„IZ SVETA VIŠE NEMA NIKOGA DA DOĐE U VERU NAŠU“: SRBI NAZARENI U RUMUNIJI
„FROM THE WORLD NOBODY COMES TO OUR FAITH ANYMORE“: NAZARENE SERBS IN ROMANIA

Summary/Abstract: This paper deals with the origin and dynamics of development of Nazarene movement among Serbs in Romania. Although the majority of Serbs in Romania belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church (Eparchy of Timisoara) during 20th century a number of neo-Protestant communities appeared, such are Nazarenes or Baptists. Living in ethnically and religiously heterogeneous areas, the Serbs in Romania came into more direct contact with German and Hungarian missionaries who began to spread Nazarene teachings in the mid-nineteenth century. Since they were pacifists, during the First and Second World War a number of Nazarenes was imprisoned or they emigrated abroad. Due to the closeness of their community and the appearance of other neo-Protestant communities the number of Nazarenes decreased significantly. In order to outline specificity of the Nazarene teachings which strongly shape religious identity of Nazarene believers, in the paper some basic elements of Nazarene dogma are presented. The paper is based on the qualitative-oriented field research conducted during 2010 in Timisoara and Serbian settlements in the Banat gorge. In Romania, the Nazarene community numbers about 1,000 believers, based in the city of Arad, while Nazarene Serbs are present in Arad, Timisoara and the border area with the Serbian Banat.

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