Mikael Agricola
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Mikael Agricola was a key figure in the Finnish Reformation and is considered the father of literary Finnish. He studied under Martin Luther in Wittenberg and, upon returning to Finland, became the first Lutheran bishop of Turku in 1554.1
Agricola's most significant contribution was the creation of the Finnish literary language. He published a Finnish primer around 1543 and, crucially, a Finnish translation of the New Testament in 1548. This work laid the foundation for written Finnish and made religious texts accessible to a wider population. His efforts were instrumental in establishing Lutheranism as the official religion of Finland in 1593.21
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- Finnish language
…century, when the Lutheran bishop Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish.
Read More…century, when the Lutheran bishop Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish.
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Finnish literatureFrom the Middle Ages to the 18th century…Finnish was the religious reformer Mikael Agricola, the first Lutheran bishop of Finland, who published a Finnish primer (c. 1543) and a translation of the New Testament from Greek into Finnish (1548). (The first Finnish translation of the whole Bible was published in 1642.) In the prefaces to his translations,…
Read More…Finnish was the religious reformer Mikael Agricola, the first Lutheran bishop of Finland, who published a Finnish primer (c. 1543) and a translation of the New Testament from Greek into Finnish (1548). (The first Finnish translation of the whole Bible was published in 1642.) In the prefaces to his translations,…
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FinlandThe 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries…cultural centres of Europe, and Mikael Agricola (c. 1510–57), the creator of the Finnish literary language, brought the Lutheran faith from Germany. As part of medieval Sweden, Finland was drawn into the many wars and domestic battles of the Swedish nobility. In 1581 King John III raised Finland to the…
Read More…cultural centres of Europe, and Mikael Agricola (c. 1510–57), the creator of the Finnish literary language, brought the Lutheran faith from Germany. As part of medieval Sweden, Finland was drawn into the many wars and domestic battles of the Swedish nobility. In 1581 King John III raised Finland to the…
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Church of FinlandThe outstanding Finnish reformer was Mikael Agricola, who had studied at Wittenberg, where Martin Luther was a professor. Consecrated the first Lutheran bishop of Turku (1554), Agricola published several religious works, including a Finnish translation of the New Testament (1548).
Read MoreThe outstanding Finnish reformer was Mikael Agricola, who had studied at Wittenberg, where Martin Luther was a professor. Consecrated the first Lutheran bishop of Turku (1554), Agricola published several religious works, including a Finnish translation of the New Testament (1548).
Read More- Ilmarinen
…deities compiled in 1551 by Mikael Agricola (c. 1510–57), the Lutheran bishop who developed written Finnish. Agricola identified Ilmarinen specifically as a weather god who aids travelers on their journeys. Etymologically the word ilma can be connected with other Finno-Ugric words for sky, including the Votyak word im, the Zyryan…
Read More…deities compiled in 1551 by Mikael Agricola (c. 1510–57), the Lutheran bishop who developed written Finnish. Agricola identified Ilmarinen specifically as a weather god who aids travelers on their journeys. Etymologically the word ilma can be connected with other Finno-Ugric words for sky, including the Votyak word im, the Zyryan…
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ProtestantismThe expansion of the Reformation in EuropeThe reformer there was Mikael Agricola, called “the father of written Finnish.” The Baltic states of Livonia and Estonia were officially Lutheran in 1554. Austria under the Habsburgs provided no state support for the evangelical movement, which nevertheless gained adherents. In Moravia, as noted earlier, the Hutterites established their…
Read MoreThe reformer there was Mikael Agricola, called “the father of written Finnish.” The Baltic states of Livonia and Estonia were officially Lutheran in 1554. Austria under the Habsburgs provided no state support for the evangelical movement, which nevertheless gained adherents. In Moravia, as noted earlier, the Hutterites established their…
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