ANGHEL, ATANASIO. - Romanian Greek-Catholic bishop of Alba Julia, b. at Ciugud, d. 19 Aug. 1713 in his see. Since he had done his studies in Calvinist schools, the Hungarian followers of Calvin expected from him, consecrated on 22 Jan. 1698 Orthodox metropolitan for Transylvania, great support for their religious aims, but he accomplished in the synod of 7 July 1698 the union with the Roman Church, begun in 1697 by his predecessor Teofili, obtaining from the Austrian emperor Leopold I the guarantee, for the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, of rights equal to those of the Latin Church. Indignant at the union which freed so many Romanian priests previously subject to servitude like the peasants, the Calvinist Hungarian nobles attempted with atrocious persecutions and acts of terror to prevent or destroy the union accomplished. Therefore A. convoked on 5 Sept. 1700 a general synod at Alba Julia, a memorable assembly of the Transylvanian Romanians, in which, besides the bishop, 54 archpriests and 1563 Romanian priests declared that they had « freely believed, by divine impulse, the union with the Roman Catholic Church and considered themselves members of the holy Roman Catholic Church ».
Having returned from Vienna, where he was confirmed as Greek-Catholic bishop for Transylvania, A. took possession on 25 June 1701 of his diocese in the cathedral of Alba Julia, in the presence of a great multitude of priests and faithful from all Transylvania. He presided over synods in 1701, 1702, 1703, 1705, etc., promoting the cause of the union, which, although it encountered the most tenacious opposition of the Calvinists and the Greeks (the patriarch of Constantinopleexcommunicated A. in 1702), succeeded in making greater headway among the Transylvanian Romanians, also through the merit of the faith and zeal of the priests. A. is rightly considered the true founder of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church.
Bibliography7 worksP. Maior, Istoria besearicei Românilor, Buda 1813; J. Fiedler, Die Union der Walchen in Siebenbürgen, Vienna 1858; I. Crisan, Beitrag zur Ge
BIBL.: P. Maior, Istoria besearicei Românilor, Buda 1813; J. Fiedler, Die Union der Walchen in Siebenbürgen, Vienna 1858; I. Crisan, Beitrag zur Geschichte der kirchlichen Union der Rumänen in Siebenbürgen unter Leopold I., Hermannstadt 1882; T. Cipariu, Acte si fragmente latine romanesc pentru istoria besearicei romane mai alesu unite, Blasiu 1885; N. Nilles, Symbolae ad illustrandum hist. eccl. orient., Innsbruck 1885; G. Popovici, Unionea Românilor din Transilvania cu biserica romano-cattolica sub împăratul Leopold I, Lugoj 1901; E. Dăianu, La mormântul mitropolitului Atanasie Anghel, Blai 1912.
Isopescu, Claudio. “Anghel, atanasio.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. I, col. 1264. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1948. https://azioneromana.com/article/anghel-atanasio.
MLA
Isopescu, Claudio. “Anghel, atanasio.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. I, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1948, col. 1264. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/anghel-atanasio.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec1_anghel_atanasio,
author = {Isopescu, Claudio},
title = {Anghel, atanasio},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {I},
pages = {1264},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1948},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/anghel-atanasio}
}
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