Studium

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

John Calvin transformed the Western theology and law concerning sex, marriage and family life. Building on a generation of Protestant reformers, Calvin constructed a comprehensive new theology and law that made marital formation and divorce, children’s nurture and welfare, family cohesion and support, sexual sin and crime essential concerns for both church and state. He drew the Consistory and Council of Geneva into a creative new alliance to guide and govern the reformation of the intimate domestic sphere.

In the 19th century, the need to understand the past became increasingly prominent. However, archaeology as an independent science was not yet established. This is important to emphasise because the literature often describes Gábor Téglás as an “enthusiastic dilettante” in archaeology, as there was no such training available at Hungarian colleges, and it was still in its infancy at foreign academies. Flóris Rómer studied humanities, while Henrik Finály studied engineering, mathematics, physics, and ancient literature at the University of Vienna.

This paper provides a concise introduction to Korean Buddhism, Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism, examining their relationship with Protestant Christianity, which emerged on the Korean Peninsula in the 19th century. Initially, the main aspects of Buddhism are discussed. The paper briefly highlights the contributions of Hungarian, Korean and other international researchers on the topic. It aims to identify the key points through which the relationship between Buddhism and Protestant Christianity can be explored.

In his article, Yohanna Katanacho discusses the relationship between Israeli Jews (both indigenous and settlers) and other indigenous people classified as foreigners. His thoughts focus on the issue of equal ownership of the country. He believes that Jews originally owe their land to God’s covenant, specifically his love and mercy, rather than their military successes. Implicitly, his writing echoes the Deuteronomic declaration that the people received the land from the Lord as a dwelling place. He derives the legal basis for the possession of the land from the Book of Ezekiel (33:23–29).

The mission of our churches is to proclaim the good news of the Bible amidst the belligerent atmosphere of the 21st century. According to the teachings of the New Testament, peace cannot be achieved through diplomatic procedures or military tactics, but only through God’s grace. The author of the Epistle, a disciple of Paul, emphasises both aspects of peace: reconciliation among people and between humanity and God.