Hungarian Church Press, 1949 (1. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)

1949-10-16 / 13. szám

the noor and the suppressed, and. they feared, should they become too strong their power might be endangered. Cruel persecutions of Christians were launched and many died as martyrs for their conviction.

But all persecutions failed of success, the teachings of Christianity spread, all the more among the poor of the Empire and ' among the peoples" of the conquerred countries. One after the other Christian communities were formed, which after the end of persecutions organised into a united body stood up with great authority. In the fourth century A.D. the delegates from the whole territory of the Empire gathered and met already in synods. The emperor Constantinus was already forced to solicit the alliance of the Church. He therefore invested the Church ’with the rights of a State religion and the right of inheritance. In consequence of "the right of inheritance, the fortune of the Church increased rapidly. There were many, who were afraid that the agreement with the emperor and the increase of the fortune of the Church will push into the Background the original teachings of Christianity."

On the power of Papacy we can read the following in the book:

"Simultaneously with the empire of the Franks also another power arose> the Papacy. The authority of poples was very great, mostly even exceeding that of the rulers. N&aely the nomadic or heathen peoples as soon as they became Christians ceased to be-roally dangerous. To become a Christian also meant at that time to settle down, to start faming and to lead a more peaceful life. People who thus settled down and took to farming became better and more reliable neighbours than were 'choirnomadic ancestors and through their churches and priests became adherents of the pope. But it was not merely the wordly rulers, who needed the popes. Thö popes themselves needed military support of the rulers and to that end, the one or the other ruler had been crowned king or emperor by the pope, in order to secure their friendship, fidelity and support."

The Hungarian king St. Stephen, Founder of the aountry, is characterized in the following way:

"King Stephen AOOO-1038/ belongs to one of the greatest pioneers of Hungarian history, who with the realisation of his own ends Brought also the crisis of the whole people to a solution.

Three biographies, so called legends in Lritin were left to us of king Stephen. These legends were written by Christian monks mostly describing the king as a holy prayerful tearful old man. But St.Stephen was far more than that. A strong determined ruler, who wanted to keep pace with European development, a resolute fighter against the adherents of the old system, guiding his people to the path of progress. "

Of the long chapters, dealing with the Reformation, we should like to bring the following parts:- 9 -13. Hungarian Church Press