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For full text go to the menu on top of the UnitarianTorch home page, click on Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons line, and then click on the title: SermonConcio 10.

Summary of sermon: The author of the sermon deserves as much attention as the topic.  Enyedi György was the third bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church, until his death in 1597. He is called in some Hungarian language literature as the “Unitarian Plato”, because most of his writings and sermons focuses on the explanations of Bible verses.  He is noted for using everyday, mundane metaphors to teach the congregation about the meaning behind the words of Christ.  Hungarian translations of the Bible began to spread in his time, and it was important to teach churchgoers on their mother tongue about it.

In this sermon the Unitarian Plato discusses the importance of living a godly life, and following God’s commands. In Concio 10 Enyedi Gyorgy used examples from the Old Testament to remind us (and, perhaps, the Prince) that the Israelites were cautioned to restrict their activities to their homeland, and refrain from seeking alliances that God did not approve. Applied to Transylvania, the reckless willingness to start war, and to create alliances may be powerless unless God communicated His approval for the pact.  Because of the turbulent and violent historical events in 1593, Enyedi feared for the fate of his homeland, Transylvania, and found solace and advice on the pages of the Bible. What were those historical events? I give you a brief description below.

There is a very special historical background for the series of 19 sermons that start with this one, Concio 10.  From the beginning of 1593, under the rule of Prince Zsigmond Bathori, the Principality of Transylvania experienced a monumental internal power struggle in order to decide what foreign policy the Principality should conduct with regard to the Turkish Empire.  Since the 1550s Transylvania was a tribute-paying, but unoccupied component of the Turkish Empire. That peaceful existence came to an end in 1593.

In 1593, after 25-year pause, the Turkish sultan started a new military offensive in the Hapsburg-ruled remnant of the Hungarian Kingdom (well West of Transylvania), and the Hapsburg Emperor Rudolph requested help from surrounding countries. In late 1593 there was initial military success against the Turkish army. Prince Zsigmond Bathori, saying that he wants to be the part of eliminating the Turkish occupation from Hungary, sent emissaries to Rudolph and to the Pope in order to become part of their alliance. Enyedi delivered this cautionary sermon late 1593. In February of 1594 the official pact was signed making the Principality of Transylvania part of the Holy League with the obligation to coordinate military action with other participants.

The Transylvanian Diet never approved the war-plans of the Prince, nonetheless, Prince Zsigmond Bathori, took unauthorized action, and in March of 1594 attacked a Turkish-occupied town West of Transylvania. Because the promised military help to Rudolph never fully materialized, the Transylvanian forces were left unaided by the League to face a much larger Turkish dispatchment. In May of 1594 the Prince requested again approval of his plans (and budget) from the Diet which yet again refused.

The Transylvanian forces were eventually defeated by the Turkish army, and at the July 1594 Diet Prince Zsigmond Bathori abdicated. However, by August 1594 several generals declared their loyalty to the Prince, and he returned to Kolozsvar. The Prince then captured the leaders of the anti-war faction of the Diet, and had them executed by beheading or garroting. The Diet, thus, was forced to approve the war-plans of the Prince, and the wealth of the executed nobles were use to shore up the war budget.

Enyedi György was born in the town of Nagyenyed in Transylvania, and the current Unitarian Church there is partnered with the First Unitarian Church of Louisville, Kentucky.

In this sermon you look through a window into late XVIth century Transylvania, and hear the words of the third Bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church. The translation time machine will take you back to late 1500s, and allows you to listen to this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.

For full text go to the menu on top of the UnitarianTorch home page, click on Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons line, and then click on the title: SermonConcioCXC.

Summary of sermon: The author of the sermon deserves as much attention as the topic.  Enyedi György was the third bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church, until his death in 1597. He is called in some Hungarian language literature as the “Unitarian Plato”, because most of his writings and sermons focuses on the explanations of Bible verses.  He is noted for using everyday, mundane metaphors to teach the congregation about the meaning behind the words of Christ.  Hungarian translations of the Bible began to spread in his time, and it was important to teach churchgoers on their mother tongue about it.

In this sermon the Unitarian Plato continues from Concio CLXXXIX to explain the Christian path to salvation using Galatians 6:15 as the Bible verse.  Here Enyedi György discusses why uncircumcision is useless for salvation, and that a new creature is needed. He goes on to explain why that new creature is no other than “faith which worketh in love”, and “keeping the commandments of God”. Enyedi György also explains why the blessing that Paul speaks in Galatians 6 is so valuable even for people in our days.

Enyedi György was born in the town of Nagyenyed in Transylvania, and the current Unitarian Church there is partnered with the First Unitarian Church of Louisville, Kentucky.

In this sermon you look through a window into late XVIth century Transylvania, and hear the words of the third Bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church. The translation time machine will take you back to late 1500s, and allows you to listen to this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.

For full text go to the menu on top of the UnitarianTorch home page, click on Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons line, and then click on the title: SermonConcioCLXXXIX.

Summary of sermon: The author of the sermon deserves as much attention as the topic.  Enyedi György was the third bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church, until his death in 1597. He is called in some Hungarian language literature as the “Unitarian Plato”, because most of his writings and sermons focuses on the explanations of Bible verses.  He is noted for using everyday, mundane metaphors to teach the congregation about the meaning behind the words of Christ.  Hungarian translations of the Bible began to spread in his time, and it was important to teach churchgoers on their mother tongue about it.

In this sermon the Unitarian Plato teaches us about the Christian path to salvation, and why (according to Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:15) circumcision is not a requirement of salvation. In addition, Enyedi György explains why Christians are not obligated to keep the Sabbath.  There are reflections on an interesting local religious phenomenon in this sermon. In the second half of the 16th century a Christian faction developed (“Szombatosok” in Hungarian, or “Judaizers” in English) who believed that Christian life ought to be guided by the laws and statutes of the Old Testament.  Because the Judaizers believed that God is one, just like the Unitarians, there was a theological overlap between Judaizers and Unitarians. With a hard-line Catholic Prince on the throne in Transylvania, it was important for Enyedi György to differentiate Unitarians from Judaizers. The sermon contains an admonishment to Judaizers that they are on a path that Apostle Paul argues against.

Enyedi György was born in the town of Nagyenyed in Transylvania, and the current Unitarian Church there is partnered with the First Unitarian Church of Louisville, Kentucky.

In this sermon you look through a window into late XVIth century Transylvania, and hear the words of the third Bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church. The translation time machine will take you back to late 1500s, and allows you to listen to this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.

For full text go to the menu on top of the UnitarianTorch home page, click on Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons line, and then click on the title: SermonConcio2Tim2:23.

Summary of sermon: The author of the sermon deserves as much attention as the topic.  Enyedi György was the third bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church, until his death in 1597. He is called in some Hungarian language literature as the “Unitarian Plato”, because most of his writings and sermons focuses on the explanations of Bible verses.  He is noted for using everyday, mundane metaphors to teach the congregation about the meaning behind the words of Christ.  Hungarian translations of the Bible began to spread in his time, and it was important to teach churchgoers on their mother tongue about it.

In this sermon the Unitarian Plato acquaints us with the questions Apostle Paul considers “foolish and unlearned questions”. Enyedi concludes that the concept of trinity has generated many foolish and unlearned questions, and all that has led to strife. In addition, Enyedi György points to 2 Timothy 2:24-25 to ask the question whether trinitarians could be considered Christians, as they don’t follow the teachings of Apostle Paul written in that and in other verses. Enyedi provides a solution for stopping the bickering: let us focus on reaching salvation for ourselves, and our fellow human beings, because God didn’t promise salvation to those who explore foolish questions, but to those who follow God’s commandments.

Enyedi György was born in the town of Nagyenyed in Transylvania, and the current Unitarian Church there is partnered with the First Unitarian Church of Louisville, Kentucky.

In this sermon you look through a window into late XVIth century Transylvania, and hear the words of the third Bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church. The translation time machine will take you back to late 1500s, and allows you to listen to this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.

For full text go to the menu on top of the UnitarianTorch home page, click on Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons line, and then click on the title: SermonConcioEcclesiasticus10.

Summary of sermon: The author of the sermon deserves as much attention as the topic.  Enyedi György was the third bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church, until his death in 1597. He is called in some Hungarian language literature as the “Unitarian Plato”, because most of his writings and sermons focuses on the explanations of Bible verses.  He is noted for using everyday, mundane metaphors to teach the congregation about the meaning behind the words of Christ.  Hungarian translations of the Bible began to spread in his time, and it was important to teach churchgoers on their mother tongue about it.

This sermon intended to caution people who will shortly be electing a Price for Transylvania, that a ruler ought to have desirable qualities such as wisdom and prudence. The sermon was delivered a few weeks before the election on December 1593. The “Unitarian Plato” doesn’t disappoint, as he reveals the timeless desires when it comes to qualities of a leader, and explains at length why those qualities are needed; many of his words ring true today.

To support his preaching, Enyedi György used an unusual verse, Ecclesiasticus 10, or Sirach 10. The book of Ecclesiasticus is not part of the Old Testament or the New Testament, but was printed between those Testaments as one of the Apocrypha books. In the King James Version of the Bible the Apocrypha books were included from 1611 until 1859, when they were removed. In addition to that, the sermon has a number of quotes in Latin from the writings of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, or as Enyedi frequently called them: “those pagan sages”.

Enyedi György was born in the town of Nagyenyed in Transylvania, and the current Unitarian Church there is partnered with the First Unitarian Church of Louisville, Kentucky.

In this sermon you look through a window into late XVIth century Transylvania, and hear the words of the third Bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church. The translation time machine will take you back to late 1593, and allows you to listen to this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.

For full text go to the menu on top of the UnitarianTorch home page, click on Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons line, and then click on the title: SermonConcioDeut16.

Summary of sermon: The author of the sermon deserves as much attention as the topic.  Enyedi György was the third bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church, until his death in 1597. He is called in some Hungarian language literature as the “Unitarian Plato”, because most of his writings and sermons focuses on the explanations of Bible verses.  He is noted for using everyday, mundane metaphors to teach the congregation about the meaning behind the words of Christ.  Hungarian translations of the Bible began to spread in his time, and it was important to teach churchgoers on their mother tongue about it.

This is one of the few sermons of Enyedi György where there is a certainty about the date of live delivery. There was an election of judges in Kolozsvar in December of 1593, and Enyedi György delivered this sermon in the weeks preceding the election. The tone is of a deep care and concern about the fate of Transylvania, as Enyedi György goes on to explain that judges are the mortar in the wall of human communities, and that their duty is to bring fair judgements. He also warns about the two failings of judges ought to avoid: prejudice and bribery. The “Unitarian Plato” doesn’t disappoint, as he reveals timeless concerns about the system of justice; many of his words ring true today.

Enyedi György was born in the town of Nagyenyed in Transylvania, and the current Unitarian Church there is partnered with the First Unitarian Church of Louisville, Kentucky.

In this sermon you look through a window into late XVIth century Transylvania, and hear the words of the third Bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church. The translation time machine will take you back to late 1593, and allows you to listen to this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.

For full text go to the menu on top of the UnitarianTorch home page, click on Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons line, and then click on the title: SermonOpposita Concio JohZilvasi.

Summary of sermon: The author of the sermon deserves as much attention as the topic.  Enyedi György was the third bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church, until his death in 1597. He is called in some Hungarian language literature as the “Unitarian Plato”, because most of his writings and sermons focuses on the explanations of Bible verses.  He is noted for using everyday, mundane metaphors to teach the congregation about the meaning behind the words of Christ.  Hungarian translations of the Bible began to spread in his time, and it was important to teach churchgoers on their mother tongue about it.

The primary topic of the sermon is a response to a Catholic sermon preached by Johanness Zilvasi in Kolozsvár sometime in early October, 1593. That sermon used Ephesians 4 to argue for the “cutting down at the edge of the sword” all who doesn’t believe like us. Enyedi György responded to that open threat by teaching Christian unity from the same lines of Ephesians 4.  Enyedi György then explains from page 11 through 14 the basic arguments against the concept of Trinity.

Enyedi György was born in the town of Nagyenyed in Transylvania, and the current Unitarian Church there is partnered with the First Unitarian Church of Louisville, Kentucky.

In this sermon you look through a window into late XVIth century Transylvania, and hear the words of Bishop of the very Unitarian Church that was threatened with extermination. The translation time machine will take you back to 1593, October 17, and allows you to listen to this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.

For full text go to the menu on top of the UnitarianTorch home page, click on Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons line, and then click on the title: SermonFromCommunityaCathedral.

Summary of sermon: The sermon was written in 2017. The topic of the sermon is the need to form a community from believers, and how that is comparable to the building of a cathedral from stones. An interesting aspect of this sermon is that it has an entire poem at the end of it. The author is currently the minister at the Unitarian church of Torda in Transylvania. In the 1990s he has participated in the movement “Unitárius Szószék” (Unitarian Pulpit) to reinvigorate sermon writing in Transylvania. The partner church of Torda is the First Parish Church in Weston, MA.

 

For full text go to the menu on top of the UnitarianTorch home page, click on Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons line, and then click on the title: SermonConcioMark16.

Summary of sermon: The author of the sermon deserves as much attention as the topic.  Enyedi György was the third bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church, until his death in 1597. He is called in some Hungarian language literature as the “Unitarian Plato”, because most of his writings and sermons focuses on the explanations of Bible verses.  He is noted for using everyday, mundane metaphors to teach the congregation about the meaning behind the words of Christ.  Hungarian translations of the Bible began to spread in his time, and it was important to teach churchgoers on their mother tongue about it.

The topic of the sermon is the resurrection of Christ as described the Apostle Mark. The sermon was most likely preached in Kolozsvár at Easter time of 1594. Enyedi György places emphasis on describing the role of the women in receiving and spreading the good news  of the resurrection. He also points out that we derive a peace of mind knowing that just as Christ was resurrected so will we, believers, be  resurrected.

Enyedi György was born in the town of Nagyenyed in Transylvania, and the current Unitarian Church there is partnered with the First Unitarian Church of Louisville, Kentucky.

In this sermon you look through a window into late XVIth century Transylvania, and hear the words of a contemporary of Shakespeare.  So, sit back, relax, allow your time machine to take you back to 1594, and enjoy this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.

For full text go to the menu on top of the UnitarianTorch home page, click on Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons line, and then click on the title: SermonCelebratorySermon.

Summary of sermon: The sermon was written in 2022 by Kriza János. The sermon was delivered at the worship service that included the Lord’s Supper, as this service consecrated a newly built Transylvanian Unitarian church building. This new church is a replica of the 18th century church located in Nyárádgálfalva, Transylvania (in Romania). The replica church was built in the Skanzen of Szentendre, Hungary, to be a part of a building complex that displays various aspects of Transylvanian cultural heritage. The original church at Nyárádgálfalva is described as one of the most picturesque among Transylvanian Unitarian churches. The interior has painted wooden casettes on the ceiling.   Kriza János is the current head of the Hungarian District of the Hungarian Unitarian Church.  The sermon reminds us that when Christian Unitarians partake in the Lord’s Supper they are keeping alive one of the two sacraments Jesus himself practiced, and all the disciples of Jesus would recognize as familiar to them. The Unitarian church is partnered with All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Kansas City.