The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1984 (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1984-07-01 / 7. szám
HUNGARIAN STUDENTS STUDY THE SCRIPTURES Grammar school students in Hungary are now studying the Bible as part of their literature classes. According to the department head of the Ministry of Education, a former Hungarian literature teacher, “The cultural and historical value of the Bible has never been contested. Biblical references in old schoolbooks were always explained in footnotes. Today’s students, however, are more demanding. So it has been decided that they should be able to read the actual Bible texts instead of explanatory footnotes.” In the course of secondary school curriculum reforms during the 1960s, some Bible studies were included in the syllabus and used in world literature classes. But text books dealt with the Bible under a chapter on ancient oriental literature which ranged from a description of the origins and structure of the Bible through detailed studies of various passages to an assessment of the New Testament’s influence on centuries of literature and culture. Today, the children are using the full Bible in the compulsory section of the literature curriculum. The approach, however, is determined by the imagination and ideas of the teachers, who have a free hand in the way they work out the general principles of the course. This was found preferable to using selections of Bible passages in the appendix of the textbook. Use of the full Bible also makes it easier for the students to understand themes running through the Scriptures, to point out the differences between the Old and New Testaments, and to discover the individuality of the separate books in the Bible. Study of the Bible by Hungary’s teen-age school students is opening up many new opportunities for the distribution of God’s Word throughout the entire country—opportunities which lovers of God’s Word cannot afford to ignore as they seek to share His Word with a troubled world. A new translation of the entire Bible into common language Hungarian was published in 1975 and has been regularly reprinted since then. A special committee for the revision of this new translation has been appointed and they are currently studying comments received from those using the new Bible. Most Hungarian churches with the exception of the Roman Catholic Church are using this translation both in the pulpit and at home. When the Bible Society was dissolved in Hungary in 1948, license to produce Scriptures was granted to the Reformed Church because the law required that Scriptures be produced only by a church. The press department of the Reformed Church is therefore producing Scriptures on behalf of the Hungarian Bible Council, now an Associate Member of the United Bible Societies. In order to contribute towards improving production quality, four printing presses were donated through the Hungarian Bible Council to the printing plant of the Reformed Church in 1974. Three of these were paid for July, 1984 by churches in the West and the fourth by the United Bible Societies. Churches in the German Federal Republic (West Germany) provided an additional modern offset press in 1978. The publishing activities of the Hungarian Bible Council continue to develop and increase from year to year. “MAGYAR MAGIC” — 106 cherished Hungarian recipes plus 194 favorite recipes. Published: 1978 (5th printing). Cost: $5.00 plus 75 cents for postage and handling. Address: Fellowship Circle, Grace Hungarian Reformed Church, BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM BETHLEN PRESS 1'TEXT BOOKS SERIES NO. I. and IL $1.50 plus 35 cents postage—each. 2. —OUR HUNGARIAN HERITAGE—Albert Waas $2.00 plus 35 cents postage 3. —MAGYAR ÖRÖKSÉGÜNK—Albert Waas 92.00 plus 35 cents postage 4. —LOUIS KOSSUTH ‘THE NATION’S GUEST” Bibliography of Kossuth’s visit to U.S.A.: Joseph Széplaki — $5.00 plus 75 cents postage 5. —“ACACIAS”—HUNGARIANS IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY—Leslie Könnyű $4.00 plus 75 cents postage 6. —CONDENSED GEOGRAPHY OF HUNGARY: —Leslie Könnyű Soft cover. $3.75 including postage. 8.—FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH — HÍVEN MINDHALÁLIG: Life history of Col. Michael Kovats. This book is single bound two language edition:—László L. Eszenyi $5.00 plus 75 cents postage. Page 3
