Journal index

This study on Dr. Isaac Basire discusses two letters written by him during the final and most tragic days of the history of Transylvania. Both letters are dated to the final period of the younger Prince George Rákóczi’s reign. Basire was a true-born royalist, one of the nearest „best men” of King Charles I, who was beheaded by the Puritans. That was the reason why he had to leave England, his wife and 5 children for 15 years. His correspondence was edited and partially translated by an English theologian, W. N. Darnell. Through this great work, albeit not a spotless one, we learn that Isaac Basire was not only a cruel rival of János Apáczai Csere, the illustrious representative of Transylvanian Christian pedagogy, but a man deeply sympathising with and loyal to Translyvania and the Rákóczi family during the hard, final days of their rule.

The purpose of this paper is to present and to sum up the results of a historical and theological research into the use of the Heidelberg Catechism in Transylvania. It focuses on those commentaries on the Heidelberg Catechism which have never been printed because of various reasons, but are still in use for almost two centuries in the schools and pulpits of the Church. Most of the manuscripts mentioned in this study –mainly from 17th-18th century – have never been extensively researched. The current analysis aims to classify the various types of commentaries written in different historical circumstances and based on different argumentations. Moreover, it also gives a taste – as it serves as a basis for a broader research – of the colourful insights into the rightly appreciated Heidelberg Catechism and its explanations.