TheBible of Queen Sophia (orQueen Sophia's Bible, Polish:Biblia królowej Zofii, alsoSárospatak Bible,Biblia Szaroszp(a)otacka) is the oldest surviving translation of theOld Testament into the Polish language and the first completetranslation of the Bible into Polish.[1] The work is seen as a significant milestone in the history of the Polish language,[2] and the most extensive example of the medievalOld Polish language.[3][4]
The bible was commissioned bySophia of Halshany, wife of the Polish kingJogaila.[5] Queen Sophia did not know Latin, and wished for a bible she could read herself.[6] The translation started in 1433 and ceased in 1455; the work was not fully finished (some illustrations were completed only two centuries later).[4][5] The primary author of the translation was the Queen's chaplain, Andrzej z Jaszowic.[4]
A copy of the bible was held by the library atSárospatak in Hungary[5] from at least 1708;[7] hence the other name for this book.[6] The bible was composed of two parchment folios[6] numbering 470 pages in total.[8] Only 185 pages of the first folio survived to the 19th century,[8] as the second had been destroyed to provide bindings for other books.[6] The first volume was also lost (presumed destroyed[4]) during World War I, butLudwik Bernacki published afacsimile edition in 1930.[6] Several pages were recovered during theinterwar period but most were lost during World War II. Today only two and a half pages remain: two at theUniversity of Wrocław and half a page at theNational Library of the Czech Republic in Prague.[4]
The text of the bible is known through reproductions. The first complete printed edition of the work was in 1871, through the effort ofAntoni Małecki.[3]
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