Page 171 - Vinkler, Jonatan. 2021. »Češka gos«, Božji bojevniki, obstranci: češka »reformacija pred reformacijo« in njeni evropski ter slovenski konteksti, ideariji in imaginariji. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut
P. 171
summary
question of church authority – becomes the subject of debate and identifica
tion in the vernacular folk culture, and then develops into a movement and
finally into a new church. After accepting the Compactata of Jihlava (1436),
the Hussite party spoke with a sin- gle, unified political voice, which was not
the case in practical religious life. For although the Taborites with their rad
ical anti-Rome theology were also pressed into a subordinate position and
the Utraquist Church at least outwardly acted in a unified way, there re
mained groups and circles that were not satisfied either with adjusting with
Catholics or with the situation in which the Church, including the Hussite
Church, actually found itself. Consequently they clustered around individ
ual preachers and tried, at least within a narrow circle of fellow thinkers, to
practise a Christianity which would be as similar as possible – in its morals
and Christian life – to the early apostolic church. The first such circles and
groups began to form in Prague around 1450.
At the very beginning, the Czech Brethren were beyond the law, for in
their theology and their behaviour they were far away from the dogmas of
the Roman Church, which was true also of the Utraquist Church in the Czech
kingdom: 1) they repudiated the dogma of the Roman Church concerning the
transubstantiation of the bread and wine at the Lord’s supper; 2) they did not
wish to bow before the host; 3) they did not believe that a priest living in sin,
merely through handing out the sacrament (ex opere operato), would be con
secrated; 4) because of their literal understanding of the Sermon on the Mount
they did not wish to give oaths. Most of all, they were far from agreement with
the Utraquist and Catholic Churches, and thus outside the rights granted by
the Compactata of Jihlava on the question of the in- vestiture of priests. Here,
it seems, they broke with the tradition of apostolic succession and the conse
cration of priests in the Roman Church, since they thought there could not be
true priests in that church. The Czech Brethren therefore wanted to separate
from such a type of priesthood. Since they did not find a model for their own
manner of consecration either in the Orthodox Church or the Waldensian
Church, they finally decided on the consecration of priests who were select
ed by lot from among the believers, although taking into account their func
tions, knowledge, gifts, and especially their exemplary Christian life, all of
which ought to indicate the capability of these people for priestly service.
Even before Luther, the Christian Renaissance influenced the Czech
Brethren; this developed in Italy as a part of humanism and then eas
ily spread through Europe. The Czech Brethren were not unknown to
Luther even before 1517, since their writings were published from 1511 in the
171
question of church authority – becomes the subject of debate and identifica
tion in the vernacular folk culture, and then develops into a movement and
finally into a new church. After accepting the Compactata of Jihlava (1436),
the Hussite party spoke with a sin- gle, unified political voice, which was not
the case in practical religious life. For although the Taborites with their rad
ical anti-Rome theology were also pressed into a subordinate position and
the Utraquist Church at least outwardly acted in a unified way, there re
mained groups and circles that were not satisfied either with adjusting with
Catholics or with the situation in which the Church, including the Hussite
Church, actually found itself. Consequently they clustered around individ
ual preachers and tried, at least within a narrow circle of fellow thinkers, to
practise a Christianity which would be as similar as possible – in its morals
and Christian life – to the early apostolic church. The first such circles and
groups began to form in Prague around 1450.
At the very beginning, the Czech Brethren were beyond the law, for in
their theology and their behaviour they were far away from the dogmas of
the Roman Church, which was true also of the Utraquist Church in the Czech
kingdom: 1) they repudiated the dogma of the Roman Church concerning the
transubstantiation of the bread and wine at the Lord’s supper; 2) they did not
wish to bow before the host; 3) they did not believe that a priest living in sin,
merely through handing out the sacrament (ex opere operato), would be con
secrated; 4) because of their literal understanding of the Sermon on the Mount
they did not wish to give oaths. Most of all, they were far from agreement with
the Utraquist and Catholic Churches, and thus outside the rights granted by
the Compactata of Jihlava on the question of the in- vestiture of priests. Here,
it seems, they broke with the tradition of apostolic succession and the conse
cration of priests in the Roman Church, since they thought there could not be
true priests in that church. The Czech Brethren therefore wanted to separate
from such a type of priesthood. Since they did not find a model for their own
manner of consecration either in the Orthodox Church or the Waldensian
Church, they finally decided on the consecration of priests who were select
ed by lot from among the believers, although taking into account their func
tions, knowledge, gifts, and especially their exemplary Christian life, all of
which ought to indicate the capability of these people for priestly service.
Even before Luther, the Christian Renaissance influenced the Czech
Brethren; this developed in Italy as a part of humanism and then eas
ily spread through Europe. The Czech Brethren were not unknown to
Luther even before 1517, since their writings were published from 1511 in the
171
