Mikael Agricola
Mikael Agricola (c. 1510 - April 9, 1557) was a Finnish clergyman who became de facto founder of written Finnish and one of the prominent proponents of Protestant Reformation in Finland.
Mikael Agricola
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2 Bishop's life 3 Literary achievements |
Early life
Mikael Olavinpoika ("son of Olavi", Mikko Olavinpoika, Michael Olaui, or as some Swedish documents show, "Mikkel Olafsson") was born in Nylandia in the village of Torstila in Pernaja, Finland, about 1510 in a peasant family. This, like many dates about his life, is inexact. His teachers apparently recognized his aptitude for languages and his rector sent him to Viipuri for Latin school and some priest training, where he attended the school of Johannes Erasmi.
When he studied in Viipuri he assumed the surname Agricola ("farmer" gv. "agriculture"); surnames based on fatherÃÂs status and occupation were common for first-generation scholars at the time. In 1528 he followed his teacher Bartholomeus to Turku, the practical center of the Finnish side of the Swedish realm and the capital of the bishopric, and became a scribe in the bishop's office. In Turku he became familiar with ideas of humanism and the Reformation. He was ordained for priesthood presumably in 1531.
In 1536 the bishop of Turku sent him to study in Wittenberg in Germany. He concentrated on lectures of Melanchthon, who was expert in Greek, the original language of the New Testament. Agricola was already thinking about a Finnish version of the Bible. In Wittenberg he also met Martin Luther.
In 1539 Agricola returned to Turku and ended up as the rector of Turku (Cathedral) School until 1548. At the time the king of Sweden Gustav Vasa had confiscated the property of church when he was consolidating his power but also drove the reformation. In 1546 Agricola lost his home and school in the Great Fire of Turku. At this time he was already married, but history knows his wife only by her name: Pirjo Olavintytär (Bridget, ÃÂdaughter of OlaviÃÂ; Birgitta Olafsdotter, Brigida Olaui). His only son, Christian Agricola (Christianus Michaelis Agricola), was born December 11, 1550, and became bishop of Tallinn 1584.
Bishop's life
When an old bishop died in 1554, Gustav Wasa had Agricola consecrated as the ordinarius of Turku parish ÃÂ for all practical purposes Bishop of Turku and by extension the first Lutheran bishop for all Finland. He was not particularly virulent in reform, although he did remove the Mass.
In 1557 he joined the delegation that was going to Russia and was in Moscow from February 21 to March 24 negotiating a peace treaty. On April 9 he died in the Kyrönniemi village on the Karelian Isthmus.
Literary achievements
Mikael Agricola created first form of written Finnish language. The first book, "ABC-Kiria" (primer for reading and a catechism), was printed in 1538. His most prominent book is the first Finnish-language translation of the New Testament. The work took 11 years, and was based on Greek original text (familiar to him particularly from time with Philipp Melanchthon, Latin collection by Erasmus of Rotterdam, German translation by Martin Luther, as well as the Swedish bibles by Olaus Petri. The New Testament, printed in Stockholm in 1548, was still based mainly on Turku dialect. He also translated liturgy and wrote a large prayer book ("Rucouskiria") in 1544.