Visualizing Narrative: Lutheran Theology in the Engravings of Lucas Cranach

The early stage of the Reformation in Germany was marked by an iconoclastic movement inspired by radical reformers. In the scientific literature, iconoclasm is often interpreted as a phenomenon that became a catastrophe for German art, as it halted its renaissance progress. The purpose of the article is to prove that the Lutheran Reformation did not become an event that stopped the development of German art, but, on the contrary, gave a new impetus to its development, especially the art of engraving. Throughout the history of Christianity, there have been discussions about what church art should be, in what form it should exist and what function it should carry. In the days of the Reformation, these discussions flared up with renewed vigor. Most reformers held the view that the church needed to be cleansed of works of art that were seen as a legacy of Catholicism. The iconoclast movement that transitioned into church pogroms and the destruction of works of art in Wittenberg in early 1522 prompted Martin Luther to publicly express his disagreement with the radical reformers and to express his own position on the fine arts in the reformed church. In a series of sermons from March 9 to 16, 1522 (Invocavit), Martin Luther recommended the destruction of images that became objects of worship, but considered it appropriate to leave works of art that illustrate biblical stories or reformation ideas. For Luther, the didactic significance of images became a decisive argument. The main points of the series of Luther’s sermons (Invocavit) show that he not only condemned the vandalism of iconoclasts, but also argued that the presence of works of art in the church does not contradict the Bible, but, on the contrary, helps to better understand important truths. It is noted that the result of Luther's tolerant position was the edition of the September Bible (1522) illustrated by Lucas Cranach's engravings. The reviewed narrative and visual sources prove that due to Reformation the art of engraving received a new impetus, and Lutheranism was formed not only as a church of the culture of the word, but also of the culture of the eye. It was established that the main requirement for art was strict adherence to the narrative, which is observed in the analyzed engravings of Lucas Cranach. It is considered that the engravings to the book of Revelation are characterized not only by the accuracy of the text, but also by sharpened polemics, adding a new sound to biblical symbols, sharp criticism of the Catholic Church, and visualization of the main enemies of the Reformed Church. It is proved that the polemical orientation of the engravings spurred interest and contributed to the commercial success of the September Bible. The rejection of traditional plots by protestant artists did not become overly destructive, and in some cases, it even led to the enrichment of European visual culture.

Partakers with the Altar

Contrary to prevalent assumptions, city magistracies did not simply pay for the upkeep of the churches used by the Dutch Reformed church. Based on the archives of churchwardens for the eleven public churches of Amsterdam, this article shows that for about a century between 1650 and 1750 the churches paid for themselves, how this was possible, and why they eventually came to rely municipal subsidies. After the devastations wrought by Revolt and Reformation, the buildings were refurnished in a luxurious style, befitting the prestige of the city. Burgomasters imposed a seating arrangement that, maintained by a variety of church attendants, reflected the hierarchical order of society. The biographical background and the work of these attendants provide a window into the ritual of churchgoing. During the heyday of Amsterdam’s prosperity people were happy to pay or the services the churches provided, including the display of rank and dignity. Economic decline, critique of the established social order, and changing religious sensibilities undercut this source of funding. The report of an auditing committee, analysing the administration of churchwardens in 1795 and 1796, testifies to the difficulties even the staunchest Batavian revolutionaries experienced when rethinking early modern public finances.

A református elemi iskolák helyzete a Komáromi Református Egyházmegyében, az 1920–30-as években

The situation of the Reformed elementary schools in the Reformed Diocese of Komárom in the 1920s–1930s. The present study provides an insight into the history of the Reformed church schools of the Reformed Diocese of Komárom in the territory of Czechoslovakia between the two world wars. Following geopolitical changes after 1920, the church school network had to be reorganized, which posed completely new challenges to the minority Reformed Church. Subsequent to presentation of the major school laws, the development of the diocesan school network is discussed. After the reorganization, teachers had to face a lot of grievances from state officials, which had a direct and indirect impact on both teachers and the educational policy of the Reformed Church. After outlining the problems of textbooks for use in schools, the diocesan schooling of the two decades under review is summarized. Keywords: Reformed Church, schools, school network, teacher, textbook

A Pitești-i Református Egyházközség első tíz évének demográfiai adatsorai a halálozási anyakönyvek tükrében

Demographic Data of the First Ten Years of Existence of the Pitești Reformed Church in the Light of the Official Death Registries. In the last three centuries, many Hungarians in Transylvania went to work and live in the southern part of the Carpathians. At first, they went just for seasonal work, but later they become permanent migrants. They founded new Reformed parishes and schools in the new locations. We have data on the population of Pitești from 1844, when Sándor Ürmösy described the ethnic and confessional composition of the town for the first time, and he mentions 1,500 Hungarians in Pitești. As result of the Reformed missionary work, the first Reformed churches were established in the most important towns of old Romania in the mid-19th century. The documents of those times reveal to us data on the demographic, confessional, and ethnic composition of the population. In this study, I attempted to find the most important data on the first ten years in the life of the Pitești Reformed community linked to its members’ age of death, cause of the death, and occupation. Keywords: mission, Pitești, Reformed Church, old Romania, official death registries

Az úrvacsorával való élés vörös fonala az ószövetségi páskától a mai gyakorlatig

Guidelines to the Eucharistic Practice from the Passover until Nowadays. The current writing is a summarizing paper on the second sacrament of the Reformed Church, which, according to our faith, was appointed by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. This can be even seen in the Old Testament during the events of the Exodus, namely the Passover/Pesach, which is the predecessor of the Christian communion. After a short historical overview, I outline the various beliefs about this sacrament in different denominations, namely in the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and the Reformed Churches. After introducing these ideas, I will approach this sacrament from a practical side, which is the liturgical perception. In this part, I introduce the liturgical viewpoints of some reformers as Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli and additionally I name those practices that should be kept in nowadays’ practice of faith. In the last chapter, I explain the eschatological meaning of communion, which is a predecessor of the Messianic Feast. Keywords: Eucharist, communion, Last Supper, sacrament, ecumenical dialogue

VYSHKOVO REFORMED CHURCH – THE INCREDIBLY VALUABLE ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENT OF WESTERN UKRAINE

The church, built according to various sources in the IX-XIII centuries, is interesting for its monumental, restrained architecture and preserved interior. The clear straight lines of the building with sharp elements remind us of the Gothic style, although according to legend it was built much earlier. Covered with drawings of the XVIII century. the ceiling of the temple is related to the famous painted ceiling of the church in Chetfalva. Next to the church is a beautiful, shingled wooden bell tower of the Marmara type. The monument is located in a picturesque, well-groomed courtyard, surrounded on all sides by a wall, where exotic trees and flowers grow. In front of the entrance gate there are several Hungarian carved wooden sculptures erected in memory of important historical events in Vyshkovo. The purpose of the article is to attract the attention and acquaint readers with the incredibly valuable architectural monument of Western Ukraine – Vyshkovo Reformed Church. The article presents the preconditions and the process of construction, determining the type of materials used, design analysis, detailed consideration of decorative elements and various plans of the oldest church in Transcarpathia. My own research of this architectural object, which I have been conducting for three months, describes to us: the methods of construction at that time, the execution of the frames of door and window openings, and the decoration of the facade of the church. Religion has always played an important role in the life of the people of Vyshkovo. People are proud of their church, they constantly visit it. Being in the middle of the building, there is a feeling of authenticity and complete immersion in the events described by the priest, because of the very good acoustics of this ancient church.

Gender, Space, and Religious Privacy in Amsterdam

Silva Perez and Kristensen examine the intersection of gender and religious traditions for the use of space for two distinct religious groups: the Amsterdam beguines, a Catholic community, and the Portuguese Nation, a Jewish community. In the religiously diverse environment of seventeenth century Amsterdam, only the Dutch Reformed Church was officially authorized to have visible places of worship. Unsanctioned religious groups such as the beguines and the Portuguese Nation had to make arrangements to regulate visibility and access to their spaces of worship. Using privacy as an analytical lens, the authors discuss how strategies employed by the two groups changed over the course of the century.

Jacobus Capitein: Champion for Slavery and Resisting Mimic?

Jacobus Eliza Johannes Capitein (1717-1747) was a man of many firsts-the first black student of theology at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, the first black minister ordained in the Dutch Reformed Church in the Netherlands, the author of the first Fante/Mfantse-Dutch Grammar in Ghana as well as the first translator of the Ten Commandments, Twelve Articles of Faith and parts of the Catechism into Fante/Mfantse. However, he is also remembered as the first African to argue in writing that slavery was compatible with Christianity in the public lecture that he delivered at Leiden in 1742 on the topic, De Servitute Libertati Christianae Non Contraria. The Latin original was soon translated into Dutch and became so popular in the Netherlands that it was reprinted five times in the first year of publication. This contribution will pose the question: Was Capitein a sell-out who soothed the Dutch colonial conscience as he argued with scholarly vigour in his dissertation that the Bible did not prohibit slavery and that it was therefore permissible to continue with the practice in the eighteenth century; or was he resisting the system by means of mimicry due to his hybrid identity - as an African with a European education - who wanted to spread the Christian message and be an educator of his people?

Changes in Parliaments - Parliaments in Change (Conference Report)

Hungary’s University of Public Service and Brill Publishers (Leiden, Holland) staged a joint online event on 3 May 2021 about the reactions of Parliaments as traditional institutions to the fast-changing political, social and economic environment of our age. The conference was occasioned by the launch of the International Journal of Parliamentary Studies. Timed to coincide with the Day of Parliament, the scientific event also commemorated the inaugural session of Hungary’s first freely elected Parliament on 2 May 1990. The conference was moderated by Zsolt Szabó, the new journal’s chief editor, as well as associate professor at the University of Public Service and the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church.