Református Szemle 107.2 (2014)

Our chronological study reflects on how the Reformed typography of Nagyvárad, being affiliated with the Reformed Church, enriched our catechism bibliography. In this respect, there were four remarkable periods in the printing history of Nagyvárad city. This paper deals with (1) the Hoffhalter era in the mid-16th century, (2) the period of Ábrahám Szenczi Kertész, between 1640 and 1660, (3) the first half of the 20th century, the Károly Béres era, and (4) the period since 1990.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the use of catechisms in the history of the Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia. On the occasion of the 450th jubilee of the Heidelberg Catechism, this paper describes – without aiming to completeness – how these writings have been used in teaching from 1920 to the present day.

The first from the altogether three parts essay offers an analysis of the structure and inner logical dynamism of the Heidelberg Catechism, the symbolic document of the Re-formed church. The analysis demonstrates in a series of four concentric circles, how each of these represents a certain historically verifiable perception of the Christian faith.The first and one represents an individualistic approach, understood as the key conceptof the then beginning modernity, based on the soteriological logic of my sin, my salvation and my gratefulness. The second one introduces the essence of the theological “correction” by the Reformation, emphasising grace and faith as the determining factors. The third one is the Apostolic Creed with its clear Trinitarian, ie. theological and ontological structure. The fourth one is a simple presentation of the core of the holy history, the Christ-event. The paper understands the Catechism as a grandiose attempt to lead the individually centred man back to God on a road beginning from the first and outermost circle to the last one, so to say to the feet of Christ.

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.

Anläßlich des 450. Jubiläums des Heidelberger Katechismus schreiben wir über den Katechetischen Hausschatz. Das deutsche Original, dessen Verfasser Christoph Staehelin war,wurde 1724 in Basel herausgegeben. Der Übersetzer Ferenc Tatai Csirke, der spätere Bischof von Debrecen, hat das Werk wahrscheinlich während seines Auslandsstudiums in Bern kennen- und schätzen gelernt. Sein Name wird allerdings in keiner der zwei Ausgaben genannt (Erstausgabe: 1752, Kolozsvár – Klausenburg und 1805 in Pest undPozsony – Pressburg), weil es in der Zeit der Gegenreformation nicht ratsam war, die Autorenschaft preiszugeben. Die Zulassung stammt sogar von János Lukács Borosnyai,dem reformierten Superintendenten von Siebenbürgen. Er empfiehlt es als das beste Lehrbuch zur Ausübung der Pietät. Nach ihm hätten auch die Autoren des Heidelberger Katechismus keine bessere Auslegung bieten können. Seit der Generalsynode zu Klausenburg 1774 ist er fester Teil der Liturgie geworden: während der nachmittäglichen Katechismus gottesdienste wurden Ausschnitte aus ihm vorgelesen.