Pure love in the Confessions of Ferenc Rákóczi II

Abstract

Ferenc Rákóczi II is known primarily as the leader of the anti-Habsburg Hungarian War of Independence between 1703 and 1711, but in recent years there has been a growing interest in his literary work, too. Research has shed light on several aspects of moral problems represented in his Confessions, written in the early 18th century in Latin. The defining element of the self-understanding in the Confessions is the anthropological concept that classifies human actions according to whether they are motivated by self-love or the love of God. The condemnation of sins of self-love is therefore a recurring theme in Rákóczi's spiritual autobiography. However, the fact that the opposite of self-love, the concept of pure love also appears in the Confessions has not been noticed so far. The analysis of the description of earthly loves and the sometimes ambivalent reflections on them can contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the moral discourse of the Confessions.