Studying From Memory

“My time in prison was a period of theocratic training,” reflects András Molnos. Why could he say that? Because he saw the value of assembling with his brothers every week to study God’s Word. “Often,” says András, “the information was not on paper but in minds. Brothers would recall Watchtower articles they had studied prior to their imprisonment. A few brothers could even remember the contents of an entire magazine​—including the questions in the study articles!” In some cases, this exceptional recall could be attributed to the work of hand copying spiritual food, which some inmates had done prior to their arrest.​—See the box “Duplication Methods,” on pages 132-3.

When planning Christian meetings, responsible brothers announced the subject to be considered, and each inmate tried to recall all that he could on that topic, from Scripture texts to points gleaned from Christian Bible study aids. Finally, everyone met to discuss the material. At the meeting they selected a conductor who, after the opening prayer, led the discussion by asking appropriate questions. When everyone else had commented, he presented his thoughts and then moved on to the next point.

In some prisons, discussion groups were forbidden. But the brothers’ ingenuity knew no bounds. Recalls one brother: “We used to take the bathroom window out of its frame and paint the glass with a mixture of moist soap and lime that we had scraped off the wall. When dry, this instrument became a workable writing tablet, enabling us to inscribe the lesson for the day. One brother quietly dictated the words while another wrote them on the tablet.

“We were divided into several prison cells, which became study groups. Each lesson was passed from brother to brother within the cell. Because only one cell had the tablet, the brothers in the other cells received the information by Morse code. How so? As quietly as possible, one of us would tap out the article on the wall or on the heating pipes. At the same time, the brothers in the other cells would hold their cups against the wall or the pipe, and each one would put his ear to his cup, which served as a listening device. Naturally, those who did not know Morse code had to learn it.”

[Box/​Picture on page 124, 125]

We Recalled 1,600 Bible Verses

Dionisie Vârciu

Born: 1926

Baptized: 1948

Profile: Beginning in 1959, he spent just over five years in several prisons and work camps. He died in 2002.

During our imprisonment we were allowed to communicate with our families, and they were permitted to send us a ten-pound [5 kg] gift package each month. Only those who finished their work assignments received their package. We always shared the food equally, which usually meant dividing it into about 30 portions. In one instance, we did this with two apples. True, each portion was small, but it helped to alleviate our hunger.

Even though we had no Bibles or Bible study aids, we maintained our spiritual strength by recalling the things we had learned before our confinement and by sharing these things with one another. Our arrangement was that every morning a brother would call to mind a Bible verse. We then repeated this text in an undertone and meditated on it during our compulsory morning walk, which took 15 to 20 minutes. Back in our cell​—20 of us were packed into a room measuring 7 by 13 feet [2m by 4m]—​we commented on that verse for about 30 minutes. Between us, we were able to recall 1,600 Bible verses. At noon we considered various topics, including some 20 to 30 associated scriptures. Everybody memorized the material.

One brother initially felt that he was too old to memorize many Bible texts. However, he had underestimated his ability. After hearing us repeat the passages out loud about 20 times, he too was able to recall and recite a large number of scriptures, much to his delight!

True, we were physically hungry and weak, but Jehovah kept us spiritually fed and strong. Even after we were released, we had to maintain our spirituality because the Securitate kept harassing us, hoping to break our faith.