From the Prodigal Son to the Last Judgement: Arian Parables of Conversion to Catholicism

Abstract

Sixteenth-century Polish-Lithuania was a multicultural country that took pride in its policy of religious tolerance. Among its many denominations was an Anabaptist sect known as the Polish Brethren or Arians. The relative openness of the society to conversion allowed individuals to explore a spectrum of religious options in search of a denomination that would fulfil their personal spiritual needs. Yet, such choices could sever friendships and family ties. The story of an Arian, Balcer Wilkowski, whose son Gaspar converted to Roman Catholicism, serves as a poignant example. Through literary analysis of his writing, this paper demonstrates how Wilkowski senior deployed scriptural references, and in particular the Parable of the Prodigal Son, to express his reaction to his son’s apostasy. While obligated by his own spiritual commitments to condemn Gaspar’s conversion, as a father he continued to search for a theological justification for the hope that his son might return to the Arian fold.