Importance of Theological Education
Theology that would not be relevant would be false theology. This was the claim of H. Boullard, and some reflections on the future, as well as evaluations of the past during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of this Seminary, aligned with this perspective. In this context, it was heartening to hear and read the praises of many who recognized this college as an indispensable institution in the higher education system of the Republic of Croatia and beyond, as well as a central theological institution for Reformation heritage churches in the post-communist world.
In more than 50 countries today, you will find spiritual workers, pastors, priests, professors, evangelists, catechists, scientists, writers, and other cultural workers, as well as even politicians, who studied at this college in Osijek. Both the college and the city of Osijek can take pride in these unique ambassadors of our city.
The decision to establish a higher theological institution was made during the Croatian Spring, although the need for such a school in Croatia had been discussed as early as the 1930s. The formal establishment of a residential study program (Biblical-Theological Institute) was preceded by a ten-year correspondence Bible school initiated by Pastor Dragutin Volf. The Zagreb Institute was officially inaugurated on October 1, 1972. On that occasion, a fruitful international theological symposium was held, attended by leading figures of all Reformation heritage churches in the country, representatives of the Zagreb Faculty of Theology and the Theological Society, Kršćanska sadašnjost, and distinguished international guests.
When the commencement of regular studies in Osijek was marked in 1983 with an interdenominational gathering at the Osijek synagogue, some speakers highlighted a fascinating historical note. Namely, in the city on the Drava River, in the Franciscan Monastery in Tvrđa, great spiritual predecessors resided, studied, and taught. These included renowned translators of the Holy Scripture, such as Matija Petar Katančić, and other prominent Slavonian intellectuals, like poets Ivan Velikanović and Josip Pavišević, grammarian Marijan Lanosović, and for a time, Blaž Tadijanović, a provincial and writer, and the uncle of poet Dragutin Tadijanović.
The history of higher theological education in Osijek dates back to 1707 when a three-year Higher Theological School, Studium Philosophicum Essekini, was established. Another higher theological school was founded in 1725 as Studium Theologicum Essekini, operating in the monastery in Tvrđa as a Franciscan theological institution. In 1735, both schools were elevated to Studium Generale Theologicum Primae Clossi by decree of Joseph ab Ebora. The first printing house in Slavonia also operated under the auspices of Osijek’s theological school, although the Franciscans were later forced to sell it to a private owner in Osijek due to poverty. Emperor Joseph II closed Osijek’s theological faculty in 1783. Exactly 200 years later, in 1983, though ecclesiastically defined differently, the Evangelical Theological Seminary in the same city began regular studies, which have since evolved into a significant, internationally recognized, interdenominational theological seminary. This ecumenically oriented and European-focused historical fact is of considerable and authoritative significance, whose multifaceted dimensions, potential, and symbolism are yet to be fully discovered and appreciated. Matija Petar Katančić would have been proud of this Seminary, and certainly, he would have been one of its leading ETS biblical studies professors if he lived in our time.
The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek welcomed democracy. It would be unjust not to emphasize how its professors, through public appearances and publications, significantly contributed to the processes of democratization and the accompanying pluralization of societal spaces, affirming universal civilizational values and promoting and protecting human rights. From its inception, the Seminary has emphasized not only practical evangelism and pastoral work but also the importance of theological thought that has shaped European culture for centuries and, in its Reformation form, contributed to progress in political democracy, economic enterprise, education, and scientific advancement. During the dominance of the Marxist worldview, ETS staff brought European ideas to these areas, expanded the horizons of freedom, and opposed official views that marginalized theologians and spiritual leaders, portraying them as second-rate or even reactionary academics preoccupied with issues that the modern world, grounded in instrumentalized science and ideologically aligned with Marx, Lenin, and Tito, had long relegated to the dustbin of history.
Dogmatism and the totalitarian system went to the dustbin of history. The theologically evangelical seminary, while open to contemporary ideas, has developed scientific and educational cooperation with numerous theological colleges and universities worldwide, striving to contribute to Osijek’s becoming a significant university center.
Since 2002, when the college formally changed its name to the Visoko evanđeosko teološko učilište, and later in 2023 to the Evanđeosko teološko veleučilište, the institution has continuously developed its material base, teaching spaces, didactic equipment, library with specialized collections, and teaching staff. The college has successfully undergone several international academic evaluations and, since 2018, holds permission to deliver its study programs from the relevant Ministry as well as the European Council for Theological Education.