Page 210 - Stati inu obstati, revija za vprašanja protestantizma, letnik XV (2019), številka 30, ISSN 2590-9754
P. 210
povzetki, synopses, ZUSAMMENFASSUNGEN
ko je namreč ustvaril negativni prizvok glede opredelitve evangeličanov pri odcepitvi od
Madžarske in priključitvi k tedanji Kraljevini SHS.
Ključne besede: protestantizem, madžaronstvo, madžarofilija, prekmurski knjižni
jezik
Mentality of Lutherans in Prekmurje at the Beginning of 20th Century
The paper focuses on the mentality of Lutheran Protestants in the Prekmurje region
at the beginning of the 20th century, when preparations for the annexation of Prekmur-
je and for the reunification of the Slovenes from this area with the homeland were well
underway, which, according to past records, the Protestants did not particularly approve
of. In order to emphasize up-to-date, particularly impartial perspective on this topic,
the paper centres on the research results by two acknowledged, already deceased ex-
perts on Protestantism in the Prekmurje region, Mihael Kuzmič, PhD, and Franc Kuz-
mič, M.A. For better understanding of the mentality, the organization of the Evangelical
Church is first described, followed by the description of education centres where Prot-
estants from Prekmurje gained knowledge, the question of national consciousness and
finally the insight into Protestant writing tradition as a basis for religious, national and
linguistic identity.
The majority of priests active in Prekmurje at the beginning of the 20th century were
educated in Hungary, which explains their loyalty to this country. However, as both re-
searches mentioned above firmly emphasize, it would be unjustified to present them in a
negative light or even refer to them pejoratively as “Magyarons” only due to their strong
connection with the Hungarian culture and, consequently, their adherence to Hungar-
ian alphabet. In 1919 there were ten active Protestant parishes in Prekmurje; in half of
them, the priests were of Hungarian nationality. Nevertheless, the linguistic identity of
the Slovene nation was preserved, indicating that the Slovene language was spoken and
heard in local Protestant churches. Mihael and Franc Kuzmič also note that deviations
from national or religious orientations in certain periods and by certain persons should
not be generalized or overestimated. They stress the importance of understanding the
specific character of the Protestant population in Prekmurje if one wants to interpret the
Protestants’ perception of the values and their dedication to religious belief. It was pre-
cisely this deficiency that led to the often negative presentation of the Protestants’ views
and actions during the secession of Prekmurje from Hungary and its annexation to the
then Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
Keywords: Protestantism, Magyaronism, Magyarophilia, Prekmurje-Slovene stan-
dard language
208
ko je namreč ustvaril negativni prizvok glede opredelitve evangeličanov pri odcepitvi od
Madžarske in priključitvi k tedanji Kraljevini SHS.
Ključne besede: protestantizem, madžaronstvo, madžarofilija, prekmurski knjižni
jezik
Mentality of Lutherans in Prekmurje at the Beginning of 20th Century
The paper focuses on the mentality of Lutheran Protestants in the Prekmurje region
at the beginning of the 20th century, when preparations for the annexation of Prekmur-
je and for the reunification of the Slovenes from this area with the homeland were well
underway, which, according to past records, the Protestants did not particularly approve
of. In order to emphasize up-to-date, particularly impartial perspective on this topic,
the paper centres on the research results by two acknowledged, already deceased ex-
perts on Protestantism in the Prekmurje region, Mihael Kuzmič, PhD, and Franc Kuz-
mič, M.A. For better understanding of the mentality, the organization of the Evangelical
Church is first described, followed by the description of education centres where Prot-
estants from Prekmurje gained knowledge, the question of national consciousness and
finally the insight into Protestant writing tradition as a basis for religious, national and
linguistic identity.
The majority of priests active in Prekmurje at the beginning of the 20th century were
educated in Hungary, which explains their loyalty to this country. However, as both re-
searches mentioned above firmly emphasize, it would be unjustified to present them in a
negative light or even refer to them pejoratively as “Magyarons” only due to their strong
connection with the Hungarian culture and, consequently, their adherence to Hungar-
ian alphabet. In 1919 there were ten active Protestant parishes in Prekmurje; in half of
them, the priests were of Hungarian nationality. Nevertheless, the linguistic identity of
the Slovene nation was preserved, indicating that the Slovene language was spoken and
heard in local Protestant churches. Mihael and Franc Kuzmič also note that deviations
from national or religious orientations in certain periods and by certain persons should
not be generalized or overestimated. They stress the importance of understanding the
specific character of the Protestant population in Prekmurje if one wants to interpret the
Protestants’ perception of the values and their dedication to religious belief. It was pre-
cisely this deficiency that led to the often negative presentation of the Protestants’ views
and actions during the secession of Prekmurje from Hungary and its annexation to the
then Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
Keywords: Protestantism, Magyaronism, Magyarophilia, Prekmurje-Slovene stan-
dard language
208
