Background: The 17th century was marked by tragic religious conflicts and the Thirty Years’ War. The polarization of the Western Church, begun by ‘The First Reformation’, was deepened during this period by the emergence of new denominations. These factors forced political and church leaders to consider more effective forms of interstate and interchurch relations. In Protestant theology was formed the ideological program of ‘The Second Reformation’, which was associated with social and scientific progress and was to prepare mankind for the Millennial Kingdom. The implementation of this program required overcoming the contradictions between the Protestant churches: therefore, the mainstream of ‘The Second Reformation’ was irenicism, which during the Thirty Years’ War went beyond the narrow confessional boundaries. Purpose: On the example of church and scientific-educational activity of a Czech thinker John Amos Comenius shows the process of search by reformers of the 17th century the ways of religious understanding. The author of the article proves rethinking by John Comenius of irenic projects in favor of the ecumenical model, which would synthesize the ideas of humanism, pacifism and religious tolerance. This model was embodied in his idea of the Universal Christianity as an integral element of social and spiritual harmony of the world. Results: The author of the article confirms the thesis that John Comenius’ ecumenical worldview was based on the spiritual tradition and ecclesiastical paradigm of the Czech Brotherhood, on scientific achievements and socio-ethical utopias of the Early Modern period, as well as on irenic projects of European reformers. Disappointed with the futility of the Colloquium Charitativum (1645), John Comenius proposed a new vision of the Universal Christianity, based on the rejection of the confessional traditions, which could not shake religious faith but instead caused theological controversy. He proposed the Universal Christianity, directed on the mutual respect of believers of different churches and their cooperation. According to John Comenius, such Universal Christianity can become a spiritual platform of religious peace. Key words: John Amos Comenius, Czech Brotherhood, ‘The Second Reformation’, irenicism, ecumenism.
У статті висвітлюються більш і менш відомі факти з життя Ієроніма Празького, розкривається його роль у формуванні богословської і суспільної думки чеської Реформації. З огляду на участь Ієроніма у міжнародній політиці короля Вацлава IV, з'ясовуються причини та обставини поїздки чеського реформатора у Литву і Русь. Автор доводить, що ця сторінка в історії раннього гусизму породжує чимало питань і потребує подальшого дослідження. Значна увага у статті приділена огляду джерел, давніх і сучасних наукових студій, що забезпечують всебічне розкриття постаті Ієроніма Празького. Ключові слова: Реформація, гуситський рух, Ієронім Празький, Констанцький собор, Велике князівство Литовське. З другої половини ХХ ст. світову історіографію збагатило чимало нових досліджень, присвячених Реформації, чільне місце серед яких посідають біографічні студії. Вони доповнили її персоналіями, які тривалий час перебували якби у тіні головних дійових осіб. Такою постаттю "другого плану" (Лаптева, 2005б) донедавна вважався чеський реформатор Ієронім Празький, який через "невиправдану байдужість до себе випав з уваги істориків багатьох поколінь" (Šmahel, 2015, s.82). Загалом ім'я Ієроніма з Праги неодноразово згадується в архівних документах з історії гуситського руху, наукових і популярних виданнях, що висвітлюють церковні події у Східній Європі пізнього Середньовіччя. У них він представлений як палкий прихильник і популяризатор учення англійського богослова Джона Вікліфа, соратник найвідомішого представника ранньої Реформації Яна Гуса і ще один її мученик, страчений у Констанці. Попри те, що діяльність та ідейна спадщина останніх доволі відомі, історичні документи про Ієроніма значною мірою фрагментарні і не позбавлені таємниць.
Background: The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation has caused the emergence of many new publications in Ukraine dedicated to this phenomenon. Biographical research were taken quite modest positions among them. The focus was on the figures of the Western European Reformation, whose biographies are widely represented in world historiography. However, many Slavonic reformers still undervalued. In particular, a little known in Ukrainian studies remains a Croatian humanist of the 16th century Matija Vlačić (Matthias Flacius Illyricus). Purpose: The author put forward the task to acquaint the Ukrainian reader with the biography and creativity of the Croatian thinker, as well as to reveal his role in church processes, the development of theological and scientific knowledge in Early Modern Europe. To achieve this, the article is divided into several thematic blocks. The first covers the main pages of life and activity of Matija Vlačić as a Lutheran theologian, polemicist, enlightener, and scholar, the second – summarizes the early and modern studies devoted to Vlačić. The following two thematic blocks relate to his scholarly heritage in the fields of Biblical exegesis and hermeneutics (based on his “Clavis Scripturae”), сhurch history, and critical study of sources (based on “Catalogus testium Veritatis” and role of Vlačić in the creation of “Ecclesiastica Historia” – “Magdeburg Centuries”). Results: The author pays tribute to the scientific achievements of many scholars who have done important work in the study of personality of Matija, and supports the opinion expressed in contemporary historiography of his role in protection of Martin Luther’s reform. The article confirms significant of Vlačić contribution to the development of new principles of exegetics and its rise on the level of Biblical studies, and to the laying down the foundations of scientific hermeneutics and textology. The author traced use by Matija Vlačić his methods of exegetics in the study of historical documents and the comprehension of church history. An attempt at such use is his historical work “Catalogus testium Veritatis”, which can be regarded as an early experience which found a more serious incarnation in “Magdeburg Centuries”. Despite the obvious for the 16th century scientific achievements of “Catalogus” and “Centuries” polemical and ideological tendentiousness of their authors made church-historical science an element of confessional confrontation in Post-Reformation Europe. Scientific methods of Vlačić were used by Andrzej Węgierski – theologian and historian in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the author of the chronicle “Slavonic Reformation”, which became factual material for the historical works of many scholars of Eastern Europe. Key words: Reformation, Croatia, Matija Vlačić (Matthias Flacius Illyricus), exegetics, hermeneutics, сhurch history, “Clavis Scripturae”, “Catalogustestium Veritatis”, “Magdeburg Centuries”.
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