Journal index

In this study, we briefly outline the possible sources of a disputation written by the Transylvanian polyhistor Sámuel Kaposi and make reserved statements about the authorship and originality of this disputation. Our aim is to draw attention to this interesting text, which is perhaps the first Hungarian work dealing with spiritual desertion, a topic peculiar to English and Dutch Puritans.

Minucius’ excellent dialogue, “Octavius” details the accusations of paganism addressing Christianity, as well as the criticism of Christianity encountering paganism. He speaks quite openly about the attitude of Christians to Rome and the attitude of the Romans to Christianity. Our study is primarily concerned with the purpose and intent of the author in presenting in this quasi-dialogue how Gentiles saw Christians and respectively Christians saw Gentiles in the early third century. To what extent did the author achieve his goal(s)? And if not, or not at all, where did his dialogue fail? In this study we also examine whether there was any truths in pa-gan accusations against Christians, and if so, to what extent?

In this paper, which is a edited version of a short lecture, we discuss some existential questions of the Transylvanian Reformed Church. Our primary aim is to confute the upsetting statement made by Sándor Makkai, the former bishop of Transylvanian Reformed Church, in 1937, namely that it is morally impossible to live in minority, since the minority life is entirely opposite to human dignity.

In this paper we present the main theories concerning the interpretation of 1 Peter 3:19. The entire vocabulary of this problematic text is analysed in details, attempting to draft which of the previous theories best fit the current context. 1 Peter 4:6 is also examined in passing, aiming to determine the relation between 1 Peter 3:19 and 4:6. Besides we give a kerygmatic explanation of the text in order to formulate its message for the readers of our days.

In this paper we present almost twenty ancient greek funeral inscriptions from the period of 4th–3rd centuries BC and 3rd–4th centuries AD. Our aim is to set the eschatology of four Pauline letters (1Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians and Filippians) in the context of Hellenistic after-life concepts, and to establish the possible parallels and analogies. We hope that through this attempt we could understand better, firstly the „belief-package” of Hellenistic Christianity, secondly the situation of Christiam message in the context of Hellenism, and finally the shaping of Pauline eschatology.

Biblical dreams are obviously very important for those who deal with the history or psychology of dreams. The question is whether they are indeed relevant also for the catechesis? This study argues that biblical stories in which dreams play a great importance could and should be presented through the lenses of these dreams. By means of the dreams of Joseph and the vision of Peter we aim to sketch the catechetical potential of the biblical stories.

In Calvin’s eschatological reflection the intermediate state of the believer is of primary importance. After death the soul leaves body, the body (and only the body) falls into sleep, the soul, however, rests by God. The perfect happiness of the soul is not diminished by the fact that in this intermediate state one still has to wait for the resurrection. Although Calvin uses platonic terminology in order to clarify his ideas, the scriptural content usually overwrites this platonic terminology. The prudence, ingenuity, critical acumen, erudition, and biblical thinking of Calvin make his eschatological cogitations worthy of (re)considering for his 21st century readers, too.

On one occasion Jung asked the awkward question: how can a theologian, who really believes in God, affirm that God does not speak trough dreams? Indeed, may one seriously assert that God corrects, rebukes and encourages us through dreams in these days too? Can dreams help us in tomes of crisis, for instance, in the mourning process? In this paper, we attempt to answer those questions based on the experts of the subject, and taking into consideration the authority of the Bible.

In his epigrams, Gregory of Nazianzus time and again speaks about the dead ones as sleepers. In this paper we examine the Greco-Roman and biblical background of this well-known ‘sleeping of death’-theme, and we conclude that the sleeping of death in Gregory’s usage is nothing more than an eschatologically neutral literary platitude.

We are always seeking for the sense of the life, for ourselves and for the place in our family and community. Religion shows a new way to us, according to Jesus Christ’s principles. The son of God not only created a religion, but gave us an example how to live, and sacrifice himself for us. Sándor Karácsony reckons religion as a spiritual behavior, the base of our social contacts. We have to see into our lives and character according to the message of Jesus Christ. The right and appropriate personality can be evolved by individual training.

The views of Sándor Karácsony about religious education can be clearly discerned from his writings. The main task of reformed pedagogy is to activate continuously the divine notions in this continuously changing world. Protestant teachers must accomplish their daily work according to the Gospel of Christ. The Hungarian Reformed Church was a so-called “church of schools” for hundreds of years. This means that even between WWI and WWII it owned more schools than churches. The number of Reformed schools is significant even today. Sándor Karácsony claims that only Reformed people and communities are able to maintain Reformed schools by people who “are ready to serve and sacrifice themselves” for this cause (Karácsony, Sándor: A magyarok Istene. Széphalom Könyvműhely, Budapest 2004, 172).

In 1519 Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote in a letter to Jacob Hoogstraeten: “If to be a Christian is to hate Jews, then we are all thoroughly Christian.” Our aim is to examine whether this sentence is in any way relevant – evidently under the changed circumstances – in the Transylvanian (Hungarian) Reformed Church. We show that the main cause of occasional anti-Semitism is the anti-Semitic heritage of Christian Church, particularly the anti-Semitic heritage of Protestantism. After facing this heritage, we shape the theological, moral and psychological risks of anti-Semitism / anti-Judaism. We conclude with Walter Brueggemann’s suggestion that the Christian-Jewish relationship needs to be rethought from time to time.