The Study On The 16th Century Finnish Religious Reformer Agricola

Mikael Agricola was a prominent 16th-century Finnish religious reformer and theologian,and is known as the father of the written Finnish language and has a significant place in Finnish history for his creation of the Finnish written language.This paper will explore the background and early experiences of Agricola’s creation and publication of the Finnish written language,describe Agricola’s actions,analyse the reasons for his successful creation and publication of the Finnish written language,and explore his historical influence on Finland from three perspectives: political,religious and educational.The paper,excluding the introduction and conclusion,is divided into four parts:The first part of the main text sets out the historical context in which Agricola lived.As Finland was part of Sweden at the time,it begins with an account of the situation in Sweden,namely the rise of Swedish kingship after the Reformation.This is followed by an indication of the political,religious and linguistic situation in Finland before and after the Reformation,i.e.the weakness of the Church and the lack of a written Finnish language.This reveals that Agricola’s creation of a written Finnish language and the consolidation of the Reformation in Finland was in response to the historical context of the times.The second part of the text explains Agricola’s early experiences.Agricola moved between P?rn?,Vyborg,Wittenberg and finally Turku,during which time he met the first generation of Finnish and German Reformers.These experiences laid the intellectual and linguistic foundations for his creation of a written Finnish language and for consolidating the achievements of the Finnish Reformation.The third part of the text deals with what Agricola did.Agricola translated and published nine works in Finnish and consolidated the Reformation by teaching in cathedral schools,preaching in the Turku diocese and implementing a moderate religious reformation.The process of creating a written Finnish language was not an easy one and he encountered many difficulties.His success in creating a written Finnish language was due to the use of printing presses,the help of others,but also to his excellent linguistic skills,his long-term vision and his wise choice to translate extracts from the Bible.The fourth part of the text examines Agricola’s historical influence on Finland.In politics,the birth of the written Finnish language laid the foundations of Finnish national identity,and the practice of promoting the establishment of frontier churches strengthened the king’s control over the eastern frontier;in religion,he promoted the conversion of Finns from the Catholic to the Protestant faith,consolidated the achievements of the Finnish Reformation,and was the first to record the ancient religious beliefs of Finland.In education,he taught the new Lutheran curriculum in schools,which led to the introduction of literacy among the Finnish common people.