Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)
FLOURISHING AND SCATTERING THE REFORMED COLLEGE IN THE 17TH CENTURY - Comenius in Sárospatak between 1650 and 1654
38 THE REFORMED CHURCH COLLEGE IN THE 17TH CENTURY in 1649. Having learned his lesson, Tolnai now functioned as a calm and balanced leader until 1656. He taught theology, ethics, dogmatics and practical theology using the textbooks of Amesius. (De coscientia et de jure vel casibus; Medulla theologiae; Ars condonandi). The prominent members of the contemporary elite, such as Sámuel Köleséri, concurred that, in terms of theology, Tolnai had developed Patak to the point where it had become the most famous school in Hungary. As the late prince’s widow and son were both committed Puritans, this school of thought rose to dominance but it did not displace Protestant Orthodoxy, becoming, instead, imbedded within it. Tolnai, notwithstanding, was among those who initiated inviting Comenius to Sárospatak. COMENIUS IN SÁROSPATAK BETWEEN 1650 AND 1654 Comenius Jan Amos Komensky (Komna?, Nivnice?, Uhersky Brod?, Moravia, 28 March 1592 - Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 15 November 1670) Moravian theologian, philosopher, teacher, “the teacher of nations”. He spent his youth in the village of Komna. His name is a derivative of the Latin form of the name of his village, a common practice of humanists of the time. Milada Blekastad discovered in one of Comenius’ works that the surname of his ancestors was Szeges. As a consequence, further research revealed that his father was Márton Szeges, a miller, one of the descendants of the many Hungarians who settled in the Moravian meadows (borderlands). His comments and remarks pertaining to the Hungarian language can be gleaned from the textbooks which he wrote while in Sárospatak. He was very familiar with our language and wrote much about its characteristics. In his very first and introductory address in Patak, it was not simply a humanist turn of phrase when he said: “Ó, mi Hungari, dilecti mei Hungari, Hunni; dilecta Hungara gens!” (Oh, my Hungarians, my dear Hungarians, my dear Huns, dear Hungarian nation!) Nonetheless, in some of his works he did not shrink from issuing hard, condemnatory criticism of the conditions in contemporary Hungary. It is acknowledged that the founder of modern pedagogy was fiercely conscious of his Moravian background but, at the same time, did not deny his Hungarian origins. After his studies in the Czech Republic he attended university in Germany (Herborn and Heidelberg). He was a teacher first, then a pastor, but one who also taught his congregation apiculture. After the battle of Fehérhegy (White Mountain) in 1620, he was stripped of his office as pastor. The emperor’s Spanish mercenaries completely destroyed his village. Together with other believers, he fled to Lissa (within Germany then, at present it is Leszno, Poland). He wrote his first didactic works here while seeking to find international support for the Czech Brethren. In 1647 he was elected bishop. Prince György Rákóczi I. invited him to Gyulafehérvár but Comenius declined the offer. After lengthy preparations he finally came to Sárospatak in response to the invitation extended to him by Zsuzsanna Lorántffy and Zsigmond Rákóczi. Lorántffy provided him with an annual six hundred forints in cash as well as accommadation and full board. This amount was twice the salary of the head teacher’s wages in the Sárospatak school.
