The Synods of Pińczów were a series of 22

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

synods held in the town of

Pińczów Pińczów is a town in southern Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about 40 km south of Kielce. It is the capital of Pińczów County. The population is 10,946 (2018). Pińczów belongs to the historical region of Lesser Poland (Polish: ...

from 1550-1563. At the time of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

belonged to a Calvinist nobleman, Nicholas Oleśnicki, and was one of the centers of Calvinism and

Arianism Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is co ...

in Poland. Synods were held in the former Pauline monastery church. Associated with these synods were the

Pińczów Academy The Pińczów Academy or Gymnasium was a Calvinist college in Pińczów, Poland from 1550–1565. This coincides with the Calvinist synods of Pińczów 1550–1564. Lord Nicholas Oleśnicki inherited the Pińczów estate in 1546. He was ...

and the Brest Bible translation project, together with the emergence of the Polish Brethren who were later known as Socinians.

Major Protestant synods in Pińczów

* Autumn 1550 - the first congress of Protestant gentry and clergy. * April 1556 - Piotr of Goniądz is the first Antitrinitarian to be excommunicated. * 1559 - Jan Laski convenes a synod against

Francesco Stancaro Francesco Stancaro (also Latin: Franciscus Stancarus) (1501 in Mantua – 1574 in Stopnica) was an Italian Catholic priest, theologian, Protestant convert, and Protestant reformer who became professor of Hebrew at the University of Königsberg. ...

* 1559 - Remigiusz Chełmski and the French grammarian Pierre Statorius deny the validity of prayer to the Holy Spirit, calling it "blasphemy." The Synod approves a draft translation of the Bible of Brest and appoints translators to work on the project. * 1562 - Stanisław Paklepka and Gregory Paul of Brzeziny reject the doctrine of the Trinity as a "papal" concept, without Biblical support. On 2 April, a majority approve of a synodal creed rejecting the Trinity. * October 1563 - in October the last General Synod in Pińczów sees the formation of a "Polish Minor Reformed Church" (''Ecclesia minor''), comprising antitrinitarians, called "Arians" or "Polish Brethren", who separate from the Greater Calvinist Reformed Church (''Ecclesia maior'').

Other Protestant synods

Pińczów was not the only location of Protestant synods. In 1556, at the Synod of Secemin,(January 22, 1556), Piotr of Goniądz denied the Trinity, leading to his excommunication mentioned above, Valerian Krasinski ''Sketch of the religious history of the Slavonic nations'' Page 160 1851 and gave a more complete development of his doctrine at the synod of Brest, in Lithuania, in 1558, when he rejected the baptism of infants.

Calvinist synods

After 1563 Calvinist synods continued to be held, but separately.

Polish Brethren synods

* 1564 Synod of Piotrków Trybunalski, where a final separation of Calvinists and Polish Brethren took place. * December 25, 1565 anti-Trinitarian synod at Węgrów * 24 June 1567 Synod of Skrzynno a synod between the Arians and Socinians among the Antitrinitarian Polish Brethren

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Synods Of Pinczow 16th-century Reformed Christianity Polish Unitarians 1550s in Poland 1560s in Poland