Jákup Dahl
Jacob Dahl ( born June 5, 1878 in Vágur, Faroe Islands, † June 5, 1944 in Tórshavn, the Faroese today Jákup Dahl ) was a Faroese Provost and Bible translator. Together with his friend and colleague Andrias Evensen he was one of the pioneers of the Faroese language in school and church.
Young nationalist
Jákup was born in 1878 in Vágur on Suðuroy the son of businessman Peter Hans Dahl and his wife Elisabeth Susanna, born Vilhelm.
Even from an early age Jákup Dahl was fascinated by the new nationalist currents. He was classmate of Janus Djurhuus at the secondary school in Tórshavn. That Dahl's lecture described the nationalist struggle anthem Nú he tann stundin komin til handa of Jóannes Patursson than its linguistic baptism. As a politician in Paturssons party Sjálvstýrisflokkurin ( separatists ) Jacob Dahl made during the Faroese language dispute in the limelight when he as a real school teacher in Tórshavn in 1909 refused to continue to teach in Danish. The matter then went to Copenhagen before the Ministry of Education. One of his students was William Heinesen who still reported from another time, where Dahl students forced the Danish language. In 1912 he left the teaching profession.
Theologian
In the same year, Dahl became pastor of the congregation of Südstreymoy. In 1918 he was appointed dean of the Faroe Islands, and held this office until his death in 1944.
Like so many other pastors, inter alia, his friend from his student days and predecessor in the Provost Office, Andrias Christian Evensen (1874-1917), Dahl wanted a translation of the language of the Church in the Faroe Islands. 1918-1919 he had translated the rituals, but due to political disputes about this, they were not printed before 1929 and 1930 authorized.
From the Old Testament Dahl had in 1921 translated the Book of Psalms. He then began to transfer the New Testament from the Greek, and each part is published in small booklets of about 1923 to 1936 in 1937 appeared a collected version of the New Testament -. Almost simultaneously with the issuance of Victor Danielsen, who worked independently.
He then translated the Old Testament, but could not complete until his death in 1944. This task took over Kristian Osvald VIDERO, so the Danish National Church ( which always all translations of Dahl immediately authorized ) in 1961 could finally provide a Bible translation into Faroese language. There was in 1949 a complete translation of the Bible by Victor Danielsen, but based on modern European issues and not, as Dahl, to the original texts.
In addition to the translation of the Bible Dahl also provided a transfer of the Catechism (1922 ), the Bible story of Carl Frederik Balslev (1924 ) and the compilation of a Faroese collection of sermons for Laiengottestdienste in remote villages. Finally translated Jákup Dahl dozens of hymns (eg Martin Luther ) in his native language.
Linguist
In 1908 Dahl debuted as a linguist and wrote a Faroese grammar for students Føroysk mállæra til skúlabrúks, which has up to our time found application. The British soldier Paul W. Harvey translated it during the occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II into English and was supported by Jákup av Skarði. The book could not appear, and so WB Lockwood was asked to complete the first Faroese grammar in English An Introduction to Modern Faroese, but this was entirely re-designed and focused only on the modern language, whereas Dahl also to older language stages sought.
In addition to its religious and linguistic works Jákup Dahl also left a lot of secular poetry and prose.
Jákup Dahl's son Regin Dahl (1918-2007) was an important Faroese poet and composer.
See also: Faroese People's Church