Tag: Transylvania

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.

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: SermonTheTrueJoy.

Summary of sermon: The sermon was written in 1976 by Benedek Ágoston.  He started as a Unitarian  minister in the town of Beszterce, but in 1959 he was arrested by the Romanian Secret Service (Securitat) of the communist state, and on charge of anti-state activities he was sentenced to hard labor camp. He was released in 1963, and then he worked with the congregations of Homoródjánosfalva, Nagyenyed, and Kolozsvár.  This sermon was written several years after his release; he used the Bible text of Psalms 32:11.  The sermon explains that the true joy in our life is coming from honorable humane behavior, in-depth thinking, support of our neighbors, and the carrying out of good deeds. Benedek Ágoston passed away in 2002.

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: SermonTheEssenceofChristianFaith.

Summary of sermon: The sermon was written in 1972 by Kovács Lajos on the occasion of his inauguration as the 28th bishop of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church. The essence of the Christian faith is traced back to the dual commandment of Jesus, as he stated it in Mark 12:28-31, the Scripture quote of this sermon. The sermon emphasizes that both parts of the dual commandment are inseparable from the Unitarian faith. Kovács Lajos passed away in 1994.

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: SermonThusFartheLordhasHelpedUs.

Summary of sermon: The sermon was written in 2018 by Rácz Norbert Zsolt on the occasion of the unveiling of the  full size statue of Dávid Ferenc.   The statue is located near the Downtown Unitarian Church in Kolozsvár where Rácz Norbert Zsolt is the lead minister. The sermon uses the example of Samuel erecting the Ebenezer stone as a metaphor to describe the current situation that lead to the erection of the statue. Zsolt is urging us to keep the memory of this victory of the erection of the statue, so future generations will believe and will trust in the Lord and in His providence.  The partner church for the owntown Unitarian Church in Kolozsvár is King’s Chapel in Boston.

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: SermonInauguration VargaBela.

Summary of sermon: The sermon was written in 1938 by Dr. Varga Béla. He was elected bishop of the Hungarian Unitarian Church in 1938, and stayed in office till 1940. He returned to teaching philosophy and theology from 1940 till his death in 1942.  In his inauguration sermon Bishop Varga identifies the cause of restlessness and hopelessness in society as the consequence of mankind losing sight of each person being a child and coworker of God. “Only unconditional love can do away with the restlessness” he writes.