Journal index

This article examines the establishment and significance of the Reformed Study Fund, which enabled Hungarian students to pursue theological education at the Free University in Amsterdam or the Theological University in Kampen. Established in 1921, this fund continued the tradition of the 1761 Bernardinum Scholarship, which facilitated Hungarian and Palatine students’ studies in Utrecht. The research explores the fund’s initiator, Jenő Sebestyén, an advocate of neo-Calvinist Abraham Kuyper, founder of Amsterdam’s Free University and influential leader within the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands – a denomination emerging from the 1892 schism in the Reformed Church. The paper analyses this ecclesiastical division, the strengthening Dutch-Hungarian relations following the First World War, and the subsequent foundation of the Reformed Study Fund.

This study provides insight into the life trajectory, pastoral development and ministry of Mihály Basa, a Reformed minister, whilst examining the civil and ecclesiastical conditions of 19th-century Transylvania and the intellectual endeavours of the period. The paper pays tribute to Basa’s unwavering faith and resolute action during the turbulent 1848–1849 revolution and war of independence.

This study examines the emergence and spread of Protestantism in Korea from the late 19th to early 20th century. Christianity, particularly Protestantism, exerted significant influence on Korea’s social and political development, especially in education, healthcare and modernisation. Schools and hospitals established by American and European missionaries contributed substantially to the widespread acceptance of Christianity. During the Japanese colonial rule (1910–1945), Protestant communities actively participated in independence movements, whilst Christianity became integral to Korean national identity. This study explores how Protestantism evolved from a religious movement into a defining force in Korean society and politics.

In this paper, I examine Nicaea, Constantine and Eusebius through the lens of anti-Judaism – a concept distinct from anti-Semitism. Whilst church historians often distinguish sharply between these phenomena, I argue against completely separating Nazi racial anti-Semitism from traditional Christian anti-Judaism. Such separation risks absolving churches of their complicity in Jewish suffering throughout history. Though antisemitism remains an essential ecumenical concern, and Christian anti-Judaism was indeed anchored at Nicaea, Eusebius’s relationship with Jews cannot be simplistically labelled anti-Judaic. The Nicene Creed itself contains no explicit anti-Judaism, and Constantine’s establishment of Sunday worship in 321 shows little evidence of anti-Jewish motivation. Whilst anti-Jewish sentiments influenced the separation of Easter from Passover, the Council’s primary concern was ecclesiastical unity rather than religious antagonism.

After the Fall of Heidelberg (September 6, 1622) Protestant Students from Hungary and Transylvania went on their way directly to the Northern Netherlands, in order to continue their studies there at the Dutch Universities – especially in Philosophy, Theology and Medicine. So a first group of Students arrived at Franeker – a small town in Frisia – at the end of August, 1623. Until the year 1811, as the local Frisian University was closed, more than 1200 Hungarians were registered in the Franeker Album Studiosorum, a significantly larger number than everywhere else in the Dutch Republic. As far as we know now, at least ten Hungarian Students unfortunately died and were buried during their stay at Franeker. Nine of them were buried at the time in the local Church of the University, one died later (in 1697) in Leeuwarden, the Capital of Frisia, where he was locked up for insanity (Andreas D. Szepesi). For five of them their gravestones are preserved today in the historical Martini Church, in the City Centre of Franeker. Two gravestones date from the 17th Century (Stephanus Csernátoni, buried 1644, and Joannes N. Szepsi, buried 1658), the third one – from the 18th Century – has been used even three times and bears the names of three Students: Stephanus G. Komáromi (buried 1721), Michael K. Pataki (buried 1735) and Daniel Zilahi (buried 1770). Another four names of died and buried Hungarian Students we discovered elsewhere, for the most part in the Archives of the University: Stephanus Némethi (buried 1654), Georgius Balkányi (buried 1666 ?), Michael Baxai (buried 1683), and Samuel Vilmányi (buried 1779).

Luther, at the dawn of the Reformation, still struggling with monastic guilt, confused humility with self-depreciation, but he already sensed the secret of the mirifica commutatio, the so-called “miraculous exchange”, so prominent in the later works of the Reformers. This process is also evident in his letters, for in the synaesthetic ensemble of perception, the recognition of the certainty of his own knowledge of the sonship of God leading to a high self-esteem prepares the theological way that leads to a beautiful and crystal-clear vision of theologia crucis – the potential of renewal, of reformation, is brought as it were “within earshot”. Faith is of hearing, and hearing is of the Word of God – understanding this Pauline dictum, he recognizes that in the miraculous exchange of God’s ear we can replace our own uncertain hearing, so that in return we can finally hear and receive not only him but also each other.

In my study, I aim to demonstrate, through two examples, how the study of New Testament texts can become an engaging exercise that enhances our understanding of the author’s thought. By examining the story of the Akedah (31:12–32:13), which holds immense significance in Jewish tradition and a passage from the book of Ben Sirach, I seek to bring us closer to an understanding of the teachings found in the Letter of James and Paul’s writings in 1 Corinthians.

Since the second half of the 20th century, form-criticism has assumed the existence of the genre of the call narratives, after a certain pattern was discovered in the biblical call stories. The pericope I examine in this paper (Ex 2,23–4,17) is considered a call story. However, Ex 2,23–4,17 contains many other features beyond the familiar elements of the call narratives, which raises questions about the appropriateness of this genre identification. The basis for my investigation of these questions is the findings of Erhard Blum on the development of the Torah, who, in his model of tradition-history, justifies the existence of two compositions in the Torah. The specific perspective of the two compositions is also valid in the story of Moses’ call, allowing the reconstruction of a distinctively Deuteronomistic base text, which serves as the starting point for my form-critical analysis. My thesis examines the call of Moses (Ex 2,23–4,17) from a literary-critical perspective, then from a form-historical perspective, and finally concludes with a biblical-theological evaluation of the “original” call narrative. To date, there is no consensus on the text’s main emphasis and message concerning the story’s main character. However, since the majority of prophets have a call narrative, the question arises whether Moses’ figure aligns with that of the prophets. The results of my research indicate that the text of Exodus 2:23–4:17* presents Moses’ calling as a prophetic calling, bringing his figure closer to the Deuteronomistic portrayal of prophets and shaping the text into a form characteristic of calling narratives associated with the Deuteronomistic literary tradition.

During their stay in the northern Netherlands (Utrecht, Groningen, Franeker) a circle of most talented Hungarian Peregrini around Georgius/György T. Martonfalvi wrote Greeting Poems (carmina gratulatoria) in Latin, Greek and even in Hebrew. Petrus/ Péter P. Csedregi, a student who started his studies at Sárospatak, also belonged to that circle of Peregrini. In 1659 he successfully defended – exercitii gratia – his Disputatio theologica de miraculis at Franeker University under the chairmanship of Professor Nicolaus Arnoldus, on the occasion of which he was honoured with two Poems in Hebrew, written by his friends Martonfalvi and Valentinus/ Bálint S. Keresztúri. Csedregi’s Disputatio theologica de miraculis was recently discovered and had remained bib-liographically unknown until now.

What responsibilities do Protestant pastors in 21st -century Transylvania fulfill, and how should theological education adapt to meet these needs? To address these questions, the Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj-Napoca and the Institute of Religious Studies initiated a research project aimed at mapping the duties and roles of ministers within the region. The initial phase of the study involved in-depth interviews with Protestant leaders and ministers representing a variety of congregational backgrounds across Transylvania. This paper presents preliminary insights and syntheses findings from these interviews, providing direct quotations that illustrate the diversity and complexity of pastoral tasks. Building on these interviews, a comprehensive questionnaire will be distributed to a broader group of Protestant ministers. The second phase of this research is expected to yield a nuanced understanding of pastoral responsibilities within the Protestant churches, with attention to regional, generational, and congregational etc. differences. The outcomes of this research are anticipated to contribute to the evolution of a modern theological curriculum that aligns more closely with current pastoral realities and supports churches in refining their missional strategies.

The new ecumenical Hungarian Bible translation project began in 2017, following guidelines established by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Bible Societies. This translation effort involves both Catholic and Reformed experts and has received approval from the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The project is characterised by a novel approach, where biblical scholars from philological, exegetical, and theological perspectives refine the base text prepared by the stylist. The goal is to enhance understanding for readers without a theological background by using shorter sentences and focusing on larger text units. Additionally, the project aims to avoid or clarify theological “technical terms” that are less known or have lost their meaning today.

The emergence of new manuscripts often raises the question of whether they contain authentic sayings of Jesus. What criteria can we use to determine if the Gospel of Thomas includes similar logia? This paper argues that ancient authors considered reports authentic in ways different from our modern judgments. Methodologically, this article first attempts to filter out non-authentic sayings. Approximately half of the logia in the Gospel of Thomas are presumably authentic, paralleling sayings preserved in the Synoptic Gospels. However, there are at least two previously unknown logia that could conceivably be authentic sayings spoken by Jesus.

This study examines the Egyptian vision of resurrection, initially developed in the cults of the gods Isis and Osiris. In this belief system, the deceased could unite with Osiris and find eternal rest in him. Initiates of Isis could escape the cruel power of fate, and Serapis, a near-human deity, offered a connection to mortal man. The mysteries were relatively easy to join and accessible to all, which sometimes led to confusion in the early Christian churches. The cult of Isis and Osiris spread rapidly throughout the Mediterranean. In contrast, the apostle Paul, in his letters to the Corinthians, had to clarify the Christian doctrine of resurrection.