A Biblical Perspective on Migration: One History, One Solution 121 Gyula Homoki: Where to Look in Suffering? a Fictional Round-Table Discussion with J.B., J.C
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KIADJA / PUBLISHED BY: Sárospataki Református Teológiai Akadémia FELELŐS KIADÓ / PUBLISHER: Szilveszter Füsti-Molnár, PhD SZERKESZTŐBIZOTTSÁG / EDITORIAL BOARD: Elnöke / Chairman: Dénes Dienes, PhD Felelős szerkesztő / Editor-in-Chief: Dávid Csorba, PhD Tagjai / Members: Ferenc Fodor, PhD József Lapis, PhD Károly Zsolt Nagy, PhD Gabriella Rácsok, PhD KORREKTÚRA / PROOFREADING: Pálma Füsti-Molnár Izabella Gaál Péter Gaál-Szabó, PhD József Lapis, PhD NYOMDAI ELŐKÉSZÍTÉS és BORÍTÓTERV / PREPRESS and COVER DESIGN: József Asztalos KÉSZÜLT A Kapitális Nyomdában PRINTED BY Kapitális Printing House Ügyvezető igazgató / Managing Director: József Kapusi ISSN 1416-9878 Szerkesztőség címe / Editorial Office: Sárospataki Református Teológiai Akadémia H-3950 Sárospatak, Rákóczi út 1. Tel/Fax: +36 47 950828 e-mail: [email protected] PÉLDÁNYONKÉNTI ÁRA / PRICE per COPIES: 500 Ft / HUF ÉVES ELŐFIZETÉSI DÍJ / ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: 2000 Ft / HUF CÍMLAPKÉP és fotók / COVER IMAGE and photos: Károly Zsolt Nagy CONTENTS / INHALT From the Editor / Vom Herausgeber: Gabriella Rácsok 5 Teach Me That I May Live! / nterweiseU mich, so werde ich leben! 7 Anita Barnóczki: “According to everything I command you today” – a meditation on Deut 30:1-3 9 Articles / Studien – Intercultural Dialogue since the Age of the Reformation / Interkultureller Dialog seit der Reformation: 11 Károly Zsolt Nagy: Leaving a Mark: The Calvinist Landscapes of Remembrance 13 Christoph Sigrist: Grossmünster Zürich – Mutterkirche der Schweizer Reformation: Interkultureller Raum diakonischer Begegnung 25 Margriet Gosker: Erős vár a mi Istenünk: 500 Years of Protestantism in the Netherlands in Ecumenical Perspective 2 9 Eberhard Busch: Die Toleranz Christi: Was von Karl Barth für den heutigen interreligiösen Dialog zu lernen ist 45 Péter Gaál-Szabó: African American Religiosity, Cultural Authentication, and the Black Church 61 Nadia Marais: Saving Marriage? The Sexuality Debate in the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa 71 Miscellaneous / Sonstiges: 87 Robert Edson Bailey: Some Reflections on Life After Death 89 Jaap Doedens: “They Also”: Who Are the “Chosen Ones” in 2 Timothy 2:10? 101 Rob van Houwelingen: Renewal of the Covenant at the Last Supper 109 Sándor Enghy: A Biblical Perspective on Migration: One History, One Solution 121 Gyula Homoki: Where to Look in Suffering? A Fictional Round-Table Discussion with J.B., J.C. and J.T. 135 Research Papers / Forschungsmaterialien: 143 Ferenc Postma: Das Testament des verstorbenen ungarischen Studenten Johannes / János N. Szepsi (Franeker, den 28. April 1658) und die erfreuliche Entdeckung von etlichen Büchern aus seinem Nachlass 145 Dávid Pándy-Szekeres: Elements of a Triangular Relationship: the Presbyterian Church in Canada, Ethnic Hungarian Congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the Reformed Church of Hungary 167 Timeline / Zeitlinie: 189 Gabriella Rácsok: Laudation of Robert Edson Bailey 191 Authors / Autoren 194 From the Editor | Vom Herausgeber 340 years after the Reformation, in the summer of 1857, the Sárospatak Reformed Theological Academy launched its theological journal, entitledSárospataki Füzetek. The intent of the editors was expressed in the subtitle “A Protestant and Scholarly Journal” that wished to publish studies, papers, articles, and reviews on the church, education, science, and literature. Through a wide scale of disciplines (from church and theology, through education and philosophy to arts), the journal strove to set “this weak-minded Protestantism” on its feet. This awakening was to be achieved in the harmony of science and faith.1 The journal has gone through various phases of renewal concerning its structure and the frequency of issues. However, its purpose has never changed, it has always wished to be the spiritual centre of the Cistibiscan Church District, and its editors have always tried to remain faithful to this mission. After the years of forced silence, the faculty of the reopened academy decided to relaunch the journal. The decision was made in 1995 to revive the historic tradition; to foster the original mission of the journal; to provide publication opportunities for faculty members; to publish guest lectures; to serve the life-long learning and postgraduate training of ministers; to provide information on the life of the institute (chronicles); and to publish reviews.2 It took two more years for these dreams to be- come true, with the first issue of the new volume being published in 1997. And now in 2017, 500 years after the Reformation, 160 years after the very first issue, 25 years after the reopening of the academy, and 20 years after the renewed volume, our readers can hold the second international, foreign language issue in their hands. By taking a brief look at the contents, one can immediately judge that the original purposes are still treasured by the editors. As we move through the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, the Sárospataki Füzetek has brought together contributions that highlight some main features and the ongoing significance of the Reformation. We invited authors to submit papers under the theme of “Intercultural Dialogue since the Age of the Reformation”. We have sought to consider the cultural challenges that have developed since the Refor- mation to our present. The reformers offered various interpretations of the dialogue between traditions, as well as between diverse identities – a heritage also visible in political debates and cultural oppositions. Our contributors have responded from various backgrounds: Dutch, German, Swiss, South African and Hungarian. They give insight into Protestantism from an ecumenical perspective, interreligious dia- logue, the interrelatedness of religiosity and cultural authentication, the sexuality debate and the Calvinist landscape of remembrance. We have also provided space for our honorary professors, former Erasmus Plus lecturers, former and present faculty 1 See a historic review in Dénes DIENES: Sárospataki Füzetek, Sárospataki Füzetek, 1, 1997/1, 2–9. 2 Cf. Antal Mihály NAGY: Lectori salutem!, Sárospataki Füzetek, 1, 1997/1, vii. members and students. They cover a whole range of disciplines from Biblical studies through systematic theology to church history. We heartily recommend the Sárospataki Füzetek to our readers for the questions of the day and the responses that address the challenges we face in our call to disci- pleship. We also continue to invite all those who feel to belong to our wider spiritual and scholarly community to share their knowledge with us. Gabriella Rácsok TEACH ME THAT I MAY LIVE! UNTERWEISE MICH, SO WERDE ICH LEBEN! Anita Barnóczki TEACH ME THAT I MAY LIVE! | UNTERWEISE MICH, SO WERDE ICH LEBEN! When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I com- mand you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. (Deut 30:1-3) Anita Barnóczki We often pray for blessing. We ask for blessing because we want to be happy, to live a good life. And then we no longer pray for blessing “ because we want to be happy and to live a ACCORDING good life. Success is enough.1 Sometimes we feel we do not succeed in anything as if every- thing conspired against us. It is not only that TO we cannot be happy, but we cannot even see a path to take. So we pray for blessing because we want to live a happy life. EVERYTHING Human life is like that. Moving away from God, and then, in the hour of grace, returning to God. This moving away has I COMMAND been there since that very first decision; from ” the moment the human being began to per- YOU TODAY ceive, desire, and finally use their knowledge of good and evil outside of God. Outside of God; outside of life; now in the valley of the shadow of death. But the compassionate God came close and chose a people for Godself to show that life and blessing are possible. To show the Way in which God guides the people; to show the Way that yields blessings. God gave law to His chosen people. It was a blessing for the people, but they wanted meat instead, and even more meat, a golden calf, or later a king 1 The words ’happiness’ (boldogság) and ’success’ (boldogulás) are quite close in Hungarian. 2017 – 2 SÁROSPATAKI FÜZETEK 21 9 Anita Barnóczki to become like other peoples. They wanted the blessings of being chosen, but they did not want its purpose. In the meantime, they experienced blessing and curse; nothing more and no- thing else than what the Lord said; growth and glory, scattering and captivity. For the Word of God is certainty. It is reality. It is truth. It is fulfilled. When the Words of God are fulfilled, God gives us an opportunity to take God’s Word seriously. Even when scattered among peoples. Even when finding ourselves at the back of beyond. We know that in Jesus Christ God reaches out to us. In Him God gives us an opportunity to return; and by the Holy Spirit, an opportunity for our hearts and souls to change. This is also the experience of God’s people, the expe- rience of the Christian Church. The story of moving away and returning is the story of God’s people. It is the story of blessings and curses. And it is in the returning that this historical experi- ence strengthens us. God’s people move away from God, take decisions in their own hands, claim God’s church for themselves and abuse her, make the Truth into truths, and make the divine Words into empty words. Finally, they hardly remember where they started from, and where they should return. But there are Times when God allows us to have a better understanding, which leads to conversion.