Egyháztörténeti Szemle 18. (2017)
2017 / 2. szám - SUMMARIES IN ENGLISH - Ruzsa-Nagy Zoltán: The Practice of Church Discipline in the Reformed Church of Kecskemét in the 18th Century
Summaries m English 115 The Practice of Church Discipline in the Reformed Church of Kecskemét in the i8lh Century Ruzsa-Nagy, Zoltán The scope of the study is to present the practice of church discipline effectuated by the local consistory of the Reformed Congregation in Kecskemét (central Hungary). As a result of the 1564 agreement between the Roman Catholic and the Protestant citizens, in the borough of Kecskemét the two denominations lived together in peace throughout the centuries. Within the Reformed congregation the local consistory was formed in the 17th century, however we have very little knowledge of that period. There are two written sources of the church life remained from 18th century. One was preserved in the Matricula of the Refomred Church written by the pastor Veresmarti Lázi Péter. It contains church disciplinary issues from the 1710’s apart from a Historical overview and a poem. The church discipline that time was practised by the local consistory. The recorded disciplinary issues in early 18th were those to be punished with the most severe ecclesiastical condemnation, the public penitence. The condemned person had to stand on a designated ‘shame stone’ for one week (or in more severe cases for two weeks) being exposed to the public’s contempt. Most cases were related to martial infidelity. There was no difference between men and women in terms of infliction. Church discipline always came second after the trial and punishment put in effect by the secular authorities. In 1755 the local consistory was reorganized and disciplinary statutes were revised. The level of church discipline was much more widespread than before. In 4 cases the consistory decided to excommunicate the person, which included the denial of funeral service, too. The main sentence was public penitence (almost half of all disciplinary cases), which likewise was exercised by standing on the shame stone, however for shorter periods than half a century before. Sins thus condemned were primarily breaking of marriage and pre-marriage sexual relationship, but also on some occasions theft and cursing the church and presbyters. The local consistory practised oral correction in 27 per cent of all disciplinary issues. This was put in effect by inviting the sinner to the meeting of the Consistory. The main sins to be corrected were drunkenness, not attending to Sunday services, cursing, and superstition. As a novelty to the early 18th century the consistory in Kecskemét practised peacemaking also as part of disciplinary issues on 18 occasions. The goal was either to restore marriages or to reconcile conflicts between two church members. The church disciplinary issues have disappeared form the agenda after 1784.
