which were perceived as signs of the imminent end of the world. Worthy of attention is the fact that from the great mass of publications concerning the end of the world of that time, Weiser should have taken precisely Marulić’s text for his catechism. It is worth noticing that in the case of the Basel edition of 1555, the Catholic Humanist of Split reappeared in a Protestant milieu, in the company of leaders of the Reformation, Martin Luther, Johannes Mathesius, Martinus Mirus and Johannes gigas. The Icelandic translator, Guðbrandur Þorláksson, was also a respected Reformation theologian and Lutheran bishop, the first translator of the Bible into Icelandic, and much to be credited with Lutheranism establishing roots in Iceland. All of this tells that Marulić enjoyed a major reputation among non-Catholic theologians. This research has enlarged the number of Marulić editions in german, and the number of languages in which his works have to date been translated has risen to thirteen, now including: Croatian, Czech, English, Flemish, French, german, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Slovene and Spanish.

Keywords

Marko Marulić; De institutione; reception; Icelandic translation; the end of the world; the last things; Protestantism; book history; bibliography

Hrčak ID:

80209

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/80209

Publication date:

5.4.2012.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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