The remembrance of István Szegedi Kis (1505–1572) on the 450th anniversary of his death

Abstract

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.