Fodor György - Török József - Tusor Péter (szerk.): Felekezetek az Igazság szolgálatában: történelem, teológia, önazonosság (1500-2000) - Studia Theologica Budapestinensia 34. (2009)

I. Catholic-Orthodox symbiosis in Transylvania (Katolikus-ortodox együttélés Erdélyben) - Ioan Chirila: Tolerance and intolerance in t he Transylvanian legislative corpora (the 16th-19th centuries)

Short time after the imprisonment of Ilie Iorest, the synod of the archpriests, gathered in Alba-Iulia at the end of February or at the beginning of March 1643, has appointed Simion §tefan as Metropolitan. The prince Gheorghe Rákózy I issued a decree of acknowledgment only on the 1O*1' of October 1643, in which there were 15 humiliating points to be fulfilled by the new Metropolitan. Among these, we may mention: it is compulsory that the sermon should be held in Romanian, but according only to the Holy Scripture; in this way, the Holy Tradition was put aside; the youth should be instructed according to the Calvinist Catechism; instead of the Holy Communion, unconsecrated bread and win will be used; the ritual of Baptism and of the Funeral should be removed, and instead these, the prayers and the songs used by the Calvinists will be introduced; the cult of icons and of the Holy Cross should be removed also; the priests and the believers who, under “the inspiration of the Holy Ghost”, would like to join Calvinism, should not be hindered to do so; the Metropolitan should consult the “orthodox Hungarian bishop” (that is, the superintendent) upon any difficult thing regarding religion; the Metropolitan should obtain the approval of the superintendent for appointing, maintaining or removing the archpriests; the superintendent should give his verdict in case of appeal against the sentences given by the Metropolitan or by the archpriests; the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan covered the following counties: Alba, Crasna, Solnocul de Mijloc, Dobâca, Cluj, Turda, Cetatea de Balta, as well as the following districts: Chioar, Bârsa and Bistrita and the residences of Szecklers and Saxons of Transylvania. The jurisdiction of the superintendent covered the areas which, according to the opinion of Rákózy, have been converted to Calvinism: Alämor, Orä§tie, Hateg, Hunedoara, Ilia, Cri§ and 3 rural districts in Tara Hategului. In these areas, the orthodox Metropolitan “will have no authority, except the one allowed by the Hungarian orthodox bishop”.22

The Metropolitan Sava Brancovici, who succeeded Simion Stefan to the Metropolitan See, enjoyed a greater freedom from the part of the Hungarian authorities. In the diploma of acknowledgment, given by the prince Gheorghe Rákózy II on the 28th of December

22 Ibidem, p. 59-60.

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