Református Szemle 108.1 (2015)

This essay applies the method of semantic analysis for biblical metaphors. First it highlights the settled meanings of the lexemes of the metaphors under scrutiny. After establishing the sememes, the analysis focuses on the plain or hidden nominal predicative statement of the metaphor, namely only on the context of the tenor and vehicle, seeking for that conjunctive semes which can help us to understand the chosen metaphor. We can realise that the metaphor’s meaning is not definable, being imagined as a fuzzy set, where some semantic marks (or semes) are highlighted and others remain hidden. The larger context introduces other disjunctive semes too, not alluded to previously, thus enabling different connotations for metaphors.

Es gibt ein verbreitetes Bild von Calvin, wonach er ein harter, schroffer Typ gewesen ist. Es ist namentlich in Deutschland verbreitet. Aber stimmt dieses Bild? Jedenfalls kennen wir ihn noch nicht recht, wenn wir nicht seine Liebe des Gesangs kennen. Bei ihm war die Beziehung zur Musik höchst lebendig. Er kannte und schätzte die Musik seiner Zeit, die der Renaissance, und er schätzte sie so, dass ihm unter dem Hören die Tränen kamen.
Ihm war es ein erbaulicher Gedanke, dass nicht zuerst der Mensch, sondern dass vor ihm die ihn umgebende Kreatur singt und musiziert. Ob wir es wohl hören? Denn das zeigt uns: „Es will unser Herr in allen Sinnen uns erfreuen und erquicken.“ Und besonders durch das Ohr! Die Kreatur lässt sich hören, selbst wenn der Mensch stumm ist. Ja, sie ist für den Genfer Lehrer ein Vorbild, um mit einzustimmen.

In this short paper we propose to present the teaching of the Bible concerning the love of our neighbours. Starting with Romans 13:10, where apostle Paul asserts that love is the fulfilling of the law, we analyse those biblical passages in which the traces of this topic can be found. We aim to show that both the Old and the New Testament highlights the importance of the love towards God and our neighbours. At the end of our survey we discuss this topic in the light of the threefold use of God’s Law.

The writings of Kálmán Sass (1904–1958) have never been systematically collected or studied. The Securitate (Romanian Secret Police) confiscated all of the writings of Kálmán Sass. For 30 years it was not even allowed to quote him, because the Romanian State censurate connected his works to the 1956 anti.Communist Revolution in Hungary. After his execution all properties of Sass were confiscated by the Romanian State. His family was deported and confined to house arrest (“domiciliu obligatoriu”) in Olaru. They were banished from the Romanian Partium far away to the Bărăgan. Kálmán Sass completed his theological studies at the universities of Kolozsvár (Cluj,Romania) and Basel (Switzerland). He left behind important writings on church history, Old Testament, pedagogy and cathechetics, confessions, as well as studies on political theology.The fate of Kálmán Sass and his writings illustrates well the typical history of (reverend)martyrs in Romania during the atheistic regime until 1989.

Living in an era where major corporations are being found guilty of illegal accounting practices, churches have to pay more attention to tax-related issues. Paying taxes is not an option but a responsibility. Nonetheless due to the many interpretations of the Tax Code, there are cases when officials intentionally or unintentionally abuse it. The constructive role of the churches in Romanian society is recognised by the lawgiver by offering tax relief or recognising tax-free activities. In this article we aim to clarify tax regulations for the churches and to present possible cases for tax relief and tax-free activities in the Romanian context, discussing all tax types relevant for the church, like Real Estate Taxes, Value Added Taxes, sponsoring-related profit tax deductions, etc.