Hagyomány, Identitás, Történelem III. 1 (2026)

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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14834/14609

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Az első nagy református újjászületés-vita Magyarországon. A vita kibontakozása 1867–1877
(Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem Hittudományi Kar Egyháztörténeti Kutatóintézet, 2026) Kovács Kálmán Árpád
In 1874, Sámuel Szeremlei identified ten significant issues within Protestantism. The debates associated with these issues are difficult to present individually because, as soon as the author references one of the subjects, at least two or three related issues begin to emerge, generally resulting in at least eight other issues being raised by the time two or three commentators have spoken. Furthermore, the aforementioned ten issues are permeated by an eleventh issue: the question of spiritual rebirth. This subject was discussed in relation to at least three other topics in Protestant press debates: first, church discipline; second, home mission; and third, the ‚associated’ debate. From a Protestant perspective, the years between 1867 and 1877 were notable for four significant political events: the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867; the inauguration of Ágoston Trefort as Minister of Culture in 1872; the Great Depression of 1873; and the inauguration of Kálmán Tisza as Prime Minister in 1875. From an ecclesiastical historical perspective, the three key events of this period were the establishment of the Protestant Association in 1871, the sovereign’s mandate to consolidate the Protestant school system in 1873, and the publication of the Debrecen Confession of Faith in 1875. This study examines the place and role of spiritual rebirth in the Debrecen Confession of 1875, contextualising it within the framework of Protestant press statements and debates between 1867 and 1877. According to Ferenc Balogh’s diary entry for 23 March 1872, the declaration had been finalised by that time but was not published until the first issues of the Evangelical Protestant Newspaper (Evangyéliomi Pro testans Lap) in 1875. It was backdated (or more precisely re-dated) to 14 November 1874. The reasons for the delay in publishing the statement were as follows: the faith community of the Hungarian Calvinists; the denomination’s specific spatial structure; the failed liberal church reform; and the changes in the Dualist State’s religious policy. Notably, there was no Protestant minister in the government of the Kingdom of Hungary between the end of 1872 and the beginning of 1875; before and after that period, there were generally three to four of them. In this slowly evolving situation, arguments against publishing a confessional discussion document were no longer valid. It was no longer believed that a declaration of neo-Orthodox teachings could cause dangerous intra-denominational disunity.
Open Access
A romániai magyarságról felvidéki szemmel, a Református Világszemle 1931-40-ben megjelent lapszámai alapján
(Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem Hittudományi Kar Egyháztörténeti Kutatóintézet, 2026) Petheő Attila; Szegedi Tudományegyetem
As a creative village pastor, Béla Csekes established and maintained excellent foreign relations for the benefit of his fellow pastors who were experiencing difficulties. He spoke several languages. He visited America and Canada, served in Bečej (Óbecse) in Hungary, and then returned to his small homeland. My aim is to raise public awareness of his life’s work and publicise the magazine he published, Református Világszemle (Reformed World Review), which provides an excellent insight into the situation of the Reformed Church in Romania in the 1930s.
Open Access
„Krisztus Király egyszerű katonája”. Kalydy Miklós (1912-1994) református lelkipásztor életútja
(Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem Hittudományi Kar Egyháztörténeti Kutatóintézet, 2026) Pusztai Gábor; Debreceni Egyetem
Miklós Kalydy (1912–1994) lived through most of the turbulent 20th century. As a child, he experienced World War I, the Spanish flu pandemic, the Asters Revolution, the Soviet Republic, the Red and White Terror, the Romanian occupation and the consequences of the Treaty of Trianon. As a young man, he witnessed Hungary’s shift to the right during the Horthy era, the Vienna Award, and the horrors of World War II firsthand. Between 1933 and 1937, he studied at the Theological Academy in Sárospatak, after which he worked as a Reformed assistant pastor in Sárospatak, Sajókaza, Nagybarca and Miskolc. In 1941, he became a pastor in Bódvavendégi (now part of Slovakia), where he witnessed the horrors of the war in 1944–45. He and his family were expelled from Slovakia in 1945. After the communist takeover, he observed the church moving closer to power. He then worked as a religious education teacher in Sárospatak until 1952, before becoming a pastor in Tiszaszederkény. As a Reformed pastor, he was one of those priests who quietly carried out their work during the years of dictatorship. They built up the congregations entrusted to them, striving to hold on to their principles under the given circumstances without abandoning their congregation members or the Reformed Church. They did not seek higher positions or attention, but consistently stood by their convictions. He retired in 1981 and passed away in Miskolc in 1994.
Open Access
Konfliktuskezelés Técső református egyházközségében 1780-1825 között
(Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem Hittudományi Kar Egyháztörténeti Kutatóintézet, 2026) Berecz Ágnes
This study examines the first surviving protocollum of the Reformed Congregation of Técső, located on the eastern border of Hungary (now Ukraine), and the conflict situations that occurred there and how they were resolved. These situations can be classified into four distinct categories (with some exceptions): between the parish and the diocese; between the parish and its members; between members of the congregation; and between married couples belonging to the congregation. The presbyterial council takes its decisions after hearing the persons concerned in person, demonstrating careful preparation and gradualness. Initially, the decisions were warnings and admonitions. If necessary, this process was repeated, while the congregation’s elders and the pastor worked to bring about positive change on a personal level. Only then were harsher sanctions taken, such as pastoral warnings, referral to the city council, temporary denial of the sacrament, burying relatives without singing or bells, loss of parish office and drafting a personal obligation (reversalis). The most severe punishment was a public confession of repentance before the whole congregation. A milder form of this was ‚privata poenitentia’, which took place on weekdays in front of church officials only. There was also a growing assertion of civic consciousness and morality, and it can be verified that, from the end of the 18th century to the first third of the 19th century, the strictness aimed at controlling private lives gradually weakened. (More precisely, the interpretation of the ‚private sphere’ expanded over time.) In summary, the conflict management methods of the Reformed Congregation of Técső are exemplary in that, in all cases, decisions were made by the congregation according to rules based on biblical principles, with the aim of maintaining the purity of community life.
Open Access
Hagyomány és/vagy korszerűség: az erkölcsi nevelés kérdései a reformkorban
(Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem Hittudományi Kar Egyháztörténeti Kutatóintézet, 2026) Czeglédi Sándor; Történettudományi Intézet; Ókortörténeti és Segédtudományi Tanszék; KRE - Bölcsészet- és Társadalomtudományi Kar
This study examines questions about moral education that emerged during the Hungarian Reform Era, as reflected in three pedagogical manuals and two influential periodicals. The authors – Pál Edvi Illés, János Warga and Fidél Beély – agree that education should have a religious and moral foundation, and that love plays a significant role. While the Protestant authors advocated influencing emotions, the Catholic Beély urged a balance between intellect and emotion. In terms of educators’ personalities, all three considered love and empathy to be the most effective methods, while viewing praise as counterproductive. In addition to German philosophy, the Protestant authors were influenced by physico-theology. Differences emerged regarding corporal punishment: the Catholic journal Religio és Nevelés (Religion and Education) defended it, whereas the Protestant Church and School Gazette resolutely opposed it. The study highlights that the pedagogy of the era was a synthesis of Enlightenment ideas and Biblical and ancient traditions. It also emphasises that the principles of moral education can only be authentically interpreted within their own context.

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