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The Serbian Orthodox Church in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) 1941–1945
In the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) from its establishment only days after the German attack on Yugoslavia in early April 1941 until its fall in May 1945 a genocide took place. The ultimate goal of the extreme ideology of the Ustasha regime was a new Croatian state cleansed of other ethnic groups, particularly the Serbs, Jews and Roma. The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), historically a mainstay of Serbian national identity, culture and tradition, was among its first targets. Most Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were demolished, heavily damaged or appropriated by the Roman Catholic Church or the state. More than 170 Serbian priests were killed and tortured by the Ustasha, and even more were exiled to occupied Serbia. The regime led by Ante Pavelić introduced numerous laws and regulations depriving the SPC of not only its property and spiritual jurisdiction but even of its right to existence. When mass killings stirred up a large-scale rebellion, a more political and seemingly non-violent approach was introduced: the Croatian regime unilaterally and non-canonically founded the so-called Croatian Orthodox Church in order to bring the forced assimilation of Serbs to completion. This paper provides an overview of the ordeal of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the NDH, based on the scholarly literature and documentary sources of Serbian, German and Croatian origin. It looks at legislation, propaganda, the killings and torture of Orthodox clergy and the destruction of church property, including medieval holy relics. The scale and viciousness of some atrocities will be looked at based on unused or less known sources, namely the statements of Serbian refugees recorded during the war by the SPC and the Commissariat for Refugees in Serbia, and documents from the Political Archive of the Third Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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Both the structure and the contents of the Bölöni codex (between 1615–1621) present numerous problems. Th e codex was copied by diff erent hands, it is partially truncated, and the extant texts are not arranged in a chronological order. Earlier research failed to properly establish either the structure or the source of the codex. Its texts seem to be most closely related to the Unitarian hymnal tradition, however, a detailed comparison with the songs in the Unitarian hymnal of 1616, known today as the earliest such songbook, reveals a high number of textual diff erences. This paper establishes the origins of the Bölöni codex based on the available data, and compares its textual variants with the contemporary Protestant hymn tradition. Based on the synoptic reading and the structural as well as transcriptional characteristics of the codex, the proposed conclusion is that the direct or indirect source of the Bölöni codex must be a now unavailable Unitarian hymn book which was most likely published between 1593 and 1601.
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collected stories of conversion from university students in Kolozsvár/Cluj. They had come into contact with representatives of the revival movement and constructed their own identities under the influence of the identity patterns conveyed by these people. The conversion means that their relationship with God becomes personal in that they accept salvation from sin for themselves, declare themselves to be the children of God and place their lives under His guidance. This goes together with a new way of life involving daily reading and interpretation of the Bible, impromptu personal prayers and participation in charity work. In the stories of conversion they speak about this new identity and the process through which they changed their identities. Parallel with the restructuring of the individual identity the collective identity also changes since, from the time of their conversion, they regard themselves as members of the community and the activity of the community extends to all fields of life: Bible hours, religious services, sports, summer camps, film club, etc.
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The aim of the present paper is to examine the text of a Chalkokondyles’ fragment preserved in Codex Vaticanus Graecus 1890, and to propose minor critical notes on these passages. The authoritative printed edition reveals a number of further divergences from the text of the Vatican fragment; unfortunately, the manuscript tradition does not confirm Darkó’s choices in the majority of all cases.
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The question of Christian’s identity was an imperative issue in the socio-religious realities of the fourth and fifth centuries. This topic was undertaken by St. Augustine as a priest of the community of Hippo. Taking examples from the life of the faithful people it explicates the events from the fundamental perspective, i.e. from the point of view of a Christian. This publication presents the first part of the Christian attitude with regard to others. The second part is devoted to the overriding respect for the world in which people live as Christians. The third part presents the Christian as a citizen of the Roman Empire. Numerous moralistic indications create a somewhat handbook for Christians and present the concrete postulates for Christian formation.
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The Virgin Mary nunnery in Veszprémvölgy was one of the earliest founded convents in Hungary. It was established by (Saint) Stephen I (1000 – 1038). Veszprémvölgy (vallis Wespremiensis), after which the convent got its name, was the medieval name of the valley of the Séd stream flowing west of the town of Veszprém. At present it flows through the inner city of Veszprém. The foundation deed of the convent is an oft’ cited and debated source in Hungarian historiography since it shed light on a period, the age of the foundation of the Hungarian state, a time from which very few written documents have been preserved. Archaeological excavations were conducted in the territory of the convent by Gyula Rhé in the 1930’s yielding only a few evaluable results. The unearthed walls were reconstructed according to contemporary standards of monument protection. Since then, they deteriorated so badly that conservation became necessary. At the same time, the reconstruction of the baroque church, built in the area of the convent in the second half of the 18th century, also had to be tackled.
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A bronze censer found in the Church of Brick Pillars in Old Dongola in 1968 provides unique insight into the role of such liturgical vessels in medieval Nubia. In this new study of the iconography and production technique of this vessel, coupled with an epigraphical analysis of the Greek and Old Nubian inscription around the edge, the author suggests that the vessel was crafted by Makurian craftsmen sometime in the first few hundred years after the conversion of the Nubian kingdoms to Christianity (in the 6th or 7th century AD). Seeking sources of inspiration for the Dongolan masters of the metal-working craft, the author looks to the Byzantine Empire, where close parallels for the decoration of the Nubian censer can be found in late antique silver objects. This leads to a discussion of trade relations between the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Makuria, and the possible exchange of official gifts.
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After the end of the First World War the leaders of the traditional Hungarian Churches of Transylvania, in response to the new political situation, united their forces to defend their common interests against Romanian state policy. The Interconfessional Committee was officially founded on the 24th of June 1920, at the initiative of Gusztáv Majláth, Roman Catholic bishop of Alba-Iulia. Among the founders there were the leaders of the Reformed, Unitarian and Lutheran Churches. Since the Committee represented at the same time the advisory board of the Hungarian National Party concerning educational issues, it aimed at finding solutions to the problems of confessional education which continued to suffer from extensive censorship,tens of schools being annually closed, especially in the period of so-called liberal governments.In addition to the problem of education, the Committee reached decisions not only regarding economical and cultural but also social issues, which were valid for all signatories. Another role of this organism was that to distribute equitably the secret funds received annually from Hungary, through which, among others, the Hungarian state would help confessional education. In this context it is worth mentioning that under the coordination of the Hungarian National Party, the Committee repeatedly presented various petitions to the League of Nations,through which it protested against the persecution of minorities and of their confessional and secular organizations by the Romanian state.The Interconfessional Committee did not cease its activity after the Vienna Treaty in 1944 and during the first years after the war, but when confessional schools were nationalised in 1948, the Committee lost its influence and importance.
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Calvin wished to change the structure of his first catechism (1537/1538), which explained the Ten Commandments before the Apostles’ Cred. Having recognised that his first catechism was too difficult for children, Calvin rewrote his text. He arranged the Geneva Catechism (1542) in questions and answers in an effort to simplify doctrinal complexities. His second Catechism displaced all other Reformed catechisms until 1563, the year when the Heidelberg Catechism appeared. In 1563 the bishop of Debrecen, Péter Méliusz, translated the Confession of Geneva into Hungarian. The text was also translated into Italian (1551 and 1556), Spanish (1550), English (1556), German, Dutch, Greek and Hebrew. The second Hungarian translation was made by István Zilahi in 1695 and was edited by Miklós Misztótfalusi Kis. Finally, in 1907 Sándor Czeglédy prepared a new translation of its text. The La maniere d’interroger les enfants qu’on veut recevoir a la Cene de notre Seigneur Jésus Christ and Das Genfer Konfirmationsformular von 1553 are very important catechetical instruments.
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Csekefalvi Tamás Béláné feljegyzései. Forrásközlés
Mrs. Csekefalvi Tamás Béláné recorded some valuable data concerning the pastoral care of hundreds of Reformed and Catholic people who became refugees in 1940, when they left their village Györgyfalva and fled to the nearby city of Kolozsvár/Cluj-Napoca. This Christian lady was also involved in cultural and social work which she pursued together with others, and so she organised the “Cultural Association for Refugees from Györgyfalva”. The Association took up the education and cultural entertainment of the younger refugees, and the high standards of these activities were also applied to the cultivation of the rich traditions of the people of village Györgyfalva. The committee members – a list of their names was preserved –, helped the refugees to find work, and assisted those sent to court-martial to gain back their freedom. During the communist era in Romania it was not possible to share these stories of personal or communal suffering.
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Le Chapitre d’Alba Iulia en 1918 selon Codex Iuris Canonici a joué un rol important dans la vie de gouvernement de Dioceze Catholique d’Alba Iulia. Il était le plus important conseilleur de l’Eveque actuel et de l’Office Ecclésiastique. Le Chapitre a conseillé l’eveque en ce qui concerne tous les choses ecclésiastiques, déquelles ont écrit des processes verbales. Ces écritures constituent des documents tres valeureux. A l’occasion de débats il y avait des désaccords, des divergences d’opinion, qui accentuent le valeur de ces documents.
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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.
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The study investigates two Apocalypse commentaries from the 17th century, which were printed in Kolozsvár according to the Unitarian bibliographies. On the title page of the Brevis dissertatio… (1625, RMK II, 436) probably written by the Socinian Andreas Voidovius (1565–1622?) the “Claudipoli” is a false place of the printing, because neither the type of the letters nor the tail-piece correspond to the works by Heltai’s printing house. There is no data about the reception on this print in Kolozsvár, but short review of the Brevis dissertatio… is required, because it explains the Rev 13. and 17. similar to the Lutheran historical interpretations and it enriches the reticent Socinian commentaries. The work has a radical place among the Unitarian commentaries, because it prophesised the fall of the Antichrist in ca. 1630. The Explicatio locorum aliquot diffi ciliorum in Apocalypsi (1644) is reviewed by the History of the Unitarian Church, written by János Kénosi Tőzsér (1708–1772) and István Uzoni Fosztó (1729–1778) in the 18th century, although the Explicatio… was not printed in Kolozsvár. This moderate chiliastic commentary was published as an appendix of the Dutch Collegiant Daniel De Breen (1594–1664)’s Amica disputatio adversus Judaeos…, which aimed to convert the Jews. The book had major reception among the Unitarians: it is found in more copies among the Unitarian manuscripts and prints in the Library of Academy in Cluj-Napoca. De Breen’s activity was a part of the spiritual-mystical period of the Collegiant movement, so the emergence of the Amica disputatio… among the Transylvanian Unitarians is appraisable as the Unitarian reception of the spiritualist literature in the 18th century. However, there is no information about its infl uence on the Unitarian writings yet.
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The article first explains various perspectives on the world religions. Its main focus is on the inclusivist perspective as the most common approach in the debate on religions. Here special attention is given to the development of the Christocentric model in the Catholic Church referring first to the early Church Fathers and afterwards to Logos theology. The analysis shows that the theology of the Logos was always present in Catholic attitudes towards other believers throughout history alongside the exclusivist axiom extra ecclesiam nulla salus (outside the Church no salvation). Later, this inclusivist theology was echoed in the „fulfilment theory” of Jean Danielou, „anonymous Christianity” of Karl Rahner, the Second Vatican Council’s stand on other faiths, and in the post-conciliar official Church teaching. The article ends with evaluation of the complexity, challenges and unavoidable shortcomings of the Christocentric approach to other religions.
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Az 1956-os forradalom és szabadságharc 60. évfordulójára
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