Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)
FLOURISHING AND SCATTERING THE REFORMED COLLEGE IN THE 17TH CENTURY - Tension and disruptions in the school - student unrest
sequences. The insurrections in Patak, however, draw attention to something beyond this, for here, the insurrection erupted also as a result of the threat to the spiritual and intellectual life of the school as posed by the accumulated degree of tension. In such situations, the recourse to insurrection provided an opportunity to shed the old strictures and usher in something new, much as the students demanded. Thus, beyond the physical reality of this unrest, it is important to identifiy the material and spiritual causes within the context of specific sociological relations. It is to be noted that, in the 17th century, student insurrection occurred elsewhere, also; insurrections in Debrecen, for instance, were as frequent as in Patak (1627,1631,1644,1650,1657). Earlier, in the section about school life, there was already mention of the tragic events of 1618 when the students seized arms to retaliate against the limitations imposed on them in the matter of selling wine. It was here that student István Kaposi lost his life. In the school register, appended to the entry stating that he had died in defending the freedom of the school, was inscribed the short notation, ‘may his memory live on.’ Already here the unity and inherent esprit de corps manifested itself, much as it does in later times, to ensure the existence and maintenance of the special privileges of the school by means of collective accountability and protection. However, from the senior’s written entry, it can be seen that the ideology of freedom was associated with the preservation of material privileges. This is important to note even if we know that this type of freedom is to be understood in the given period’s usual context, that being that of the nobles. The events of 1642 can also be interpreted as being an affray despite differing in many aspects from other similar movements. In this case it was Puritanism which triggered the events, which came to Patak with the person of János Tolnai Dáli, as it has already been mentioned in its main aspects. The students were divided in the matter, both sides drawing different conclusions about what exactly their teacher Tolnai Dáli espoused, simply because of his inconsistent pedagogical behaviour, especially in regards to extending the concept of sanctity to all aspects of life. Some students were willing to accept his beliefs while others firmly resisted, the result being the creation of a deep division within the student body. The students rose up against him and for him, all at the same time. The intensity of this atmosphere made itself felt once it devolved into an affray. The situation also evoked resentment because its very nature demanded that decisions be made, one way or the other. The second upheaval took place in 1648. The assembly of the Zemplén church county decided to introduce new regulations, as mentioned earlier. The new regulations focused on the curriculum, mandating changes in it. But these regulations also affected the managing of finances, something which was overseen by the coetus. The number of scholarship beneficiaries (alumnus) was reduced to forty and forced the students to contribute a portion of their own income towards maintaining the school building or other school related matters. The students interpreted the decision which had imposed this situation as an assault on their privileges so they protested and left the school. It is entirely possible that this upheaval could have been motivated by social problems, too. The theology students received scholarships and the children of nobles could use their parents’ money while the commoners not in the theology program -the so-called 45 A Reformed Church school student in the 17th century A Reformed Church pastor in the 17th century. The clothing of the professors of the College usually varied only minimally from that of the pastors
