Baptistic Theologies, 2009

ticles written by Jeno Banyai, Attila Csopjak, Jeno Szigeti, Kirner A. Bertalan, Kalman Meszaros, Geza Kovacs etc. Some of the mentioned articles were published in Krisztusert Jarvan Kovetsegben in 1996; the other ones are kept and well preserved in the Hungarian Baptist archive in Budapest. Revival among Hungarian Baptists in Transylvania 59 basis of the Baptist mission. Those who felt alienated from the Protestant Churches were often accepted and welcomed by those informal and warm communities, which stressed personal faith. In his research, Szigeti reached the conclusion that this was crucial for the building up of the Baptist mission in Transylvania. It seems that Antal Novak, a Hungarian Bible colporteur, was the one who first realised that these groups of people, coming from a Protestant background with a historic Puritan tradition, represented fields with ripe crops in which the Baptist harvest could begin. 21 The first Baptist members in Transylvania were, therefore, recruited from among those groups of people who gathered together on Sundays in the Reformed Churches and on weekdays in different houses. Mere pulpit orations did not satisfy their spiritual hunger. They looked for a fresh direction. Yet most of them would not have been regarded as having much potential for leading a new movement in Transylvania since they were simple farmers, factory workers and tradesmen. Ttinde Tanko, in an article published in May 2001, concludes that by the end of the nineteenth century 44.7% of Hungarian Baptists were located in Transylvania/ There was clearly a renewed search going on among many in this region for a deeper knowledge of the Bible. The Baptist movement, which stressed the Bible - and obedience to its teaching - seemed to meet that need. 25 2. Evangelical Spirituality: the Word of God In the life of Baptist churches, the Bible has played an important role. C.H. Spurgeon was typical as he spoke in 1879 about his experience of reading the Bible. He said: He [Christ] leans over me, he puts his finger along the lines, I can see his pierced hand: I will read it as in his presence. I will read it, knowing that he is the substance of it - that he is the proof of this book as well as the writer of it; the sum of this Scripture as well as the author of it. That is the way for true students to become wise! You will get at the soul of Scripture when you can keep Jesus with you while you are reading. 26 _1 Szigeti, A Magyarorszagi Szabadegyhdzi Kozossegek, pp. 71-73. " Kovacs, A Baptista Misszio Kibontakozasa Magyarorszdgon, in Krisztusert Jarvan Kovetsegben, p. 54. 23 Ibid. pp. 53-56. 24 Bekehirnok, 17 lh May 2001, p. 174. The article presents statistics from the census of the year 1900. 25 Szigeti reached his conclusion by analysing the life of the Reformed church in Bekes, while Kardos looked at the history of the Lutheran ( Evangelikus ) church. They both arrived at the same conclusion.