Jachiam Tütschett Bifrun

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jachiam Tütschett Bifrun (born April 8, 1506 in Samedan ; † December 13, 1572, presumably in Samedan) was a Swiss notary , governor , judge and Reformed Bible translator in the Upper Engadin . He is considered a pioneer and co-founder of Ladin , the written Romansh language in the Engadin and a promoter of the Reformation in the Upper Engadin.

Life

Jachiam Tütschett Bifrun was born in Samedan in the Upper Engadin in 1506. His parents were Gian Bifrun and Ursina Tütschett. It is believed that he was the only son and had attended Latin school in Zurich . In 1523 he moved to Paris, where he studied law for three years and then returned to his homeland. It is possible that he had acquired knowledge of the Greek language during his studies. From 1525 to 1527, his father was Podestà in Tirano ; his son accompanied him, worked as a notary and also learned Italian.

After his return, Bifrun became a notary in Samedan; from 1531 to 1552 he was also active several times in politics. He was a member of parliament , legal advisor to the Church of God , Landammann (1532–1556) and often also a judge (1537–1558). It is believed that he held some of these offices until his death in 1572.

His work as a Bible translator into Ladin

Bifrun was one of the main promoters of the Reformation, which was introduced in Samedan in 1551. He then worked as one of the first translators into Ladin, the new written language of the Romansh language. He translated the Chur catechism by Johannes Comander and Johannes Blasius . This Fuorma work was printed by Landolfi in Poschiavo in 1552 . It is the first Romanesque script, but only fragments have been preserved.

Not long afterwards, he began translating the New Testament . He had the Latin translation of Erasmus of Rotterdam from 1519 or 1521, the Froschauer Bible from 1531 by Huldrych Zwingli and Leo Jud and the Luther Bible from 1534 as a template. Since the Romance language did not yet have any suitable words, Bifrun often borrowed it from Italian or Latin. With this translation he created the Ladin written language and laid the foundation for the development of the Rhaeto-Romanic Bible translations. In 1560 he had his 874-page Ladin edition of the New Testament printed at his own expense with the title: L'g Nuof Sainc Testamaint da nos Signer Jesu Christi prais our delg Latin et our d'oters launguax et huossa da noef mis in Arumaunsch. The Engadine reformer Philipp Gallicius contributed the foreword, Stevan Zorsch Chiatauni from Chamues-ch took care of language editing and prepress, and Jacob Kündig in Basel did the printing.

In 1556 he wrote a Latin treatise on dairy products, which was published in 1563 in the Ars magirica of Iodochus Willichius Raselli by Jacob Gessner .

Works

  • Fuorma (Reformed Confession, Poschiavo 1552; new editions: 1571, 1589, 1615 and 1629)
  • L'g Nuof Sainc Testamaint da nos Signer IESV CHRISTI. Prais our delg Lation & d'oters launguaux & huossa da noef mis in Arumaunsch, três IACHiam Bifrun d'Agnedina. Schquischo ilg to MDLX Biblia rhaetica (1560 probably in Basel , a new edition took place in 1607)
  • Una cuorta & critiana forma da intraguidar la giuventüna & par lg Prüm co e s'cognuoscha Deus & se d'vess. Alhura una declaratiun da la chredinscha Poschiavo (1560)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Lüthi: Romance Bible Editions , Bern 1917
  2. ↑ Patrick A. Wild: Jachiam Bifrun's Testamaint from 1560. Library Chesa Planta, Samedan
  3. ^ Ottavio Clavuot: Bifrun, Jachiam. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  4. ↑ L'g Nuof Sainc Testamaint da nos Signer Jesu Christi / prais our delg latin & our d'oters launguax & huossa da noef mis in Arumaunsch tres Jachiam Bifrun d'Agnedina in www.e-rara.ch
personal data
SURNAME Bifrun, Jachiam Tütschett
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss notary, land manager, judge and reformed Bible translator in the Upper Engadin
DATE OF BIRTH April 8, 1506
PLACE OF BIRTH Samedan
DATE OF DEATH December 13, 1572
Place of death Samedan