Reformátusok Lapja, 1969 (69. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1969-05-01 / 5. szám

REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA

11

History of the Theological Seminary of Budapest

Of the centuries-old theological seminaries of Hungary, the one in the capital city is by far the youngest. Hardly over a century, this institution, however, exercised an immense influence upon the Hungarian reformed church life through those 2071 students who have entered its gates and had become leaders of one of the largest Protestant denominations in the world which remained undivided since Reformation times. Presently this is the largest protestant church body in the Eastern orbit and her life and service as such merits the attention of entire Christendom.

Rudapest has, since time imemmorial, been an important location situated on the very threshold of Europe and Asia. In the Roman times it was a significant outpost of the empire. When the barbarian hordes invaded the West, it was across this fording spot on the Danube. As the last wave of the People’s Wandering from East to West, the nomadic Hungarians found it a suitable environment for lasting settlement. The West, likewise found this area important enough to imbue with Christianity and thereby secure the “soft belly” of the West from further invasions. Hungary had become a vital part of Europe, with which she shared all the cultural values of the West, and seasoned it with a specific taint of Eastern heritage. It was only natural when the Protestant Reformation swept across the continent, Hungary was one of the first to embrace it, because of the cultural identities with the “lands of the sunset”... Yet the city of Rudapest did not develop numerically up until the beginning of the last century. She has always been a mighty fort, called Buda, while her twin sister, across the river, Pest, remained stagnant population-wise. But with the advent of the pre-industrial and, later the industrial revolution she grew at a phenomenal rate and became the sole center of Hungarian life, cultural, political, economic and otherwise. Soon it became apparent that the already well-established Protestantism could no longer live without a representative institution in the Capital. Louis Kossuth, the great hungarian patriot and leader of the 1848-49 Revolt against Austria wrote in the “Pesti Hirlap” that “the most genuine Hungarian denomination cannot live without a school of higher education in the heart of the land.”

The general consensus was to establish a Protestant University which would house the lutherans and eastern orthodox, also. The movement to secure the funds for it got underway and a quarter-of-a-million Forints were collected from all sorts of people of the country. Rich noblemen, Roman Catholic prelates, serfs and the farmers of the remote villages contributed heavily for the realization of this dream, which, tragically had never come to reality especially because of the Revolutionary War of 1848. So, in 1855 it was only

a Theological Seminary which had been requested from the ruling Habsburgs and granted without further trouble. Even the accumulated funds for the University were released for the Seminary.

On October 15, 1855 a festive service for the opening of the Seminary was held at the historic Calvin- square church. Superintendent Báthory preached before a very large congregation, deans, presbyters and chief-elders and 15 already enrolled students for the first semester. Eminent scholars and well-doted ministers came forward and offered their services. Maurice Ballagi, chief-exponent of the Liberal theological school, linguist, and lexicographer; Joseph Székács, a writer, critic and orator; Paul Török, an exceptional organizer, church-leader and bishop, were the first professors who were joined soon by Louis Filó, Andrew Tatai, Albert Kovács, Károly Szász and a number of others who were either of the orthodox or the liberal persuasion of theological thinking. The liberals flatly denied (with Ballagi) the supernatural character of the divine revelation, the divinity of Christ, the historicity of his resurrection, etc. The traditional, confessional views were never more dimmed than in these years. However, the scholastic preparedness and theological information were also the trademark of this truly “great generation.” A host of church-begotten periodicals, associations, fellowships, clubs, etc., mushroomed in the wake of the intensive work and dedication of these men of unusual intellectual stature.

By the time the 90’s rolled around, a reaction to this teaching was underway. Aladár Szabó and his associates rediscovered the Bible and the living Christian fellowship. Indeed it was a wholesome phenomena in the time of dried-up and clogged-up spiritual wells! Just before W.W. I, in 1912 the present theological edifice was purchased for 350 thousand forints in the Ráday Street, in the heart of Budapest. The already accumulated library, the Ráday Library found its permanent home in this building. (Named after one of the benefactors of the church, Gedeon Ráday.) This has developed into a good reference library and a historical source for the 18th century in its “Szemere-Collection.” The building was large enough not only for the seminary students but, for others also of the Reformed church attending secular institutions. A formidable “Protestant Elite” has hailed from this cohabitation in the past decades, and contributed to the resurgence of Hungarian spirit through these church-influenced brilliant, young intellectuals.

This thoroughly European, great city, Budapest afforded the seminarians with all the paraphernalia for modern learning which are rarely obtainable anywhere else. The State University offered courses unavailable elsewhere. The Libraries were open and at