Fraternity-Testvériség, 1959 (37. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1959-12-01 / 12. szám
I 18 FRATERNITY simple reason that most of them were no longer Protestants themselves. So in 1617 the minister of the town of Papa took it upon himself to constitute a Kirk Session, and thereby was the first to do so. His session consisted of twelve men. Unfortunately, we have no particulars as to how they were chosen, but in all probability they were not elected by the congregation but by the Town Council and Guard, and almost certainly from the “upper classes”. It would have been inconceivable at that time for peasants, who were virtually serfs, to have attained to such high ecclesiastical office. Along with these twelve sat four city officials, so that some veneer of legality was given to the whole proceeding. This very “un-reformed” Kirk Session set itself to control the life of the parish, to administer the marriage regulations, to order the weekly services, to oversee the administration of the Sacraments and the conduct of funerals. The members of the Session were free of any fee to the minister for services rendered. In the event of the death of an “elder” he was due “two sermons, the services of a student choir, and his brother elders were to carry his coffin.” In the event of sickness the “elders” were to visit each other. Their other duties were the oversight of the minister, the teacher, the school and the pupils therein. But they were to remember that they had a reputation to keep up, and so were to report to the minister any misbehaviour they noticed in their fellow-elders. In the same way they had oversight of all church members, and had to watch that they lived decorous and circumspect lives. A minister or teacher could be called or dismissed only with the consent of these elders. (To be continued)
