(Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem Hittudományi Kar Egyháztörténeti Kutatóintézet, 2025) Pusztai Gábor; DE - Bölcsészettudományi Kar
One of the high points of Dutch-Hungarian relations dates back to the 1920s and 1930s. This conjuncture began with the so-called “children’s trains”, an aid operation on a gigantic scale, in the emergency period of post-Trianon Hungary. Between 1920 and 1930, tens of thousands of Hungarian children were allowed to holiday, rest and recover from the trauma of war in Dutch foster homes. The revitalised relations were also reflected in the church. The neo-Calvinism, represented by the Dutch “strict” Reformed Church (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland) known in Hungary primarily as “historical Calvinism”, also found Hungarian followers. The most prominent among them was the theological professor from Budapest, Jenő Sebestyén (1884–1950. In this paper, we will discuss one of the publications on Dutch neo-Calvinism, the booklet by Gerda Jakosné Nederbragt: Pictures from the Life of the Dutch Reformed People, published as the fourth booklet in the series Silent Evenings, edited by the Reformed pastor Géza Pap. On this occasion, I would like to talk about the not always smooth relationship between neo-Calvinism and the Hungarian Reformed Church, which also harboured the danger of a church split in Hungary.