The influence of Puritanism in 17th century Hungary

This thesis examines the main infiltration routes ofPuritanism from England to Hungary and tries to answer the question ofthe spreading ofPuritanism in the 17th century Hungarian society. Besides the acceptance ofPuritan ideas by ecclesiastic intellectuals and some members of aristocracy it shall bring arguments in favour ofprobable spreading among lower social classes. The argumentation is based on the analysis ofPuritan catechisms translated from English into Hungarian. It will demonstrate that these manuals dedicated to reading and to common use in classrooms, catechetical lessons or in households were the best tools for teaching the heads ofreligion and to explain the elements ofPuritan life conduct for a large spectrum ofHungarian society.