Itt-Ott, 1992 (25. évfolyam, 1/119-3/121. szám)
1992 / 2. (120.) szám
iráyítja, ahhoz egy kiadós interjút már el is készítettek, mert kitűnt, hogy az volt az első perceptios per, mely 1946-ban indult el és 1947-ben nyert befejezést. Megkaptam az igen sokrétű ITT-OTT számát, amelyért külön köszönetem is küldöm neked... Kedves Lajos, amennyiben tudnál itten valakit ajánlani ama fordítást illetőleg, kérnélek közölnéd, hogy a hazaiakat elérjem azzal. Addig is további jó munkát s szolgálatot elkíváva maradok jó híved — (Unghváry) Sándor Buena Vsita CO. Kedves Sándor Bátyám! Mindannyiunk nevében hadd gratuláljak a de honoris causa doctoratushoz! Sajnos fordítót nem tudok itt ajánlani. Mivel azonban arról van szó, hogy angol szöveget akarnak magyarba átültetni, nem értem, miért nem keresnek erre Tenke Nt. uramék magyarországi szakembert, akinek a magyar teolgógiai szaknyelvérzéke egészséges? Hisz ott sokkal hamarabb találnának, mint itten, miközöttünk! — Ölel - L. Rev. Peter Raible, University Unitarian Church Seattle: Dear Rev. Raible: Rev. Alexander Unghváry, living in retirement in Colorado, sent me a copy of the text of your Febr. 16 sermon, “Before Dracula: Unitarians in Transylvania.” He in turn had received it from a Rev. Szigethy, who lives in retirement somewhere near Seattle... As you can see, the MS is making its rounds among Hungarian American clergy (Reformed). I should like to have your permission to make it available to a broader readership, the subscribers of ITTOTT [Here—There], a Hungarian quarterly that I edit for MBK (Magyar Baráti Közösség — Hungarian Communion of Friends), which has had Unitarian connections (among other things, as co-sponsor of the Toledo, Ohio conference on Unitarianism in Transylvania in 1990 — perhaps you read about it at the time). If you agree, I shall publish your sermon in our summer issue... Please let me express our thanks for your support of your sister church in Transylvania, and for Hillary Howarth’s visit. News of that relationship would also be of interest to our community. — Sincerely, Louis J. Elteto Dear Brother Elteto: Any effort of mine that might even be slightly of use in the cause will be a delight to me. It was good to have your unexpected letter. I trust you are in contact with Dr. Judit Gellérd in Chico, CA, who spearheads our efforts on behalf of Unitarians in Transylvania. — Yours sincerely — Peter Raible Before Dracula: Unitarians in Transylvania A sermon given by the Rev. Peter Raible, S.T.D., Parish Minister, University Unitarian Church, Seattle, WA on Febr. 16,1992 When I do talks on Unitarian history, I come to the place where I say that the oldest Unitarian movement in the world is in Transylvania. Invariably, a titter runs through my listeners, most of whom have only the slightest idea where Transylvania is and certainly could not locate it on a map. Yet they have heard of Transylvania, due solely to Bram Stoker, author of a book which appeared first in 1897, and entitled Dracula. In the very first chapter we are told of the protagonist’s journey to Transylvania to seek out Count Dracula. The book was an immediate best seller and has continued in popularity — the horror tale has not been out of print in its nearly 100 years of existence. The epic was a natural for the films and so the first Dracula movie appeared in 1922 and since then close to 50 films have appeared with the Dracula theme. Until recent years, Stoker’s Dracula was virtually unknown in Transylvania itself, but the deluge of tourists who came seeking Dracula’s lore eventually made Dracula promotion too monetarily appealing, and the Romanian government began to highlight Dracula tours relating to the man and myth. The original Dracula was a powerful noble of the 15th century, known as Vlad Tepes, or Dracul, and sometimes called The Impaler, because of his propensity to deal with anyone subject to his disfavor by ingenious and horrible, torturous methods of impaling — such blood-letting evidently being close enough in methodology to inspire the vampire portrayal of Count Dracula. Yet long before Bram Stoker made Transylvania famous, that country was for a century and a half, roughly between the years 1550 and 1700, an independent nation in its own right. Transylvania was thereafter ruled as part of Hungary for over 200 years, and then in this century has been, except for a brief period, a part of Romania ever since World War I. The majority of its people today are Romanian, but there has also been a strong Saxon minority, many of whom in recent years have migrated back to Germany, even though they had been rooted in Transylvania for centuries. The largest minority, however, is Hungarian, and of this Hungarian population about 5% is Unitarian, who have their own religious identity and recognition by the state going back over 400 years, to almost the dawn of the Reformation. Transylvania in the early 1500’s was Roman Catholic. As early as 1520, the writings of Martin Luther were circulated and missionaries came to Transylvania to spread Luther’s views among the German population. In the city of Kolozsvár, now known by its Romanian name, Cluj, was born in 1510 Francis David. His father was evidently German, his mother Hungarian. The youth was a promising student and eventually was sent to Germany for a university education. He returned to become rector of a Catholic school, but soon crossed the line to become rector of a Lutheran school and a pastor in that church. Soon he rose to become a leading advocate of that cause, a noted preacher and debater, and the superintendent, 36 m-OTT 25. évf. (1992), 2. (120.) tzám
