LJMedB33 Czech Reformation and the History of Ideas

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2022
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Lucie Mazalová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Petra Mutlová, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Zuzana Čermáková Lukšová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Petra Mutlová, M.A., Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 16:00–17:40 B2.44
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
In this course, students will learn how the most important social and ecclesiological topics were communicated by the Czech Reformers both in written and oral forms. Also the reception and rejection of these ideas in other medieval European lands - especially German and Polish - will be discussed.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will be able to:
- describe general literary and historical context of the Czech Reformation
- recognise the most popular literary tools and genres of textual communication and argumentation of this medieval era
- analyze the main ideas written or pronounced by both reformers and their opponents
- understand the influence of the early Czech Reformation on the Hussites movement
- understand the relationship between the Czech Reformation and "reformations" in other medieval European lands
Syllabus
  • 1."Made in Prague" - the University of Prague as a space for reading, discussion and controversy and a place where the Reformation arose (curriculum, books, dispute over John Wyclif); the court of Charles IV, Prague chancery and Bethlehem chapel as influential intersections
  • 2. Reform by the Czech preachers - Milíč, Matěj of Janov and Jan Hus as Christ's battlers against the contemporary Church and Antichrist (how the sharp rhetoric in sermons looked like and how the critique addressed to laymen and representatives of the Church incl. the sinful pope differed)
  • 3. University disputation and accurate argumentation between "heretics" and their opponents - how to defend your opinion in medieval "quodlibet"
  • 4. Polemical disputes - the case of the goose (Hus) and the sparrow (Štěpán of Dolany)
  • 5. Situation in German lands
  • 6. Jakoubek of Stříbro versus Stanislaus of Znojmo on Antichrist (online lecture by Prof. Lahey, October 25.)
  • 7. Burning books and heretics - the case of Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague (correspondence, accusatory articles), Council of Constance, the Hussites
  • 8. Reading week
  • 9. The Image of Hussites in Fifteenth-Century Poland (online lecture by Prof. Kras, November 22.)
  • 10. The Records of Hussite Trials in the Province of Gniezno(in person lecture by Prof. Kras, November 29.)
  • 11. Excursion to the Manuscript department
  • 12. What the experts discuss - insight into the medievalist conference
  • 13. Final summary and discussion
  • 14. Short written test
Literature
    recommended literature
  • A companion to the Hussites. Edited by Michael Van Dussen and Pavel Soukup. Boston: Brill, 2020.
  • A companion to Jan Hus. Edited by František Šmahel - Ota Pavlíček. Leiden: Brill, 2015, x, 447. ISBN 9789004280557. info
  • Religious controversy in Europe, 1378-1536 : textual transmission and networks of readership. Edited by Michael Van Dussen - Pavel Soukup. Turnhout: Brepols, 2013, viii, 350. ISBN 9782503544281. info
    not specified
  • A companion to John Wyclif : late medieval theologian. Edited by Ian Christopher Levy. Leiden: Brill, 2006, xix, 489. ISBN 9004150072. info
Teaching methods
Lecture and discussion in English. Excerpts from the original Latin or Czech texts will always be available in English translation (knowledge of Latin is not required). Two foreign lecturers also participate in the course - Prof. Stephen Lahey (University of Nebraska) and Paweł Kras (University of Lublin).
Assessment methods
Final written test, 65% of correct answers is needed to pass the exam.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught once in two years.
Teacher's information
Knowledge of Latin language is not required. All examples of the Latin and Czech medieval texts will be available in English translation or translated immediately by the lecturer.
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