Responsible publisher: Sándor Enghy, PhD - rector ISSN (print) 1416-9878 ISSN (online) 3057-9198 ISSN-L 1416-9878 Website: www.sarospatakifuzetek.hu E-mail: sarospatakifuzetek@gmail.com OJS: https://acad.hu/ojs/index.php/sf Proofreading József Lapis, PhD, SRHE Gyula Homoki SRHE English proofreading Pálma Füsti-Molnár Gyula Homoki Preparation of the printing house and cover design by József Asztalos (until September 2025) István Varga (from October 2025) Produced by Kapitális Printing House Managing Director: József Kapusi The online presence, the CEEOL, the MTMT, the Real Repository upload and the website are maintained by: István Varga https://vawe.hu +36304982081
Sárospataki Református Hittudományi Egyetem
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War, revolt and rebellion in Palestine under the Romans (Grüll Tibor: Ézsau három könnycsepje. A zsidók három háborúja Róma ellen)
Copyright (c) 2025 Jenei Péter (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Measurable mystery? The limitations and possibilities of Fowler's model (Sitku Tibor: A fowleri hitfejlődés-elmélet értékelése és alkalmazási területei)
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An authentic life (Zsindelyné Tüdős Klára: Csizma az asztalon)
Copyright (c) 2025 Bátoriné Misák Marianna (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
So if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. (Jn 15:20)
Spiritual attunement (Teach me to live! column)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dénes Dienes (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Material relics related to the galley slave preachers have survived only sporadically and indirectly. These may primarily be the communion table objects of those churches in which the preachers summoned to Bratislava and then sentenced to galley slavery served. The communion table equipment of each era is an important part of the life and history of a Reformed congregation. From the quantity and quality of the objects, we can draw many conclusions about the operation of the given congregation, and in many cases the absence of objects can also be extremely telling. In the 17th-century visitation records, church visitors also included a generally brief, inventory-like description of the communion table equipment of the congregations. Based on the data in the records, we can draw a diverse picture of the Reformed congregations of the galley slavery era.
Copyright (c) 2025 P. Kusnyír Éva (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Protestant galley slaves 2024 – secondary school competition
Winners in category A: 1. Kristóf Fehér – Dávid Tajnai – Levente Tukacs – Boglárka Bojtár: Milestones on the Road of Memories: video essay (József Lévay Reformed High School and Student Hostel, supervising teacher: Anikó Tóthné Nagy) https://youtu.be/yRnEFTTswwQ 2. Dominika Dalma Barát: Galley Slaves (Nagydobrony Reformed Lyceum, supervising teacher: Géza Tar) Winners in category B: 1. Anna Kozsurek: The Power of Cooperation (Vay Miklós Reformed Technical College, Vocational School and Student Hostel, supervising teacher: László Dancs) 2. Áron Balega: Message in a Bottle (Vay Miklós Reformed Technical College, Vocational School and Student Hostel, preparatory teacher: László Dancs) and Ákos Huszár: Letter to My Son (Irinyi János Reformed Education Center, preparatory teacher: Beáta Szoboszlai) 3. Estovk Eszter (storytelling rap/poetry) (József Lévay Reformed High School and Student Hostel, preparatory teacher: Anikó Tóthné Nagy) The jury awarded a special prize to Ádám Forgács for his painting. Based on the jury's decision, two other participants in category B – Dominika Barát and Szintia Bahus – also received prizes. Winner of category C: 1. Ákos Kovács: In memory of Endre Gecse, Reformed pastor (Nagydobrony Reformed Lyceum, supervising teacher: Géza Tar) Below is a selection of the winning entries. Contents of PDFs 1: Ádám Forgács' painting submitted to the competition 2: Gyula Homoki's article about the competition 3: Anna Kozsurek: The Power of Cooperation 4: Áron Balega: Message in a Bottle 5: Ákos Huszár: Letter to my son 6: Eszter Evstok: Galley Rapper
Copyright (c) 2025 Homoki Gyula (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Galley Slave Exhibition Through the Eyes of a History Teacher
Copyright (c) 2025 Dancs László (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Martyrs, apostates, emigrants: The Lutheran defendants in the galley-slave trials
The surviving sources on the evangelical emigration triggered by the galley trials indicate a large population movement. The care and integration of refugees tied up considerable resources, their presence dominated public communications, and successfully integrated professionals built up enduring social networks. The emigrants in Hungary communicated very effectively and successfully played the role of a vocal minority. The popular genre of emigration is the occasional print, which is a very important source of prozopography, and the other common form of expression is the discussion paper. Most of the emigrants returned to Hungary after 1681, but within a few years many of them had put down roots and established a livelihood in a foreign land. The Hungarian theologians who had successfully integrated abroad were given the role of patron and bridge to support the next generation of Peregrinus with scholarships and contacts. The émigrés who remained in Germany played a key role as intermediaries in the circulation of books and the reception of new ideas in Hungary.
Copyright (c) 2025 Csepregi Zoltán (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Balogh Judit (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
My Father, My Son, My Soul – Self Identity from the Son – Being Son (Lk 20,27-46)
Copyright (c) 2025 Apolka Pál (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Sándor Bihari (Dr.): Reformed pastor, Old Testament lecturer at the SRTA Biblical Institute Gábor Éger (Dr.): Librarian, Sárospatak Reformed Library and Scientific Collection Sándor Enghy (habil. Dr.): Reformed pastor, rector of SRHE, professor at the Biblical Theological Institute Ferenc Fodor (PhD): Reformed pastor, head of the Biblical Institute of SRHE and Old Testament teacher András László Gér: Reformed theologian, historian of religion Gabriella Hegedűs (drs): lecturer, University of Debrecen, English-American Institute Péter Jenei (PhD): Reformed religion teacher, Nyíregyháza-Városi Ref. Church Parish / Nyíregyháza Evangelical Kossuth Lajos High School Áron Kovács (PhD): manuscript archivist, Sárospatak Reformed Library and Scientific Collection, research fellow at SRHE György Kustár (PhD): Reformed pastor, spiritual counselor, associate professor at SRHE Biblical Institute Eszter Láncos: doctoral candidate, PPKE Doctoral School of Literary Studies Anett Csilla Lovas (PhD): museum educator, Sárospatak Reformed Library and Scientific Collection, research fellow at SRHE Erika Margitics-Sánta: Reformed pastor, spiritual counselor Gyula Pásztor: Reformed pastor, spiritual advisor to the SRHE Béla Szathmáry (PhD, Dr. habil.): Károli Gáspár Award-winning canon lawyer, professor at the SRHE Klára Lujza Zalatnay: university student, ELTE
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György Kustár: Editorial Teach Me That I May Live! Gyula Pásztor: „You are my Beloved Son!” Essays Sándor Bihari: Social Criticism in the Books of Amos and Malachi Sándor Enghy: The Concept of sofi,a in Aristotle’s Two Works and in the Septuagint Gábor Éger: Books of 16th- and 17th-Century Upper-Hungarian Reformed Pastors in the Great Library of the Scholarly Collections of the Reformed College of Sárospatak Gér András: Lord of Heaven in the Book of Daniel: Religious-Historical Approaches to a Topos in the Book of Daniel Jenei Péter: Evil Spirit (רוח־רעה) from the Lord? György Kustár: The Scandal of the Birth of Jesus – The Paradox of Incarnation Eszter Láncos: Adonis as a Tomb Effigy in Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis Béla Szathmáry: On Membership in the Reformed Church of Hungary Timeline Áron Kovács: The Letter of József Nagy, Pastor of Czigand, to His Son Kálmán Nagy while He Joins the War of Independence Ferenc Fodor: The Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-8) Review Gabriella Hegedűs: Pedagogical Perspectives: The Dimensions of Coping, Development, and Raising - PODLOVICS Éva – ERDEI Róbert – KISSNÉ GOMBOS Katalin Melinda (szerk.): Megküzdés, fejlődés, nevelés. Az Iskola a határon III. konferencia előadásaiból, Sárospatak, Tokaj-Hegyalja Egyetem, Sárospataki Pedagógiai Füzetek 32, 2023. Anett Csilla Lovas: Anger and Aggression – Not Solely in Christian Schools - KIS Klára: Iskolai agresszió és egyházi iskolák: A katechézis lehetőségei az iskolai agresszió preventív megközelítésében és konstruktív kezelésében, Budapest, Kálvin Kiadó, 2023. Erika Margitics-Sánta: At the Healing Presence - SZABÓNÉ LÁSZLÓ Lilla: Poimenika. A lelkigondozás elmélete, Budapest, Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem – L'Harmattan Kiadó, 2023. Klára Lujza Zalatnay: Changing Lenses in the Gutenberg Galaxy. Critique of the Makropædia Exhibition Stylesheet Authors
The trial of 1674 against Protestant clergymen in Hungary and at the Viennese court
This article examines the background to the galley trial of 1674 with a particular focus on the anti-Protestant chamber and church proposal package, which was drawn up in Kassa in February 1673, and its reception in Vienna. Using new sources, the author reconstructs the political and religious preparations for the trial and shows that the plan to expel the preachers was not a purely ecclesiastical initiative, but found broad support in the city, among the monks and in the chambers. After an initially moderate reaction from the Viennese court, the action against the Protestants at the end of 1673 was closely linked to the political control of the anti-Habsburg uprising. The immediate background of the trial culminated in the Vienna Conference at the end of 1673, which paved the way for the extraordinary trial in Bratislava, and in the negotiations of 1673 in Kassa, which are well known through the research of László Benczédi. The analysis of the state sources shows how religious intolerance and political centralisation were interwoven in the proceedings against the Protestant congregations and their pastors.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mihalik Béla Vilmos (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The impact of the Bratislava Emergency Court in Transylvania
The study deals with a question that has not yet been addressed in research. It attempts to investigate how the persecution of Protestants in Hungary, which began in 1671, appears in the correspondence and other documents of the Reformed elite of the Principality of Transylvania. It also aims to answer the question of how the Reformed nobility of Transylvania tried to help the persecuted Protestants in Hungary. The results of previous research indicate that the Transylvanian Reformed were aware of what was happening and tried to help in various ways. On the one hand, they took in persecuted refugees; on the other, they drew international attention to the events and in some cases even supported the provision of military aid.
Copyright (c) 2025 Zalatnay Klára Lujza (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Margitics-Sánta Erika (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Pásztor Gyula (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Letter of József Nagy, Pastor of Czigand, to His Son Kálmán Nagy while He Joins the War of Independence
Copyright (c) 2025 Kovács Áron (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Lovas Anett Csilla (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Pedagogical Perspectives: The Dimensions of Coping, Development, and Raising
Copyright (c) 2025 Hegedűs Gabriella (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Fodor Ferenc (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Adonis as a Tomb Effigy in Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis
The focus of this paper is on how the protagonists of Shakespeare’s epyllion, Venus and Adonis, relate to the themes of love, death, heroism, and memory. The analysis begins with a rarely quoted passage in which Venus rebukes Adonis for being like a "painted idol" and a "senseless stone." There is a sharp contrast between the views of the two characters: Venus prioritizes love over valor and believes that the best way to be remembered is through having offsprings, while Adonis seeks military glory and fame. This conflict is mediated through symbolic images that reflect not only on the world of mythology but also on the changing religious and cultural context of the Elizabethan era, particularly the new ways of commemorating the dead. The paper explores how Adonis's desire for heroism and Venus's words of rebuke reveal a potential approach to commemoration.
Copyright (c) 2025 Láncos Eszter (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Evil spirit (רוח-רעה) from the LORD? Exegesis of 1 Samuel 16:14-23
1Sam 16:14–23 is a crux interpretum due to the fact that the evil spirit comes from the Lord. This penomenon is a rather unusual one in the Hebrew Bible, moreover, its grammatical features are also unique and isolated. The text’s statement – i.e. the evil spirit’s tormenting activity is directed by God – raises a serious theological issue abour the nature of good and evil and their relationship. In order that to understand this theological issue, it is necessary th apply a thorough exegetical approach tot he given text. The relevance of the topic is rather urging in the western civilization since the enlightenment and the Freudian, Jungian pcychoanalytic shifts questioned the possibility of demonic harassment and possession altogether. The aim of the study is to collect complex exegetical and biblical theological knowledge about the topic and nature of demonic possession in the Hebrew Bible in order that the thought of the topic could once again transcend the realms of taboo, superstition and sensational horror-fiction.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kustár György (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Books of 16th- and 17th-Century Upper-Hungarian Reformed Pastors in the Great Library of the Scholarly Collections of the Reformed College of Sárospatak
A történelmi Felső-Magyarország tizenhárom vármegyéjéből – Abaújból, Beregből, Borsodból, Gömörből, Hevesből, Sárosból, Szabolcsból, Szatmárból, Szepesből, Tornából, Ugocsából, Ungból és Zemplénből – számos református diákot vonzottak a magas színvonalú oktatást biztosító Kollégiumok, mint a sárospataki, a debreceni, a szatmári vagy a nagybányai. Tudósabb honfitársaink külföldi peregrináció során bővítették ismereteiket és többen gazdag könyvgyűjteménnyel tértek haza, amelyek az idők során szétszóródtak, elaprózódtak. A lelkipásztori szolgálatukat később e vidéken végző prédikátorok könyves műveltségéről adnak számot a Tiszáninneni Református Kollégium Tudományos Gyűjteménye Nagykönyvtárában tulajdonosbejegyzéseikkel illetve a kötéseken található supralibrosokkal ellátott kötetek. A Felső-Magyarország területén szolgáló lelkipásztorok életrajzi adatai közül a szolgálati helyek kiemelése alapján számos elemzésre nyílik lehetőség, amely a tanulmány első fejezetében kerül kifejtésre. A következő nagyobb tartalmi egységben az egyes református prédikátorok hazai tanulmányaira és peregrinációjára vonatkozó adatok részletes elemzése következik. A fejezet követi azokat a lépcsőfokokat, amelyek a magyarországi diákok 16-17. századi peregrinációját jellemezték: először a wittenbergi, majd a heidelbergi és marburgi, végül a németalföldi és angliai egyetemjárásban részt vevő diákokat veszi számba. A szolgálati helyekre és az azt megelőző tanulmányokra vonatkozó adatok elemzése után az egyes prédikátorok Sárospatakon található könyveinek bemutatása következik. A wittenbergi, heidelbergi, marburgi, a németalföldi és angliai egyetemeken tanult peregrinusaink könyves műveltségének elemzése lehetőséget ad arra, hogy bizonyos általánosításokat állapíthassunk meg az egyes egyetemi központok hatásával kapcsolatosan, de ugyanígy az egyes univerzitások oktatási rendjének különbözőségére is rávilágít.
Copyright (c) 2025 Éger Gábor (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The study analyses Zsolt Harsányi's short story Christmas on the Galleon in the context of the literary treatment of Protestant galley slavery. In the course of the analysis, I will examine previous literary representations of the galley slave theme, with particular reference to Bálint Kocsi Csergő's memoir, and then focus on how this historical trauma is represented in Harsányi's work. The paper also sheds light on Harsányi's literary career and his evaluation of it as a piece of pulp fiction. In analysing the short story, I deal with issues such as physical and mental suffering, the loss of human dignity, the saving power of faith, and the possibility of forgiveness in the context of a tragic story with Christmas symbolism. The short story can play an important role in the literary history of the Gaelic novel.
The information value of a hidden social network
Between 1671 and 1681, during the period when Leopold I sought to establish absolute rule, the multifaceted crisis of the Protestant communities in Hungary was intensely debated in the international public sphere, particularly in the printed political discourse of the Holy Roman Empire. The reports of Johann Joachim D'Orville (1633-1688), diplomat representing the principality of Hesse-Kassel at the Imperial Diet of Regensburg, prove that the issue of Hungarian Protestants was prominently and diversely present in the political discourse of the Holy Roman Empire, not only during the open religious conflict of the 1670s, but also in the 1680s, during the great trials of the war against the Ottoman Empire. The resident of Hesse-Kassel in Regensburg had a wealth of information about the political significance of the 1681 Diet of Sopron, the role of Palatine Pál Esterházy, the negotiations with Imre Thököly, and the actions of Lipót Kollonits (1631-1707), the later cardinal and archbishop, then bishop of Veszprém, against the Protestants. The Hessian envoy also observed Kollonich's role in his chamber presidency, which brought about major changes in the everyday life of the free royal cities. D'Orville's secretary, Niklas Wilhelm Göddäus (1646-1719), continued to report regularly on the situation of Lutherans in Hungary after the 1681 Diet, based primarily on information obtained from Lutherans in Sopron. Justus Eberhard von Passer (1652-1733), later ambassador of Hesse-Darmstadt to Vienna in 1692 and 1704, may have helped him obtain information, as he had a multifaceted view of life in the imperial city and also had substantial knowledge of the political situation in Hungary. D'Orville received reliable information from Johann Jonas Schrimpft, the chargé d'affaires of Hesse-Kassel in Vienna, who served as an agent and then as a resident in Vienna between 1649 and 1696. The reports of Hessen-Kassel's well-informed resident in Regensburg prove that although the printed news of the Turkish War and the suppression of the Thököly uprising partly "obscured" the more politically sensitive confessional issues in the 1680s, the changes in the internal political balance of power in the Kingdom of Hungary and the shrinking opportunities for urban Lutheran communities were clearly evident in less public background discussions and in diplomatic reports in manuscript form.
Copyright (c) 2025 G. Etényi Nóra (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Concept of σοΦία in Aristotle’s Two Works and in the Septuagint
In Aristotle's two works, σοΦία is a complex and fascinating form of knowledge. evpisth,mh, the scientific knowledge or expertise, is clearly distinguishable from other forms of knowledge, such as fro,nhsij, practical wisdom or judgment; su,nesij, understanding that leads to problem solving through perception; dia,noia, rational thinking; te,cnh, manual skill or technical proficiency; and nou/j, intellect, mind, or intelligence. σοΦία is useful and applicable, and unfolds in practice as a combination of nou/j and evpisth,mh, enabling the wise person (sofo,j) to be persuasive with evidence (avpo,deixij). However, in Aristotle, sofi,a is not necessarily of divine origin, whereas in the Septuagint, the sofi,a that truly makes the wise person wise is clearly linked to the Lord.
Copyright (c) 2025 Enghy Sándor (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Lord of Heaven in the Book of Daniel
The study examines the term “Lord of Heaven” in the Book of Daniel, with a particular focus on its religious-historical context. This designation should not be interpreted in isolation but rather within the broader system of divine titulature in the ancient Near East. The research highlights the universalizing tendencies of Second Temple Judaism, which are also reflected in the usage of the “Lord of Heaven” epithet. Furthermore, the study explores the intertextual connections of this title with the religious traditions of the Babylonian, Persian, and Hellenistic worlds, emphasizing their structural parallels. The final conclusion asserts that the designation “Lord of Heaven” in the Book of Daniel expresses the cosmic dimension of Jewish theological thought, serving as an example of the gradual universalization of religious language in antiquity.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gér András László (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Social Criticism in the Books of Amos and Malachi
Zech 7:7-10 summarises the word proclaimed by the prophets in the context of social criticism. However, this approach does not lead to a unified view of the Twelve Minor Prophets. While the theme is present in all three major sections of the book of Amos, it seems to be mentioned only incidentally in the book of Malachi. Yet changes in the social context could have been conducive to the development of such a critical voice. In addition to the detail of the prophetic motivation, we should also note the difference in the oppressed. While Mal 3:5b basically evokes the group of personae miserae, the book of Amos is more concerned with the hardships of those social strata whose economic survival is threatened. There is, however, an important similarity in the parallelism of the terms used to describe the abuses. And although both books emphasise the role of the violated מִשְׁפָּט, there is a huge difference in naming who is to blame for the violation. While the picture of the disorder in Samaria is one of human responsibility, Mal 2:17 questions God's authority. Finally, the incorporation of socio-ethical abuses into the prophetic argument is a fundamental and essential element of the thought structure of both books. The logical structure thus created is designed to unfold the message of divine judgement.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bihari Sándor (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0