- Pal Engjëlli
Pal Engjëlli (1416–1470) was an
Albania n Catholicclergy man,Archbishop ofDurrës and Cardinal of Albania who in 1462 wrote the first known sentence in Albanian.This is the following formula of
baptism (Albanian: "Formula e Pagëzimit"): "Un'te paghesont' pr'emenit t'Atit e t'Birit e t'Spirit Senit." (I baptize thee in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.) The formula is found in a pastoral letter inLatin written by the Archbishop after hisvisitation to the Church of Holy Trinity in Mat. The letter is dated byNovember 8 , 1462. The formula was meant to be used by Albanianpriest s in order to render the ritual understandable for people ignorant of Latin, attending the baptism. Probably it was meant also to be used by Albanian people in the countryside, unable to take their children to be baptized to a church.The formula was approved by a
synod in Mat in 1462.The document containing the formula of baptism is held in "Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana",
Florence ,Italy . There it was discovered in 1915 by theRomania n scholarNicolae Iorga ."Engjëlli" is Albanian for 'the angel'.
Pal Engjëlli is reported to have been a friend, co-worker and close counselor of
Skanderbeg . As his envoy, he frequently traveled abroad, seeking for aid against Ottomans.
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