Valentin Radecke
Valentin Radecke – 17th Century Unitarian Teacher and Bishop

Summary/Abstract: Valentin Radecke (?–1632) was a teacher in the Unitarian college of Kolozsvár from 1605, and bishop from 1615. He is the author of a number of works which have been brought into focus by recent research (Disciplina Ecclesiastica, Der kleine Katechismus, Geistliche Gesänge, Apologia). Th ere is a confessed gap in our knowledge about his fi rst decade in Kolozsvár. He was supposed to steer Transylvanian Unitarians away from Ferenc Dávid’s tradition (from nonadorantism), however, his church policy signifi cantly contributed to the almost complete survival of the plurality of Unitarianism. This paper off ers an overview of his career until his appointment as bishop, building on previously unknown letters and other new records. The letters were sent to Radecke by German and Polish Antitrinitarians (Georg Ludwig Leuchsner, Paweł Szoman and Ioannes Ferberinus). Th ey were discovered in the Archives of the Polish Unitarian Church, and copies of them are included at the end of the paper

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