Magyar News, 2000. szeptember-2001. augusztus (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2001-01-01 / 5. szám

Left: The image of King Stephen on the Coronation Robe that was made during his life by Gizella, the Queen. This was embroidered with gold treads, and was used as a garment during the mass.

Right: The image of King Stephen as found in the illustrated chronicle of Mark Kálti. This miniture was painted centuries after King Stephen died.

The day of Christmas is very important to the people of Christian faith. Two thousand years ago Christ was born on this day. For the Hungarian people it has an other special meaning. One thousand years ago on this day Stephen of the Árpád dynasty was crowned to be the first King of the new Hungarian State.

Stephen wanted to start the new state with the beginning of the second thousand years. There seems to be some descrepency about this date. The beginning of the thousand year would be 1001 because 1000 is the end of the previous thousand years. If one is counting, one starts with the number one and goes to number 10. Or in this case to 1000.

Stephen, who we refer to Saint Stephen, probably did exactly that. Today we could tell the constellation of the stars at that time, even earlier, but with the calendar we are not quite sure. Before 354 changes were made, and in 1528 the Gregory Calendar rearranged some of the numbers. By the way there is one more problem that might be taken into consideration, and that is that March was also considered the beginning - being spring.

These numbers are interesting but the importance was that the Hungarians became a state and they had a leader with the upmost ability to create a state and rule it to the best of the nation. (editor)

During King Stephen’s lengthy 42- year long reign there was a long interval of peace which was helpful for the king to supervise the conversion of the Magyars. Those who fought his efforts he put down one by one with firmness. He consolidated the nation' s internal affairs. He secured one church for every ten villages. He created ten Episcopal Sees and in Esztergom a Primal See. He organized the whole land Page 2

into small, governable counties, which still survive to this day. He left no stone unturned to create and maintain a strong and unified country. He kept Hungary an open and a friendly country to its neighbors. When attacked, he was ready to defend his people with resourcefulness without hesitation. He shared or delegated his authority with competent men. He brought effective measures against any attempt of disorder. He legislated a successful system of laws that created order and security for everyone. In short, King Stephen founded a respectable state, converted his people to Christ, while he himself lead an exemplary life. His wife,

blessed Giselle, was the sister of Emperor St. Henry II. By the time he requested the crown from Pope Sylvester II, the Holy Father was eager and happy to send it with his blessings along with the apostolic double cross as a sign of his recognition for Stephen's apostleship. Under Stephen's watchful eyes a Christian nation was bom to become an example to the world.

King Stephen had his famous admonitions written down. Unfortunately these originals did not survive the times. There is a manuscript written two centuries later that is a copy.

When he had written his Ten Admonitions to his son, Emery, he already had a long history to back up the written words. Those words reflected the inner heart and the actions of the wise and holy king of the Magyars. The genius of King Stephen is found in his three top values. The first indispensable and the highest priority of a nation is its commitment to religion. A nation receives its vitality and resource for creativity, therefore, the guarantee of survival from its faith-experience. The second most important priority, the logical concomitant of religion, is faithfulness to the Church, whose vocation is to keep religion pure and uncontaminated. The monarch of the Magyars demanded and insisted on absolute reliance and faithfulness to the Church. His third category of his prerequisites is the high priests of the Church, the bishops. It is from among them that the best advisors were sought and found, and are to besought. Loyalty to the nation's elders, wisemen and noble leaders follows these first three imperatives. The latter were to be "your brothers, whom you must honor and respect."

How important did the Magyars consider the Ten Admonitions of King Stephen can be readily seen from the fact

This is a XII century copy of King Stephen ’s Admonition. The original hasn’t been found