A 17th-century man for our times: the life and lessons of the Moravian thinker John Amos Comenius
To commemorate the anniversary of the death of the great Moravian thinker and religious leader John Amos Comenius, Danny Bate spoke to scholar Lenka Pospíšilová about his life, legacy and relevance for the modern world.
On November 15th 1670, a giant of seventeenth-century intellectual life died in the Dutch city of Naarden. The man was not Dutch by origin though, but rather was born and spent his early life in southern Moravia. This man was John Amos Comenius (in Czech: Jan Amos Komenský), and you may have seen his face on the Czech 200 crown note. The fact of Comenius’s death in the Netherlands, so far away from his Moravian homeland, is an indication of the turbulent times through which he lived. To understand the history, the genius and the enduring fame of the man, and to discuss what he can still teach us today, I spoke to Lenka Pospíšilová, a Comenius scholar and a curator at the Muzeum Jana Amose Komenského in Uherský Brod.
I'd like to build up a full profile of John Comenius, so could you introduce his early years to us? Do we know, for example, where he was born, and into what world and what Europe he was born into?
“John Amos Comenius was born in south-eastern Moravia, either in Nivnice or Uherský Brod. We are not sure which one, but we do know that he was born on the 28th of March 1592. We are talking about Europe at the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, which was going through a turbulent period, characterised by the progress of human knowledge, but also by the conflict of political and religious interests.
“When Comenius was twelve years old, his parents died, and soon after in 1605, for the first time he experienced the horrors of war, because his homeland was plundered by invaders from the neighbouring Hungary. At the time he was already staying with his aunt in Strážnice, in southern Moravia. Then he continued in his studies; he went to Přerov to a school managed by Unity of the Brethren, and then he moved to Germany to complete his education at university, before returning home in 1614.
“The fact that he had such a religious upbringing, and that his family were members of Unity of the Brethren, meant that that it deeply influenced his life, and planted a seed that he continued to develop throughout his own career.”
The Unity of the Brethren, also known as the Moravian Brethren or the Moravian Church – who is this group? Who are these people and what was his role with them during his life?
“The Unity of the Brethren was, or rather still is, a Protestant religious community, which was established in the Czech lands in the fifteenth century. We know about members from the sixteenth century, such as Jan Blahoslav, who was a famous scholar and member of the Unity, and who introduced some ideas to the community. He was Comenius’s predecessor, and he established the emphasis on education in the Unity of the Brethren. Comenius then continued his legacy.
“The fact that he had such a religious upbringing, and that his family were members of Unity of the Brethren, meant that that it deeply influenced his life."
“As I said, Comenius’s family were members of the Unity of the Brethren, and when he was twenty-four years old, in 1616, he was ordained as a pastor in Žeravice near Kyjov. This meant that he was able to integrate both his spiritual and intellectual pursuits. He had some responsibilities not only as a leader of the religious community, but he was also concerned with the education and the moral development of his congregation.
“Then he went to the school of the Unity, where he became the rector, and it was around this time that he married and had his first son.”
I have no doubt that he was a very good pastor within the Moravian Church, but he's not famous for that today. He's now most famous as a thinker, as an intellectual or a theologian. So when did his intellectual work begin, and what were his interests as a thinker?
“If we want to track from the beginning his intellectual work, we need to return to the period after his studies in Germany. He returned to Přerov, and he became the headmaster of the local Brethren school. This is where and when he wrote his first language textbook for the students. In English, it translates to ‘Principles of a Simple Approach to Grammar’. In 1616 he published this book in Prague, where he often went to buy books.
“It was also during this time that he set to writing his encyclopaedia, the Theatrum universitatis rerum (‘Theatre of the world’). It was supposed to contain all the knowledge known to man that time. He also wanted to write the Theatrum scripturae (‘Theatre of scripture’), which would explain religious beliefs. He was also interested in the history of Moravia, and also its topography, which resulted in his famous map of Moravia.
“Then we move onto the 1620s, when his religious commitments and his experiences meant that he went through a difficult time. This is when the very well-known Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart was written, in 1623.”
You have already mentioned the wider context the very turbulent history of Europe at that time; we have the general conflict between Catholics and Protestants, and then we have a big date in the Czech calendar: the Battle of White Mountain, in 1620. How was Comenius affected by this battle, and then by the re-catholicisation of the Czech lands?
“The battle was really a turning point for Comenius, because he was a Protestant pastor, so he was a target of the repression that followed. He lost his position, he was forced into hiding, and eventually he fled the Czech lands. This meant that he lost his home, and to a certain extent also his supporters.
“Yet I also think that this experience intensified his desire for tolerance, humility and peace. He saw what the consequences of ignorance can be, and he became convinced that education should promote empathy, wisdom and mutual understanding. This can be seen to be one of the most prominent topics of his work in exile.”
And what then was that exile like for him? What journey did he take from Moravia? Because he went to several different countries, right?
“Yes, during the exile, I think that Comenius’s life was filled both with hardship, but also with intellectual growth. He moved from place to place across Europe; he stayed for several years in Poland, then spent a several months in England, and then he went to Sweden, before returning for a second time to Poland. He was then offered a teaching position in Hungary, and for the third time returned to Poland. So we can see that it's very complicated.
“All this travelling allowed him to expand his ideas by interacting with contemporary intellectuals, scientists and political leaders across Europe."
“All this travelling allowed him to expand his ideas by interacting with contemporary intellectuals, scientists and political leaders across Europe. They often asked him to help reform their educational systems, as happened for example in Hungary and Sweden. He lived this life for approximately thirty years, before he settled near the end of his life in the Netherlands. He found a more stable environment there; he could write and publish some of his most important works there.
“It was through these challenging experiences and the fact that he didn't have a permanent home, often having to deal ongoing financial insecurities, that he was able to maintain his commitment to creating a world in which knowledge and compassion would overcome different conflicts.”
With this great journey that he takes across Europe, I imagine that Comenius was quite famous during that time?
“Yes, he was definitely widely respected during his lifetime, especially among Protestant communities and educational reformers across Europe. As I mentioned he was invited to work on education projects in Sweden England and Hungary, and people there considered his ideas to be innovative and forward-thinking.
“After his death, we can say that his influence waned, because of the new Enlightenment thinkers, who dominated educational discourse, and whose ideas were somehow different than Comenius’s. Yet his legacy was revived in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. He was and is now celebrated as a pioneer of modern education, but it's also necessary to emphasise that his contributions extend further than pedagogy. We should bear in mind that he was involved with other fields, such as philosophy, theology, history, literary studies, philology and so on.”
Could you tell us about the circumstances of his death? Where did he spend his final few years, and where did he die?
“When Comenius was sixty-four years old, he had to flee Leszno in Poland, after it was burned down. He decided to move to Amsterdam, because he was offered support from Lawrence de Geer, a wealthy entrepreneur in the Netherlands. So, Comenius was able to stay in Amsterdam for the last fourteen years of his life. Amsterdam and the Netherlands were a very rich cultural environment. He was able to cultivate some further contacts, and raise funds for the Unity of the Brethren. Eventually, he was the last bishop of the Czech branch of the Unity.
“It was in Amsterdam that he died in 1670, on the 15th of November. He died of old age; he had probably suffered a stroke sometime earlier that year. As for his burial, he was buried in Naarden a week later. We are not sure about the circumstances and the reason why. There are several theories: it could have been because of the limited availability of burial spaces in Amsterdam; because the costs were lower in Naarden, which is about twenty kilometres from Amsterdam; or because he knew the preacher at the church in Naarden, and Comenius may have himself expressed a wish to be buried in Naarden. So, there are different theories. Nevertheless, the grave is there. It was rediscovered in the nineteenth century, and there is a monument now dedicated to Comenius.”
And a final question – quite a big question, but an important one: what do you think Comenius can teach the modern world?
“It is definitely a big question! We can consider his ideas about education, peace and tolerance, which are really relevant even today. He believed that education should be accessible to all. He wanted to foster the holistic development of individuals, which aligns with our modern views on inclusive and life-long learning.
“He also argued that education shouldn't just impart knowledge, but should also cultivate empathy, ethics and practical skills. He emphasised experiential learning, which can be seen in our modern theories of active Learning and engagement.
“Of course we cannot forget how he continued to promote tolerance and understanding across cultural and religious divides. It can be a lesson for new modern societies, which I think are somehow still struggling with polarisation and conflict. He saw education as a key to the improvement of the world. He felt that it has the power to build bridges, to inspire mutual respect, and generally just to contribute to a world that is just and more peaceful.”
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