Atitudini faţă de cartea românească veche din comitatul Alba Inferioară în perioada secolelor XVII-XIX. Preliminarii
Attitudes towards the Romanian Old Book in the County of Alba Inferioară During the 17th-19th Centuries. Preliminaries

Summary/Abstract: The present study strives to outline a possible process of awareness rising through an editorial policy, following the typographical production of the two Transylvanian cultural centres: Bălgrad and Blaj, which were under two types of western influences: Calvinism and Catholicism. The forewords of books identify the aims of the editorial boards, i.e. to establish the readership addressed by the production of books. The books, once they have reached the readers, allowed the shaping and introduction of some opinions and attitudes towards books, as well as towards daily life. Eventually books contributed to the shaping of mentalities. The method of perceiving the editorial message, through attitudes and mentalities initiates a three-fold inquiry, concerning the editorial policy, the authors of the written messages, represented by forewords and the finality attained by the editorial message in the society through book notes. The addressability of the editorial message aimed at through the perspective of princely, metropolitan and bishopric policy makes us carry out an analysis of the political and cultural life of the two editorial centres, anchored in an a cultural and spiritual activity during the XVIIth and XIXth centuries within the space under discussion. The princely court was interested in accepting the Calvinistic dogmas by the Alba-Iulia society, and implicitly by the Transylvanian one, and the Greek-Catholic Bishopric intended to strengthen its position, very difficultly acquired, by using books as well. The Transylvanian princes of the Rakóczy and Apafi families had a western, Calvinistic-oriented background, and consequently one of their cultural preoccupations was the translation of cultic books into national languages. Romanian cultic books and Romanian books aimed at educating the people were published. Among the cultic books we may mention The Gospel with Teachings, The New Testament and the Psalms. The books inserted were cultic books, but also books aimed at the spiritual edification of the Christian practitioners, who read or listened to the reading of the Bible during religious service. The mainly educational books were usually the ABC-book and the Calvinistic Catechism, very concise and well organised. The princely court dominated the printing activity though the Calvinistic superintendents, permanent supervisors of the Orthodox Metropolitan Church. The printing House in Blaj, supported by the Greek-Catholic Bishopric published cultic books and books for the education of students. The books necessary for the teaching process were ensured not only by the printing house in Blaj, but also by the publishing houses in Vienna and Buda. In Blaj there was a deep-toned idea concerning the education extended to the level of the whole society through editorial production, ever closer to the lay reader.

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