Owing to historical circumstances, Slovenes are not entirely familiar with Primož Trubar and all aspects of his work. It is, of course, common knowledge that Trubar was the author of the first Slovene printed books, and as such the founder of the Slovene written culture. The rest of his work is less known. Even less known, however, is the background of his opus: his fate of a man both respected and persecuted, and his role in the major European cultural movements which marked the period in which he lived. It is therefore appropriate for the year celebrating the 500th anniversary of Trubar’s birth to become a year of comprehensive study of Trubar’s work and its historic circumstances.

Trubar was closely linked to humanism and the Renaissance; he was an intellectual familiar with the European trends of the time. He maintained correspondence with the spiritual giants of his time, seeking inspiration from the greatest amongst them, Erasmus of Rotterdam. He was also a deeply religious Christian, organiser of the Slovene Church and a leading personality of its reformation. He was the founder and manager of one of the first Bible institutes in Europe. He translated a great part of the Bible himself, and further created the conditions for the translation of the whole Bible into the Slovene language. The Slovene people thus became one of the first European nations to obtain the translation of the entire Bible.

Although Trubar’s opus is great and indeed deserves admiration for its complexity, this alone does not give the entire picture of his importance. Trubar was first and foremost a seeker of true answers to questions about humankind, and at the same time, an architect of practical solutions for the spiritual progress of the Slovene people.He linked two apparently incompatible missions – the one known to the thinkers with a universal view on humanity, and the other requiring practical work of a pragmatic man. The best expression of his greatness is in his capacity to be at the same time a visionary and a down-to-earth person, an intellectual shaped by Europe and the author of the Slovene national idea – proving that there is no internal disharmony among all these diverse roles. All this can also be a source of inspiration for the present time, when the Slovenian people must prove its national identity and its European adherence, its capacity to generate practical solutions and its understanding of today’s complex world. There are many things we can learn from Trubar and indeed, this is why we should study his work thoroughly.

Dr Danilo Türk
President of the Republic of Slovenia