Misplaced Pages

#570429

59-847: The place on which Ebermannstadt is located today was already named imperial " villa Ebermarstad " in 981. At one point later it became the possession of the Schlüsselberger family. In 1430, the Hussites destroyed the place. Again, Ebermannstadt faced destructions during the Second Margrave War in 1552, the Thirty Years' War and finally in 1796 when the French army passed through the town. Albrecht Dürer stayed in Ebermannstadt in 1515 and painted an oil-painting of

118-487: A peasant , but this description is at odds with his ability to live in Prague from 1419 to 1421, his rudimentary knowledge of Latin , and the time he was able to devote to literary, political, and religious pursuits. It is certain that he was unusually literate for a medieval man without a regular academic education. After 1421, he lived and farmed in the village of Chelčice , near Vodňany . He produced 56 known works, but

177-668: A Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus ( fl. 1401–1415), a part of the Bohemian Reformation . After the execution of Hus at the Council of Constance , a series of crusades, civil wars, victories and compromises between various factions with different theological agendas broke out. At the end of the Hussite Wars (1420–1434), the now Catholic -supported Utraquist side came out victorious from conflict with

236-544: A fierce resistance to five consecutive crusades proclaimed on Hussite Bohemia by the Papacy . Hussites were one of the most important forerunners of the Protestant Reformation . This predominantly religious movement was propelled by social issues and strengthened Czech national awareness. The Council of Constance lured Jan Hus in with a letter of indemnity, then tried him for heresy and put him to death at

295-404: A strict adherence to the principle of sola scriptura and read the bible in the vernacular. His strict adherence to sola scriptura caused Petr Chelčický to occasionally contradict John Wycliffe and other Hussites . He rejected the papacy and Catholic hierarchy, believing that the early church had no pope, kings, lords, inquisitions or crusaders. Peter believed that purgatory is an example of

354-462: Is Within You . "The man who obeys God needs no other authority (over him)."  — Petr Chelčický As early as 1420, Chelčický taught that violence should not be used in religious matters. Chelčický used the parable of the wheat and the tares ( Matthew 13:24–30 ) to show that both the sinners and the saints should be allowed to live together until the harvest. He thought that it is wrong to kill even

413-721: Is a creature of the state and rises and falls with it. According to Karl Kautsky in Communism in Central Europe in the Time of the Reformation , "The nature of the first organisation of the Bohemian Brethren is not at all clear, as the later Brothers were ashamed of their communistic origin, and endeavoured to conceal it in every possible way." Some of Chelčický's statements tend to indicate that he thought only

472-572: Is a part of the process of salvation which included instruction, confirmation and discipleship. He additionally rejected transubstantiation but did not hold to memorialism which was taught by radical Hussites. Petr Chelčický based his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, renouncing violence, bearing arms and oaths. He also supported ascetism and believed celibacy to be a holier state than marriage. Chelčický opposed indulgences and paying masses for

531-416: Is evil and that Christians should not participate in political struggles. Petr Chelčický advocated for baptism to be generally administered to those who are of later age. However he did not completely forbid infant baptism, allowing it if the parents would assure their education in the faith. He additionally did not propose re-baptism. Petr Chelčický did not believe that baptism by itself could save but

590-673: The " Unitas Fratrum " already in 1457. Under Emperor Maximilian II , the Bohemian state assembly established the Confessio Bohemica , upon which Lutherans , Reformed, and Bohemian Brethren agreed. From that time forward Hussitism began to die out. After the Battle of White Mountain on 8 November 1620 the Roman Catholic Faith was re-established with vigour, which fundamentally changed the religious conditions of

649-557: The Czech lands . Leaders and members of Unitas Fratrum were forced to choose to either leave the many and varied southeastern principalities of what was the Holy Roman Empire (mainly Austria , Hungary , Bohemia , Moravia and parts of Germany and its many states), or to practice their beliefs secretly. As a result, members were forced underground and dispersed across northwestern Europe. The largest remaining communities of

SECTION 10

#1732775437571

708-689: The Habsburg monarchy as Czechoslovakia (due to Masaryk and Czechoslovak legions with Hussite tradition, in the name of the troops). Today, the Hussite tradition is represented in the Moravian Church , Unity of the Brethren , and Czechoslovak Hussite Church . Hussitism organised itself during the years 1415–1419. Hussites were not a unitary movement, but a diverse one with multiple factions that held different views and opposed each other in

767-467: The Hussite Wars . From the beginning, there formed two parties, with a smaller number of people withdrawing from both parties around the pacifist Petr Chelčický , whose teachings would form the foundation of the Unitas Fratrum . Hussites can be divided into: The more conservative Hussites (the moderate party, or Utraquists ), who followed Hus more closely, sought to conduct reform while leaving

826-666: The Taborites and became the dominant Hussite group in Bohemia. Catholics and Utraquists were given legal equality in Bohemia after the religious peace of Kutná Hora in 1485. Bohemia and Moravia , or what is now the territory of the Czech Republic , remained majority Hussite for two centuries until Roman Catholicism was reimposed by the Holy Roman Emperor following the 1620 Battle of White Mountain during

885-540: The Thirty Years' War . The Hussite tradition continues in the Moravian Church , Unity of the Brethren and the refounded Czechoslovak Hussite churches. The Hussite movement began in the Kingdom of Bohemia and quickly spread throughout the remaining Lands of the Bohemian Crown , including Moravia and Silesia . It also made inroads into the northern parts of the Kingdom of Hungary (now Slovakia ), but

944-560: The Utraquists . The radicals preached the "sufficientia legis Christi" —the divine law (i.e. the Bible ) is the sole rule and canon for human society, not only in the church, but also in political and civil matters. They rejected therefore, as early as 1416, everything that they believed had no basis in the Bible, such as the veneration of saints and images, fasts , superfluous holidays,

1003-409: The clergy and the middle class . He describes how they subjected the common people and rode them "as if they were beasts". His most comprehensive work, written around 1443 and one of his last, was Sieť viery pravé ("The Net of True Faith"). He shows how the apostles treated all people as equals, and considered Christ as the only head. It was in this book that he argued that the emperor and

1062-539: The ecumenical Council of Basel on October 15, 1431. The discussions began on 10 January 1432, focusing chiefly on the four articles of Prague . No agreement emerged. After repeated negotiations between the Basel Council and Bohemia, a Bohemian–Moravian state assembly in Prague accepted the " Compactata " of Prague on 30 November 1433. The agreement granted communion in both kinds to all who desired it, but with

1121-516: The monastic clergy, and his desire to return the Church to its supposed condition during the time of the apostles. This required the removal of the existing hierarchy and the secularisation of ecclesiastical possessions. Above all they clung to Wycliffe's doctrine of the Lord's Supper , denying transubstantiation , and this is the principal point by which they are distinguished from the moderate party,

1180-791: The Brethren ( Jednota Bratrská ), and even the Baptist Union in the Czech Republic (also known as the Unity of Brethren Baptists ). Important similarities can be seen between his teachings and the Continental Anabaptists , and, to a lesser extent, the English Baptists , though no direct connections have been shown to exist. He emphasized the New Testament as the exclusive and final source to know

1239-804: The Brethren were located in Lissa ( Leszno ) in Poland, which had historically strong ties with the Czechs, and in small, isolated groups in Moravia. Some, among them Jan Amos Comenius , fled to western Europe, mainly the Low Countries . A settlement of Hussites in Herrnhut , Saxony, now Germany, in 1722 caused the emergence of the Moravian Church . In 1918, as a result of World War I , the Czech lands regained independence from Austria-Hungary controlled by

SECTION 20

#1732775437571

1298-537: The Church corrupting the New Testament by adding traditions, thus he denied the doctrine of purgatory. Chelčický called the Pope and the emperor (the church and the state) "whales who have torn the net of true faith" because they established the church as the head of a secular empire. Chelčický believed that Christians should follow the law of love and so should not be compelled by state authority. He taught that

1357-694: The Roman Catholics and destroyed the Taborites at the Battle of Lipany on 30 May 1434. From that time, the Taborites lost their importance, though the Hussite movement would continue in Poland for another five years, until the Royalist forces of Poland defeated the Polish Hussites at the Battle of Grotniki . The state assembly of Jihlava in 1436 confirmed the "Compactata" and gave them

1416-709: The Roman Church. This he refused, leading to the Bohemian–Hungarian War (1468–1478) . His successor, King Vladislaus II , favored the Roman Catholics and proceeded against some zealous clergymen of the Calixtines. The troubles of the Utraquists increased from year to year. In 1485, at the Diet of Kutná Hora , an agreement was made between the Roman Catholics and Utraquists that lasted for thirty-one years. It

1475-517: The Taborites now went over to the party of the Utraquists; the rest joined the "Brothers of the Law of Christ" ( Latin : "Unitas Fratrum" ) (see history of the Moravian Church ). In 1462, Pope Pius II declared the "Compacta" null and void, prohibited communion in both kinds, and acknowledged King George of Podebrady as king on condition that he would promise an unconditional harmony with

1534-517: The West to take up arms against the Hussites, declaring a crusade, and twelve years of warfare followed. The Hussites initially campaigned defensively, but after 1427 they assumed the offensive. Apart from their religious aims, they fought for the national interests of the Czechs. The moderate and radical parties were united, and they not only repelled the attacks of the army of crusaders but crossed

1593-458: The believer should not accept government office or even appeal to its authority, as for the true believer to take part in government was sinful . He argued that capital punishment and other forms of violent punishment were wrong. His positions on government are similar to the Christian anarchist principles of Leo Tolstoy . Tolstoy praised Chelčický's work in his 1894 book The Kingdom of God

1652-516: The borders into neighboring countries. On March 23, 1430, Joan of Arc dictated a letter that threatened to lead a crusading army against the Hussites unless they returned to the Catholic faith, but her capture by English and Burgundian troops two months later would keep her from carrying out this threat. Eventually, the opponents of the Hussites found themselves forced to consider an amicable settlement. The Hussites were sent an invitation to attend

1711-401: The country and Roman Catholic priests were reinstated. These measures caused a general commotion which hastened the death of King Wenceslaus by a paralytic stroke in 1419. His heir was Sigismund. The news of the death of King Wenceslaus in 1419 produced a great commotion among the people of Prague. A revolution swept over the country: churches and monasteries were destroyed, and church property

1770-536: The dead. Later he protested against the Utraquists making compromises with the Catholic church, seeing it as a reunion with the Antichrist. Chelčický held that apostolic succession is not determined by laying on of hands but it is a matter of the clergy following the teaching of Christ. Chelčický is the author of approximately 50 treatises that have survived until today. All are written in Czech . O boji duchovním ("On Spiritual Warfare"), written in 1421,

1829-469: The effects of this popular anger. The treatment of Hus was felt to be a disgrace inflicted upon the whole country and his death was seen as a criminal act. King Wenceslaus IV. , prompted by his grudge against Sigismund, at first gave free vent to his indignation at the course of events in Constance . His wife openly favoured the friends of Hus. Avowed Hussites stood at the head of the government. A league

Ebermannstadt - Misplaced Pages Continue

1888-422: The enactments of the Council of Constance . He wished to eradicate completely the doctrine of Hus, for which purpose the co-operation of King Wenceslaus had to be obtained. In 1418, Sigismund succeeded in winning his brother over to the standpoint of the council by pointing out the inevitability of a religious war if the heretics in Bohemia found further protection. Hussite statesmen and army leaders had to leave

1947-600: The example of Jesus and the Gospel was an example of peace. Chelčický believed that there must be complete equality in the Christian community. He said there should be no rich or poor since the Christian relinquished all property and status. He maintained that Christians could expel evil persons from their community but could not compel them to be good. He believed in equality but that the state should not force it upon society and went so far as to proffer that social inequality

2006-414: The foundation of the Unity of the Brethren . Petr Chelčický is thought to have been born in southern Bohemia in about 1390, although one theory puts his birth as early as 1374. Very little is known about his personal history. Different historians have called him a serf , an independent farmer, a squire , a nobleman , a cobbler, a priest , and a Waldensian . On one occasion, Chelčický called himself

2065-533: The immorality and violence of the contemporary church and state. He proposed a number of Bible-based improvements for human society, including nonresistance , which influenced humanitarians Tolstoy, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. Paradoxically, the main part of the Hussite movement rejected his teachings of nonviolence, which eventually led to much violence among the Hussite movement. Chelcicky's teachings laid

2124-656: The majority remain unpublished and inaccessible except in the original manuscripts. His thinking was influenced by Thomas of Štítný , John Wycliffe , Jan Hus , and the Waldensian tradition. He died around 1460. Petr Chelčický's teachings included ideas later adopted by the Moravians , Anabaptists , Quakers , and Baptists . He was the first pacifist writer of the Renaissance , predating Erasmus and Menno Simons by nearly 100 years. Petr Chelčický believed in

2183-536: The oath, intercession for the dead, auricular Confession , indulgences , the sacraments of Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick , and chose their own priests. The radicals had their gathering-places all around the country. Their first armed assault fell on the small town of Ústí, on the river Lužnice, south of Prague (today's Sezimovo Ústí ). However, as the place did not prove to be defensible, they settled in

2242-431: The poor were genuine Christians. Chelčický criticized the use of force in matters of faith . He taught that the Christian should strive for righteousness of his own free will but must not force others to be good and that goodness should be voluntary. He believed that the Christian must love God and one's neighbor and that is the way to convert people rather than by compulsion. He maintained that any type of compulsion

2301-414: The pope were the two great whales that burst the net of faith. He also includes extensive commentary on the Council of Basel . Chelčický has been called "the foremost thinker of the 15th-century Czech Hussite Reformation movement ." He certainly was an influential thinker among the Bohemian brethren of his day. Beyond his own time, his influence can be seen in the Moravians ( Unitas Fratrum ), Unity of

2360-405: The remains of an older town upon a hill not far away and founded a new town, which they named Tábor (a play on words, as "Tábor" not only meant "camp" or "encampment" in Czech , but is also the traditional name of the mountain on which Jesus was expected to return; see Mark 13 ); hence they were called Táborité ( Taborites ). They comprised the essential force of the radical Hussites. Their aim

2419-514: The sanction of law. This accomplished the reconciliation of Bohemia with Rome and the Western Church, and at last Sigismund obtained possession of the Bohemian crown. His reactionary measures caused a ferment in the whole country, but he died in 1437. The state assembly in Prague rejected Wyclif's doctrine of the Lord's Supper, which was obnoxious to the Utraquists , as heresy in 1444. Most of

Ebermannstadt - Misplaced Pages Continue

2478-494: The sanction of the law; but he refused, and approached the newly formed Roman Catholic League of lords, whose members pledged themselves to support the king, the Catholic Church , and the council. The prospect of a civil war began to emerge. Prior to becoming pope, Martin V , then known as Cardinal Otto of Colonna had attacked Hus with relentless severity. He energetically resumed the battle against Hus's teaching after

2537-404: The sinful and that Christians should refuse military service . He argued that if the poor refused, the lords would have no one to go to war for them. Chelčický taught that no physical power can destroy evil , and that Christians should accept persecution without retaliating. He believed that even defensive war was the worst evil and thought that soldiers were no more than murderers. He believed

2596-529: The social order of the time. The Taborites usually had the support of the Orebites (later called Orphans), an eastern Bohemian sect of Hussitism based in Hradec Králové . Petr Chel%C4%8Dick%C3%BD Petr Chelčický ( Czech: [ˈpɛtr̩ ˈxɛltʃɪtskiː] ; c. 1390 – c. 1460) was a Czech Christian spiritual leader and author in the 15th century Bohemia , now the Czech Republic . He

2655-473: The stake on 6 July 1415. The arrest of Hus in 1414 caused considerable resentment in Czech lands . The authorities of both countries appealed urgently and repeatedly to King Sigismund to release Jan Hus. When news of his death at the Council of Constance arrived, disturbances broke out, directed primarily against the clergy and especially against the monks. Even the Archbishop narrowly escaped from

2714-654: The town are the Maria Chapel and the neoroman Nicholas Church. Old Franconian timbered buildings are located near the market place with Maria Well. Landmark of the town is the scoop wheel from 1606 on the Wiesent . Feuerstein Castle, which was built only in 1941 in the style of Franconian castles, stands out above the town. The largest companies in Ebermannstadt are Hussite The Hussites ( Czech : Husité or Kališníci , "Chalice People"; Latin : Hussitae ) were

2773-564: The town. Ebermannstadt is a state-approved resort town with an open-air swimming pool, campground in the district of Rothenbühl , golf course in the district of Kanndorf and a sport airfield on top of the Feuerstein. During clear nights, there are guided tours at the Observatory Feuerstein. Thanks to the excellent conditions, it is possible to get a very good view of the universe. The most important sacred buildings of

2832-447: The understanding that Christ was entirely present in each kind, though on the condition that the rest of the Hussite reforms would no longer be emphasised. Free preaching was granted conditionally: the Church hierarchy had to approve and place priests, and the power of the bishop must be considered. The article which prohibited the secular power of the clergy was almost reversed. The Taborites refused to conform. The Calixtines united with

2891-502: The university and among the citizens of Prague; they were therefore called the Prague Party, but also Calixtines (Latin calix chalice) or Utraquists (Latin utraque both), because they emphasized the second article of Prague, and the chalice became their emblem. The more radical parties, the Taborites , Orebites and Orphans , identified itself more boldly with the doctrines of John Wycliffe , sharing his passionate hatred of

2950-567: The whole hierarchical and liturgical order of the Church untouched. Their programme is contained in the Four Articles of Prague , which were written by Jacob of Mies and agreed upon in July 1420, promulgated in the Latin , Czech , and German languages. The full text is about two pages long, but they are often summarized as: The views of the moderate Hussites were widely represented at

3009-422: The will of God. He held two sacraments : baptism and the Lord's Supper . He encouraged people to read and interpret the Bible for themselves. Chelčický's work, specifically The Net of Faith , influenced Leo Tolstoy and is referenced in his book The Kingdom of God Is Within You . His name appears as Helchitsky in many English translations (following the Russian transliteration "Хельчицкий"). Whoever

SECTION 50

#1732775437571

3068-408: Was formed by certain lords, who pledged themselves to protect the free preaching of the Gospel upon all their possessions and estates and to obey the power of the Bishops only where their orders accorded with the injunctions of the Bible . The university would arbitrate any disputed points. The entire Hussite nobility joined the league. Other than verbal protest of the council's treatment of Hus, there

3127-400: Was his first major work. In it, Chelčický argued that the Taborites had participated in violence through the devil's deceit and the lust for the things of the world. He also criticized the chiliasts , opposed physical warfare and noted that obligations of debts gave lenders power over debtors. In O trojím lidu ("On the Triple Division of Society") Chelčický criticized the nobility ,

3186-438: Was little evidence of any actions taken by the nobility until 1417. At that point several of the lesser nobility and some barons, signatories of the 1415 protest letter, removed Catholic priests from their parishes, replacing them with priests willing to give communion in both wine and bread. The chalice of wine became the central identifying symbol of the Hussite movement. If the king had joined, its resolutions would have received

3245-456: Was one of the most influential thinkers of the Bohemian Reformation . Petr Chelčický inspired the Unitas Fratrum , who opposed transubstantiation and monasticism, insisting on pacifism and the primacy of scripture. There are multiple parallels with the teachings of the Anabaptists and Petr Chelčický. Czech Baptists have also expressed continuity with the Bohemian reformation by identifying with Petr Chelčický. His published works critiqued

3304-452: Was only later, at the Diet of 1512, that the equal rights of both religions were permanently established. The appearance of Martin Luther was hailed by the Utraquist clergy, and Luther himself was astonished to find so many points of agreement between the doctrines of Hus and his own. But not all Utraquists approved of the German Reformation ; a schism arose among them, and many returned to the Roman doctrine, while other elements had organised

3363-633: Was rejected and gained infamy for the plundering behaviour of the Hussite soldiers. There were also very small temporary communities in Poland-Lithuania and Transylvania which moved to Bohemia after being confronted with religious intolerance. It was a regional movement that failed to expand farther. Hussites emerged as a majority Utraquist movement with a significant Taborite faction, and smaller regional ones that included Adamites , Orebites and Orphans . Major Hussite theologians included Petr Chelčický , Jerome of Prague . A number of Czech national heroes were Hussite, including Jan Žižka , who led

3422-583: Was seized by the Hussite nobility. It was then, and remained till much later, in question whether Bohemia was a hereditary or an elective monarchy, especially as the line through which Sigismund claimed the throne had accepted that the Kingdom of Bohemia was an elective monarchy elected by the nobles, and thus the regent of the kingdom ( Čeněk of Wartenberg ) also explicitly stated that Sigismund had not been elected as reason for Sigismund's claim to not be accepted. Sigismund could get possession of "his" kingdom only by force of arms. Pope Martin V called upon Catholics of

3481-485: Was to destroy the enemies of the law of God, and to defend his kingdom (which had been expected to come in a short time) by the sword. Their end-of-world visions did not come true. In order to preserve their settlement and spread their ideology, they waged bloody wars; in the beginning they observed a strict regime, inflicting the severest punishment equally for murder, as for less severe faults as adultery, perjury and usury , and also tried to apply rigid Biblical standards to

#570429