Racovian Catechism
Encyclopedia
The Racovian Catechism is a nontrinitarian
statement of faith from the 16th century. The title Racovian comes from the publishers, the Polish Brethren
, who had founded a sizeable town in Raków, Kielce County, where the Racovian Academy
and printing press was founded by Jakub Sienieński
in 1602.
or Ecclesia Minor were an antitrinitarian minority of the Reformed Church in Poland who had separated from the Calvinist majority, or Ecclesia Major in 1565.
Several authors had a hand in drafting the Catechism: Valentinus Smalcius
, Hieronim Moskorzowski
, Johannes Völkel
and others. It is likely that some of the text had been prepared by the Italian exile Fausto Sozzini, who had settled among the Polish Brethren in 1579, without ever formally joining, and who died in the year before the Catechism was drafted. Despite his lack of any official status in the church Sozzini had been influential in bringing the Polish church round to a Christology
which closely resembled what he had learnt from his uncle Lelio Sozzini in exile in Switzerland as a young man.
The Racovian Catechism was published in 1605, and subsequently translated into other languages. Smalcius produced a German version.
The Ecclesia Minor survived in Poland until 1656 when it was outlawed by the Polish Sejm
in the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation
. These nontrinitarians, and their Catechism, would later became known as Socinians
due to the prominence given to Fausto Sozzini's writings after his death in the series Bibliotheca Fratrum Polonorum published in Amsterdam 1665 and widely circulated in England and elsewhere.
On April 2nd 1652 The English Parliament voted to seize and burn all copies circulating.
A revised Latin edition of the Racovian catechism appeared in 1680 in Amsterdam, revised by Sozzini's grandson Andrzej Wiszowaty Sr. and great-grandson Benedykt Wiszowaty
. This was the base of Thomas Rees
' 1818 English translation.
, Christology is the objection of the personal pre-existence of Christ
. The theme of Christ's preexistence occurs repeatedly in the Racovian Catechism, with detailed discussion of disputed verses, such as:
Most early Socinians accepted the infallibility of the New Testament and so accepted the account of the literal virgin birth of Jesus, but many later Socinians (i.e., Unitarians
) did not.
(1761) and John Simpson
(1804). Yet these references are in keeping with the somewhat subdued handling of the devil in the Biblioteca Fratrum Polonorum.
Nontrinitarianism
Nontrinitarianism includes all Christian belief systems that disagree with the doctrine of the Trinity, namely, the teaching that God is three distinct hypostases and yet co-eternal, co-equal, and indivisibly united in one essence or ousia...
statement of faith from the 16th century. The title Racovian comes from the publishers, the Polish Brethren
Polish Brethren
The Polish Brethren were members of the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, a Nontrinitarian Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658...
, who had founded a sizeable town in Raków, Kielce County, where the Racovian Academy
Racovian Academy
The Racovian Academy was a school of the Socinian Polish Brethren operating in Raków, Kielce County, Poland 1602-1638, and publisher of the Racovian Catechism in 1605....
and printing press was founded by Jakub Sienieński
Jakub Sienieński
Jakub Sienieński was a Polish nobleman, representative in the Sejm, who in 1602 founded the Racovian Academy.His father Jan Sienieński founded the town of Raków, Kielce County in 1569...
in 1602.
Authors
The Polish BrethrenPolish Brethren
The Polish Brethren were members of the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, a Nontrinitarian Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658...
or Ecclesia Minor were an antitrinitarian minority of the Reformed Church in Poland who had separated from the Calvinist majority, or Ecclesia Major in 1565.
Several authors had a hand in drafting the Catechism: Valentinus Smalcius
Valentinus Smalcius
Valentinus Smalcius was a German Socinian theologian. He is known for his German translation of the Racovian Catechism, and Racovian New Testament translated from Greek into Polish...
, Hieronim Moskorzowski
Hieronim Moskorzowski
Hieronim Moskorzowski Moskorzów c.1560-1625), administrator of the Racovian Academy, and writer of the Polish Brethren.He came from a noble family, received a comprehensive education, and became involved with the movement of the Polish Brethren. He prepared the Polish and Latin text of the 1605...
, Johannes Völkel
Johannes Völkel
Johannes Völkel was a German Socinian writer.Völkel was probably born around 1565-1570, and probably converted during his studies at the University of Wittenberg, just as Valentin Schmalz had been converted while at the University of Strassburg, in any case he had joined the Polish Brethren by...
and others. It is likely that some of the text had been prepared by the Italian exile Fausto Sozzini, who had settled among the Polish Brethren in 1579, without ever formally joining, and who died in the year before the Catechism was drafted. Despite his lack of any official status in the church Sozzini had been influential in bringing the Polish church round to a Christology
Christology
Christology is the field of study within Christian theology which is primarily concerned with the nature and person of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament. Primary considerations include the relationship of Jesus' nature and person with the nature...
which closely resembled what he had learnt from his uncle Lelio Sozzini in exile in Switzerland as a young man.
The Racovian Catechism was published in 1605, and subsequently translated into other languages. Smalcius produced a German version.
The Ecclesia Minor survived in Poland until 1656 when it was outlawed by the Polish Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
in the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
. These nontrinitarians, and their Catechism, would later became known as Socinians
Socinianism
Socinianism is a system of Christian doctrine named for Fausto Sozzini , which was developed among the Polish Brethren in the Minor Reformed Church of Poland during the 15th and 16th centuries and embraced also by the Unitarian Church of Transylvania during the same period...
due to the prominence given to Fausto Sozzini's writings after his death in the series Bibliotheca Fratrum Polonorum published in Amsterdam 1665 and widely circulated in England and elsewhere.
On April 2nd 1652 The English Parliament voted to seize and burn all copies circulating.
A revised Latin edition of the Racovian catechism appeared in 1680 in Amsterdam, revised by Sozzini's grandson Andrzej Wiszowaty Sr. and great-grandson Benedykt Wiszowaty
Benedykt Wiszowaty
Benedykt Wiszowaty was a Polish Socinian author and publisher.He was the great-grandson of Fausto Sozzini, grandson of Stanisław Wiszowaty, and son of Andrzej Wiszowaty Sr. and Aleksandra Rupniowska. Benedykt married Katarzyna Przypkowska and was father of Andrzej Wiszowaty Jr...
. This was the base of Thomas Rees
Thomas Rees (Unitarian minister)
Thomas Rees , Welsh Nonconformist divine, was a Unitarian minister and scholar.Rees was educated at the Presbyterian College, Carmarthen, and entered the Unitarian ministry in 1807 at the Newington Green Unitarian Church, London. He went to Southwark in 1813, earned the degree of LL.D...
' 1818 English translation.
Contents (1818)
Preface- Section One - Of the Holy Scriptures
- Chapter 1: Of the Authenticity of the Holy Scriptures
- Chapter 2: Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures
- Chapter 3: Of the Perspicuity of the Holy Scriptures
- Section Two - Concerning the way of Salvation
- Chapter 1: The Reasons of the Revelation of the Way of Salvation
- Chapter 2: Concerning those Things which constitute the Way of Salvation
- Section Three - Of the knowledge of God
- Chapter 1: Of the Nature of God
- Chapter 2: Of the Will of God
- Section Four - Of the Knowledge of Christ
- Chapter 1: Of the Person of Christ
- Section Five - Of the Prophetic Office of Christ
- Chapter 1: Of the Precepts of Christ which he added to the Law
- Chapter 2: Of the Precepts of Christ delivered by him separately
- Chapter 3: Of the Baptism of Water
- Chapter 4: Of the Beaking of the Holy Bread
- Chapter 5: Of the Promise of Eternal Life
- Chapter 6: Of the Promise of the Holy Spirit
- Chapter 7: Of the Confirmation of the Divine Will
- Chapter 8: Of the Death of Christ
- Chapter 9: Of Faith
- Chapter 10: Of Free Will
- Chapter 11: Of Justification
- Section Six - Of the Priestly Office of Christ
- Section Seven - Of the Kingly Office of Christ
- Section Eight - Of the Church of Christ
- Chapter 1: Of the Visible Church
- Chapter 2: Of the Government of the Church of Christ
- Chapter 3: Of the Discipline of the Church of Christ
- Chapter 4: Of the Invisible Church
Christology
The most distinctive element in Socinian, as opposed to ArianArian
Arian may refer to:* Arius, a Christian presbyter in the 3rd and 4th century* a given name in different cultures: Aria, Aryan or Arian...
, Christology is the objection of the personal pre-existence of Christ
Pre-existence of Christ
The pre-existence of Christ refers to the doctrine of the ontological or personal existence of Christ before his conception. One of the relevant Bible passages is where, in the Trinitarian view, Christ is identified with a pre-existent divine hypostasis called the Logos or Word...
. The theme of Christ's preexistence occurs repeatedly in the Racovian Catechism, with detailed discussion of disputed verses, such as:
- "In the Beginning was the Word" John 1:1John 1:1' is the first verse in the Gospel of John. The King James Version of the verse reads, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". The phrase "the Word" is widely interpreted as referring to Jesus, as indicated in other verses later in the same chapter...
- The explanation is given, taken from Lelio Sozzini's Brief explanation of John Chapter 1 1561 (and developed in Fausto Sozzini's later work of the same name), that the Beginning refers to the Beginning of the Gospel, not the old creation. - "Before Abraham was I am" John 8:58 - is treated that the ego eimiEgo eimiego eimi "I am", "I exist", is the first person singular present tense of the verb "to be" in ancient Greek. The use of this phrase in some of the uses found in the Gospel of John is given theological significance by many Christians.-Classical Greek:...
refers to "I am" before "Abraham becomes" (future) many nations in the work of Christ. - "[I] came down from heaven" John 6:38 - is related to being "born of the Virgin"
- That Christ was literally dead in the grave for three days - as a proof of Christian mortalism, resurrectionResurrectionResurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
and the humanity of Christ.
Most early Socinians accepted the infallibility of the New Testament and so accepted the account of the literal virgin birth of Jesus, but many later Socinians (i.e., Unitarians
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
) did not.
The personal devil
The Racovian Catechism makes muted reference to the devil in seven places which prompts the 1818 translator Rees, to footnote references to the works of Hugh FarmerHugh Farmer
Hugh Farmer was an English Dissenter and theologian.He was educated at the Dissenting Academy in Northampton under Philip Doddridge, and became pastor of a congregation at Walthamstow, Essex. In 1701 he became preacher and one of the Tuesday lecturers at Salters' Hall, London...
(1761) and John Simpson
John Simpson (Unitarian)
John Simpson was an English Unitarian minister and religious writer, known as a biblical critic. Some of his essays were very well known in the nineteenth century....
(1804). Yet these references are in keeping with the somewhat subdued handling of the devil in the Biblioteca Fratrum Polonorum.
Translations
- 1608 German by Valentinus Smalcius
- 1652 English version printed Broer Jansz, AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, attributed to John BiddleJohn Biddle (Unitarian)John Biddle or Bidle was an influential English nontrinitarian, and Unitarian. He is often called "the Father of English Unitarianism".- Life :...
whose own "Twofold Catechism" 1654 - 1659 Dutch version (paraphrase) CollegiantsCollegiantsIn Christian theology, the Collegiants , also called Collegians, were an eclectic religious sect, formed in 1619 among the Arminians and Anabaptists in Holland...
- 1666 Dutch version (official)
- 1680 revised Latin Edition by Benedykt WiszowatyBenedykt WiszowatyBenedykt Wiszowaty was a Polish Socinian author and publisher.He was the great-grandson of Fausto Sozzini, grandson of Stanisław Wiszowaty, and son of Andrzej Wiszowaty Sr. and Aleksandra Rupniowska. Benedykt married Katarzyna Przypkowska and was father of Andrzej Wiszowaty Jr...
, Amsterdam. - 1818 English: The Racovian Catechism of 1605 A Sketch of the History of Unitarianism in Poland and the adjacent countries. Thomas ReesThomas Rees (Unitarian minister)Thomas Rees , Welsh Nonconformist divine, was a Unitarian minister and scholar.Rees was educated at the Presbyterian College, Carmarthen, and entered the Unitarian ministry in 1807 at the Newington Green Unitarian Church, London. He went to Southwark in 1813, earned the degree of LL.D...
, F.S.A. London: Printed for Longman