Founders of the Church History Review: Judit Balogh, Dénes Dienes, and Csaba Fazekas Responsible publisher: Prof. dr. habil. Dienes Dénes Editor in charge: Prof. dr. habil. Judit Balogh Published by Sárospataki Református Kollégium Tudományos Gyűjteményei (Scientific Collections of the Reformed College of Sárospatak) (2000-30 June 2025) Tiszáninneni Református Egyházkerület Tudományos Gyűjteményei (Scientific Collections of the Reformed Church District of Tiszáninneni) (from 1 July 2025) Headquarters: 3950 - Sárospatak, Rákóczi u. 1; tel.: +36-47-314-738; tel/fax: +36-47-311-057 E-mail: reftud@iif.hu E-mail: mail@egyhaztortenetiszemle.hu Technical editing and production by James D. Doepp; István Tímári, Csaba Fazekas, from 2020/3: István Varga - vargaijanos@gmail.com Website: Varga Webkiadó Lector: Kapusi Angéla kapusi.angela@gmail.com English translation: Bakonyi-Tánczos Vera https://www.fordit.hu/fordito/Bakonyi-Tanczos-Vera/ ISSN 1585-7476 (print) ISSN 1587-026X (online) ISSN-L 1585-7476 (Linking ISSN) Printed by Maxima Cs-A Kft. Printing plant, Miskolc. Responsible manager: Csilla Kundráth Title page by James D. Doepp. Motto: "That Christ may bring his church into holy and everlasting agreement." (Philip Melanchton) First volume: 2000. Publication: 2 issues per year (2000-2007), 4 issues per year (from 2008), 400 copies per issue; and on the Internet: https://egyhaztortenetiszemle.hu The Church History Review can be ordered from the editorial office. Publication scope: Church history, history of religion, history of ecclesiastical institutions and persons, history of religiosity, Hungarian and universal history of church-state relations in different periods. The Church History Review does not accept duplicate publications. Publications: studies, bulletins, documents, from the pulpit, calendars, reviews, reports, discussion. Reviews: Publications within the scope of publication are welcome at the address of the editorial office. Church History Review Journal CrossRef DOI registration number 10.54231 used from issue 2021/4. As of issue 2021/4 all articles have been uploaded to REAL - Repository of the Library of the Academy of Sciences. From 2023.06.07 ErihPlus will index the Church History Review. Sherpa Romeo and DOAJ will archive all publications of the Church History Review from issue 2021/4. From issue 2024/4, issue 4 per year will be in English.
Tiszáninneni Református Egyházkerület Tudományos Gyűjteményei
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Theology and enlightenment: laudations of Sámuel Decsy, Sámuel Benedek and Zsigmond Szabó in a theological dissertation from Frankfurt an der Oder
Section: Studies Keywords: Enlightenment, theology, cultural transfer, Eastern Europe, Frankfurt an der Oder This essay aims to share Sámuel Decsy’s (1742–1816), Sámuel Benedek’s and Zsigmond Szabó’s Latin poems. Being uncharted by research until now, these pieces of poetry were first published in the appendix of the 1771 inaugural dissertation (Dissertatio Inauguralis Theologico Historica De Cura Dei Singulari Circa Genus Messiae) of the theologians Johann Isaac Ludwig Causse (1728–1802) and Hermann Nonnen (1738–1781). Exploring the multiple implications of the dissertation, the essay is divided into three parts. Building on the findings of my research, the first part presents the wider intellectual context, with special regard to the interplays between theological education and Enlightenment in Frankfurt an der Oder. The second part pays particular attention to the careers of Johann Isaac Ludwig Causse and Hermann Nonnen, as well as the main characteristics of the dissertation published under their name. Finally, the third part seeks to expound the connection between the dissertation and the writers of the poems. In the appendix, the original Latin transcription of the poems is published. In my paper, it will be argued that in the eighteenth-century Frankfurt an der Oder, Theological Enlightenment played an indisputable role in the transmission of secular knowledge. In this way, the examination of theological education and knowledge production is taken into account as an inescapable aspect in the apprehension of cultural transfer processes of Eastern Europe.
Copyright (c) 2022 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Fasting and breaking fast in the Hungarian reform era
Section: Studies Keywords: fasting, breaking fast, the Hungarian Reform Era, ecclesiastical rules In the first half of the 19th century, almost half of the days of the year, about 150 days, were subject to some kind of qualitative and quantitative dietary restriction, i.e. a day of strict fasting or mild abstinence, in accordance with the orders of the Catholic Church. However, by this time, because of the spread of Enlightenment ideas and also for other practical reasons, believers were increasingly neglecting the fasting regulations. The clergy fought this negative trend mostly via the Catholic press of the time, emphasizing the beneficial effects of fasting, but this proved to be insufficient. Therefore, in 1848, a very different solution had already been proposed: during the preparatory work for the planned national synod, many suggested that the number of fasting days should be reduced, hoping that this would ease the burden on the devotees and reduce the number of fasting days broken. However, ultimately this was not discussed in more detail and its possible implementation also did not take place at the time.
Relationships of György Martonfalvi Tóth and Sámuel Köleséri, sr. in the light of the poetry collections compiled for their death
Section: Studies Keywords: György Martonfalvi Tóth, Sámuel Köleséri, Sr., poetry collection This paper focuses on the elegy collections mourning the two childhood friends, Sámuel Köleséri, Sr. and György Martonfalvi Tóth. Based on the information extracted from the elegies, I am trying to delineate the microsocial context that surrounded these two prominent figures of the 17th century intellectual scene of Debrecen (Samuel Köleséri, Sr. and György Martonfalvi Tóth). In the analysis of elegy collections, several sets of texts are available at the same time to explore the private relationships of the deceased. In addition to the Latin language elegies and their signatures, the Latin prefaces and Hungarian poetic lamentations accompanying the documents are also very informative in this respect. The voice of family members, childhood friends, schoolmates, close acquaintances, colleagues, students and patrons of the deceased calls out from the poems, providing some novel information and data on the family relations, external and internal characteristics, biographical data, circumstances and cause of death of these two men. Furthermore, the study also touches upon the poetic-rhetorical form and the peculiarities of the poems, as well as the topical expressions in the characterization of the departed, thus pointing out the conformity to or deviations from the peculiarities registered in previous literary analyses.
Maléth Ágnes: A Magyar Királyság és a Szentszék kapcsolata I. Károly korában [Ágnes Maléth: The relationship between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Holy See in the age of Charles I]
Section: Review Keywords: Charles I, royal representation, forms of papal representation, church income policy, politics of the succession, questions of faith Papal-Hungarian relations in the first half of the 14th century have not been the focus of much research so far. This has changed with the launch of a new book, published in 2020 as part of the DeLegatOnline Könyvek [DeLegatOnline Books] series. The monograph is based on Ágnes Maléth’s doctoral dissertation defended in 2017, which has since undergone a significant transformation in both its content and structure. Maléth’s book provides an in-depth analysis of Charles I’s relations with the Holy See, and a broadly thematic approach based on identifying the representatives who had a decisive role in the relations between the Avignon Curia and the Hungarian royal court, outlining the contemporary focal points of the relations between the papacy and the Kingdom of Hungary.
Frenyó Zoltán (szerk.): Konzervatív arcképek [Zoltán Frenyó (ed.): Conservative portraits]
Section: Review Keywords: Zoltán Frenyó, Christianity, conservatism, neotomism Zoltán Frenyó’s book Konzervatív arcképek [Conservative Portraits] presents the ideology of conservatism and its changes from the end of the 18th to the end of the 20th century via short biographies of 74 Hungarian and foreign thinkers and by delineating their political, philosophical and ideological profiles.
Marianna Ács: Even the stones... Women’s education in the higher elementary girls’ school and boarding school of the reformed presbytery of upper Baranya (1916–1948)
Section: Review Keywords: Reformed church, Reformed Presbytery of Upper Baranya, higher elementary girls’ school, school history, women’s education, religious education, Siklós Review of Ács Marianna’s book Még a kövek is… Nőnevelés a Felsőbaranyai Református Egyházmegye polgári leányiskolájában és internátusában (1916–1948) [Even the Stones... Women’s Education in The Higher Elementary Girls’ School and Boarding School of the Reformed Presbytery of Upper Baranya (1916–1948)].
Egyház – irodalom – tudomány. Kis János (1770–1846) [Church – literature – science. János Kis (1770–1846)]
Section: Review Keywords: János Kis (1770–1846), Lutheran Church, literature, science promotion The volume commemorates the former bishop, poet and organizer of science, János Kis. The work of the almost completely forgotten clergyman was quoted at a conference in the fall of 2020, examining the oeuvre from a number of disciplines. The purpose of the gap-filling publication, which contains an edited version of the speeches made there, is to enable John the Little to regain his worthy place in both the ecclesiastical and secular spheres by exploring this oeuvre.
Heiner Lück: Alma Leucorea. A history of the Wittenberg University from 1502 to 1817.
Section: Review Categories: Review Keywords: Heiner Lück, history of Wittenberg University A comprehensive monograph on the history of the Wittenberg University from Heiner Lück, Professor Emeritus at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
Sándor Imre’s vision of “The inner state of the hungarians” (1914) and “The spiritual obstacles to working together” (1923)
Section: Kalászatok Categories: Catches Keywords: Sándor Imre, national cooperation This publication is an abridged version of two lectures given by Sándor Imre, Hungarian educator and cultural educator. Sándor Imre’s basic idea was to educate people to establish a national consciousness in order to remedy social divisions.
Documents about the forced resignation of Imre Szabó, reformed deacon, pastor of the budapest-fasor congregation in 1951
Section: Document Keywords: Imre Szabó, pastor’s forced resignation, Reformed Christianity Imre Szabó (1891–1955) was the first deacon of the Reformed Presbytery of Budapest and pastor of the Budapest Fasor Reformed Congregation for more than twenty-eight years, serving the Gospel faithfully throughout the upheavals of the first half of the twentieth century and the tragic turns in his own life. His oeuvre left a lasting mark on the 20th century history of Hungarian Reformed Christianity, but church history writing has so far failed to thoroughly explore and evaluate his pastoral and church-organizing ministry.
The effect of a Hailstorm: The origin of the holy well of Jászberény
Section: Notice Keywords: church construction, beliefs, weather, Jászberény The aim of the study is to present the intertwining of faith and nature in the pre-Enlightenment folk spirit of Jászság in the context of the history of the church in Szentkút (meaning “Holy Well” in Hungarian). By exploring the assumed and real reasons for the emergence of the holy well in Jászberény, and comparing the economic conditions of the time and the needs of the locals, the interconnection of the profane and the sacred world is revealed.
Section: Notice Categories: Press release Keywords: Reformed college, fire, Reformed education The history of Hungarian Reformed higher education begins with 1531, the year in which the schools of Sárospatak and Pápa were taken over from their former owners, and, complemented by Debrecen in 1538, became the source of all that has been achieved in the field of education in the Reformed scene. Barely 30 years after the beginnings, the first tragic fire has already happened. In this paper, I examine the history of fires in our Reformed colleges and their wide-ranging impact from a historical and theological perspective. College fires followed each other from Debrecen (1564, 1802), Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) (1655, 1798), Nagyenyed (Aiud) (1704) and Pápa (1788) up until the fatal burning down of the Ráday College: Budapest (2019). Following the incalculable destruction and the unimaginable sacrifices, the buildings that were destroyed by fire, were rebuilt as an example of sacrifice and collaboration to become spiritual beacons of Reformed education and Hungarian culture, revived both physically and spiritually.
The First World War in the hungarian protestant press
Section: Studies Keywords: First World War, Protestant press The study examines how the Hungarian Protestant press reacted to the series of social changes caused by the First World War. The first reaction in 1914 was an overflowing patriotic enthusiasm and a general justification for the war, which, however, underwent significant changes later on. At that time, the Protestant press was an internal forum for a narrow group of pastors and intellectuals with close ties to the church, where critical and self-critical opinions could appear due to the relatively limited publicity. As the initial enthusiasm waned, especially from 1916 onwards, the authors increasingly expressed doubts about the leadership of the joint army, the pastoral care of Protestant soldiers, and the power of social solidarity, while warning their colleagues in the congregations of the importance of intensive pastoral care, community organization and showing a good example.
The remembrance of István Szegedi Kis (1505–1572) on the 450th anniversary of his death
Section: Studies Keywords: István Szegedi Kis, Helvetic Confession, Reformation at the border strongholds, Ottoman rule, Turkish captivity, Ráckeve, superintendent, religious disputes, Seraphinus Panthanus, theological literature, Máté Skarica István Szegedi Kis was the first to systematize the doctrines of the Helvetic Confession-based theology in Hungary. After his studies at the Wittenberg University, he returned to Hungary, where he first worked as a teacher and ran a school, then became a pastor in Laskó (Lug) in 1554 and in Kálmáncsa in 1558. Between 1561 and 1563, he was held captive by the Turks. In accordance with the will of the Ottomans, he spent the last decade of his life in Ráckeve, where he served as a preacher and superintendent of the Lower Danubian Church District. Initially, he embraced the Wittenberg school, but by the second half of the 1550s he was almost certainly a follower of the Helvetic Confession. His theological works written in Latin were published abroad after his death, making him a well-known figure throughout Europe. Some of his Hungarian psalm translations and poems have also survived. His biography was written in Latin by his pupil, Máté Skarica, who also drew a portrait of his master.
The struggle over the ecclesiastical provisions of the treaty of Vienna. Notes on the precursors of the first article
Section: Studies Keywords: Treaty of Vienna, regulation of religious practice The treaty that played a key role in the regulation of religious practice in Hungary, and which was signed as the result of negotiations between the rebels led by István Bocskai and the Habsburg government in 1605–1606, is still only known from the sources published by Árpád Károlyi and through his narrative. This resource was based on the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of the 19th century. The re-reading of the authentic sources, and the inclusion of some new ones in the research, has led to new findings that allow for a different possible interpretation of the events. This implies a much greater and more positive role for the Hungarian Council and Ferenc Forgách in particular in shaping events.
A földre épített vaspálya. Balogh Margit: Az Apát úr – Pehm (Mindszenty) József zalaegerszegi évei, Göcseji Múzeum, Zalaegerszeg, 2019., 608. o.
Section: Review Categories: Review Keywords: József Mindszenty, years in Zalaegerszeg, history of history, personality history We can know József Mindszenty as a priest at Zalaegerszeg by a very thorough analysis. The work is not just a biography, more than that. A contemporary history and personality story.
Copyright (c) 2021 Dudás Róbert Gyula (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Katreničová Anabela: Ján Jambor z Rožňavy O strážení piatich zmyslov (Rozsnyai Jámbor János Öt érzékünk megóvásáról), Univerzita P. J. Šafárika, Košice (Kassa), 2019, 196 o.
Section: Review Categories: Review Keywords: János Rozsnyai Jámbor, senses, sins, history of origin The work of font painter and book copier János Jámbor Rosnyai (15th century): Tractatulus de custodia quinque sensuum = Öt érzékünk megóvásáról – is not his original own work. The real author is Nikolaus von Dinkelsbühl and Thomas Ebendorfer de Haselbach. Rosnyai studied at the University of Viennawhere he became acquainted with the said work.
Copyright (c) 2021 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Kálmán Peregrin: Mindszenty, Tomek, Barankovics – Arcvonások és fordulópontok a keleti politika világában. Budapest, Szent István Társulat, 2020, 195. o.
Section: Review Categories: Review Keywords: József Mindszenty, Vince Tomek, Antal Barankovics, diary entries In his latest book, Kálmán Peregrin writes about József Mindszenty, his two contemporaries, the Piarist monk Vince Tomek and the social democratic politician Antal Barankovics - through diary notes and correspondence. The book also provides additional additions to the history of the church of the period, the situation of Hungarian emigration, and the events of Mindszenty’s departure and arrival from abroad.
Gloria – Credo – Ratio – Utilitas. Takács Gábor: „…sem gloria, sem credo…” Egyházmodernizáció és felvilágosodás. Egyházreformeri célkitűzések a felvilágosodás korában. META Könyvek. Pécs, 2021. 198. o.
Section: Review Keywords: Enlightenment, Catholic Church, different views of the clergy, contemporary documents The main merit of the volume discussed here is that it presents the Catholic intellectual thinking of the second half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century through contemporary texts, which enables a more complex, differentiated interpretation of the Enlightenment. The volume is in fact a source publication, where the edited circulars shed light upon the path taken by the Catholic Church in its relation towards the Enlightenment from sympathy to harsh criticism and open confrontation. At the same time, we also get an eclectic picture on how different positions the representatives of the clergy expressed, depending on the challenges they responded in different eras and along different principles.
Foundation of the Saint Anne Chapel in Süly (1521)
Section: Notice Categories: Press release The study provides so far unknown information to the history of the Saint Anna Chapel in Süly (a village in Pozsony county, today Sulany in Slovakia). According to previous literature, the chapel was built in the 14th century, however its foundation charter was issued only two centuries later, on 30th July 1521. King Ulászló II donated the village to his chamberer Istvan Acel from Erdöskereki, a noble man from Zaránd county, around 1504, who made here in the next decade his residence and probably at the end of 1514 became the castellan of Pozsony castle. He is also the founder of the chapel in question and its construction took place presumably during 1521.
The cholera epidemic of 1831 and its consequences in Zemplén County, especially in the district of Varannó
Section: Studies Categories: Study Keywords: cholera, epidemic, peasantry, church, uprising The cholera epidemic of 1831 had serious consequences in the Kingdom of Hungary, primarily in Zemplén County. Although the authorities did their utmost to deal with the epidemic, the large number of deaths and existing social tensions led to an uprising among the peasants. The uninformed population believed that officials, clergy, and landowners were deliberately creating a situation that would lead to the death of the people. Many of them were killed during the uprising. In many places, officials and clergy were unable to regain the trust of the population even after the uprising. The cholera epidemic and peasant uprising that raged in the summer of 1831 still raise interesting questions today, not only for social and political history, but also from the perspective of church history.
Copyright (c) 2026 Kónya Péter (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Letter from Deputy Reformed Bishop Gabriel Báthory Jr. to the Facultas Theologica of the now defunct Frisian University in Franeker (Nagykőrös, 6 December 1856)
Section: Document Categories: Documentum Keywords: Peregrinatio hungarica, Franeker University, Josephus/ József Kosdi, Gabriel/ Gábor Báthory junior, Church History, University History Josephus/ József Kosdi can be considered the last Student from Hungary who enrolled officially (1794) at Franeker University. The last one also of more than 1.200 Hungarian and Transylvanian Students, visiting Franeker since the start of the University in 1585. Unfortunately in 1811 the University had to close its gates on the authority of the French Emperor Napoleon, the Ruler of the Netherlands at that time. That this fact remained unknown in Hungary is evident from a letter, in December 1856 sent by the Hungarian Reformed Deputy Bishop Gabriel/ Gábor Báthory junior to the Professors of the Faculty of Theology (Facultas Theologica) in Franeker. In this letter Báthory is asking if there are still study opportunities at the Faculty for Students from Hungary, specifically, if there are any Stipendia still available for them.
Copyright (c) 2026 Postma Ferenc (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Obscure Early Decade and a Half of the Sárospatak Princely Press
Section: Notice Categories: Press release Keywords: Sárospatak, printing history, György I. Rákóczi, Johann Heinrich Alsted, Constantin Schaum, György Renius This study examines the earliest phase in the history of the princely press at Sárospatak. A newly identified source from the papers of Samuel Hartlib appears to confirm that, contrary to earlier assumptions, a printing press was already operating in Sárospatak for a brief period in the 1630s, where work was begun on the printing of Johann Heinrich Alsted’s Colophon de reformatione. The project, however, was interrupted, and the volume remained unfinished. According to Hartlib’s note, “Alsted did print an excellent work in divinity which suffered great interruptions, the printer in Hungary at Patak stabbing his man, for which hee was executed.”
Copyright (c) 2026 Dienes Dénes, Kovács Áron (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Section: Review Categories: Review Keywords: Catholic religious life, Piarist Order, 20th century The review examines the critical edition of Sándor Sík's Collected Plays I–III (Kairosz Publishing, 2025), edited by András Koltai and Ferenc Bozók. The three volumes not only present Sík's dramatic works with philological precision, but also place them in the context of the centuries-old tradition of drama at Piarist schools. The study pays particular attention to the plays Testvérek (Brothers) and Podolini diákok (Podolini Students), which bring issues of religion, morality, and community to the stage. The review highlights the exemplary nature of the publication's scholarly apparatus, while also pointing out the lack of illustrations, which could have added nuance to the visual dimension of the order's theater. Overall, the publication is interpreted as a fruitful encounter between the archives and the stage, which not only documents the past but also opens up new theatrical possibilities: through this edition, Sík's dramas can not only be read but also performed again.
Copyright (c) 2026 Balla János (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Studies on Society, Ethnicities, and Churches in the Bácska, Kalocsa–Sárköz, and Kiskunság Regions
Section: Review Categories: Review On the occasion of János Bárth's 80th birthday, a thematic selection of 40 studies from the past 20 years was published in a 400-page volume.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fábián Borbála (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Religious-Denominational Conflicts and Church-Policy Struggles in Veszprém County (1890–1895)
Section: Studies Categories: Study Keywords: church policy in the age of Dualism, denominational conflicts, church-policy struggles, Veszprém County, nineteenth century This study examines the developments of the church-policy struggles that unfolded in Veszprém County between 1890 and 1895—that is, the local impact of the sequence of events often referred to as the “Hungarian Kulturkampf.” The analysis focuses, first, on interdenominational relations and the conflicts between Catholics and the Protestant minority, and second, on the ways in which the dynamics of the church-policy struggles reshaped the lines of political confrontation within the scenes of the county’s public life. The sources analyzed indicate that the debates over long-postponed but finally tabled liberal reforms resonated strongly across the forums of public life in Veszprém County: both the town and the county authorities took positions on them, as did the various local newspapers of differing political orientations and the ecclesiastical actors themselves. Moreover, at the height of the confrontations in 1893–1894, the strife mobilized increasingly broad segments of society. Popular assemblies, demonstrations, collective declarations, and public statements of confidence and no-confidence issued in relation to parliamentary representatives all testify to this. After 1890, both Catholic and Protestant sources reported a rekindling of denominational hostilities, and the clergy themselves—Catholic and Reformed alike—often spoke in a markedly hostile tone about the opposing denomination, even in the public forum of the press. Sentiments and prejudices rooted in centuries-old antagonisms and mutual suspicion were thus reactivated amid the heat of church-policy conflict. The Diocese of Veszprém at this time was headed by a prelate representing a strict Catholic outlook and associated with the “ultramontane” wing of the upper clergy. He confronted the church-policy ambitions of the liberal forces with considerable vigor, although episcopal authority ultimately proved ineffective in the political struggles within Veszprém County and the city of Veszprém. On the Protestant side, however, both the ecclesiastical leadership and the pastor-authors of the Protestant newspaper published in Pápa represented the outlook of the liberal Protestants—supportive, in principle though not without reservations, of reform—thus endorsing liberal legislation. Meanwhile, among the liberal elites, the issue of church-policy reform rose above denominational perspectives as well as the longstanding party-political divisions connected to the constitutional system established in 1867. In this period, too, the forces of public life in Veszprém County did not organize along the usual constitutional fault lines: the barriers that had separated liberals on the government side from those in the constitutional opposition for decades began to crack, making it possible to identify several instances of cooperation and joint action as the “Kulturkampf” clashes played out.
Copyright (c) 2026 Rada János (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The forms of interest and investment of the parish funds and foundations of the former Reformed Diocese of Máramaros-Ugocsa (1840-1918)
Section: Studies Categories: Study Keywords: Reformed Church, Máramaros-Ugocsa Reformed Diocese, parish, fund, foundation, investment, financial institution, interest, loan, war bond In my study I try to introduce the forms of interest and investment of the parish funds and foundations of the former Reformed Diocese of Máramaros-Ugocsa between 1840 and 1918. Based on an analysos of archival sources that have not yet been disclosed and/or processed, it can be said that during the period under study there were a number of different ways of capitalizing the share capital in the historical diocese. One of the most common forms of investment was the placement of share capital in financial institutions. The banks, credit unions, etc. paid interest of 4 to 5 % per annum on the capital held as savings deposits or invested in shares. Besides, it was also very common for the capital of funds and foundations to be invested in interest. The interest rates used for credit transactions of different amounts were mostly variable and wide-ranging. Although not common, there were several instances where the foundation’s capital was invested in real estate in return for interest from the Reformed parish. While in several cases the annual returns on the foundations were paid by the founders themselves in the absence of a transfer of the ordinary assets. Additionally, during the First World War (1914-1918), another form of interest on share capital appeared, specifically the investment of the foundations' assets in war bonds. Many parishes in the diocese took advantage of what appeared to be a favourable financial opportunity and invested the capital of the funds and foundations which were under their management in bonds. However, the amounts invested in war loans were devalued after the World War.
Copyright (c) 2026 Becske Pál Zsolt (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Membership in the Confraternities of the Blessed Sacrament in the Diocese of Eger in the Eighteenth Century
Section: Studies Categories: Study Keywords: confraternities, Baroque religiosity, Catholic devotional life, Diocese of Eger, eighteenth century The large-scale organization of Baroque confraternal life in the Diocese of Eger was initiated by Bishop Ferenc Barkóczy, who established the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament—already well known throughout the Catholic world at that time—in Eger, in 1757. His work was continued with great enthusiasm by Bishop Károly Eszterházy, who embraced the initiative and introduced this type of confraternity throughout the diocese in order to promote the greatest possible and constant veneration of the Eucharist. The most important sources for studying the membership of Baroque confraternities are the membership registers, in which the personal data of individuals entering the confraternity were recorded. Unfortunately, these confraternal registers have survived only in very rare cases. During the state confiscation of the assets of confraternities in the second half of the 1780s, these registers were, in principle, to be surrendered to the state treasury, after which they—together with other religious items—faced destruction or, in a better case, sale or disposal. Most of those that remain survived the past two centuries only thanks to their secondary reuse in other contexts. At present, eight membership registers of Confraternities of the Blessed Sacrament are known from the territory of the Diocese of Eger: the registers from Egerszalók, Csernely, Diósgyőr, Gyöngyössolymos, Jászárokszállás, Kunszentmárton, and the central confraternity in Eger (the Barkóczy Album), as well as the diarium of the confraternity of the Episcopal School in Eger, which includes a list of its members. These sources allow us to learn about the size and gender composition of the membership, the dynamics of the confraternity’s development, and the evolution of its catchment area—in other words, several aspects of the functioning of Baroque religious confraternities that previous research has only rarely examined.
Copyright (c) 2026 Tengely Adrienn (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Reformed congregations in the throes of the First World War
Section: Review Categories: Review
Copyright (c) 2025 Rada János (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Medgyesy S. Norbert: A gyógyulás helye. Szent Vitus hazai tisztelete, Velem-Szentvid története, áhítatformái és a perenyeiek fogadalmi zarándoklata [The Place of Healing. The Veneration of Saint Vitus in Hungary, the History and Devotional Practices of Velem-Szentvid, and the Votive Pilgrimage of the People of Perenye].
Copyright (c) 2025 Gulyás Kristóf (Szerző) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0