Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)
THE SCHOOL IN ITS “OLD NEST” AGAIN HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE BETWEEN1703 AND 1777 - Fight for survival, 1710 -1714
Simándi signed the regulations of the College-in-exile in Gönc on 10 January 1695. He became the senior in Kassa in 1701, then a rector in Miskolc in 1702. From Miskolc, he went to the Netherlands for his university studies; he came home in 1707 but returned to the Netherlands a year later, most likely to acquire equipment and materials he deemed necessary for his work as a teacher. He thus returned to Patak with an air pump from Leiden, a machine which served to determine time accurately (horodictum meridionale), and a ‘laterna magica’. The latter is listed later in the school’s inventory as “magic camera”, which - together with eighteen pictures painted on glass - was used by Simándi to illustrate his lectures. It is almost certain that he was the first person in Hungary to teach physics by demonstrating experiments in order to prove theories. In Gáspár Beniczky’s diary, it is noted that Simándi gave a demonstration of the different instruments to Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II, also. On 29 July 1709, “Simándi was walking towards the Reformed Church College together with the Prince and they observed one of his experiments and discussed it”. On the next day “he [the Prince] invited the Reformed-faith professor, together with his instruments, to the castle where they were in discussion about them until sunset”. Physics was not the only subject matter which Simándi taught in a “modern” way but also natural and public law, which, according to János Szombathi, he taught according to the tenets of Samuel Pufendorf. Pufendorf was a German Lutheran theologian and jurist who was one of the founders of the modern and rational approach to natural law, the influence of his views holding sway in Patak for a long time. It is known that these ideas strongly influenced and prevailed in Joseph II’s religious policy. Given that young Simándi was the only teacher with university training, he was the one who taught at the academic levels, also. János Csécsi Jr. recorded that Simándi had been his Greek and Hebrew teacher. Simándi’s brilliant teaching career was permanently interrupted by the plague on 2 May 1710. His will was dated on 27 April, whereby he left his books and material assets to the College. “All my books and all my instruments which pertain to Philosophy I leave for the Noble Reformed Church College. The small amount I have should be spent for the food and drink of the post-funeral meal; should any amount remain, let the beautiful youth spend it. Cover me in my robe and put my new shoes on my feet.” 59 The air pump purchased by Simándi in Leiden THE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL, 1710-1714 The Emperor Joseph I issued new decrees on 12 December 1709 which basically annulled the the standing legal order in force during the War of Independence spearheaded by Ferenc Rákóczi II. Included were clauses which called for the confiscation of all church money and property which had “unlawfully” come into the possession of the Calvinists. One year later, the decree was reissued with the clarification that the only property which was considered “rightful property”, was that which had belonged to the denomination in 1681, this being the year the national assembly in Sopron legislated all religious matters. The emperor’s troops marched into Sárospatak in November of 1710. They were closely followed by the Jesuits who demanded - in their interpretation of the new decrees - the “return” of the College buildings. Since the peace negotiations between the Imperial and Kuruc sides were in progress, the county
