A Few New Details for the Portrait of the “Rivals” János Apáczai Csere and Isaac Basire

Abstract

For over fifteen years, I have been researching the relationship—and the ultimately tragic conflict—between János Apáczai Csere, born four hundred years ago, and Isaac Basire, an Anglican theologian of Huguenot descent, who both taught in Gyulafehérvár. My work is grounded in deep appreciation for Apáczai's legacy, enriched by research trips to the Netherlands, including Utrecht and Franeker. Nevertheless, I aim to investigate this sad story sine ira et studio, without bias or passion. In doing so, I take particular care to avoid the almost obligatory Hungarian bias against Basire—an attitude that notable figures like Miklós Bethlen and Apáczai's biographer, Imre Bán, had managed to transcend, but which has influenced most literary portrayals of the conflict, such as those by Magda Szabó and László Németh.
While I continue to rely on the Darnell edition of Basire’s letters as a primary source, new insights have emerged thanks to Davis F. Jones’s now-accessible online thesis and several studies in the history of medicine. These sources reveal that Basire was a committed educator who, during the English Civil War, selflessly helped five Anglican royalist students escape to safety. He was also a conscientious advocate for health, and at times even acted as a healer. From an analysis of a 17th-century medical text on tuberculosis, I have come to understand that the illness which prematurely claimed Apáczai’s life might have been mitigated by a more moderate lifestyle and a more deliberate avoidance of conflict. Finally, I explore the unfortunate reality that these two colleagues failed to seize the opportunity for dialogue—despite, as Lajos Kropf noted, both being fluent in French, which might have facilitated mutual understanding. As might have Basire’s knowledge of healing and healthy living.