Matthias Bel

Origin, life

Matthias Bel was born in Ocsova, Kingdom of Hungary (now Ocova, Slovakia). to Matej Bel Funtik or Bel-Funtik, a Slovak wealthy peasant and butcher, and Veszprem-born Erzsebet Cseszneky, who hails from the Hungarian noble family, Cseszneky.

According to some Slovak sources, he considered himself an ethnic Slovak, though Bel described himself as "by language a Slav, by nation a Hungarian, by erudition a German". His fathers double family-name is part Slovak (Funtik) and part Hungarian (Bel). In 1710, he got married to an ethnic German woman from Hungary, Susanna Hermann, and the couple had eight children together.

Bel attended schools in Lucenec (Losonc), Kalinovo (Kalno), and Dolna Strehova (Alsosztregova), and then grammar schools in Banska Bystrica (Besztercebanya), Pressburg (today Bratislava), and briefly in Veszprem and in the Calvinist college of Papa. Between 1704–1706, he studied theology, philosophy, and medicine at the University of Halle and he was appointed rector at the school of Klosterbergen near Magdeburg after that. Later, returning to the Kingdom of Hungary, became an assistant rector and became afterwards the rector at the Lutheran grammar school in Banska Bystrica, where he was also simultaneously a pastor. As a Rakoczi-sympathisant, he was almost executed by General Sigbert Heister. Between 1714 and 1719, he was the rector of the Lutheran grammar school and then also a pastor of the German Lutheran church in Pressburg.

Bel died on August 29, 1749. He was buried in Pressburg, the cemetery has now disappeared.

Selected works

Bel spoke Slovak, Hungarian, and German, and his works had been published mostly in Latin, which were steeped in the Hungarian national consciousness as had been manifested for instance in his writing, the Notitia Hungariae novae historico geographica, which is an extolment of the Hungarian history, influenced by his deep affection for the Hungarian language.

He never edited a language book in Slovak, as the first attempt to codify the written form of the Slovak language was performed only in 1787, well after his death. Domestically, Slovak Protestants used at that time the so-called biblical Czech language instead, introduced by a translation of the Bible known as Bible of Kralice.

One of his notable writings is the Institutiones linguae Germanicae (Rules of the German grammar) written in Latin for Hungarians, of which special edition was published in Halle in 1730 for Hungarian students studying in Germany. He also wrote a popular book, "Der ungarische Sprachmeister" (Hungarian language master), on Hungarian grammar for Germans. He mistakenly suspected that the Hungarian language was relative of the Hebrew one. In the one work of him whose name is "Literatura Hunno-Scythica" published in 1718, Bel endeavoured to prove that there existed, at one time, a Hun-Scythian alphabet, of which he thought that that must have been known to the Szekelys.

Legacy

Bel was active in the fields of pedagogy, philosophy, philology, history, and theoretical theology; he was the founder of Hungarian geographic science and a pioneer of descriptive ethnography and economy. A leading figure in pietism, Bel wrote sacred works in Lutheran liturgical language.

As a teacher Bel wrote books, introduced natural science lessons, and emphasized the importance of using visual aid and experimental education. His methods spread and had a modernizing effect on the education system of the entirety of Hungary.

As a philologist, Bel was the first to study the Hungarian runes and also contributed to the evolution of the Hungarian literary language. He revised and republished Gaspar Karoli's Bible-translation. He wrote Hungarian, Latin and German grammars – in the latter he also reviewed the German communities and dialects in Hungary. His work as a translator and editor in the field of religious work is also copious.

A pioneer of collaborative research in the history of the Kingdom of Hungary, Bel undertook a comprehensive historical and geographic examination of the territory in his well-known Notitia Hungariae Novae Historico Geographiaca. His work about the counties of Hungary was aided by many – while others accused him of espionage. The chancery entrusted Samuel Mikoviny to supplement his work with detailed maps. The Notitia's complete edition could not be achieved during Bel's lifetime. Only eleven county descriptions were issued in print: Szepes County's description was published in Bel's Notitia project introduction, the Prodromus, the other ten county descriptions – namely Pozsony County, Turoc County, Zolyom County, Lipto County, Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun County, Nograd County, Bars County, Nyitra County, Hont County, Moson County – were published in five volumes of the Notitia. The remaining 37 county descriptions along with the Jasz-Kun districts' description were left in manuscripts due to the revising county authorities' negligence or hostility, and the problems with the printery. These manuscripts have been scattered to several archives or collections.

Recently Hungarian historians and philologists began to publish a critical edition of the county descriptions remained in manuscripts, based on the results of a comprehensive research made by the Hungarian historian Gergely Toth. Calculating the length of the descriptions, they find it achievable to publish all the descriptions left in manuscript in 10 volumes. The first volume, which contains the descriptions of Arva and Trencsen counties, has already been published.

In 1735 Bel drew up a proposal for the creation of a scientific academy, to be based in Pressburg.

Honours and awards

Bel's works met with recognition and respect beyond the Kingdom: he was a member of a number of learned societies abroad (e.g., Prussian Royal Academy (Berlin), Royal Society of London, Societas eruditorum incognitorum in terris Austriacis (Olomouc), Jena, Saint Petersburg). He was elevated to noble rank by Charles VI of Austria, and received a golden medallion with his (Bel's) own portrait from Pope Clement XII.

Matej Bel University (Univerzita Mateja Bela) in Banska Bystrica is named after him.

Publications