''Der Ackermann aus Böhmen'' (German for "The Ploughman from

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

"), also known as ''Der Ackermann und der Tod'' ("The Ploughman and Death"), is a work of prose in

Early New High German Early New High German (ENHG) is a term for the period in the history of the German language generally defined, following Wilhelm Scherer, as the period 1350 to 1650, developing from Middle High German and into New High German. The term is the ...

Johannes von Tepl Johannes von Tepl (c. 1350 – c. 1415), also known as Johannes von Saaz (), was a Bohemian writer of the German language, one of the earliest known writers of prose in Early New High German (or late Middle German—depending on the criter ...

, written around 1401. Sixteen manuscripts and seventeen early printed editions are preserved; the earliest printed version dates to 1460 and is one of the two earliest printed books in German. It is remarkable for the high level of its language and vocabulary and is considered one of the most important works of late medieval German literature. It is a spirited dialogue between the ploughman, whose wife Margaretha has recently died, and

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

. Central themes of the book are their opposing views on

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

, mankind, and

morality Morality () is the categorization of intentions, Decision-making, decisions and Social actions, actions into those that are ''proper'', or ''right'', and those that are ''improper'', or ''wrong''. Morality can be a body of standards or principle ...

. The work also represents a concept of marriage as a communion of love, a notion not generally accepted at the time. The work consists of 34 short chapters. In odd-numbered chapters the ploughman accuses Death of robbing him of his beloved young wife. In the even chapters Death answers, setting logic and cynicism against the emotions of the ploughman. In Chapter 33,

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

appears and judges the dispute: he reminds the ploughman that he owes his life to God, and reminds Death that he owes his powers to God. "So plaintiff, yours is the honour! And Death, yours is the victory! Every man is obliged to give his life to Death, his body to the earth, and his soul to Us." Chapter 34 is a lyrical prayer of the ploughman for the soul of his wife. The work has been seen as a precursor of early

humanism Humanism is a philosophy, philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and Agency (philosophy), agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The me ...

German literature German literature () comprises those literature, literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy ...

, especially by Konrad Burdach. The opposite position, that the work should be viewed in the tradition of medieval literature, was argued by Arthur Hübner. There is also the question of whether the work is a mere exercise in courtly style or represents the processing of the author's personal experiences. The former is supported by a letter that Johannes von Tepl wrote in Latin to a friend to accompany the work; in it, he exclusively stresses the work's stylistic merits. The latter is supported by the fact that the author's first wife had died in 1400, that the protagonist's plough is described as a feather (i.e. he is a writer), and that the initial letters of the last chapter's prayer spell JOHANNES.

References

Relevant literature in English

*Schneider, Christian. 2014. Divine Wisdom: The Christological Interpretation of Sapientia in Johannes von Tepl’s ''Der Ackermann''. ''The German Quarterly'' 87.3: 277-296.

External links

Der Ackerman von Johannes von Tepl
''Biblioteca Augustana''. Full text (German).
Digital version of an illuminated manuscript, c. 1470
University of Heidelberg
A modern English translation of the ''Ackermann aus Böhmen''
by Michael Haldane {{DEFAULTSORT:Ackermann Aus Bohmen Medieval German poems German literature of the Late Middle Ages Literature of the German Renaissance Books about death 1401 books Dialogues