CATECHISMS AT THE MUKACHEVO EPARCHY PARISHES IN THE 18TH CENTURY

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the spread of catechisms that were in use in the parishes of the Mukachevo eparchy in the 18th century. Catechisms were used to spread the central «truths of faith» in the confessional era in Europe. Several catechetical publications are known in the book culture of the Mukachevo Eparchy of the 18th century. Chief among them as of the first half of the 18th century were the catechisms of Joseph de Camelis and George Gennadius Bizantsius. In addition to these catechisms, the visitation data also mentions the catechism of Laszlo Barany. Each edition reflects a particular model of confessional disciplining and is an element of a broader program of formation of confessional identity by the higher hierarchy. Previous studies on the history of the Mukachevo Eparchy did not pay attention to the importance of catechetical issues for religious communities. Researchers have paid little attention to the distribution of catechisms, although some works analyse the content and sources of their texts. Central studies are devoted to the catechisms of Joseph de Camelis and Laszlo Barany. Meanwhile, the Catechism of George Gennadius Bizantsius has mainly been ignored in historiography. To characterise the spread of catechisms on the territory of the Mukachevo Eparchy, visitation protocols, some acts and epistolary sources were analysed. Special attention is focused on identifying entries in visitation protocols. The entries "casus", "casisticum", "liber casisticum", and the like are preserved in large numbers in the visitation protocols. These entries illustrate the folk name "casus" in relation to the catechism of Lev Kyshka and George Gennadius Bizantsius, which were used on both sides of the Carpathian Mountains. The main content features of each catechism are briefly described. During the study, I managed to process the surviving copies of the Bizantsius and de Camelis catechisms. This article briefly describes the key content features of each catechism. Additionally, the article presents, for the first time, the distribution of George Gennadius Byzantius' catechism in the parishes. This edition's distribution enables us to affirm the obligation to adopt the resolutions of the Zamość Council in the territory of the Mukachevo eparchy.