Melius and the „Szeged Bible” of 1567
Abstract
There is no surviving example of this New Testament, translated by P. J. Melius (1532–1572). Since the 18th century, two surviving copies are mentioned. From the surviving copies’ descriptions, we know that the originals were printed in rather small letters. The present study calls for the attention of a third copy, which survived in the library of the reverend P. T. Széplaki senior (c. 1725–1790), reformed minister at Losonc (Lučenec, Lizinz, now in Slovakia), northern part of Hungary. His son of the same name (1765–1810) inherited the library of his father and Széplaki junior, two years before his death, became an elevated professor of church law in the Reformed College of Debrecen. The manuscripts of his father’s library survived in the Library of the Reformed College, but most of the books disappeared.
The description of the catalogue by Széplaki does not mention the place of printing, namely Szeged, the southern region of Hungary. Perhaps this town has not been mentioned on the title page. However, it is possible, that the very busy reformed superintendent Melius had some business to do in the town of Szeged, under the Turkish rule, and wrote a foreword to his translation there. Actually, the Debrecen printer had no printing office, so the translation appeared in the town of Debrecen. Also it is possible, that because of the dangers of the time, he fled to the town nearby, to Várad (Oradea, now in Romania), and practically the print was prepared there.
This possibility as the place of translation, printing and the existence itself of this third copy of the 1567 New Testament was never mentioned in the bibliographical literature. The director of the Reformed College Library did mention the catalogue in 1945, but nobody noticed it and then it became forgotten.
