Unitarian Church of Transylvania
Unitarian Christian denomination based in Cluj, Romania / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Unitarian Church of Transylvania (Hungarian: Erdélyi Unitárius Egyház; Romanian: Biserica Unitariană din Transilvania), also known as the Hungarian Unitarian Church (Hungarian: Magyar Unitárius Egyház; Romanian: Biserica Unitariană Maghiară), is a Nontrinitarian Christian denomination of the Unitarian tradition,[2] based in the city of Cluj, Transylvania, Romania. Founded in 1568 in the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom by the Unitarian preacher and theologian Ferenc Dávid (c. 1520–1579),[1] it is the oldest continuing Unitarian denomination in the world. It has a majority-Hungarian following, and is one of the 18 religious denominations given official recognition by the Government of Romania.
Unitarian Church of Transylvania | |
---|---|
Type | Nontrinitarian Christianity |
Classification | Radical Protestant |
Orientation | Unitarianism |
Theology | Summa Universae Theologiae Christianae secundum Unitarios |
Polity | Quasi-episcopal |
Bishop | Rev. István Kovács |
Associations | International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, European Liberal Protestant Network |
Region | Romania, Hungary |
Language | Hungarian |
Headquarters | Unitarian Church, Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
Founder | Ferenc Dávid;[1] |
Origin | 1568 |
Separated from | Hungarian Reformed Church |
Members | 60,000 in Romania 25,000 in Hungary |
Places of worship | 125 in Romania 12 in Hungary |
Secondary schools | 2 |
Tertiary institutions | Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj |
Other name(s) | Hungarian Unitarian Church |
Official website | www.unitarius.org |
The Transylvanian and Hungarian Unitarians represent the only branch of Unitarianism not to have adopted a congregationalist polity, and remains quasi-episcopal; the Irish Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church, a distinct body closely related to Unitarianism, has a presbyterian structure.[3] The Unitarian Church of Transylvania is administered by a bishop and two Curators-General, being divided into five Archpriestships.[4] Since 2021, its bishop is the Rev. István Kovács. The Church, which uses Hungarian as the liturgical language, also endorses and teaches a catechism.[3]
Together with the Calvinist Reformed Church and the two Lutheran churches of Romania (the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession), the Unitarian community runs the Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj, wherein Unitarianism is represented by a distinct section. In addition, it has two high school-level theological educational institutions.[4]