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The article presents the comprehensive works that represent the antecedents of today’s lexicons via the works of two Transylvanian scientists. In the 16th –18th centuries, encyclopaedias and lexicons were different from what we mean by these terms today. The first „encyclopaedias” were primarily school manuals and not all of them aimed at comprehensiveness. Their authors were Calvinist theologians or Cartesian philosophers who, in possession of their own multidisciplinary knowledge, required that their students also learn about everything.

The author of the first Hungarian encyclopaedia was Apáczai Csere, J. (1625–1659). After having studied at Dutch universities, he returned to Transylvania and started teaching at the College of Gyulafehérvár (Alba Julia, Romania). His main work became the Hungarian Encyclopaedia, written in Hungarian language, with an introduction in Latin. This work reflects the natural sciences–based thinking of the 17th century. Apáczai selected the most important authors of his time and starting from the authors, he collected the scientific disciplines that he considered the most important: mathematics, natural sciences, some social sciences and theology. His intention was to teach sciences in the Hungarian language. He was planning to use his work as a textbook in secondary education, for students who completed their primary education in Hungarian. However, this project did not materialise and the work of Apáczai could not be widely used at schools at that time.

Bod, P. (1712–1769) is well known as the author of the first Hungarian lexicon. Like Apáczai, he also gained his encyclopaedic knowledge in the Netherlands. Returning home to Transylvania, he worked as a private pastor and librarian for the powerful Catherine Bethlen who devoted her life to the reformed church, charity activities and supporting education and culture in Transylvania. She also supported the publishing of Hungarian books, including the works by Bod. One of Bod’s significant works aimed to explain the examples and allegories of the Bible („Hungarian lexicon for the understanding of the Holy Scripture”). The work gives an interpretation of 657 biblical expressions, arranged in alphabetical order. The most important work of Bod was the „Hungarian Athenas” covering the life and work of more than 500 Hungarian scientists. This was the first biographical lexicon in the Hungarian language. As the librarian of the famous library of Catherine Bethlen, he was collecting books and documents and also prepared a catalogue.

Both Apáczai and Bod published works with a broad coverage of sciences and contributed to the fostering of the Hungarian scientific language.

Országos Széchényi Könyvtár Észrevételek