Tag: Enyedi György

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: 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: SermonConcioCXCIV.

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 represents a  continuation of the teachings of David Ferenc, who wrote  and preached about the reasoning why Antitrinitarians (today’s Unitarians) find the concept of the Trinity unacceptable.  This sermon is the third part in a series of teachings on Psalm 2. I have previously shared the two preceeding sermons, Concio CXCII and Concio CXCIII. This sermon relies on verse 8 of Psalm 2 to complete the Antitrinitarian argument that Jesus Christ is not a person of the Godhead.  Enyedi wrote and preached this sermon under the extreme stress of persecution of the Unitarian Church in the form of confiscations of property, and forced catholicization of Unitarians.

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 around 1597, and enjoy this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.

The full text of the translated sermon (in conjunction with Concio CXCII) is published in print by the Journal of Unitarian Universalist History, 2021, Volume XLIV, pages 94-113.  In accordance with the publishing contract the full text of the translated sermon is now available on this website as Translated Sermon #28. From the main page of unitariantorch.com select the horizontal line “Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons”, and scroll to and click on “SermonConcioCXCIII”

If you wish to see the back to back translation of Concio CXCII and CXCIII together with the expert historical analysis of Dr. Lovas Borbala, then please contact the Journal for a copy ($15). Dr Lovas Borbala is a historian who specializes in the Unitarian sermonic literature of the XVIth century,

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 represents a  continuation of the teachings of David Ferenc, who wrote  and preached about the reasoning why Antitrinitarians (today’s Unitarians) find the concept of the Trinity unacceptable.  This sermon relies on the verses 7-8 of Psalm 2 to continue the Antitrinitarian argument that Jesus Christ is not a person of the Godhead.  Enyedi wrote and preached this sermon under the extreme stress of persecution of the Unitarian Church in the form of confiscations of property, and forced catholization of Unitarians.

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 around 1597, and enjoy this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.

The full text of the translated sermon (in conjunction with Concio CXCIII) is published in print by the Journal of Unitarian Universalist History, 2021, Volume XLIV, pages 94-113. In accordance with the publishing contract the full text of the translated sermon is now available on this website as Translated Sermon #2. From the main page of unitariantorch.com select the horizontal line “Translated Transylvanian Unitarian Sermons”, and scroll to and click on “SermonConcioCXCII”

If you wish to see the back to back translation of Concio CXCII and CXCIII together with the expert historical analysis of Dr. Lovas Borbala, then please contact the Journal for a copy ($15). Dr Lovas Borbala is a historian who specializes in the Unitarian sermonic literature of the XVIth century,

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 represents a  continuation of the teachings of David Ferenc, who wrote  and preached about the reasoning why Antitrinitarians (today’s Unitarians) find the concept of the Trinity unacceptable.  This sermon relies on the verses 1-6 of Psalm 2 to make the Antitrinitarian argument that Jesus Christ is not a person of the Godhead.  Enyedi wrote and preached this sermon under the extreme stress of persecution of the Unitarian Church in the form of confiscations of property, and forced catholization of Unitarians.

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 around 1597, 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: SermonConcioXCIV.

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 was a constant task in Enyedi’s life: encouragement of the persecuted Transylvanian Unitarian believers that despite their small numbers, and despite the strife that historical events brought to their doorstep, there is a great reward is awaiting them.  This is kind of sermon that earned Enyedi the title “Unitarian Plato”, because he is teaching with all his ability, no holds barred; observe the range of Bible quotes he deploys to support his message!

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 around 1594, and enjoy this gem of a sermon, available the first time in English.