János Baranyai Decsi (Csimor) (†1601)

He was a Calvinist humanist at the end of the 16th century in Marosvásárhely. He developed the Erasmist idea of cultivating the Hungarian language. He wrote an essay on Hungarian runic writing, in which he considered this ancient writing the basic criterion of a real language (instead of independent grammar). He interpreted Sallustius in rhetoric Hungarian prose, continuing the Erasmist programme of translating ancient masters. He published Erasmus's collection of proverbs with Hungarian equivalents (Bártfa, 1598). This book not only contained the translation and adaptations of the ancient proverbs, but also included many modern proverbs, which can suntil be heard today.

ÁP-SzJú