UNITARIAN CHURCH CHRONOLOGY
(Based on Erdő, János: Chronology
of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church)
1510: Dávid Ferenc born
in Kolozsvár (NOTE: In Hungarian usage, family name comes first)
His father was Hertel Dávid,
of Transylvanian Saxon extraction; his mother was Hungarian. Patterning on his
father’s given name, he adopted the academic name Franciscus Davidis, (“son of
David,” Latinized, as was customary among European scholars of the time); he
later changed this to Hungarian Dávid Ferenc [DAH-vid FE-rents].
1517, Ocober 31: Martin
Luther posts his 95 theses; the start of the Reformation
1526, August 29: The Battle
of Mohács [MO-hahtsh]
The Hungarian Royal Army
suffers a crushing defeat at the hands
of the Turks. Hungary is split into three parts: a Habsburg-ruled Northwest, a
Turkish Central-South, and a Hungarian East (the province called Transylvania).
1545-1551: Ferenc Dávid
studies abroad
Supported by private patrons,
Dávid studied at German universities, in Frankfurt an der Oder and in
Wittenberg, where he became a devotee of the Reformation.
1551-1552: The beginning of Dávid’s
church work
After returning home, Dávid
became a teacher at Beszterce. In 1552 he was called to the priesthood. In
both positions he followed the spirit of the Reformation.
1552 to 1555: Dávid is made
headmaster at Kolozsvár [KOH-lowzh-vahr]
1555, October 6: Kolozsvár
elects Dávid Ferenc head pastor
From this point on, Dávid
played a key role in the promotion of the Transylvanian Reformation. At the
same time, he developed Kolozsvár into a center of religious reform and
culture.
Dávid saw disengagement from
the Bible as the main cause of the demoralization of Christianity. In his
opinion the Reformation could not be anything other than the restoration of Biblical,
Gospel-based Christianity.
1565: The beginning of the
Unitarian Reformation
Basing his arguments on the
Bible and on reason, Dávid Ferenc continued the Reformation of the precepts of
Christianity. He kept only those which provably originated from the Bible, and
were not contrary to reason. In his search he rejected the dogma of the Trinity
as a human invention, and started preaching the concept of One God, based on
Jesus' teachings. This is how the principle of God's unity became the central
idea of his reformation. Along with this the Transylvanian religious
Reformation arrived at a new, radical stage in its development: Unitarianism.
1566: A year of debates
January 20: Dávid
Ferenc gives his first Unitarian sermon in the main church of Kolozsvár, thus
starting a series of debates.
March 15: The Synod of Torda:
in religious debate among adherents of Luther, Calvin, and Dávid, proclaimed
that the only basis of the Christian faith is the Apostolic Creed. This
resolution constitutes the first objective reaction to the Unitarian
Reformation.
April 24-27: The first
religious debate at Gyulafehérvár [DYOO-lah FE-hair-vahr], the seat of
Transylvania’s government. Here for the first time the question of the Trinity
was put forth as an issue in open, public debate.
May 19: Religious debate at
Marosvásárhely [MAH-rowsh-vah-shahr-hey]. Dávid Ferenc publishes a catechism.
1567 The founding of
the press at Gyulafehérvár
King János Zsigmond [YAH-nowsh
ZHEEG-mownd] (also known as János II., also as Prince János Zsigmond, having
had to cede his royal title in 1570) placed the printing house at Dávid
Ferenc's disposal. This press served the Unitarians until 1571. The first
Unitarian books were published here.
In 1567 Dávid Ferenc
published three works, the most important being A Short Explanation, in which
he elaborated the articles of faith of Unitarianism, based on the Bible.
1568. The founding year
of the Unitarian Church
January 6-13.: The Diet of
Torda proclaimed toleration and freedom of conscience, as follows:
"Our Royal Majesty, as
he has decided at the previous debates in this country in matters of
religion, confirms as well at the present Diet that every preacher shall
proclaim the gospel everywhere according to his own) understanding thereof, and
if the community be willing to accept him, well and good; else if it isn't, no
one should force him on them, their souls not being satisfied by him; but let
every community keep a preacher whose teachings are to their liking. And let no
one, neither superintendents nor others, harm a preacher, nor chastise anyone
for reasons of religion, neither by this nor by previous constitutions
[laws]. No one may threaten others with
prison or divestment of their office because of their confession: for faith is
a gift of God, which comes from
hearing, and hearing by the word of
God."
This law, without parallel in
contemporary Europe, constituted state recognition of Unitarianism and the
foundation of the Unitarian Church.
The newly received
(legally approved) religion did not have an accepted name in the beginning. Dávid
Ferenc and his associates published under the label "The Transylvanian
Ecclesia of One Accord." Unitarians in general preferred using simply the title
"Christian"; Dávid Ferenc referred to himself as "Servant of the
Crucified Jesus Christ."
1568, March 8-18: The second religious debate at
Gyulafehérvár
In its importance this is
pre-eminent among the Transylvanian debates. Its report was published by both
parties, edited by Dávid Ferenc and Heltai Gáspár.
The outcome of the religious
debates made the victory of the Unitarians likely. Tradition has it that right
after coming home from the debate, Dávid preached a sermon standing on the
"round rock" at the corner of Torda street in Kolozsvár and converted
all present to Unitarianism.
In this year the Óvár school
at Kolozsvár became Unitarian. With support of the King and of the city, the
school developed into a high-quality college serving the evolution of Unitarian
theology and Transylvanian education. The first president of Óvár College was Dávid
Ferenc.
In the printing house at
Gyulafehérvár Dávid Ferenc's book, An Explanation about Jesus Christ based on
Holy Scripture was published, as were pamphlets by sympathetic West-European
and Polish theologians; and two books by Basilius István, a preacher at Kolozsvár: A short explanation
of the Apostolic Creed; and Questions about the true Christian Faith.
1569. October 20-25: The religious
debate at Nagyvárad [NAWDY-vah-rawd]
This debate was held in Hungarian (instead of the customary Latin) so that the
common people should understand it. The report of this debate was published by
Dávid Ferenc in Heltai's press at Kolozsvár. Tradition has it that after
this debate 3000 people were converted to Unitarianism.
1569: The volume first
of Dávid Ferenc's sermons published
In this year there appeared
also the pamphlet written jointly by Dávid Ferenc and Giorgio Blandrata, the Refutatio
scripti Georgii Maioris.
1570: Publication of the
first Unitarian hymnbook
Tradition has it as
being by Dávid Ferenc. No copy of this edition has survived.
In the 1570's many
foreign liberal thinkers and anti-trinitarian theologians found
refuge in
Transylvania. Giorgio Blandrata, an Italian medical doctor and anti-trinitarian,
arrived in 1562 as the personal physician of the King. A devotee of the radical
Reformation, he participated in the struggles of Transylvanian religious
reform.
1571, January 6-14: The Diet at Marosvásárhely
confirmed the resolutions of
the Diet of Torda in 1568: "God's gospel is to be preached everywhere
freely, and nobody may suffer harm on account of his confession, neither the preachers
nor their audience."
1571, March
14: King János Zsigmond dies
The system of received
religions is associated with his name, which consisted in abolishing
Catholicism as the official state religion and resulted in all the Protestant
denominations being gradually recognized as received.
János Zsigmond was a devotee
of the Reformation from 1563 on, and after 1568 the follower and patron of
Unitarianism. He was buried in the cathedral at Gyulafehérvár. At the king's
funeral Dávid Ferenc preached in Hungarian and Johannes Sommer in Latin.
After the death of János
Zsigmond, two important theological works of Dávid Ferenc were published: Of
glorious God himself and of his true son, Jesus of Nazareth; and True
Confession about the Divinity of the One and Only God the Father, and of His
Holy Son, Jesus Christ.
1571, September 20: The religious
debate at Marosvásárhely
The religious debates and the
attempts at compromise were unsuccessful because of the intolerance and
exclusivity of each side in clinging to their own dogmatic conceptions. Dávid
Ferenc, with his sermons, debates and books, was highly successful in
preserving what had been achieved. The majority of the ministers, having been
of the Swiss (Calvinist) persuasion before, joined the Unitarians, as did the
king and the aristocrats, who had symphatized with them. Unitarianism came away
victorious out of the heat of the religious debates. It took roots in the whole
country and became an important factor in the life of Transylvania. The ideas
of the Unitarian Reformation were also spreading outside of Transylvania, beyond
the Danube in the Bánság (Banat), the Alföld (the Hungarian Plain) and the Dunántúl
(Transdanubia).
1571-1576 The reign of
Prince Báthori István
Prince Báthory István
(Steven) [BAH-tow-ree EESHT-vahn] and his successors introduced a religious
policy aimed at restoring the Catholic Church, supplanting Unitarianism.
Báthori István confiscated
the printing house at Gyulafehérvár from the Unitarians, fired Dávid Ferenc as
court preacher and, except for Giorgio Blandrata, dismissed all Unitarians from
the court.
1571. September 17. Introduction
of censorship
The Prince forbade the
publication and distribution of all religious works by old or new writers
without censorship approval.
1572. May 15-19: The
Law against Innovation
Though the Diet of Torda had confirmed
the religious laws of King János Zsigmond, at Báthori István's initiative it
forbade any further religious reform, under pain of
punishment. This Innovation Law played a decisive role in the
further fate of the Unitarian Church.
The Martyrdom of Alvinczi György,
Unitarian minister: At the religious disputation held in Nagyharsány, in
Turkish-occupied Hungary, Alvinczi’s
Calvinist opponents condemned him to death and hanged him. In a display of
Christian forgiveness, the Unitarian Church appealed to the Turkish authorities
not to punish the perpetrators.
1576, Jan. 28: The Diet at
Medgyes recognizes the episcopacy of Dávid Ferenc
The Diet also confirmed the
right of the Unitarians to elect a bishop.
1576-1581: The rule of
Báthori Kristóf
At the Diet of Torda the new Prince
restricted the right of Unitarians to hold synods to Kolozsvár and Torda.
1578, March: The Unitarian synod at Torda, with 322 ministers
participating, upholds the right of free
inquiry.
Accordingly, nobody could be
accused and condemned of violating the Innovation Law if he was researching
questions which the synod had not yet decided.
1578, March: Socinus
Faustus comes to Kolozsvár
Giorgio Blandrata invoked the
help of this well-known anti-trinitarian theologian in trying to convince Dávid
Ferenc to accept the practice of Jesus-worship. The disputation between Socinus
Faustus and Dávid Ferenc ended without resolution.
1579, Feb. 28: The synod at
Torda rejects the charges of Blandrata
Blandrata, who had by now
turned against Dávid, brought charges that
the latter and his followers had violated the Innovation Law. The synod
affirmed that the Unitarians had not in fact innovated, but had only developed
further their previous teachings, and that seeking religious knowledge and
truth was not only allowed, but expected of ministers.
1579: A stressful year
for Unitarians
In March, Blandrata
denounced Dávid Ferenc to the Prince as a religious reformer who had violated
the Law of Innovation and was preaching novel teachings.
Prince Báthori Kristóf had
been waiting for an opportunity to turn against Dávid Ferenc and, based on the
denunciation, forbade the Unitarian reformer to preach, detained him under
house-arrest, and brought his case before the Diet.
June 1-2: The Diet at
Gyulafehérvár announced its findings in Dávid Ferenc's case. The prosecutor was
the advisor of the Prince, the Jesuit Leleszi János. Dávid was defended by
theologians Trauzner Lukács, Óvári Benedek and Sztárai Mihály. Ill and under
house-arrest, Dávid was brought to Gyulafehérvár, where he explained again that
he was not an innovator, that he had always taught Jesus' humanity, and that
the Bible mandated the worship of God
but not the worship of Jesus.
At the urging of his Judas, Blandrata,
and of the latter’s allies, the majority of the Diet voted against Dávid,
declaring his teaching to be an innovation. Based on this, the Prince sentenced
Dávid to life imprisonment in the fort at Déva. To replace him,
Hunyadi Demeter was named Unitarian bishop.
November: Death of Dávid Ferenc: According to one
source, Dávid Ferenc died on November 7; tradition has the date as November 15.
The exact circumstances of his death and the location of his grave are not known.
Prison did not break Dávid’s
spirit. This is indicated by the testimony he carved on the wall of his prison
cell: "Neither the sword of popes, nor the cross, nor the image of death -
nothing will halt the march of truth. I have written what I felt true and that
is what I preached with a trusting spirit. I am convinced that after my demise
the teachings of false prophets will disappear."
1582: The Psalms translated
Around this time Bogáti
Fazekas Miklós (1548-1592) made his famous translation of the Psalms. For the
first time he rendered the entire book of the Psalms in Hungarian verses.
1592: The Synod elects Enyedi
György bishop
After Hunyadi Demeter's
death, the synod elected college professor and president Enyedi György
Unitarian Bishop. He was the professor of Óvár College, a theologian, writer
and renowned preacher.
Enyedi was the author of
critical expositions of the Unitarian articles of faith. His chief oeuvre was
the Explicationes edited and published by Toroczkai Máté in 1598. In this
book Enyedi demonstrated that the dogma of the trinity could neither be proved nor
deduced from the Bible. The book generated such interest that it was reprinted in Groningen
(Holland). Enyedi’s work provoked wide debate on both the
Catholic and the Protestant side.
1600, October 25 - November
4: At the Diet of Lécfalva the denominational name "Unitarian"
was used for the first time, expressing the basic theological principle of
Unitarianism: that God is one in essence and one in person. From this derives
the name of "unity believers" also.
1618, November 11: At
the synod of Erdőszentgyörgy the Unitarian Church delimits itself and condemns
Sabbatarianism
Sabbatarianism appeared at
the end of the 16th century in Transylvania. As provided by the Innovation
Law, Sabbatarians were persecuted and punished by the princes.
1626: Publication of
the Disciplina ecclesiastica
This document contains the
regulations of the Unitarian Church as elaborated and published by Bishop
Radeczki Bálint (1616-1632). In 1694 Bishop Almási Gergely Mihály had it
reprinted in an expanded form.
1638, July 1-7: The Accord of Dés
The Diet authorized to deal
with religious problems ordered Unitarians to worship and pray to Jesus, to
baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and to publish their
religious books only with the approval of the Prince. Anybody who violated this
order was to be be punished by the Prince and by the Diet. This consensus was
cynically called "the accord".
The interference with the
life of the Church by Prince Rákóczi György I and the Diet was aroused by the
conflict between Rév Mátyás, a Saxon preacher at Kolozsvár, and Beke Dániel,
Unitarian Bishop. Rév accused of the Unitarian Church of innovating.
The consequences of the
Accord of Dés were the oppression of Unitarians, confiscation of their churches
by right of the majority, the impediment
of doctrinal clarification and the publication of religious books until the end
of the 18th century.
1692, March 15: Proclamation of Emperor Leopold's Diploma
In 1526, Hungary had been
blessed with two monarch’s: János, the father of János Zsigmond, and Ferdinand
of the house of Habsburg. János, tolerant of the Reformation, sought the aid of
France and tried to make peace with France’s allies, the Turks; the Roman
Catholic party, seeking a strong protector, ceded Hungarian sovereignty to the
Austrian (German) empire.
As soon as the Turks were
expelled from Hungary in 1689 by
Imperial troops (including Hungarians), a push was made to ‘reunite’ the
eastern part with the western. Transylvanian autonomy came to the end and was
subjected to military occupation.
Emperor Leopold, who wore
also the Hungarian ceown, sought to regulate the condition of the churches in
Transylvania, unique in his expanded empire. His Diploma affirmed the rights of the received
religions (Lutheran, Reformed, Unitarian and Roman Catholic) but at the same
time enabled the Catholics to thrive at the expense of the Protestants.
1696: Establishment of a Unitarian printing house
in Kolozsvár
The printing house was
purchased from public contributions and from a donation by Mrs. Kamita András.
The first publications of the press were the Catechism of Koncz Boldizsár
and the Hymnbook. Unitarians used the printing house for 20 years when,
along with the Kolozsvár cathedral, it became the property of the Catholic
Church.
1716, March 30:
Confiscations by the Counter-Reformation in Kolozsvár
Stefan Steinville, Imperial military
commander of Transylvania, seized all Unitarian churches in Kolozsvár, giving
them to the Catholic Church along with their property. He did the same
with the printing house. For 80 years, the Unitarians of Kolozsvár were
allowed to hold their worship services only in private houses and chapels.
Similar confiscations were carried out all over the country. All the
protests and requests for the return of the confiscated churches and of the
printing house were fruitless.
1767: Kénosi Tőzsér János,
minister at Bágyon, starts work on the Latin text of The History of the Transylvanian Unitarian
Church.
After his death (1772) this
work was rewritten and continued by Uzoni Fosztó István, minister at Bágyon.
After Fosztó’s death in 1778, it was picked up by Kozma Mihály, minister at Szentgerice and by
his son, Kozma János, minister at Csókfalva.
After Kozma János's death (1840) it remained unfinished. This work, cataloged
under the name of Uzoni Fosztó István, is an indispensable source of Unitarian
historiography.
1773, June 26: Ágh István, Bishop
and Kovács Tamás, General Superintendent,
present themselves in an audience before Imperial Crown-Prince Joseph,
who had come to Kolozsvár.
Bishop Agh István recounted
the many insults injuries that Unitarians had suffered without being able to
redress any grievance. During the audience Prince Joseph, a liberal, made the following declaration: "While we
hold that no-one can find salvation outside the faith of Rome, it would not be
wrong to give everyone the chance to choose the particular way to heaven which
he prefers".
1781, November 29:
Proclamation of the Edict of Tolerance
Emperor Joseph II's edict was
aimed at redressing the religious insults of Protestant and Orthodox Churches
and at regulating their relations with the state.
The Edict of Toleration made
it possible for the non-Catholic denominations to practice their faith, to
build churches and schools according to the number of their adherents, and it also allowed them to employ ministers
and teachers. At the same time it forbade that anybody should be required to
worship or to take an oath contrary to his conviction. Catholicism remained the
dominant religion; the other denominations acquired the legal status of
"tolerated religions".
In Transylvania, though the
freedom of the received religions had been assured by law, Protestants greeted
the edict as a great achievement because it redressed the most striking insults
and limited the recatholicizing tendency of the counter-reformation. It meant a
move toward equality in religious rights. The Edict of
Toleration also promoted the renewal of the Unitarian Church.
The Synod ordered the setting
up of church councils for the better management of the congregations. A
council’s president was the minister, its lay president the treasurer (intendant).
The number of members in the council varied between 7 and 11, depending on the
size of the congregation.
1786. August 22: The
synod of Nagyajta elects Lázár István bishop.
1791. February 14: The legacy
of Suki László
Suki László (1741-1792),
first superintendent of the College, left all his property to the school. The rationale
for his decision was: "Having seen and experienced in bygone tough times that our legally sanctioned Unitarian
community, especially the Unitarian College in the city of Kolozsvár, so necessary for the survival of the entire
Unitarian community in trying times, had completely exhausted all its resources,
so that our community could barely support and feed its leaders, professors and
teachers…, my purpose and intention has been, if God blesses my struggle, to
leave a permanent fund to our community and to the College of Kolozsvár from
whose income the college not only would be able to be restored but also have its welfare assured in the future."
The donation of Suki László made it possible for the third building of the
college to be built.
1793, July 10: The foundation of the school at
Székelykeresztúr
The synod meeting at Homoródalmás decided to establish a new boarding school at
Székelykeresztúr. The school was built from public contributions and started
its program in 1804. The inspiration for the construction and organization came
from Headmaster Szabó Sámuel (1756-1856).
The school at Székelykeresztúr
has been serving public education and the Church ever since.
1792-1796. The new
church of the congregation built at Kolozsvár.
Beginnings of the connection with the British Unitarian Church.
British Unitarians sent a
letter to our Church in which they described their religion, history and status.
Our Church in its answer similarly presented our religious principles, our
organization and our history. The communication between the two bodies has been
regular since 1858. The people who started and promoted this connection were: Englishmen
E.Tagart and S.H.Steinhal, ministers, and John Paget, who settled in
Transylvania; and Hungarian Unitarian Bishops Kriza János and Ferencz József.
1831: Contact
with the American Unitarian Association
During Bölöni Farkas Sándor's
journey in North America he met Unitarians and told them the history of our
Church and spoke about its condition. Mediated by him, a correspondence started
between the two sides. Extension of regular communications started in 1868 with
the collaboration of C. H. Dall, E.Hale, J.Fretwell, A.Richmond and
E.Southwirth on the American side, and Kriza János and Ferencz József on the Hungarian.
In his book, North-American
Journey, published in 1833, Bölöni Farkas Sándor recounted his encounter with
American Unitarians.
The American Unitarian Association
made it possible for Transylvanian theological students to continue their study
in American universities and seminaries.
1832, August 20: The synod of Nyárádszentlászló
elects Augusztinovich Pál (1763-1837) general-superintendent.
In his will of October 1,
1837, Augusztinovics left his valuable library and all his property to the
Church. He stipulated the use of his property thus: "My supreme wish is to
elevate the scholarly and moral education at the noble Unitarian College of
Kolozsvár by assigning my property to keep this preference consciously in view."
Augusztinovich Pál was a great benefactor of the 19th century, and the second
great patron of the Church.
1837, February 8: The
General Assembly affirms Brassai Sámuel’s appointment as professor, and elects him
President of the College the following year.
Brassai’s election
constituted "the victory of the liberals over those loyal to the
(Habsburg) dynasty”. His professorship started a new era in the life of
the College.
In this year the new hymnbook
of the Church was published, titled God's glorification and prayers, edited by
Székely Sándor (1797-1852) and based on the old hymnbook. The hymnbook underwent
six editions and remained in use until 1924.
1839: Publication of Székely Sándor's work, Early years of
Unitarianism in Transylvania.
This is the first published
work on Unitarian history.
1841, August 22: Testament
of Bölöni Farkas Sándor (1795-1842).
This enlightened, progressive
writer and devout Unitarian donated his valuable library to our College. He
also left a large amount of money for acquisitions.
August 23: The education
reform of the Church: The synod at Korond accepted Prof. Brassai Sámuel's
curriculum of studies in which Hungarian was introduced as a major. This reform
represented a raising of educational standards.
1861:
Establishment of the Keresztény Magvető (Christian Seed-Sower)
The goal of the journal was
"to sow and bring forth seeds of Christian ideas and generally of what was
beautiful, good and true." In this spirit the Keresztény Magvető
mobilized all Unitarian scholars, writers and theologians of the 19th and 20th
centuries. It created at the same time a valuable theological literature, made
an outstanding contribution to the revival of religious life, and made our
religious principles known far and wide. Its editors were Kriza János and Nagy
Lajos. The Keresztény Magvető was the first theological journal to appear
in Transylvania.
July 1: Kriza János
becomes Bishop of the Unitarian Church.
1862: The Romanian state is
established
1864: Publication
of Ferencz József's catechism
It reached its 20th edition
in 1991. - The catechism was also
published in German in 1892. [In English it was published by the
Rev. György Andrási, Counselor to the Bishop of the Romanian Transylvanian
Unitarian Church in collaboration with Byron C. Miller (in The Unitarian
Universalist Christian by The Unitarian
Universalist Christian Fellowship, FALL/WINTER, 1994, Volume 49, Nos.3-4)]
1865: Orbán Balázs,
historian and public figure, becomes a Unitarian.
Orbán was a faithful member
and supporter of our church. In 1876 and 1890 he established endowments to
support students of the gymnasium at Székelykeresztúr, without regard to ethnicity
or denomination.
1868, August 30-31: The
300th anniversary of the existence of the Unitarian Church
The synod of Torda was able
to celebrate the 1568 Edict of Torda and
the founding of the Church for the first time with the participation of the state
and representatives of all other denominations. At the celebration, representatives
of English Unitarians were present, too. For this occasion Kriza János wrote
the hymn, "The people of this house, O God, burst into holy joy". The
Keresztény Magvető published all the sermons delivered at the synod and
described in detail the whole celebration.
1870:
The first volume of American Unitarian theologian W. E.Channing (1780-1842), - selections
from his works - published in Hungarian
The translation was commissioned
by Bishop Kriza János, with collaboration of college professors and ministers.
The third and last volume was published in 1881. Channing's books contributed
to the growth of our seminary.
1875, March
26: Kriza János dies.
Kriza had served his church
as minister at Kolozsvár, as professor of the college and as bishop. During the
14 years of his episcopate his main concern was nurturing religious life,
promoting inner revival and developing Unitarian theological principles. He sought
to establish connections with foreign churches. The immortal fruit of his literary
activity is the volume Vadrózsák (Wild Roses), a collection of Székely folk
poetry.
1875: Publication
of The Little Unitarian Mirror by Ferencz József
This work is a short summary
of the history, theological principles, liturgy and organization of our Church.
In 1930, Vári Albert revised and republished it.
1879: The 300th
anniversary of Dávid Ferenc’s death
On August 24-26,
at the synod held at Székelykeresztúr, the death of Dávid Ferenc was commemorated for
the first time. Representatives of foreign Unitarian churches were present.
The Dávid Ferenc Foundation, started
by Bishop Ferencz József, was dedicated to the memory of Dávid Ferenc. Jakab
Elek's book, The memory of Dávid Ferenc presented the life and reform activity
of the great church-founder.
1885, August 29: Founding of
the Dávid Ferenc Society
Initiated by Boros György, professor at the college, its goal was the
fostering of religious life. The first president of the society was Brassai Sámuel.
1888: Appearance of the
journal Unitárius Közlöny (Unitarian Bulletin)
The journal was published by
the Dávid Ferenc Society. Its first editors were Nagy Lajos and Boros György.
September 10: Berde Mozes's
endowment
Berde Mózes (1815-1893) left
all his property to the Unitarian Church. "I had been struggling for a
sacred purpose of my life," he wrote in his testament. "I wanted to
show that even a poor man with a strong will can be of use to society, humanity
and the nation... From the time of my youth one sentiment has been nurtured in
my heart, one thought in my mind: to help uplift my poor religious community,
to make it easier for students to master the sciences and to give relief to old
servants and professors."
Berde Mózes reached his goal.
His property, accumulated with unparalleled diligence and ascetic frugality, helped
his church greatly. His care for students in his special "Loaf of Bread Fund"
made it possible for many poor and talented young men to study. Berde Mózes is
rightly called "the benefactor prince". The Biography of Berde Mózes,
was published in 1901.
1890, October 26: Dedication
of the first Unitarian church in Budapest
The land was donated to the
church by the city, and the church was built based on Petz Samu’s plans, at the
corner of Koháry (today Nagy Ignác) and Alkotmány streets.
1898-1901: The
headquarters of the Unitarian Church built at Kolozsvár
The building housed the
Theological Seminary and other church institutions. The building was the
creation of church architect Pákey Lajos. Among his other main creations were
the churches at Bölön, Székelyudvarhely, Firtosmartonos and Sáros. The
monuments of Berde Mózes and Brassai Sámuel in the famous Házsongárd graveyard
at Kolozsvár were also his work.
1900, May 25: Establishment
of the International Association for Religious Freedom in Boston, a world
organization of Unitarians and other liberal religions
Our church has been a member
from the beginning.
1907: Publication of the
periodical Unitarian Pulpit
Its goal was support of the
preaching activity of ministers and developing the literature of sermons. Its
editors were Vári Albert, Deák Miklós and Balázs András.
1910, August 20-23: The 400th anniversary of the birth of Dávid
Ferenc
Our Church commemorated him
at the synod held at Kolozsvár and Déva. Representatives of all the other
denominations of the country and Unitarians from abroad participated. The
church memorialized this celebration with a facsimile edition of Dávid Ferenc's
book, A Short Explanation, and publication of the volume, Dávid Ferenc, written
by Kis Ernő. Each minister wrote the history of his own congregation. Finally a
commemorative plaque was placed in the fortress at Déva with the inscription:
"In the dungeon of the Déva fortress Dávid Ferenc, founder and bishop of the Unitarian Church,
was condemned to life imprisonment because of his religious convictions, and
passed away in 1579. Placed in 1910 with reverence, on the 400th anniversary of
his birth by his spiritual successor, the Unitarian Church."
The Unitarian Christian
Popular Calendar appeared. In 1927 the Dávid Ferenc Society took charge if its
printing; since 1950, the denomination has published it.
Appearance of the monthly
"Church Society": Its goal was the development of church-and-society
relationships.
Retirement of Péterfi Dénes
(1851-1925): Péterfi graduated in theological studies at Manchester New
College. He became a minister at Kolozsvár, professor of the college and editor
of the Keresztény Magvető. His works, such as Unitarian Christianity, At the
Table of Jesus and his essays published in the Keresztény Magvető were
outstanding contributions to our theological literature.
1914: World War I breaks out
1915:
Establishment of the Unitarian Theological Seminary
To promote ministerial
training, the General Assembly transformed the "Institute for training
ministers" into a seminary. The new organization and educational structure
of ministerial training functioned with few modifications until 1948.
1917: Romania attacks
Austria-Hungary, invades Transylvania
1918: World War I ends.
1920. In the Peace Treaty of Trianon, Hungary has to
surrender Transylvania to Romania.
In 1940 the Viennese Decision
split Transylvania in two parts. Until the second Viennese Decision the Romanian
Byzantine Rite and Orthodox churches had
built a lot of houses of worship in totally Hungarian villages and towns at the
expense of the locals, and launched a campaign to convert the people. The
language of instruction in the public schools became Romanian, the entire
school system abolished use of the Hungarina language, and it survived mainly
in the Hungarian churches and in religious education. For protecting the use of
the Hungarian language the churches started to establish denominational
schools.
1924:
Publication of the new hymnbook.
Still in use today, its 14th
edition was printed in 1994.
1928, February 19: Death of
Bishop Ferencz József
The 52 years of Ferencz József’s
office was a time of development and the flourishing of our Church in its
renewal , its organizational growth, in presenting our theological principles
and in literary development.. His biography, The life and Time of Kilyéni
Ferencz József Unitarian Bishop, written by Gál Kelemen, was published in 1936.
1930, April 6: Balázs Ferenc (1900-1937) begins his ministry in the
congregation of Mészkő (the Alabaster Village).
After graduating from the Unitarian
Theological Seminary, Balázs studied abroad between 1923 and 1928 at Manchester
New College, in the Theological Institute of the English Unitarian Church at
Oxford, and in the Unitarian Seminary of American Unitarians at Berkeley,
completing an M.A. in philosophy. After this he started on a journey around the
world in order to get to know the religious, social and political institutions
of different peoples. He got home after five year of travel in 1928. In his
book, I travel around the World, published in 1929, he described his journey
and experience.
Balázs Ferenc was a Unitarian
minister and writer who sought to uplift his people and the villages throughout
his lifetime. The spiritual travelogue of his struggle was described in
the Plain Gospel and in Under the Clod. There hasn't been any other
Unitarian minister in the 20th century who could have awakened interest and
love or criticism on such a grand scale as Balázs Ferenc.
1939-1945: World War II
Hungary and Romania were
allies of Germany in the anti-Soviet war. On August 23, 1944, Romania suddenly
switched to the Soviet side and attacked Hungarian territory. This move
guaranteed its retention of Transylvania after the war.
Nearly a half-century of
Communist dictatorship followed in both countries; Hungary in particular
suffered heavy military occupation.
1948, August 4:
The law on religions
This law of the new Romanian
government, which allegedly reflected “the social development of the country” (in Marxist terms), placed
the relationship between the church and the state on a new foundation and also
regulated the function of the church. It authorized the granting of university degrees by the Universal Protestant Theological
Institute. According to paragpaph 49 of the law regarding the traditions
of theological education, in 1948 the four protestant churches (Lutherans
of the Augsburg Confession, Synod-Presbyterian Lutherans, Reformed, and
Unitarian) organized a common theological institute which launched its program
on January 1, 1949. In this institution their ministers have been training in
the spirit of mutual respect for each others' religious particularities and in
fraternal collaboration.
1952: The first victim of Communism,
Rázmány Mór
A unitarian minister, Rázmány was dragged off
to a forced labor camp without charges or trial, where he spent two years. Later
he was the chief accountant of the Church for over 46 years.
1956: Revolution in Hungary
After the Hungarian revolution
and war of independence, the authorities in Romania made an example of many of
our church leaders and ministers, as well as a number of seminary students, who
were were sent to prison or forced labor camps. Here are the names of those who
suffered because of their convictions: Dr. Erdő János, Dr. Lőrinci Mihály, Dr.
Simén Dániel, professors; Végh Mihály, Nyitrai Mózes, Deák Berta, Gellérd Imre,
Székely László, Szabó Dezsõ, Pálfi Albert, pastors; Léta Áron, Sándor Balázs,
Benedek Ágoston, Nyitrai Levente, and Kelemen Csongor, seminary students.
Other Hungarian denominations
were similarly affected.
1970-1989: Unitarian mission in
the cities
The Unitarian Church focused
on ministering to those of its members who were removed to urban areas. New
churches were established in Kolozsvár, Csíkszereda, Kőhalom, Homoród, Brassó
and Székelyudvarhely.
After 1989-1990, as the
communist world collapsed, a revival in the church took place: This manifested
itself in the pursuit of connections with foreign unitarians, and in the
construction of new church buildings and parsonages. Steps were taken for churches to recover
their seized properties, such as buildings and land; the churches were reorganized,
youth and women’s associations were reestablishesd; in 1993 in Kolozsvár
and Székelykeresztúr the unitarian boarding
schools were reopened; church law was revised to fit the new situation (in 1996).
New perspectives opened.
