KRE-DIt 2025/2 Abstracts

Abstracts in theological studies

Máté Márkus: Did Sándor Joó Have Points?

The central question of this article is how the practice of three-point preaching can be applied in such a way that the sermon does not fall apart, but rather dynamically directs attention toward a single message. According to the author, this is achieved when the three points do not represent three separate messages but convey one message in three distinct ways: addressing the listener’s cognitive, affective, and volitional dimensions. The sermons of Sándor Joó provide an excellent illustration of this principle, since in virtually any of his sermons the one message approach can be clearly observed. The study demonstrates this in practice through the analysis of three randomly selected sermons by Joó and draws from them the necessary substantive and formal conclusions.

Keywords: Sándor Joó, points, three-point preaching, message, formal homiletics

Abstracts of legal science studies

Fruzsina Fodor: The Application of the Necessity-Proportionality Test During Special Legal Order

In my study, I examine the application of the necessity-proportionality test under special legal order by analysing 78 decisions of the Constitutional Court issued between 2020 and 2025, in which the Court reviewed the constitutionality of emergency regulations.

The analysis reveals that the Court’s practice significantly deviated from the steps of the test applied under ordinary constitutional conditions: the strict requirement of necessity was replaced by the much more lenient criterion of suitability, while the proportionality assessment was, in several periods, almost completely omitted.

In its modified form, the test results in a more lenient standard of review, thereby reducing the level of protection afforded to fundamental rights. A comparison with German and Austrian practice further reinforces my view that, under a state of emergency, the depth of constitutional scrutiny and the effectiveness of the necessity–proportionality test tend to diminish.

Given that the restriction of fundamental rights is permitted to a different extent in a state of emergency, their protection becomes particularly crucial. Based on these facts, it is justified to develop a permanent, special legal order-specific constitutional review test capable of ensuring consistent fundamental rights protection even under extraordinary circumstances.

Keywords: Special legal order, Necessity-proportionality test, Restriction of fundamental rights, Constitutional complaint, Constitutional Court

Kincső Nánássy: The Normative Framework of Quasi-Special Legal Orders in Hungary

The quasi-special legal order has long been a part of the Hungarian legal system; however, the regulation of various statutory crisis and emergency situations remains difficult to navigate. Effective management of new challenges requires the development of a more flexible regulatory framework. In this context, the first step was taken by the legislator through Act XCIII of 2021 on the Coordination of Defense and Security Activities, which has become the backbone of the quasi-special legal regulation. This study systematizes the quasi-special legal norms and, by presenting various crisis and emergency situations, outlines the framework of Hungarian regulation.

Keywords: quasi-special legal order, crisis and emergency situations, regulatory levels, normative regulation

Abstracts in historical studies

Péter Bakó and Olivér Jendrics: Contributions to the Biography of Mór Balázs (1849–1897), Part I

Our paper offers new perspective on Mór Balázs’s life compared to the recently published works. With this we begin research that could serve as a basis for a full biography. In this study we introduce Balázs’s family and the process of receiving nobility.

Keywords: merchants, coat of arms, Jewish communities, social mobility, Mór Balázs

Gábor Faragó: Das nervige Festhalten am Buchstaben des Gesetzes – Die Polemik über die pragmatische Sanktion im Jahre 1848

Der vorliegende Artikel stellt Teilergebnisse einer umfangreicheren Forschung zur pragmatischen Sanktion vor. In welchem Kontext wurde sie im Sommer 1848 in der deutschsprachigen Presse der Habsburgermonarchie erwähnt und wie ist sie interpretiert worden? Dazu untersuchte der Verfasser die im Digitalarchiv der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek verfügbaren Zeitungen der Monate März – September 1848. Dabei konzentrierte er sich besonders auf Publikationen um einige der wichtigeren Meilensteine in der Entwicklung der Beziehungen zwischen Österreich und Ungarn (die Aprilgesetze, die Union mit Siebenbürgen, die Staatsschrift des österreichischen Ministeriums Ende August). Die Hypothese war, dass die österreichischen Akteure aus einer wesentlich unterschiedlichen Auslegung der pragmatischen Sanktion ausgegangen sind als die Ungarn, dieser Unterschied aber erst im Laufe der Zeit für die beiden Parteien klar wurde, was die Diskussion von Anfang an erschwerte. Zudem war man eher bemüht, die Auslegung den jeweiligen politischen Zwecken unterzuordnen als einen prinzipiellen Ausgleich anzustreben. Die untersuchten Quellen bestätigen diese Hypothese, im Artikel werden die wenigen Versuche einer echten inhaltlichen Diskussion um die Auslegung in den Mittelpunkt gestellt und durch diese der Weg zum Scheitern des Dialogs vorgestellt.

Schlüsselwörter: 1848, die pragmatische Sanktion, österreichisch-ungarische Beziehungen

Gábor Faragó: The annoying clinging to the letter of the law – The polemic about the pragmatic sanction in 1848

The article presents partial results of a more extensive study on the Pragmatic Sanction. In what context was it mentioned and how was it interpreted in the German-language press of the Habsburg Empire in the summer of 1848? To answer this, the author examined newspapers available in the digital archive of the Austrian National Library for the period between March and September 1848. In the research particular attention was paid to publications relating to the key milestones in Austro-Hungarian relations (the April Laws, the union with Transylvania, the Austrian Government’s state proclamation at the end of August). The hypothesis was that Austrian actors approached the Pragmatic Sanction with a significantly different interpretation than the Hungarians, but this difference only became clear to both sides over time, which complicated the debate from the beginning on. Moreover, they were more inclined to align the interpretation with current political intentions rather than to achieve an agreement on the level of principles. The sources examined support this hypothesis; the article focuses on a few real examples of content-related debates and shows through them how the dialogue ends in failure.

Keywords: 1848, the Pragmatic Sanction, Austrian–Hungarian relations

Orsolya Romhányi: Depicted Life Path in Delft

This study explores the social, economic, and religious changes of the 17th-century Dutch Republic through Johannes Vermeer van Delft’s painting View of Delft. The spread of the Reformed faith, along with the growth of trade and industry, led to a new bourgeois culture that expressed itself through realistic portrayals of daily life. To deepen the analysis, the painter’s biographical background is also included. This research emphasizes the important message that can be communicated through a single painting. My goal is to reveal, through detailed material analysis, the complex layers of meaning and technical skill packed into a single brushstroke by Vermeer.

Keywords: 17th century, Netherlands, Republic, Johannes Vermeer van Delft, View of Delft, fishing boats, New Church, agriculture, trade, Guild of St. Luke

Zsolt Balázs Pétsy: Reflections on the 1942 Study Collection The Hungarians and the Slavs

Published in 1942 under the auspices of the Institute of Hungarian Studies and edited by Gyula Szekfű, The Hungarians and the Slavs examines the historical, linguistic, cultural, and ethnographic relations between the Hungarian and Slavic peoples. The volume is divided into two main parts: the first presents the history, culture, and intellectual development of the Slavic nations, while the second discusses the specific forms of Hungarian–Slavic interactions from linguistic, literary, and ethnographic perspectives. The studies in the volume explore the diversity of historical interrelations, the shared cultural zones, and the forms of regional coexistence, mapping the centuries-old connections between the Hungarian and Slavic peoples in Central Europe with scholarly precision.

Keywords: Hungarian–Slavic relations, intellectual history, Gyula Szekfű, Institute of Hungarian Studies, Central Europe, Hungarian–Polish historical relations, Pan-Slavism

Adrienn Purcsi: “We Respect Each Other’s National Convictions…”
– The Life of Count János Esterházy

Arkadiusz Adamczyk’s book “We Respect Each Other’s National Convictions…” – The Life of Count János Esterházy is a work that fills a gap in today’s Hungary. The person of János Esterházy is little known in our country, but his importance and actions are indisputable from the point of view of Hungarian history. The author brings us closer to the personality of the count, while also introducing us to the chain of historical events.

Keywords: János Esterházy, Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Trianon

Tamás Zmák: Serving national unification and education through education, regardless of party politics – About Péter Donáth’s book of studies

The review describes the recently published volume of studies exploring the career of Sándor Imre, education politician, university professor and pedagogical expert, his views on education, and the social and educational policy environment of his era.

Keywords: Sándor Imre, pedagogy, history of education, national education, education policy, culture war, school system, Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs