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John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech
philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
,
pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
and
theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
who is considered the father of modern education. He served as the last
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
of the
Unity of the Brethren Unity of the Brethren (Latin ''Unitas Fratrum'') may refer to: *Unity of the Brethren (Czech Republic), the province of the Moravian Church in the Czech Republic *Unity of the Brethren (Texas), a Protestant church formed in the 1800s by Czech immig ...
before becoming a religious refugee and one of the earliest champions of
universal education Universal access to education is the ability of all people to have equal opportunity in education, regardless of their social class, race, gender, sexuality, ethnic background or physical and mental disabilities. The term is used both in ...
, a concept eventually set forth in his book ''Didactica Magna''. As an educator and theologian, he led schools and advised governments across
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
Europe through the middle of the seventeenth century. Comenius introduced a number of educational concepts and innovations including pictorial textbooks written in native languages instead of Latin, teaching based in gradual development from simple to more comprehensive concepts, lifelong learning with a focus on logical thinking over dull memorization,
equal opportunity Equal opportunity is a state of fairness in which individuals are treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers, prejudices, or preferences, except when particular distinctions can be explicitly justified. The intent is that the important ...
for impoverished children, education for women, and universal and practical instruction. Besides his native
Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The ...
,"Clamores Eliae" he dedicated "To my lovely mother, Moravia, one of her faithful son...". Clamores Eliae, p.69, Kastellaun/Hunsrück : A. Henn, 1977."Moravian by nation, language Bohemian, profession theologian, servant of Gospel from the year of grace 1616." It is his own identification in "Opera omnia didactica" 1657, http://www.uni-mannheim.de/mateo/camenaref/comenius/comenius1/p3/jpg/s468.html he lived and worked in other regions of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
, and other countries:
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
, the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
,
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
.


Life and work

John Amos Comenius was born in 1592 in the
Margraviate of Moravia The Margraviate of Moravia ( cs, Markrabství moravské; german: Markgrafschaft Mähren) was one of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown within the Holy Roman Empire existing from 1182 to 1918. It was officially administrated by a margrave in cooperat ...
in the
Bohemian Crown The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were a number of incorporated states in Central Europe during the medieval and early modern periods connected by feudal relations under the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the Kingdom of B ...
. His birthplace is uncertain and possibilities include
Uherský Brod Uherský Brod (; german: Ungarisch Brod) is a town in Uherské Hradiště District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument ...
(as on his gravestone in
Naarden Naarden () is a city and former municipality in the Gooi region in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Meren since 2016. History Naarden was granted its city rights in 1300 (the only to ...
),
Nivnice Nivnice is a municipality and village in Uherské Hradiště District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,300 inhabitants. Geography Nivnice is located about south-east of Uherské Hradiště, south of Zlín, and south-ea ...
, and Komňa (from this village he took his surname, which means "a man from Komňa"), all of which are located in
Uherské Hradiště District Uherské Hradiště District ( cs, okres Uherské Hradiště) is a district (''okres'') within the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Uherské Hradiště. List of municipalities Babice - Bánov - Bílovice - Bojkov ...
of today's
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. John was the youngest child and only son of Martin Komenský (died 1602–4) and his wife Anna Chmelová. His grandfather, whose name was Jan (János) Szeges, was of Hungarian origin. He started to use the surname Komenský after leaving Komňa to live in Uherský Brod. Martin and Anna Komenský belonged to the Moravian Brethren, a pre-Reformation Protestant denomination, and Comenius later became one of its leaders. His parents and two of his four sisters died in 1604 and young John went to live with his aunt in
Strážnice Strážnice (german: Straßnitz) is a town in Hodonín District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Ety ...
. Owing to his impoverished circumstances he was unable to begin his formal education until later in life. He was 16 when he entered the
Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...
in
Přerov Přerov (; german: Prerau) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 41,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Bečva River. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The historic cent ...
(he later returned to this school as a teacher 1614–1618). He continued his studies in the Herborn Academy (1611–1613) and the
University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
(1613–1614). In 1612 he read the
Rosicrucian Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking it ...
manifesto ''
Fama Fraternitatis ''Fama fraternitatis Roseae Crucis oder Die Bruderschaft des Ordens der Rosenkreuzer'', usually listed as ''Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis'', is an anonymous Rosicrucian manifesto published in 1614 in Kassel, Hesse-Kassel (in present-day German ...
''. Comenius was greatly influenced by the Irish Jesuit
William Bathe William Bathe (2 April 1564 – 17 June 1614) was a Anglo-Irish Jesuit priest, musician and writer. William Bathe - Catholic Encyclopedia article Life Born in Dublin, Bathe lived at Drumcondra Castle, County Dublin, a member of a leading Anglo ...
as well as his teachers Johann Piscator, Heinrich Gutberleth, and particularly
Heinrich Alsted Johann Heinrich Alsted (March 1588 – November 9, 1638), "the true parent of all the Encyclopædias", s:Budget of Paradoxes/O. was a German-born Transylvanian Saxon Calvinist minister and academic, known for his varied interests: in Ramism and ...
. The Herborn school held the principle that every theory has to be functional in practical use, therefore it has to be didactic (i.e. morally instructive). In the course of his study he also became acquainted with the educational reforms of Ratichius and with the report of these reforms issued by the universities of
Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a po ...
and
Giessen Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 unive ...
. Comenius became rector of a school in Přerov. In 1616 he was ordained into the ministry of the Moravian Brethren and four years later became pastor and rector at
Fulnek Fulnek () is a town in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,500 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative pa ...
, one of its most flourishing churches. Throughout his life this pastoral activity was his most immediate concern. In consequence of the religious wars, he lost all his property and his writings in 1621. In 1627 he led the Brethren into exile when the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
persecuted the
Protestants Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
in Bohemia. In 1628 he corresponded with
Johann Valentin Andreae Johannes Valentinus Andreae (17 August 1586 – 27 June 1654), a.k.a. Johannes Valentinus Andreä or Johann Valentin Andreae, was a German theologian, who claimed to be the author of an ancient text known as the ''Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Ro ...
. He produced the book '' Janua linguarum reserata'', or ''The Gate of Languages Unlocked'', which brought him to prominence. However, as the
Unity of the Brethren Unity of the Brethren (Latin ''Unitas Fratrum'') may refer to: *Unity of the Brethren (Czech Republic), the province of the Moravian Church in the Czech Republic *Unity of the Brethren (Texas), a Protestant church formed in the 1800s by Czech immig ...
became an important target of the
Counter Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
movement, he was forced into exile even as his fame grew across Europe. Comenius took refuge in
Leszno Leszno (german: Lissa, 1800–1918 ''Lissa in Posen'') is a historic city in western Poland, within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Previously, i ...
in Poland, where he led the gymnasium and, furthermore, was given charge of the Bohemian and Moravian churches. In 1638 Comenius responded to a request by the government of Sweden and traveled there to draw up a scheme for the management of the schools of that country, After his religious duties, Comenius's second great interest was in furthering the Baconian attempt at the organization of all human knowledge. He became one of the leaders in the encyclopædic or
pansophic Pansophism, in older usage often pansophy, is a concept in the educational system of universal knowledge proposed by John Amos Comenius, a Czech educator. " omenius'ssecond great interest was in furthering the Francis Bacon, Baconian attempt at t ...
movement of the seventeenth century, and, in fact, was inclined to sacrifice his more practical educational interests and opportunities for these more imposing but somewhat visionary projects. In 1639, Comenius published his ''Pansophiæ Prodromus'', and in the following year his English friend Hartlib published, without his consent, the plan of the pansophic work as outlined by Comenius. The pansophic ideas find partial expression in the series of textbooks he produced from time to time. In these, he attempts to organize the entire field of human knowledge so as to bring it, in outline, within the grasp of every child. Comenius also attempted to design a language in which false statements were inexpressible. In 1641, he responded to a request by the
English parliament The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised t ...
and joined a commission there charged with the reform of the system of public education. The
English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...
interfered with the latter project. According to
Cotton Mather Cotton Mather (; February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728) was a New England Puritan clergyman and a prolific writer. Educated at Harvard College, in 1685 he joined his father Increase as minister of the Congregationalist Old North Meeting H ...
, Comenius was asked by Winthrop to be the President of
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
(this being more plausibly
John Winthrop the Younger John Winthrop the Younger (February 12, 1606 – April 6, 1676) was an early governor of the Connecticut Colony, and he played a large role in the merger of several separate settlements into the unified colony. Early life Winthrop was born ...
than his father as junior Winthrop was in England) but in 1642, Comenius moved to Sweden instead to work with Queen Christina (reigned 1632–1654) and the chancellor
Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre (; 1583–1654), Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a c ...
(in office 1612–1654) on the task of reorganizing the Swedish schools. The same year he moved to
Elbląg Elbląg (; german: Elbing, Old Prussian: ''Elbings'') is a city in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, located in the eastern edge of the Żuławy region with 117,390 inhabitants, as of December 2021. It is the capital of Elbląg Count ...
(Elbing) in Poland and in 1648 went to England with the aid of Samuel Hartlib, who came originally from Elbląg. In 1650 Zsuzsanna Lorántffy, widow of George I Rákóczi prince of
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the A ...
invited him to Sárospatak. Comenius remained there until 1654 as a professor at the first Hungarian Protestant College; he wrote some of his most important works there. Comenius returned to Leszno. During the Deluge in 1655, he declared his support for the Protestant Swedish side, for which Polish Catholic partisans burned his house, his manuscripts, and the school's printing press in 1656. The manuscript of ''Pansophia'' was destroyed in the burning of his home in Leszno in 1657. From Leszno he took refuge in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
in the Netherlands. In 1659, Comenius produced a new edition of the 1618 Bohemian Brethren hymnal, ''Kancionál, to jest kniha žalmů a písní duchovních'' containing 606 texts and 406 tunes. In addition to revising the psalms and hymns, his revision greatly expanded the number of hymns and added a new introduction. This edition was reissued several times, into the nineteenth century. His texts in Czech were notable poetic compositions, but he used tunes from other sources. He also edited the German hymnal ''Kirchen-, Haus- und Hertzens-Musica'' (Amsterdam, 1661), which had been published under the title ''Kirchengesänge'' since 1566. In other writings, Comenius addresses both instrumental and vocal music in many places, although he dedicated no treatise to the topic. Sometimes he follows the medieval mathematical conception of music, but in other places he links music with grammar, rhetoric, and politics. Musical practice, both instrumental and vocal, played an important role in his system of education. He would die there, in Amsterdam, in 1670. For unclear reasons he was buried in Naarden, where visitors can see his grave in the mausoleum, located in the Kloosterstraat, devoted to him.


Educational influence

The most permanent influence exerted by Comenius was in practical educational work. Few men since his days have had a greater influence though, for the greater part of the eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth, there was little recognition of his relationship to the current advance in educational thought and practice. The practical educational influence of Comenius was threefold. He was first a teacher and an organizer of schools, not only among his own people, but later in Sweden, and to a slight extent in Holland. In his ''Didactica Magna'' (Great Didactic), he outlined a system of schools that is the exact counterpart of the existing American system of kindergarten, elementary school, secondary school, college, and university. In the second place, the influence of Comenius was in formulating the general theory of education. In this respect, he is the forerunner of
Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...
,
Pestalozzi Pestalozzi is the surname of an Italian family originally based in Gravedona and Chiavenna who settled in Switzerland during the Counter-Reformation. Members of this family include: * Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746–1827), Swiss pedagogue an ...
, Fröbel, etc., and is the first to formulate that idea of "education according to nature" so influential during the latter part of the eighteenth and early part of the nineteenth century. The influence of Comenius on educational thought is comparable with that of his contemporaries,
Bacon Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...
and Descartes, on science and philosophy. In fact, he was largely influenced by the thought of these two; and his importance is largely due to the fact that he first applied or attempted to apply in a systematic manner the principles of thought and of investigation, newly formulated by those philosophers, to the organization of education in all its aspects. The summary of this attempt is given in the ''Didactica Magna'', completed about 1631, though not published until several years later. The third aspect of his educational influence was that on the subject matter and method of education, exerted through a series of textbooks of an entirely new nature. The first-published of these was the ''Janua Linguarum Reserata'' (The Gate of Tongues Unlocked), issued in 1631. This was followed later by a more elementary text, the ''Vestibulum'', and a more advanced one, the ''Atrium'', and other texts. In 1658 the '' Orbis Pictus'' was published, probably the most renowned and most widely circulated of school textbooks. It was also the first successful application of illustrations to the work of teaching, though not, as often stated, the first illustrated book for children. These texts were all based on the same fundamental ideas: (1) learning foreign languages through the vernacular; (2) obtaining ideas through objects rather than words; (3) starting with objects most familiar to the child to introduce him to both the new language and the more remote world of objects; (4) giving the child a comprehensive knowledge of his environment, physical and social, as well as instruction in religious, moral, and classical subjects; (5) making this acquisition of a compendium of knowledge a pleasure rather than a task; and (6) making instruction universal. The importance of the Comenian influence in education has been recognized since the middle of the nineteenth century. The educational writings of Comenius comprise more than forty titles. In 1892 the three-hundredth anniversary of Comenius was very generally celebrated by educators, and at that time the Comenian Society for the study and publication of his works was formed.


Theology

John Amos Comenius was a bishop of the Unity of the Brethren church that had its roots in the teaching of Czech reformer
Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the insp ...
. One of his most famous theological works is the '' Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart''. The book represents his thinking about the world being full of various useless things and complex labyrinths. The true peace of mind and soul can be found only in the one's heart where Christ the Saviour should dwell and rule. This teaching is also repeated in one of his last works, ''Unum Necessarium'' (Only One is Needed), where he shows various labyrinths and problems in the world and provides simple solutions to various situations. In this book he also admits that his former believing in prophecies and revelations of those days was his personal labyrinth where he got lost many times. He was greatly influenced by Boehme. In his ''Synopsis physicae ad lumen divinum reformatae'', Comenius gives a physical theory of his own, said to be taken from the
Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning" ...
. He was also famous for his prophecies and the support he gave to visionaries. In his ''Lux in tenebris'' he published the visions of Christopher Kotterus, Mikuláš Drabík (lat. ''Nicolaus Drabicius'') and Kristina Poniatowska. Attempting to interpret the
Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of ...
, he promised the millennium in 1672 and guaranteed miraculous assistance to those who would undertake the destruction of the Pope and the house of Austria, even venturing to prophesy that
Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...
,
Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...
, and George I Rákóczi,
prince of Transylvania The Prince of Transylvania ( hu, erdélyi fejedelem, german: Fürst von Siebenbürgen, la, princeps Transsylvaniae, ro, principele TransilvanieiFallenbüchl 1988, p. 77.) was the head of state of the Principality of Transylvania from the last d ...
, would perform the task. He also wrote to
Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of ...
, informing him that the empire of the world should be his reward if he would overthrow the enemies of God.


Family

One of his daughters, Elisabeth, married Peter Figulus from Jablonné nad Orlicí. Their son,
Daniel Ernst Jablonski Daniel Ernst Jablonski (20 November 1660, Nassenhuben (Mokry Dwór), Royal Prussia, Crown of Poland25 May 1741, Berlin) was a German theologian and reformer of Czech origin, known for his efforts to bring about a union between Lutheran and Ca ...
(1660–1741), Comenius's grandson, later went to
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
in 1693; there he became the highest official pastor at the court of King
Frederick I of Prussia Frederick I (german: Friedrich I.; 11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union (Brandenburg-Prussia). The latter function h ...
(reigned 1701–1713). There he became acquainted with Count Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf (1700–1760). Zinzendorf was among the foremost successors to Comenius as a bishop (1737–1760) in the renewed Moravian Brethren's Church.


Legacy

The Comenius Medal, a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
award honouring outstanding achievements in the fields of education research and innovation, commemorates Comenius.
Peter Drucker Peter Ferdinand Drucker (; ; November 19, 1909 – November 11, 2005) was an Austrian-American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business co ...
hailed Comenius as the inventor of
textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textbook ...
s and
primer Primer may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Primer'' (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth * ''Primer'' (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour Literature * Primer (textbook), a te ...
s.


Czech Republic

During the 19th-century Czech National Revival, Czechs idealised Comenius as a symbol of the Czech nation. This image persists to the present day. The Czech Republic celebrates 28 March, the birthday of Comenius, as
Teachers' Day Teachers' Day is a special day for the appreciation of teachers, and may include celebrations to honor them for their special contributions in a particular field area, or the community tone in education. This is the primary reason why countries ce ...
. The University of Jan Amos Komenský was founded in Prague in 2001, offering bachelor's, master's and graduate degree programmes. Gate to Languages, a project of lifelong education, taking place in the Czech Republic from October 2005 to June 2007 and aimed at language education of teachers, was named after his book ''Janua linguarum reserata'' (Gate to Languages Unlocked). Comenius is pictured on the 200
Czech koruna The koruna, or crown, (sign: Kč; code: CZK, cs, koruna česká) has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 1993. The koruna is one of the European Union's 9 currencies, and the Czech Republic is legally bound to adopt the euro curre ...
banknote A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable instrument, negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes w ...
. Asteroid 1861 Komenský, discovered by Luboš Kohoutek, is named in his honor.


Elsewhere in Europe

In Sárospatak,
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
, a teacher's college is named after him, which belongs to the University of Miskolc. Comenius' name has been given to primary schools in several
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
cities, including
Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
,
Grafing Grafing bei München (officially: Grafing b.München) is a town in the district of Ebersberg, Upper Bavaria, Germany. Geography Grafing is in the Munich Region, about southeast of the state capital, where the Urtelbach and Wieshamer Bach both ...
, and Deggendorf. In
Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
,
North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
the Czechoslovak government built a school after a catastrophic 1963
earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
and named it after Comenius (Jan Amos Komenski in
Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Ma ...
). In Poland, the Comenius Foundation is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the provision of equal opportunities to children under 10 years of age. In 1919
Comenius University Comenius University in Bratislava ( sk, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave) is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is name ...
was founded by an act of parliament in
Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...
, Czechoslovakia, now in
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
. It was the first university with courses in Slovak. The Italian film director
Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...
took Comenius, and especially his theory of "direct vision", as his model in the development of his didactic theories, which Rossellini hoped would usher the world into a
utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island soc ...
n future. Comenius is a
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
school partnership program. In the United Kingdom, the
University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...
's Western Bank Library holds the largest collection of Comenius manuscripts outside of the Czech Republic. He is commemorated in the
Calendar of Saints The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context do ...
of the
Evangelical Church in Germany The Evangelical Church in Germany (german: Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland, abbreviated EKD) is a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist) and United (e.g. Prussian Union) Protestant regional churches and denominations in German ...
on 16 November.


United States

In 1892 Comenius Hall, the principal classroom and faculty office building on
Moravian College Moravian University is a private university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The institution traces its founding to 1742 by Moravians, descendants of followers of the Bohemian Reformation under John Amos Comenius. Founded in 1742, Moravian University ...
's campus in Pennsylvania, was built. In 1892 educators in many places celebrated the three-hundredth anniversary of Comenius, and at that time the Comenian Society for the study and publication of his works was formed. The education department at Salem College in North Carolina has an annual ''Comenius Symposium'' dedicated in his honor; the subjects usually deal with modern issues in education. The Comenius Foundation in the US, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity, uses film and documentary production to further faith, learning, and love.


Works


Latin

* ''Linguae Bohemicae thesaurus, hoc est lexicon plenissimum, grammatica accurata, idiotismorum elegantiae et emphases adagiaque'' ("Treasure of the
Czech language Czech (; Czech ), historically also Bohemian (; ''lingua Bohemica'' in Latin), is a West Slavic language of the Czech–Slovak group, written in Latin script. Spoken by over 10 million people, it serves as the official language of the Czech Re ...
"), 1612–1656 * ''Problemata miscellanea'' ("Different Problems"), 1612, non-existent, perished in fire while being prepared for printing. * ''Sylloge quaestionum controversarum'', 1613 * ''Grammaticae facilioris praecepta'', 1614–1616 * ''Theatrum universitatis rerum'', 1616–1627 * ''Centrum securitatis'' ("The Center of Safety"), 1625 * ''Moraviae nova et post omnes priores accuratissima delineatio autore J. A. Comenio'' ("Map of Moravia"), 1618–1627 * '' Janua linguarum reserata'', 1631 * ''Didactica magna'' ("The Great Didactic"), 1633–1638 * ''Via Lucis, Vestigata & Vestiganda'' ("The Way of Light"), 1641 * ''Januae Lingvarum Reseratae Aureae Vestibulum quo primus ad Latinam aditus Tyrunculis paratur'' ("Introduction to Latin"), 1648 * ''Schola pansophica'' ("School of Pansophy"), 1650–1651 * ''Primitiae laborum scholasticorum'', 1650–1651 * ''Eruditionis scholasticae janua, rerum & linguarum structuram externam exhibens'', 1656, doi:10.3931/e-rara-79809 (Digitized edition at e-rara). *'' Opera didactica omnia'' ("Writing on All Learning"), 1657 *'' Orbis Pictus'' ("The Visible World in Pictures"), 1658Trilingual (Latin, German and Hungarian) edition from 1669
/ref> * ''De bono unitatis et ordinis'' ("On Good Unity and Order"), 1660 * ''De rerum humanarum emendatione consultatio catholica'' ("General Consultation on an Improvement of All Things Human"), 1666 * ''Unum necessarium'' ("The One Thing Needful"), 1668 * ''Spicilegium Didacticum'', 1680


Czech

* ''O andělích'' ("About Angels"), 1615 * ''Retuňk proti Antikristu a svodům jeho'' ("Utterance against the Antichrist and his temptations"), 1617 * ''O starožitnostech Moravy'' ("About Moravian Antiquities"), 1618–1621 * ''Spis o rodu Žerotínů'' (Script about House of Žerotín), 1618–1621 * ''Listové do nebe'' ("Letters to Heaven"), 1619 * ''Manuálník aneb jádro celé biblí svaté'' ("Manual or Core of the Whole Holy Bible"), 1620–1623 * ''Přemyšlování o dokonalosti kŕesťanské'' ("Thinking About Christian Perfection"), 1622 * ''Nedobytedlný hrad jméno Hospodinovo'' ("Unconqerable Fortress (is) Name of the God"), 1622 * ''Truchlivý'', díl první ("The Mournful", volume I), 1623 * ''O poezí české'' ("About Czech Poetry"), 1623–1626 * ''Truchlivý'', díl druhý ("The Mournful", volume II), 1624 * ''O sirobě'' ("About Poor People"), 1624 * ''Pres boží'' ("Press of God"), 1624 * ''Vidění a zjevení Kryštofa Kottera, souseda a jircháře sprotavského'' ("Seeing and Revelation of Kryštof Kotter, Neibourgh of Mine and Tanner from Sprotava"), 1625 * ''Překlad některých žalmů'' ("Translation of Some Psalms"), 1626 * ''Didaktika česká'' ("Czech Didactic"), 1628–1630 * ''Škola hrou'' (Schola Ludus, School by Play) 1630 * ''Labyrint světa a ráj srdce'' (" Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart") 1631 * ''Trouba milostivého léta pro národ český'' ("The Horn of the Year of Jubilee"), 1631–1632 * '' Brána jazyků otevřená'' (The Gate of Languages Unlocked) 1633 * '' Orbis Pictus'', 1658


See also

*
Moravian College Moravian University is a private university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The institution traces its founding to 1742 by Moravians, descendants of followers of the Bohemian Reformation under John Amos Comenius. Founded in 1742, Moravian University ...
* Didactic method *
Great Didactic The ''Great Didactic'' or ( la, Didactica Magna), full title ( la, Didactica Magna, Universale Omnes Omnia Docendi Artificium Exhibens), ''The Great Didactic, The Whole Art of Teaching all Things to all Man'', is a book written by Czech philosoph ...


References


Further reading

* Čapková, Dagmar. ''Jan Amos Komenský a jeho dílo''. 'John Amos Comenius and His Works''.(Prague, 1945.) . * Keatinge
''The Great Didactic of Comenius''
(London, 1896) * Kučera, Karel. 2014. Jan Ámos Komenský. A man in search of peace, wisdom, and proverbs. ''Proceedings of the Seventh Interdisciplinary Colloquium on Proverbs, November 2013, at Tavira, Portugal'', ed. by Rui J. B. Soares and Outi Lauhakangas, pp. 64–73. Tavira: Tipografia Tavirense. *
Simon Somerville Laurie Simon Somerville Laurie FRSE LLD (13 November 1829 – 2 March 1909) was a Scottish educator. He became Bell Professor of Education at Edinburgh University in 1876. He campaigned energetically and successfully for better teacher training in Sco ...
, ''John Amos Comenius'' (1881; sixth edition, 1898) * Löscher, ''Comenius, der Pädagoge und Bischof'' (Leipzig, 1889) * Monroe, Will S. ''Comenius and the Beginning of Educational Reform'' (New York, 1900
Web access
* Müller, ''Ein Systematiker in der Pädagogik : eine philosophisch-historische Untersuchung : Inaugural-Dissertation zur Erlangung der Doctorwürde an der philophischen Fäcultat der Universität Jena'' (Dresden, Bleyl und Kaemmerer, 1887) * Robert Hebert Quick, ''Essays on Educational Reformers'' (London, 1890)


External links


The Correspondence of Jan Amos Comenius [Komenský] (566 letters)
i
EMLO

J. A. Comenius Museum in Uherský Brod

The National Pedagogical Museum and Library of J.A. Comenius

Comenius Museum in Přerov

Comenius Museum & Mausoleum, Naarden, NL

Comenius' biography

Comenius Foundation. US

Article by the psychologist Jean Piaget on the importance of Comenius
(PDF)




Unum Necessarium: The One Thing Necessary
Translation by Vernon H. Nelson provided courtesy o
Moravian Archives
Winston-Salem, NC
''Dveře gazyků otewřené''
Praha: .n. 1805. 280 s. - available at ULB's Digital Library
''Janua Linguarum Reserata Quinque-Linguis''
Amstelodami : Apud Ludovicum & Danielem Elzevirios, 1661. 881 s. - available at ULB's Digital Library
''Janua Linguarum reserata aurea''
Pragae : Typis Archi-Episcopalibus in Collegio S. Norberti excudebat paulus Postrzibacz, Anno 1667. 506 s. - available at ULB's Digital Library * * * *
''Orbis sensualium pictus''
at
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
* - translation by Charles Hoole, at Google Book Search
Orbis sensualium pictus trilinguis. Latin, German and Hungarian, 1708

''Orbis sensualium pictus trilinguis''
Leutschoviae : Typis Samuelis Brewer, Anno Salutis 1685. 484 s. - - available at ULB's Digital Library
''Orbis Pictus, in hungaricum et germanicum translatus''
Po'sonban: Weber, 19. stor. 172 s. - available at ULB's Digital Library
''Orbis pictus von Amos Comenius''
ürnberg .n. 1770. 263 s. - available at ULB's Digital Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Comenius, John Amos 1592 births 1670 deaths 17th-century bishops 17th-century Bohemian people 17th-century Bohemian writers 17th-century Dutch philosophers 17th-century Latin-language writers 17th-century Protestant theologians All articles with unsourced statements Bishops of the Moravian Church Burials in North Holland Czech bishops Czech educational theorists Czech emigrants to the Dutch Republic Czech exiles Czech expatriates in Germany Czech expatriates in Hungary Czech expatriates in the Dutch Republic Czech male writers Czech people of Hungarian descent Czech people of the Moravian Church Czech philosophers Czech Protestant clergy Czech Renaissance humanists Czech schoolteachers Czech scientists Czech theologians Grammarians from the Czech Republic Heidelberg University alumni People from Uherské Hradiště District Philosophy and thought in the Dutch Republic Writers of the Moravian Church Philosophers of education Lutheran saints