CENTER FOR PHILOSOPHY, RELIGIOUS, AND SOCINIAN STUDIES Marian Hillar M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Department of Biology and Biochemistry/Molecular Biology Website http://www.socinian.org College of Science and Technology Center for Socinians were members of the specific radical Reformation international religious group that was formed originally in Poland and in Transylvania in the Philosophy, XVIth century and went beyond the limited scope of the reform initiated by Religious Luther or Calvin. At the roots of their religious doctrines was the Antitrinitarianism developed by Michael Servetus (1511-1553) and transplanted and by Italian Humanists, as well as the social ideas borrowed initially from the Socinian Studies Anabaptists and Moravian Brethren. About the middle of the XVIth century a variety of Antitrinitarian sects emerged. They called themselves Christians or Brethren, hence Polish Brethren, also Minor Reformed Church. Their opponents labeled them after the old heresies as Sabellians, Samosatinians, Ebionites, Unitarians, and finally Arians. They were also known abroad as Socinians, after the Italian Faustus Socinus (1539-1604) (Fausto Sozzini, nephew of Lelio Sozzini) who at the end of the XVIth century became a prominent figure in the Raków Unitarian congregation for systematizing the doctrines of the Polish Brethren. Although the spirit of religious liberty was one of the elements of the Socinian doctrine, the persecution and coercion they met as a result of the Counter Reformation led them to formulate the most advanced ideas in the realm of human freedom and church-state relations. The intellectual ferment Socinian ideas produced in all of Europe determined the future philosophical trends and led directly to the development of Enlightenment. The precursor ideas of the Polish Brethren on religious freedom were later expanded, perfected and popularized by John Locke (1632-1704) in England and Pierre Bayle (1647-1706) in France and Holland. The ideas of John Locke were transplanted directly to the American continent by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson who implemented them for the first time in the American legislation. The Polish Brethren were forerunners of the later thinkers who developed the ideas of the Enlightenment and introduced modern humanistic ideals. Their achievements are the highest in Europe of their times and originated all modern trends in political, social and moral sciences, in biblical and religious studies, and in concepts of the absolute freedom of intellectual inquiry, liberty of conscience and complete nonantagonistic separation of church and state. They put to practice the highest ethical ideals. Mausoleum of Faustus Socinus 2 The doctrines of the Polish Brethren represented a humanistic reaction to a medieval theology based on submission to the Church's totalitarian authority. Though theyCollegeretained of Sciencethe andscripture Technologyas something supra rationem, they analyzed it rationally and believed that nothing should be accepted contra rationem. Their social and political thought underwent a significant evolutionary process from the very utopian trend condemning participation in war and holding public and judicial office to a moderate and realistic stand based on mutual love, support of the secular power of the state, active participation in social and political life, and defense of social equality. They spoke out against the enserfment of peasants, a recurring issue in Poland not solved until the XXth century. They were the first to postulate the complete separation of church and state, an idea never before discussed in Christian societies. Their spirit of absolute religious freedom expressed in their practice and writings, "determined, more or less immediately, all the subsequent revolutions in favor of religious liberty." Their rationality set the trend for the philosophical ideas of the Enlightenment and determined future development of all modern intellectual endeavors. After expulsion they were forced into oblivion for three centuries, forgotten in a country that continued to be dominated by the Catholic Church. 3 Texas Southern University Center for Philosophy, Religious, and Socinian Studies Studies on the Development of Principles Governing Modern Societies Sources of American Ideals College of Science and Technology The Project Team is: Marian Hillar, Director Claire S. Stelter, Researcher The intellectual ferment Socinian ideas produced in all of Europe determined the future philosophical trends and led directly to the development of Enlightenment. The precursor ideas of the Polish Brethren on religious freedom were later expanded, perfected and popularized by John Locke (1632-1704) in England and Pierre Bayle (1647-1706) in France and Holland. The ideas of John Locke were transplanted directly to the American continent by Thomas Payne, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and others and were implemented them for the first time in the American legislation. The project of studies involves: 1. Translation of the original Statue of Michael works written by Michael Servetus from Latin into English; 2. Servetus in Villanueva Recovery of writings of the Socinians and spreading the de Sijena information about their ideas; 3. Tracing the development of ideas which eventually led to the formation of American society and its Constitution with all its ideals and freedoms. : 4 CURRICULUM VITAE MARIAN HILLAR, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Biochemistry/Molecular Biology. Director Center for Philosophy, Religious and Socinian Studies Department of Biological Sciences Texas Southern University Houston, TX 77004 Houston, January 2016 5 MARIAN HILLAR, M.D., Ph.D. Department of Biological Sciences Center for Philosophy and Socinian Studies Texas Southern University Houston, TX 77004 9330 Bankside Houston, TX 77031 home tel. (713) 777-0374 office tel. (713) 313-7990 e-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Website: Center for Philosophy and Socinian Studies http://www.socinian.org CURRICULUM VITAE NAME: MARIAN HILLAR BIRTH PLACE: BROMBERG (BYDGOSZCZ), POLAND STATUS IN U.S.A.: IN the U.S. since 1969; CITIZEN ACADEMIC RECORD 1945-1952 Elementary School; Summa cum laude 1952-1956 Secondary School (preparatory for the University); Equivalent of B.S. and B.A.; Summa cum laude 1956-1962 University Medical School of Danzig; M.D., Summa cum laude School equivalent to Yale, Princeton, and Harvard Universities 1961 Studies at Université de Paris (Sorbonne), one month training in the Laboratoire de Biochimie Médicale, Hôpital Cochin, under Prof. G. Schapira 1962-1963 Internship for Medical License 1962-1966 University Medical School of Danzig, Department of Biochemistry; Ph.D. in Biochemistry; Dissertation: "Uncoupling of Oxidative Phosphorylation by Basic Proteins"; part of it published in Acta Biochim. Polon. 12, 133-141, 1965; 12, 379-385, 1965; Biochim. Biophys. Acta 97,144-146, 1965 and several other papers. Studies of Biochemistry, History of Philosophy, History of Medicine, Languages, and History of French Literature 1964-1965 Additional training in organic chemistry at the University of Danzig; Additional studies of French literature at the Jagiellonian University, Cracow. 6 1966. Eight-week postgraduate course in the Application of Mathematical Methods in Biological Sciences, organized by the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw. 1958-1969 Instructor through Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University Medical School of Danzig. Duties: teaching a full 1-year graduate course to medical students and research on several subjects; supervision of theses of graduate students. 1969-1970 Senior Research Associate, Division of Myocardial Biology, Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. Research on the isolation, characterization and possible biological role of basic proteins from the subcellular fractions of the heart muscle; discovery of a basic protein associated with mitochondrial DNA. 1971-1975 Adjunct Assistant Professor Division of Myocardial Biology, Department of Cell Biophysics Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 1971-1975 Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences; Director, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX. 1975-1981 Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences; Director, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX. 1980 (Jan-May) Visiting Professor at the Institute of General Physiology, (Istituto di fisiología generale), Università degli Studi di Camerino, Camerino, Italy (Supported by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Fulbright Foundation and by National Cancer Institute). 1981-1985 Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Department of Biological Sciences; Director, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX. 1985,Sept- Professor and Chairman, Department of Biochemistry, Ponce School of Medicine, June, 1986 Ponce, P.R. 0073 Sept. 1986- Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies Professor of Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology Director of Molecular Biology Laboratory, Establishing Center for Philosophy, Socinian, and Religious Studies Director of the Center for Philosophy, Socinian, and Religious Studies AWARDS AND HONORS 1965 Research Award from the Polish Academy of Sciences 1967 Award from the University Medical School