Calvin Synod Herald, 1989 (89. évfolyam, 1-2. szám)

1989-09-01 / 2. szám

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD- 4 -REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA

Galamb — keresztség jelképe Descending Dove — Sacrament of Holy Baptism.

This important question has been a hotly debated one among us ever since our 1971 Annual Synod Meeting at Buffalo changed the name of the chief-executive from ‘President’ to ‘Bishop’ by only one single majority vote. Five times since we have gone through the Ceremony in the midst of the same debates.

September 17th is set for the same traditional Ceremony for our sixth bishop in Lorain, Ohio.

It is meet and proper to give a final answer to this important question on the lips of our clergy and lay leaders alike.

A firm and definite answer had been given to that ever returning question long time ago representing our historical background and pure calvinistic theology. It was done most correctly and most eloquently in 1924 at the Inauguration of Bishop Géza Antal in Pápa by Bishop Kálmán Révész of Miskolc at that historic occasion in the aftermath of the unfortunate Treaty of Trianon. The original of that sermonette is printed in the Hungarian Section of our Paper, the translation of the same is presented here:

“I came to you today at your invitation from the Northern Section to this Western one of our tragically dismembered Nation. It was more than ten years ago, when your most beloved

We have two sacraments and no more as pictures above article show.

(Ed)

The Chalice—Sacrament of Communion

now departed bishop, István Németh, was here ceremoniously installed. What tremendous changes in one decade!? On that occasion the then laypresident of our National Church, the immortal Count István Tisza, the heroic prime-minister of the Nation, was present with us. Men with similar greatness are only born to earth in course of many centuries. What Character, made out of granite! The Nation’s grand Martyr with unimitable Love for his Country! The cruel bullets of hatefull assassins killed him six years ago. He fell, and with him fell the Nation and all of us! Where are now the representatives of Bars and Komárom? Where are now our brethren from Transylvania, who then all participated in the bishop’s ordination? Oh, the Lord indeed has shaken our Land and has torn us into many fractions! Oh, the Lord has shown us heavy tribulations and made us drink wine from the cup of Dreadfulness!

But our Lord will not leave his own forever forsaken! His anger lasts only for minutes, but his lovingkindness forever and ever! Here now again his mercy gives us joyfull celebrations even in this tragic Period of the life of our Nation and our Church.

Such is this jubilant day today, when our sister Synod of Trans-Danubia installs its deeply trusted and sincerely loved new bishop with highest expectations for a blessed future into the office of bishop, which office

is so full of beauty and also hardship and toil.

It has been told by hundreds and thousands before me at solemn occasions like this one how beautiful and how hard it is to fulfill the bishop’s calling in the life of our churches. My dear fellow-bishop you well know and understand all that. Far from me to try to relate all these to you today in repetition. I only want to use a few minutes at this time just to point out the various interpretations of different denominations regarding the bishop’s office.

According to the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Churches the bishops in body — but not individually — are direct successors of the Apostles; therefore the bishop’s office is an apostolic institution with higher charisma distinctions, which are transferred by laying on of hand at the ceremony of ordination from generation to generation of succeeding bishops in office. But this interpretation is squarely contradicted by the teaching of the Apostles themselves and also by the beginning centuries of the history of the early Christian Church.

In the first century of the Christian Era the designation of bishop and presbyter ment exactly the same: the very same leader — regarding his office — was called bishop (i.e. ‘superintendent’) and at the same time — regarding his age — he was called presbyter (i.e. ‘elder’). Even the Cannonical Law of the Church declared: “olim idem erat presbyter, qui et episcopus.” In the second century the episcopus seperates from presbyter and elevates itself over the presbyters and later the name of presbyter turns into meaning sacramental priest.

The office of bishop therefore is not a divine and apostolic institution, but the result of historic developement. No bishop has the right to regard himself as direct successor of the Apostles and no bishop has the right to view himself as one higher than the others.

After Reformation the Anglican Church accepted the bishop’s designation unchanged. The Scandinavian churches strongly transformed the meaning of the office. The Reformed (Continued on Page 8)

Bishop’s Inauguration Ceremony

— Is it an Ordination, Consecration, Solemnization or What? —