Fraternity-Testvériség, 1960 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1960-02-01 / 2. szám
10 FRATERNITY as Professor Imre Révész puts it, there occurred what may rightly be called the first awakening in the Reformed Church. Several of the best ministers had been visiting Holland and England. Some of them had met together in London in 1638, and on that occasion had sworn to go back to Hungary and seek to arouse their own Church to increase its faith and cleanse its life after the model of English Puritanism. But when the leader of the group, John Dali Tolnai, arrived back in Hungary, he found that rumours of his plans had preceded him, and that “he had given up his Calvinism, had become a heretic, and was coming back to turn Hungary upside down.” But George Rakoczy I took him under his wing and appointed him principal of the Sárospatak theological college. There he had the opportunity through preaching, teaching, the conduct of Bible classes and prayer meetings, along with the introduction of the singing of the Psalms with a certain degree of rhythm, to further his Puritan ideas. But he aroused violent opposition from the church leaders of the day, so that eventually he was removed from his post. He received it back later only through royal intervention. The results of his efforts, however, were that a vital religious life began to appear in the homes of the people, and we have records of real conversions amongst the ministers. Another result was that some of the latter set off on evangelistic tours to arouse the more remote areas from their apathy. (To be continued)
