Mikael Agricola

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Mikael Agricola (Finnish:

He died of sudden illness while returning from a trip during which he assisted in negotiating the Treaty of Novgorod with the Tsardom of Moscovy.

Biography

Early life

Michael Olaui or Mikael Olofsson (Finnish Mikael Olavinpoika) was born in c. 1510 in the village of Torsby in Pernå (Pernaja), Nyland (Uusimaa), in what now is part of Finland but then was part of Sweden. He was named after the patron saint of Pernå's church. The exact date of his birth, like most details of his life, is unknown. His family was a quite wealthy gentry family according to the local bailiff's accounting. He had three sisters, but their names are not known. His teachers apparently recognized his aptitude for languages and his rector Bartholomeus sent him to Viborg (Fi. Viipuri; now Vyborg, Russia) for Latin school and some priestly training, where he attended the school of Erasmus. It is not known whether his first language was Finnish or Swedish; Pernå was mostly a Swedish-speaking district, but the language he used in his works indicates that he was a native speaker of Finnish.^[1] However, he mastered both languages like a native speaker and was possibly a bilingual child.^[2]

Studies

When Michael studied in

In 1528 Agricola followed his teacher to Turku (Åbo), then the center of the Finnish side of the Swedish realm and the capital of the bishopric. There Agricola became a scribe in bishop Martinus Skytte's office.^[2] While in Turku Agricola met Martin Luther's first Finnish student Petrus Särkilahti, who eagerly spread the idea of the Reformation. Särkilahti died in 1529, and it was up to Agricola to continue Särkilahti's work. Agricola was ordained for priesthood sometime in the early 1530s.^[3]

In 1536 the bishop of Turku sent Agricola to study in

In 1539 Agricola returned to Turku and ended up as the rector of Turku (Cathedral) School. He did not like his job, calling his students "untamed animals". At the time Gustav Vasa had confiscated the property of the church when he was consolidating his power but he also drove the Reformation. In 1544 Agricola received an order from the crown to send several talented young men to Stockholm's taxing offices. For some reason, Agricola did not obey until the order was sent again the next year, with a more menacing tone. This episode probably affected their relations negatively.^[3]

In 1546 Agricola lost his home and school in the Fire of Turku. On 22 February 1548, Gustav Vasa ordered Agricola to retire from his position as a rector. At this time Agricola was already married, but history knows his wife only by her name: Pirjo Olavintytär (Bridget, "daughter of Olavi"; Birgitta Olafsdotter, Brigida Olaui). His only son, Christian Agricola (Christianus Michaelis Agricola), was born 11 December 1550, and became the bishop of Tallinn in 1584.^{[citation needed]}

When an old bishop died in 1554, Gustav Vasa had Agricola consecrated as the

Agricola had thought about translating the New Testament in his early years of study. At the time, however, there was no standard written form of Finnish, so he started developing it. His first book, Abckiria, which is nowadays known as the "ABC-kirja" or ABC book, was a primer for reading and a catechism. It was first printed in 1543.^[7] The catechism was included because only very few people could afford the whole Bible at the time. The first printing contained 16 pages.

A second printing was released in 1551^[3] with 24 pages.

In 1966 Åke Åbergin, a librarian, discovered parts, while repairing book bindings, from an as yet unknown (likely the third) edition of the "ABC-kirja" that included the name of the printer, Amund Lauritsanpoika, and fortuitously the publishing date of 1559 (two years after the author's death) of the final as yet undiscovered 8 pages. The pages were likely the result of an imposing error and relegated to padding paper.^[8]

Rucouskiria

Agricola's Rucouskiria Bibliasta (contemporary Finnish spelling: Rukouskirja; literally, "Prayer Book from the Bible") was printed in March 1544. At the beginning of the book, Agricola wrote about many topics concerning all-round

Agricola's most prominent book is the first Finnish-language translation of the New Testament. The manuscript was completed in 1548. It contains 718 pages and many illustrations.^[7]

Liturgical books

While Agricola was in Wittenberg, he translated three smaller liturgical books into Finnish. These books were printed in 1549.^[7]

Käsikirja Castesta ia muista Christikunnan Menoista includes forms for christening, marriage and burial, as well as speeches for the sick, mourning and dying. It is translated from Olaus Petri's corresponding work except for the christening and marriage portions, which are from Luther. It also contains minor elements translated from works of Caspar Huberinus [de].

Messu eli Herran echtolinen includes the form for a service. It is also based on Olaus Petri's work and a few Finnish manuscripts. In this book Agricola revealed his next mission: the translation of the Old Testament.^[3]

Se meiden Herran Jesusen Christusen Pina, ylesnousemus ia tauiaisen Astumus, niste Neliest Euangelisterist coghottuon tells about Jesus Christ's suffering. It is collected from all four gospels. This book was influenced heavily by Johannes Bugenhagen,^[7] a teacher in Wittenberg. It was mainly translated from the German version, but some parts are influenced by the Swedish version and Agricola's own translation of the New Testament.^{[citation needed]}

Commemorations

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America remembers Bishop Agricola annually on 10 April.^{[citation needed]}

Mikael Agricola Church in Helsinki is named after Agricola.^[9] As well the Agricola Lutheran Church memorializes his namesake in Toronto Canada. An asteroid 3212 Agricola is named after Agricola.

In 2007, 450 years after his death, Agricola was selected as the main motif for a commemorative coin, the €10 Mikael Agricola and Finnish language commemorative coin. This collector coin was issued to honor Agricola's life work as a contributor to the Protestant reformation in Finland and as the father of the Finnish written language. The reverse side depicts a quill to reference the writer, while the coin's obverse side contains an artistic interpretation of a human figure.^[10]

Gallery

See also

• Flag flying days in Finland

Notes

References