Abstract
In the round sanctuary of the Lutheran Church of Willmar, Minnesota there is an oak frieze encircling the sanctuary containing in gold-leaf letters 78 names of “the cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12: 1) from Bible and from the history of the Church. The list begins with the name of Enoch and ends with that of Ordass, the only person who was still alive when the carving was made in the 1960s. Lajos Ordass (1901–1978) was the Bishop of the Hungarian Lutheran Church from 1945 until his death in 1978, i.e. for 33 years. However, he could exercise his office for altogether less than 5 years; between 1945 and 1948 and between 1956 and 1958. The Communists, with the help of collaborators in his own Church, forced him twice to live in total isolation, first for 6 years (1950–1956) following his release from prison; and secondly for 20 years (1958–1978) following his second and final removal from office in 1958.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Walter von Loewenich, Luthers Theologia crucis, München, Chr. Kaiser Verlag, 1929. (The bookmark in Ordass’s library: 31.569.)
- 2.
Gerhard Forde, On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther ’s Heidelberg Disputation s, Grand Rapids, Michigan, William B. Eerdmans, 1997.
- 3.
Forde, 78.
- 4.
Forde, 90.
- 5.
László G. Terray, He Could Not Do Otherwise: Bishop Lajos Ordass, 1901–1978 (Grand Rapids, MI: William Eerdmans, 1997), 84.
- 6.
A photograph of the original can be seen in Terray, between, 96–97.
- 7.
At the Foot of he Cross: Meditations by an Imprisoned Pastor Behind the Iron Curtain (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1958).
- 8.
Ibid., 38.
- 9.
Ibid., 166–167.
- 10.
Ordass L. Útravaló. Az év minden napjára, Köln, Útitárs, 1967.
- 11.
Ordass L. Útravaló. Az év minden napjára, Harmat, Ordass Lajos Baráti Kör, 2001. The story of the book is recorded in the preface to this second edition by István Gémes, 7.
- 12.
Ordass Lajos, Nem tudok imádkozni. Imádkozóknak és imádkozni akaróknak. Budapest, Ordass Lajos Baráti Kör, 1992, 143–144.
- 13.
A manuscript kindly sent by Dr Roy Long to the author.
- 14.
Ibid.
- 15.
Quoted by László G. Terray, He Could Not Do Otherwise. Bishop Lajos Ordass 1901–1978. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Cambridge, UK, W. B. Eerdmans, 1997, 151
- 16.
Enikő Böröcz, Egyházfő viharban és árnyékban. Ordass Lajos evangélikus hitvalló püspöki szolgálata (1945–1978) Vol. 1. Budapest, Luther Kiadó, 2012.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Fabiny, T. (2017). A Lonely Lutheran Mystic During Communism. The Spiritual Heritage of Bishop Lajos Ordass (1901–1978). In: Vassányi, M., Sepsi, E., Daróczi, A. (eds) The Immediacy of Mystical Experience in the European Tradition. Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures, vol 18. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45069-8_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45069-8_20
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-45067-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-45069-8
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)