Heinrich Stahli pastoraalne tegevus Rootsi Läänemere provintsides 17. sajandi esimesel poolel

Abstract

Henrich Stahli (1600?1657) eesti- ja saksakeelsete paralleeltekstidega neljaosaline „Käsi- ja koduraamat“ ning jutlustekogu rajasid aluse eesti kirjakeele järjepidevale arengule. Eesti kirjakeele täiustumise ja rahvusliku eneseteadvuse kasvuga kujunenud kriitiline hoiak Stahli sõnaloome suhtes on paraku kandunud üle ka tema isikule ja kogu tegevusele. Võõramaalastest pastoritele suunatud eestikeelsed tekstid olid talle aga pelgalt abivahendiks luterlike usutõdede õpetamisel sõdadest räsitud maa poolpaganlikule põliselanikkonnale. Käeolevas uurimuses püütakse vaadelda Heinrich Stahli tegevust tema Rostocki ja Wittenbergi ülikoolidest pärit luterlike vaadete, samuti Rootsi kirikupoliitika kontekstis. Haritud ja kohusetundliku vaimuliku edasiliikumine ametiredelil oli toonastes Eestimaa oludes ootuspärane – maapastorina alustanud Stahlist sai juba neljakümnendate eluaastate hakul Ingerimaa kirikupea. Kuid mida kaalukamad olid tema kohustused, seda enam enam põrkus tema tegevus nii nende piirkondade ajaloolisest traditsioonist kui Rootsi kirikupoliitika ebajärjekindlusest tulenevatele vastuoludele. Stahli kiiret ja edukat karjääri Eestimaal toetas tema kohalike olude ja keelte hea tundmine, Ingerimaa kirikuorganisatsiooni rajamisel sai ta omakorda rakendada Eestimaa kogemust. Kuid oma põhiülesande täitmiseks – Ingerimaa soomeugrilastest põliselanike luterlusse konverteerimiseks – puudus tal kogemus, keelteoskus ning eelteadmised. Veel enam – eesmärk ise oli ebareaalne. Elanike keelelist identiteeti tähtsustav luterlik käsitus alahindas vene õigeusklike usulise identiteedi tugevust, mis üksnes ei ühendanud erineva etnilise ja sotsiaalse päritoluga inimesi – linna- ja maaelanikke, talupoegi ja aadlikke, vadjalasi, venelasi ja isureid –, vaid ületas isegi riigipiiri. Ingerimaa luterlik kirik seevastu oli killustunud erineva keelelise, sotsiaalse ja korporatiivse identiteediga kogukondadeks, mille konfliktid nii üksteise kui kirikupeaga raskendasid ühtse kirikuorganisatsiooni loomist ja takistasid oluliselt konverteerimistööd. Ingerimaal õnnestus Stahlil luterliku kirikuorganisatsiooni rajamine, kuid püsivat jälge Rootsi kirik sellesse piirkonda ei jätnud – erinevalt Eestimaast, kus Heinrich Stahli panus eestlaste kristlike väärtushinnangute ja läänelike haridusideaalide kujundamisse polnud vähem oluline kui kirjakeele arendamisse.

Heinrich Stahl’s (1600?-1657) four-part bilingual manual Käsi ja koduraamat (Hand and Home Book) in Estonian and German and the collection of sermons established the basis for a consistent development of the Estonian literary language. A critical attitude towards the written work of Stahl, developed in the course of the improvement of the Estonian literary language and the increase of national self –consciousness, has been unfortunately transferred also to his personality and the entire activity. However, the Estonian language texts written for foreign pastors were for Stahl just tools for teaching religious truths to the half-pagan native population of the country ravaged by wars.

This research seeks to observe the activities of Heinrich Stahl in the context of his Lutheran views which originate from the universities of Rostock and Wittenberg as well as the church policy of Sweden. The career advancement of an educated and conscientious clergyman in the then conditions of Estonia was as expected – having started as a country pastor, Stahl in his early forties became the Church Head of Ingria. But the more considerable his obligations were, the more contradictions arising from the historical tradition of the area and the inconsistent church policy of Sweden his activities had to encounter. Stahl’s fast and successful career in Estonia was supported by a good knowledge of local life and languages; when establishing a church organisation in Ingria he could in turn apply the Estonian experience. However, to fulfil his main task - to convert the Finno-Ugric native population of Ingria to Lutheranism - Stahl lacked experience, the knowledge of languages, and prior skills. Further more, the objective itself was unrealistic. The Lutheran conception, giving importance to the linguistic identity of inhabitants, underestimated the strength of religious identity of the Russian Orthodox that not only united the people of different ethnic and social origin – townspeople, rural inhabitants, peasants and noblemen, the Votes, Russians, and Izhorians - but even went beyond the state borders. The Lutheran Church of Ingria, on the contrary, was split up into communes of different linguistic, social and corporate identity, whose conflicts both with each other and the Head of the Church obstructed the creation of a uniform church organisation and significantly hindered conversion activity. Stahl succeeded in establishing a Lutheran church organisation in Ingria; however, no permanent mark was left by the Church of Sweden in this region. Differently from Estonia, where Heinrich Stahl’s contribution to the formation of Christian values and Western educational ideals of Estonians was not less significant than his contribution to the development of the literary language.