Jonathan Wietoris

* 1738. April 27. Kuntapolca - † 1802. October 31. Sopron / Lutheran pastor, rector of the Sopron Lyceum ; ; Wietoris Jonathán was born on April 27, 1738 in Kuntapolca, Gömör County. His father was a pastor, and he was also trained as one. He completed his domestic schools in Dobsina, Késmárk and Sopron. From there he went to the university in Germany, in Jena. The university also determined Wietoris' personality and worldview. He returned home and was elected rector in Csetneken in 1763. A year later he became co-rector in Sopron, then rector in 1785, and was installed in his office as professor primarius on July 1, 1786. He resigned from his position as rector in 1794 and worked as co-rector until his death on October 31, 1802. He married into a respectable bourgeois family from Sopron: he married Mária Rozina Schneller in 1770, and they had five children. ; János Kis described his former teacher in his “Memories” as follows: “With his almost majestic height and well-proportioned physique, his naturally handsome appearance, his pleasant demeanor, and his conversational style that happily combined seriousness and gentleness, Wietoris easily managed to win over kindness and respect everywhere.” “…my love was later greatly enhanced by respect and gratitude, both for his teaching, with which he enlightened my mind in many ways, and especially for the boundless goodness and kindness, which he communicated with the greatest readiness when asked of him for his benefit.” ; Wietoris became the understanding, helpful friend of the youth and the supporter of his budding self-education. At the time of the establishment of the Hungarian Society of the Lutheran Lyceum, the school was headed by an enlightened rector who, because he often made rationalist statements in front of the youth that were contrary to church doctrine, was subject to attacks from the Orthodox church leadership. His connection with the other great poet of the lyceum: Dániel Berzsenyi, is no longer so pleasant. Wietoris entered the well-known judgment next to Dániel Berzsenyi's name in the school register: "mores non probavit" (did not comply with the rules); His teaching method was judged in various ways, - but everyone remembers him as someone who had a great influence on the youth, as someone who was very popular with the youth. His scientific preparation, as Kis writes, “was far above mediocrity, especially in terms of Hungarian history, human and world history, and enlightenment. His usefulness was also enhanced by his illustrious library, in which selected works from the categories of philosophy, fine literature, and especially Hungarian things were found, and of the latter, the great Count Ferenc Széchenyi later bought several for the library he donated to the country.” ; Wietoris has no major published works, except for two poems, and his work is still known to few people today. His contemporaries, such as the scholar Jesuit Horányi or the historian György Hrabovszky, often referred to his historical research. Wietoris’ manuscripts relate almost exclusively to Hungarian history and the history of the Hungarian Protestant church. Some of his manuscripts are from the Sopron ev. lyceum library, but most of them are in the National Museum, where they were donated by Ferenc Széchenyi. The subject matter of his manuscripts is very rich: historical, literary history, church history works, school organization proposals, curricula are included in this circle. He died in Sopron on October 31, 1802. ; ; Literature: ; - Wietoris Jonathán, rector of the Sopron ev. lyceum. (1738-1802). In: Soproni szemle. (6. évf.) 4. sz. (1942) p. 300-303. ; - Kovács Sándor: The history of the Hungarian Society of the Sopron Evangelical Lyceum, 1790-1890 Budapest: Hungarian Society, 1890. ; - István Schneider: The Evangelical Lyceum of Sopron in the Age of Ratios History of Education 2008. YEAR – 1-2. ISSUE; - Géza Bodolay (1963): Literary Student Associations 1785-1848. Budapest, Akadémiai Kiadó. ; Internet: http://feherkatalin.hanoi.hu/upld/3.9diaktars.pdf