Dénesi Tamás (szerk.): Collectanea Sancti Martini - A Pannonhalmi Főapátság Gyűjteményeinek Értesítője 9. (Pannonhalma, 2021)
I. Közlemények
Egy sokrétű életmű nyomában 113 Fülöp Kisnémet OSB Retracing a Multifold Lifework An Outline of Ecumenism in the Theology of Gellért Békés OSB In the foreword of his systematic work of a few years ago, Kevin W. Irvin, one of the most noted professors of sacramental theology in the United States, paid a grateful tribute to his masters – among others also the Benedictine monk Gellért Békés (19151999) – who shaped his formative years at university and, thus, his later ideas. P. Békés spent most of his life in Rome, at the Pontifical University of Saint Anselm, first as a student, then, from 1946 to 1994, as a teacher of Dogmatics, Ecumenical Theology, and Liturgy. After 1945, he played an important role in the history of the Hungarian Benedictine Congregation as procurator general and major superior of the Hungarian Benedictine monks living abroad. Ádám Somorjai OSB has pursued extensive research on his activities in connection with these assignments; however, many other aspects of his lifework are waiting to be studied in details, such as the translation of the New Testament, his literary pursuits, his activity as general editor and publisher, and his role in the Hungarian Pax Roma Movement. In my presentation, I examine the academic work of P. Békés in his last years in his home monastery, Pannonhalma, with a special focus on the role of the ecumenical idea in his theological oeuvre. A number of his writings have been published in Hungarian, but these publications do not cover all of his relevant theological work. His textbooks of bilateral and multilateral ecumenical dialogue from the 1980s count as the most influential publications of P. Békés – the latter ones have been referred to in the reflections of the recent past. My research aims at outlining the framework of the ecumenical theology of Gellért Békés, including also his unpublished lecture drafts, notes and letters from the Library of the Archabbey of Pannonhalma. The center of P. Békés’ theological approach is, undoubtedly, the analysis of the Lima Document from 1982; however, his research also extended to the role of cult and to the relationship between the dimensions of the word and the sacraments. P. Gellért Békés died more than 20 years ago, but his work remains a significant component of the Hungarian theological heritage. A systematic overview of his concepts can serve as a prime base to future research.
