Beke Daniel  was the eighth Superintendent of the Unitarian Churches in Transylvania. In the year 1638, while he was in possession of this office, a violent dispute arose among the Unitarians, and endangered their privileges, as one of the four favoured classes of religionists in that country. The origin, progress, and result of this dispute are thus described by the Rev. John Kenrick, M.A., in an interesting paper "On the History and actual Condition of the Unitarians in Transylvania."

"Matthias Rasoris, an Unitarian Minister, son of a Senator of the first rank, having been four times disappointed in his hope of obtaining the place of Superintendent, began to preach violently against the actual Superintendent, Daniel Beke, and accused him of heresy, &c. In consequence of this, a Synod and Diet were held at Dees, where the Prince [George Rakotzi, the Elder] presided in person, and Beke, to clear himself and the rest of the Unitarians from the charges against them, delivered a Confession of Faith, in which the worship of Christ is distinctly insisted upon. The summons to attend the Synod diffused great alarm among those who had refused this worship, and it is said that many of them went over to the Reformed Church, to which the Prince was zealously attached. It was decreed that this should in future be considered as the Creed of the Unitarian Church, and the test of their right to the privileges granted to the four established religions. At the same time, very severe laws were made against certain Judaizers, whom the orthodox writers are desirous of connecting with the Unitarians, with whom they had probably nothing in common but the profession of the Divine Unity. One of these persons was stoned to death at the Synod of Dees by the people, in a transport of indignation at his blasphemies." These Judaizers appear to have differed very little, if at all, from Francis Davidis, whose opinions long continued to be held by some of the most influential Ministers among the Unitarians in Transylvania.

(Vidend. Monthly Repository, Vol. XV. (1820) pp. 194, 195.)

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