• • 
  • Dr. Kustár Zoltán
  • Head of Department, Professor
  • kustar.zoltan@drhe.hu
  • Room:
    II/206|II/216
  • Telefonszám:
    +36 52 518550|+36 52 518-519
  • Belső mellék:
    18550|18519

Department of Biblical Theology and History of Religion

The research area of ​​our department covers biblical theology, biblical modern history and archaeology, general and biblical religious history, and post-biblical Jewish literature. In addition to these, we place emphasis on the research of the relationship between Israel and the surrounding peoples, as well as on ancient Jewish and Roman historiography. The faculty members of the department regularly publish works discussing exegetical questions and practice-oriented biblical explanations, as well as informative biblical articles.
The department operates the Sepphoris Research Institute, which was established to support the research of biblical (Palestinian) archeology and post-biblical Jewish literature.
In terms of education, our courses accompany the study time of students on faith-based programmes, and we also advertise basic, introductory biblical knowledge units for students of non-faith-based courses (e.g. teaching majors). In faith-based courses, we teach biblical knowledge, biblical history, religious history, Old and New Testament biblical theology, as well as other subject-specific courses (e.g. law and ethics in the Holy Scriptures, etc.). As part of DRTU’s internationalization programme, we advertise English-language courses every spring term under the title History and Culture of the Biblical World.

Head of Department: Dr. Hodossy-Takács Előd
Academic Staff: Dr. Kókai-Nagy Viktor

Department of Dogmatics

Acting Head of Department: Dr. Kovács Ábrahám

Department of Church History

Head of Department: Dr. Hörcsik Richárd
Academic Staff: Dr. Baráth Béla Levente

Department of Church Music

The faculty of our department participate in the work of both institutes of the university. In faith-based courses, our main task is primarily the training of cantor students, and we also provide teaching in church singing, children’s and youth songs,and we train the use of harmonium, organ, and guitar. The students of the Ferenc Kölcsey Teacher Training Institute are prepared according to the basic principles of Kodály to hold elementary school singing lessons. We also provide additional music pedagogy, music theory and choir management knowledge for those participating in the vocal-music literacy training, preparing the students for the experience-oriented, varied, yet professional implementation of choral classes and everyday singing. Most of the subjects included in the training are taught in a group setting, but students can take the instrumental subjects (piano is mandatory in the field of vocal education, and guitar and harmonium are optional), as well as some courses in singing and voice training, in individual lessons. All students of the university can participate in the work of the choir, regardless of grade. Here, dedicated students can acquire the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to manage group singing and regular choir work. From 2017, we joined the internationalization program of our university with the Introduction to Teaching Solfeggio based on the Kodaly Method course. In addition to the educational goals, the provision of musical services for university events, religious services, conferences and celebrations is a regular and continuous task for the teachers and students of our department. All the lecturers of our department are active in music, as choir leaders and instrumental performers, they regularly perform at church and secular events, as well as at domestic and international forums. Our publications, lectures, and studies can be found from time to time in the publications of music education conferences and in the music press.

Head of Department: Dr. Kiss Csaba
Academic Staff: Dr. Sárosi Dániel, Szabóné Fodor Adrienne

 Department of Practical Theology

The work of the Department of Practical Theology focuses on the practical areas of pastoral and religious teaching and that of  teachers of religion for primary schools. We deal with the formal and content aspects of preaching, the liturgy of worship, the theoretical areas and methods of pastoral care, and the methodological procedures of faith and religious education. In connection with these, we currently teach 19 subjects (e.g. homiletics, liturgy, poimenics, catechetics, practical biblical exegesis, speech development, religious socialization, psychology of religion, child protection, dormitory education and pastoral care, religious pedagogy, theory of education, history of education, rhetoric, catechetical and religious pedagogical methodology). In addition to the compulsory subjects, every year we also offer optional courses, e.g. creative catechesis and art in catechesis. The department manages  the administration of Senior (6^th year) student’s subjects as part of the practical training of the pastor-specialized students. We organize the study consultations and the scheduling of the exam services, the rigorous evaluation of which is also attended by the faculty from other departments, too.

Since 1992, the Catechetical Center has been supporting the practical preparation of students of faith-based programmes. It is not only available to students of DRTU with its book collection, supporting materials, and courses, but also welcomes interested professionals to its regularly announced professional workshops. We also advertise an accredited teacher training programme entitled Puppet and Drama in Religious Education. The head of the Catechetical Center is Mrs Zsuzsanna Almási Kustár.

The Liturgical Research Institute, headed by Dr. Károly Fekete, supports the scientific research related to various aspects of the service – liturgy, homiletics, hymnology.

Head of Department: Dr. Kis Klára
Academic Staff: Dr. Hodossi Sándor, Dr. Mézes Zsolt, Kustárné dr. Almási Zsuzsanna

Department of Mission and Denominational Studies

“…attach good works to your faith, knowledge to good works…” 2 Pet 1.5

The aim of the Department of Mission and Denominational Studies is to carry out educational activities and scientific research in the field of theological sciences dealing with the mission of the Christian Church.

History of the department:

The Department of Mission and Religious Studies was established in 1912 on the initiative of Professor Ferenc Kiss (1862-1948) under the name of Department of Internal Missions and Education. Later it operated as the Pastoral Theological Department and the Practical Theological (Domestic) Department. One of its distinguished teachers was Professor Dr. Sándor Makkai (1890-1951). Between 1953 and 1993 it operated under the name of the Department of Ecumenical Studies. In 1993, Professor Dr. János Bütösi (1919-2010) was invited to head the department, who reorganized it under the name of the Department of Mission and Religious Studies.

Head of Department: Dr. Gaál Sándor
Academic Staff: Dr. Gonda László

Department of Romology

The Department of Romology was founded at the DRTU in the summer of 2016, and  teaching began in the first semester of the academic year of 2016/2017. From then on, all students at our university participate in romology training for three semesters. The courses build on each other: in the first two semesters, students learn about the history and culture, traditions, and current situation of the Roma community, while the third semester provides specialist training. As part of the latter, students in faith-based courses receive Roma mission and pastoral training, while non-faith-based students get to know the reasons for the current educational situation in Hungary, issues that should be dealt with, practices of effective solutions, and the methodology of integrative and inclusive pedagogy. Our department considers it extremely important that, in addition to acquiring comprehensive theoretical knowledge, our students should also acquire practical knowledge and methodology that will determine and help their future career, successful service, and efficiency at work. To this end, we take the students to many field exercises (gypsy/Roma settlement, ghetto, gypsy/Roma school, gypsy/Roma church), we organize sensitizing programs at the university (exhibition of gypsy/Roma artists, introduction to the gypsy/Roma mission), we got involved in the work of the Reformed Roma Mission, we are present with our students at their national meetings, and we give lectures at their pastoral training and we also participate in the work of the Hungarian Christian Roma Vocational College Network. We maintain a close relationship with the Wáli István Reformed Roma Vocational College in Debrecen, where we also take part in its teaching activities. We cooperate with TTRE’s Roma Mission; we try to introduce our students to and involve them in servicing among the gypsy/Roma communities while they are still in their university training. We are launching a national tender on the topic of Romology, and our educational aids entitled ‘Romology booklets’ have been published since the 2017/2018 academic year. The faculty of our department are active members of the scientific life of Romology; we research, publish, give presentations at conferences, and teach as guest lecturers at several domestic universities. Starting from the 2017/2018 academic year, we also joined the adult education by starting our specialized correspondence course titled ‘Roma society’.

Acting Head of Department: Dr. Gonda László

Department of Social Ethics and Church Sociology

The department is tasked on the one hand with the scientific explanation of theological ethics, the research o fthe issues of theoretical and applied ethics, the presentation of the topics of social ethics and sectoral ethics, and on the other hand with the examination of the general religious sociological state of European and Hungarian societies and the social determination of the church as such. In addition, we treat the development of students’ ethical competences and helping them to form independent moral judgments as a priority task. In accordance with this, the department provides the teaching of the units belonging to the field of study for the students of faith-based and non-faith-based courses, as well as for doctoral students. The department ensures the updating of the curriculum and the development of ethical competences by researching the relationship between church and society, the theological reflection of social and ethical questions, conducting and theologically evaluating  religious and church sociology and professional sociology.

The department  also operatest the Research Institute of Social Ethics operates, which is tasked with researching important issues of ethics and social ethics, collecting and providing specialized literature for researchers, coordinating research projects, preparing and developing current social ethical positions for the public church, organizing conferences, editing publications, and maintaining contacts. and professional cooperation with domestic and international ethical research institutes and professional forums.

Thanks to the extensive domestic and international professional connections of the institute’s faculty, the department and the research institute effectively participate in the preparation of ecumenical ethical resolutions, international research projects, and the editing of specialized journals and various publications. The joint website of the department and the research institute (http://sozialetika.drhe.hu/) provides up-to-date information to students and interested parties on ongoing research projects, achieved research results, and on current ethical issues.

Head of Department: Dr. Fazakas Sándor
Academic Staff: Dr. Kovács Krisztián

Department of the Old Testament

The Department of the Old Testament is called to research the Old Testament, accepted by the church as an integral and indispensable part of the Holy Scriptures, to explore its message with scientific tools and to make it known to the students of the university and the community of the church.

Thus, the department’s tasks include the teaching of the original languages ​​of the Old Testament (biblical Hebrew and Aramaic), which prepares later biblical studies as a foundation course. The introduction to the methodology of Old Testament exegesis, the series of introductory lectures dealing with the questions of the structure, content, presentation, and theology of Old Testament books and groups of documents, as well as the Old Testament exegesis that analyzes the content of each book, is based on this. In addition to all this, the department offers special topics in the form of seminars and provides space for group work on the defining questions of the research. The mentoring and professional guidance of the students’ independent research work is primarily carried out during the writing of the basic theses and theses, as well as at the graduate (TDK) and postgraduate (Doctoral School) levels of talent management.

The department maintains its own departmental research library, the purpose of which is to provide the technical literature background for the research and educational projects carried out within the department.

Our department edits a series of books entitled Study Books of the Old Testament Department of the Reformed Theological University of Debrecen, in which it mainly publishes the university notes and teaching aids of the subjects taught by the department, the conference volumes of the scientific conferences organized by the department, as well as other professional works of the department’s instructors. The publications can be purchased at the Karakter 1517 Bookstore and Café.

Together with the Department of New Testament, the department operates the Research Institute of Biblical Sciences of Patmos, whose main profile is the research of biblical eschatology. In addition to collecting related specialized literature, the research institute organizes scientific conferences, supports institutional talent management within the framework of student conferences, publishes conference and study volumes, and contributes to the domestic and international professional discourse in the field of biblical studies by building and nurturing professional relationships.

Head of Department: Dr. Kustár Zoltán
Academic Staff: Dr. Németh Áron

Department of the New Testament

The Department of the New Testament is tasked with teaching the New Testament and contemporary history subjects that are directly related to the person of Jesus and his apostles, New Testament texts, New Testament theology, the apostolic church, and topics that in any way affect the life of the early church. At the same time, it also looks at indirect connections, such as the legal, social, cultural and religious factors of Judaism, Hellenism or the Roman Empire, which could significantly influence the development of the New Testament church and its theology. In addition to turning our attention to the most diverse theological topics, we deal more specifically with New Testament eschatology and apocalypticism, the manifold connections of which are examined in the New Testament writings, Jewish apocalypticism and Greco-Roman religion, as e.g. it can also be traced in ancient Greek epitaphs. Among other things, the Patmos Research Institute for Biblical Sciences, which operates alongside the Department of New Testament, was established for this purpose, and focuses mainly on research into eschatological texts, apocalyptic phenomena and epitaphs. It has now become regular that we hold an annual conference for undergraduate and postgraduate students working alongside the Patmos Seminary entitled The Ancient Christian World, the results of which are published in the Patmos Library series. The works of other domestic and foreign authors, which are related to the objectives of Patmos, are also located here. The material of the Patmos seminars also gave rise to the topics of several basic theses or theses, which the students gladly researched further, making use of the knowledge and research methods they had already acquired.

In the education system, the department follows the standard requirement of subjects and topics to be presented, as is customary in theological faculties. The subjects announced in three cycles affect the New Testament exegesis (historical, Pauline and non-Pauline documents), in addition to this, we also advertise other interesting subjects in response to the needs and training requirements of the students, such as postmortal anthropology, New Testament belief in the afterlife, apostles and emperors, Roman law and the Gospel, the preaching of the Gospel in the Roman Empire, New Testament ethics, Paul’s portrait of Jesus, Calvin’s New Testament commentaries, etc. These subjects and topics also offer opportunities for students of non-faith courses.

The New Testament Department maintains good relations with colleagues from other domestic and foreign universities, with whom they work on joint research programs or participate in other scientific collaborations (training of doctoral students, guest lectures, joint publications, etc.). In this regard, there is an outstanding relationship, e.g. between our department and the New Testament department of the Theological Faculty of the University of Zurich.

Acting Head of Department: Dr. Kustár Zoltán
Academic Staff: : Dr. Ledan-Muntean István, Balog Margit