Home Classical, Ancient Near Eastern & Egyptian Studies 28. The Rise of Unitarianism in the Magyar Reformed Synod in Transylvania
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

28. The Rise of Unitarianism in the Magyar Reformed Synod in Transylvania

View more publications by Penn State University Press
To Publisher Page
The Radical Reformation, 3rd ed.
This chapter is in the book The Radical Reformation, 3rd ed.
1099Chapter 28The Rise of Unitarianism in the Magyar Reformed Synod in TransylvaniaBy 1564 the Reformation in the riven kingdom of Hungary1 had, as in the neighboring kingdom of Poland, passed through a Lutheran and a Helvetic phase and was on the point of engendering an antipedobaptist uni-tarian movement. Francis Dávid (c. 1510–79),2 successively superintendent of the Magyar synod of the Augsburg Confession in Transylvania (1557), of the separated Magyar Reformed synod (1564), and of the Unitarian synod (1576), embodied in his career the three Reformation phases experienced by the tripartitioned kingdom.31For the Reformation in the territory of the Kingdom of Hungary, tripartitioned in 1540 and not reunited until the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, see J. Zoványi, A reformáció Magyarorszagon (Budapest, 1925); I. Révész, Magyar-református egyháztörténet, 1520–1608 (Debrecen, 1938); Mihály Bucsay, Geschichte des Protestantismus in Ungarn (Stuttgart: Evangelischer Verlagswerk, 1959); Benda Kalman, “La Réforme en Hongrie,” Société del’Histoire du Protestantisme Francais, Bulletin 122 (1976): 1–53. Andrew Ludanyi proposes to edit the paper s of the conference at the University of Toledo, 3–6 October 1990, “The Evolution of the Struggle for Tolerance and Human Rights, Unitarians and Transylvania,” from the sixteenth into the twentieth century.2The customary date given for Dávid’s birth is 1510; but see J. Ferencz, Az unitarizmus és a magyar unitarizmus egyház története (Budapest: Unitarian Church, 1950); and I. Botár, Ujabb adatok Dávid Ferenc életéhez (Budapest, 1955).3Accounts of Unitarianism in this area are those of Wilbur, Unitarianism in Transylvania; I. Borbély, A magyar unitárius egyház hitleven [Principles] a XVI században (Kolozsvár, 1914); Paul Philippi, Schriften der Universitäts-Bibliothek Erlangen, 1 (Erlangen: Universitäts-Bibliothek, 1953); William Toth, “Trinitarianism versus Antitrinitarianism in the Hungarian Reformation,” CH 13 (1944): 255-68, dependent upon Révész; Heinrich Fodor, “Ferenc David, der Apostel der religiösen Duldung,” Archiv für Kulturgeschichte (hereafter AKG) 36 (1954): 18–29. The latter, based upon recent and standard works in the Continental languages, does not cite Wilbur and differs from him considerably at many points. A major source is the MS Historia Ecclesiastica Unitariorum in Transylvania, 2 vols., deposited by Sándor Szent-Iványi
© 2021 Penn State University Press

1099Chapter 28The Rise of Unitarianism in the Magyar Reformed Synod in TransylvaniaBy 1564 the Reformation in the riven kingdom of Hungary1 had, as in the neighboring kingdom of Poland, passed through a Lutheran and a Helvetic phase and was on the point of engendering an antipedobaptist uni-tarian movement. Francis Dávid (c. 1510–79),2 successively superintendent of the Magyar synod of the Augsburg Confession in Transylvania (1557), of the separated Magyar Reformed synod (1564), and of the Unitarian synod (1576), embodied in his career the three Reformation phases experienced by the tripartitioned kingdom.31For the Reformation in the territory of the Kingdom of Hungary, tripartitioned in 1540 and not reunited until the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, see J. Zoványi, A reformáció Magyarorszagon (Budapest, 1925); I. Révész, Magyar-református egyháztörténet, 1520–1608 (Debrecen, 1938); Mihály Bucsay, Geschichte des Protestantismus in Ungarn (Stuttgart: Evangelischer Verlagswerk, 1959); Benda Kalman, “La Réforme en Hongrie,” Société del’Histoire du Protestantisme Francais, Bulletin 122 (1976): 1–53. Andrew Ludanyi proposes to edit the paper s of the conference at the University of Toledo, 3–6 October 1990, “The Evolution of the Struggle for Tolerance and Human Rights, Unitarians and Transylvania,” from the sixteenth into the twentieth century.2The customary date given for Dávid’s birth is 1510; but see J. Ferencz, Az unitarizmus és a magyar unitarizmus egyház története (Budapest: Unitarian Church, 1950); and I. Botár, Ujabb adatok Dávid Ferenc életéhez (Budapest, 1955).3Accounts of Unitarianism in this area are those of Wilbur, Unitarianism in Transylvania; I. Borbély, A magyar unitárius egyház hitleven [Principles] a XVI században (Kolozsvár, 1914); Paul Philippi, Schriften der Universitäts-Bibliothek Erlangen, 1 (Erlangen: Universitäts-Bibliothek, 1953); William Toth, “Trinitarianism versus Antitrinitarianism in the Hungarian Reformation,” CH 13 (1944): 255-68, dependent upon Révész; Heinrich Fodor, “Ferenc David, der Apostel der religiösen Duldung,” Archiv für Kulturgeschichte (hereafter AKG) 36 (1954): 18–29. The latter, based upon recent and standard works in the Continental languages, does not cite Wilbur and differs from him considerably at many points. A major source is the MS Historia Ecclesiastica Unitariorum in Transylvania, 2 vols., deposited by Sándor Szent-Iványi
© 2021 Penn State University Press

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vi
  3. Illustrations xviii
  4. Preface xxi
  5. Introduction to First Edition xxviii
  6. Introduction to Second Edition xxxvii
  7. Introduction to Third Edition 1
  8. 1. Reformed Catholicity: An Evangelical Interlude 23
  9. 2. Mysticism and Sacramentism along the Rhine to 1530 73
  10. 3. Lutheran Spiritualists: Carlstadt and Müntzer 109
  11. 4. The Great Peasants’ War, 1524–1525 137
  12. 5. The Eucharistic Controversy Divides the Reformation, 1523–1526 175
  13. 6. Rise of the Swiss Brethren as the First Anabaptists of the Era 212
  14. 7. South German and Austrian Anabaptism, 1525–1527 247
  15. 8. The Schleitheim Confession of 1527: Swiss and South German Developments to 1531 288
  16. 9. Radical Christianity in the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Margraviate of Moravia, 1526–1529 314
  17. 10. Speyer and Strassburg, 1529: Magisterial and Radical Reformations in a Representative Urban Republic 355
  18. 11. Unusual Doctrines and Institutions of the Radical Reformation 431
  19. 12. The Spread of Melchiorite Anabaptism in The Netherlands and North Germany to 1534 524
  20. 13. Münster, 1531–1535 553
  21. 14. The Regrouping of Forces after the Münster Debacle: Mennonitism 589
  22. 15. Sacramentists and Anabaptists in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to 1548 609
  23. 16. The Hutterites, 1529–1540 637
  24. 17. Anabaptism in Middle Germany, 1527–1538 659
  25. 18. Definitive Encounter between Evangelical Anabaptism and Evangelical Spiritualism 681
  26. 19. Spiritualism and Rigorism among the Netherlanders and Lower Germans, 1540/43–1568 723
  27. 20. Marriage, Family Life, and Divorce in the Radical Reformation 755
  28. 21. Waldensians, 1510–1532; Italian Anabaptists, 1525–1533; Italian Evangelicals, 1530–1542 799
  29. 22. The Radical Reformation in Italy and the Rhaetian Republic (Graubünden) 835
  30. 23. Calvin and the Radical Reformation 897
  31. 24. Radical Italian Evangelicals in Swiss Exile 943
  32. 25. The Slavic Reformation in Poland and Lithuania, 1548–65 991
  33. 26. The Hutterites in Moravia, 1542–1578 1063
  34. 27. The Antipedobaptist, Anti-Nicene Minor Churches, 1565–1574 1079
  35. 28. The Rise of Unitarianism in the Magyar Reformed Synod in Transylvania 1099
  36. 29. Sectarianism and Spiritualism in Poland, 1572–1582 1135
  37. 30. Developments in The Netherlands, 1566–1578, and in England 1177
  38. 31. German and Swiss Anabaptism, Spiritualism, and Evangelical Rationalism, 1542–1578 1213
  39. 32. Law and Gospel: Implicit Separatist Ecumenicity 1241
  40. 33. The Radical Reformation: A Comprehensive Perspective on the Shaping of Classical Protestantism 1289
  41. Bibliography 1313
  42. Index of Source Documents 1383
  43. Index of Creeds, Confessions, Catechisms, Canons, and Articles of Faith, Conscience, and Petition (Corporate and Personal) 1401
  44. Index of Colloquies, Councils, Debates, and Synods 1407
  45. Index of Scripture References 1414
  46. Subject Index 1420
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.1515/9780271091341-033

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vi
  3. Illustrations xviii
  4. Preface xxi
  5. Introduction to First Edition xxviii
  6. Introduction to Second Edition xxxvii
  7. Introduction to Third Edition 1
  8. 1. Reformed Catholicity: An Evangelical Interlude 23
  9. 2. Mysticism and Sacramentism along the Rhine to 1530 73
  10. 3. Lutheran Spiritualists: Carlstadt and Müntzer 109
  11. 4. The Great Peasants’ War, 1524–1525 137
  12. 5. The Eucharistic Controversy Divides the Reformation, 1523–1526 175
  13. 6. Rise of the Swiss Brethren as the First Anabaptists of the Era 212
  14. 7. South German and Austrian Anabaptism, 1525–1527 247
  15. 8. The Schleitheim Confession of 1527: Swiss and South German Developments to 1531 288
  16. 9. Radical Christianity in the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Margraviate of Moravia, 1526–1529 314
  17. 10. Speyer and Strassburg, 1529: Magisterial and Radical Reformations in a Representative Urban Republic 355
  18. 11. Unusual Doctrines and Institutions of the Radical Reformation 431
  19. 12. The Spread of Melchiorite Anabaptism in The Netherlands and North Germany to 1534 524
  20. 13. Münster, 1531–1535 553
  21. 14. The Regrouping of Forces after the Münster Debacle: Mennonitism 589
  22. 15. Sacramentists and Anabaptists in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to 1548 609
  23. 16. The Hutterites, 1529–1540 637
  24. 17. Anabaptism in Middle Germany, 1527–1538 659
  25. 18. Definitive Encounter between Evangelical Anabaptism and Evangelical Spiritualism 681
  26. 19. Spiritualism and Rigorism among the Netherlanders and Lower Germans, 1540/43–1568 723
  27. 20. Marriage, Family Life, and Divorce in the Radical Reformation 755
  28. 21. Waldensians, 1510–1532; Italian Anabaptists, 1525–1533; Italian Evangelicals, 1530–1542 799
  29. 22. The Radical Reformation in Italy and the Rhaetian Republic (Graubünden) 835
  30. 23. Calvin and the Radical Reformation 897
  31. 24. Radical Italian Evangelicals in Swiss Exile 943
  32. 25. The Slavic Reformation in Poland and Lithuania, 1548–65 991
  33. 26. The Hutterites in Moravia, 1542–1578 1063
  34. 27. The Antipedobaptist, Anti-Nicene Minor Churches, 1565–1574 1079
  35. 28. The Rise of Unitarianism in the Magyar Reformed Synod in Transylvania 1099
  36. 29. Sectarianism and Spiritualism in Poland, 1572–1582 1135
  37. 30. Developments in The Netherlands, 1566–1578, and in England 1177
  38. 31. German and Swiss Anabaptism, Spiritualism, and Evangelical Rationalism, 1542–1578 1213
  39. 32. Law and Gospel: Implicit Separatist Ecumenicity 1241
  40. 33. The Radical Reformation: A Comprehensive Perspective on the Shaping of Classical Protestantism 1289
  41. Bibliography 1313
  42. Index of Source Documents 1383
  43. Index of Creeds, Confessions, Catechisms, Canons, and Articles of Faith, Conscience, and Petition (Corporate and Personal) 1401
  44. Index of Colloquies, Councils, Debates, and Synods 1407
  45. Index of Scripture References 1414
  46. Subject Index 1420
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 18.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780271091341-033/html?licenseType=restricted&srsltid=AfmBOormJg-IEf_XDLlSYSkzY6j2TK3r202lZiygAvRqMMyuNqEaXpFn
Scroll to top button