The Life and Work of Gerő Szász

This thesis examines the life and work of Gerő Szász, a Reformed pastor, editor, and poet, who was a significant yet today little-known figure in the Protestant ecclesiastical and intellectual life of 19th-century Transylvania. The aim of the research is to shed new light on this multifaceted personality through the study of his preserved manuscripts, sermons, funeral orations, letters, and journalistic writings, and to interpret his role within and beyond the church in the public and social processes of his time. Particular attention is given to Szász's public conflicts, editorial work (especially with Protestáns Közlöny), literary contributions, and his involvement in the relocation of the Theological Faculty to Cluj (Kolozsvár). His activity reflects a church and societal vision grounded in the close interweaving of faith, national identity, and freedom. His life exemplifies the harmony of vocation, communal responsibility, and intellectual independence, while also provoking numerous debates in his own era. This study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the Transylvanian Reformed heritage by offering a renewed reading of Gerő Szász’s legacy, and to encourage further historical and biographical research into figures marginalized within church history.