Petr Chelčický (; c. 1390 – c. 1460) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

Christian spiritual leader and author in 15th-century

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 ...

, now the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. He was one of the most influential thinkers of the

Bohemian Reformation The Bohemian Reformation (also known as the Czech Reformation or Hussite Reformation), preceding the Reformation of the 16th century, was a Christian movement in the late medieval and early modern Kingdom of Bohemia, Kingdom and Lands of the Bo ...

. Chelčický inspired the Unitas Fratrum, who opposed transubstantiation and monasticism, insisting on pacifism and the primacy of scripture. There are multiple parallels with the teachings of the

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. The term (tra ...

and Chelčický. Czech

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

have also expressed continuity with the Bohemian reformation by identifying with Chelčický. His published works critiqued the immorality and violence of the contemporary church and state. He proposed a number of Bible-based improvements for human society, including nonresistance, which influenced humanitarians Tolstoy, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. Paradoxically, the main part of the

Hussite file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...

movement rejected his teachings of nonviolence, which eventually led to much violence among the Hussite movement. Chelčický's teachings laid the foundation of the Unity of the Brethren.

Early life

Petr Chelčický is thought to have been born in southern

in about 1390, although one theory puts his birth as early as 1374. Very little is known about his personal history. Different historians have called him a

serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...

, an independent farmer, a squire, a

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, a cobbler, a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, and a Waldensian.Wagner, Murray L. ''Petr Chelčický, A Radical Separatist in Hussite Bohemia''. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 1983. On one occasion, Chelčický called himself a

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

, but this description is at odds with his ability to live in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

from 1419 to 1421, his rudimentary knowledge of

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, and the time he was able to devote to literary, political, and religious pursuits. It is certain that he was unusually literate for a medieval man without a regular academic education. After 1421, he lived and farmed in the village of Chelčice, near Vodňany. He produced 56 known works, but the majority remain unpublished and inaccessible except in the original manuscripts. His thinking was influenced by Thomas of Štítný,

John Wycliffe John Wycliffe (; also spelled Wyclif, Wickliffe, and other variants; 1328 – 31 December 1384) was an English scholastic philosopher, Christianity, Christian reformer, Catholic priest, and a theology professor at the University of Oxfor ...

Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1369 – 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 Czechs, Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and t ...

, and the Waldensian tradition. He died around 1460.

Teachings

Chelčický's teachings included ideas later adopted by the Moravians,

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

s, and

. He was the first

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

writer of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, predating

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...

and

Menno Simons Menno Simons (; ; 1496 – 31 January 1561) was a Roman Catholic priest from the Friesland region of the Low Countries who was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and became an influential Anabaptist religious leader. Simons was a contempor ...

by nearly 100 years.

Scripture

Chelčický believed in a strict adherence to the principle of sola scriptura and read the Bible in the vernacular. His strict adherence to sola scriptura caused Chelčický to occasionally contradict

and other Hussites. He rejected the papacy and Catholic hierarchy, believing that the early church had no pope, kings, lords, inquisitions or crusaders. Chelčický believed that

purgatory In Christianity, Purgatory (, borrowed into English language, English via Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman and Old French) is a passing Intermediate state (Christianity), intermediate state after physical death for purifying or purging a soul ...

is an example of the Church corrupting the New Testament by adding traditions; thus, he denied the doctrine of purgatory.

Church and state

Chelčický called the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

and the emperor (the church and the state) "whales who have torn the net of true faith" because they established the church as the head of a secular empire. Chelčický believed that

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

should follow the law of love and so should not be compelled by state authority. He taught that the believer should not accept government office or even appeal to its authority, as for the true believer to take part in government was sinful. He argued that

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

and other forms of violent punishment were wrong. His positions on government are similar to the Christian anarchist principles of

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

. Tolstoy praised Chelčický's work in his 1894 book '' The Kingdom of God is Within You''.

Nonviolence and war

As early as 1420, Chelčický taught that violence should not be used in religious matters. Chelčický used the parable of the wheat and the tares () to show that both the sinners and the saints should be allowed to live together until the harvest. He thought that it is wrong to kill even the sinful and that Christians should refuse

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

. He argued that if the poor refused, the lords would have no one to go to war for them. Chelčický taught that no physical power can destroy

evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...

, and that Christians should accept persecution without retaliating. He believed that even defensive war was the worst evil and thought that soldiers were no more than murderers. He believed the example of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

and the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

was an example of peace.

Communal living

Chelčický believed that there must be complete equality in the Christian community. He said there should be no rich or poor since the Christian relinquished all property and status. He maintained that Christians could expel evil persons from their community but could not compel them to be good. He believed in equality but that the state should not force it upon society and went so far as to proffer that social inequality is a creature of the state and rises and falls with it. According to Karl Kautsky in ''Communism in Central Europe in the Time of the Reformation'', "The nature of the first organisation of the Bohemian Brethren is not at all clear, as the later Brothers were ashamed of their communistic origin, and endeavoured to conceal it in every possible way." Some of Chelčický's statements tend to indicate that he thought only the poor were genuine Christians.

Priesthood of the believer

Chelčický criticized the use of force in matters of

faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

. He taught that the Christian should strive for righteousness of their own

free will Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...

but must not force others to be good and that goodness should be voluntary. He believed that the Christian must love

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 ...

and one's neighbor and that is the way to convert people rather than by compulsion. He maintained that any type of compulsion is evil and that Christians should not participate in political struggles.

Sacraments

Chelčický advocated for baptism to be generally administered to those who are of later age. However, he did not completely forbid

infant baptism Infant baptism, also known as christening or paedobaptism, is a Christian sacramental practice of Baptism, baptizing infants and young children. Such practice is done in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, va ...

, allowing it if the parents would assure their education in the faith. He additionally did not propose re-baptism. Chelčický did not believe that baptism by itself could save but is a part of the process of salvation which included instruction, confirmation and discipleship. He additionally rejected transubstantiation but did not hold to

memorialism Memorialism is the belief held by some Christian denominations that the elements of sacramental bread, bread and sacramental wine, wine (or grape juice) in the Eucharist (more often referred to as "the Eucharist#Lord's Supper, Lord's Supper" by ...

, which was taught by radical Hussites.

Other teachings

Chelčický based his teaching on the

Sermon on the Mount The Sermon on the Mount ( anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: ) is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6, and 7). that emphasizes his moral teachings. It is th ...

, renouncing violence, bearing arms and oaths. He also supported

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

and believed celibacy to be a holier state than marriage. Chelčický opposed indulgences and paying masses for the dead. Later he protested against the Utraquists making compromises with the Catholic church, seeing it as a reunion with the Antichrist. Chelčický held that

apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the method whereby the Christian ministry, ministry of the Christian Church is considered by some Christian denominations to be derived from the Twelve Apostles, apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been ...

is not determined by laying on of hands but it is a matter of the clergy following the teaching of Christ.

Author

Chelčický is the author of approximately 50 treatises that have survived until today. All are written in

. ' ("On Spiritual Warfare"), written in 1421, was his first major work. In it, Chelčický argued that the Taborites had participated in violence through the devil's deceit and the lust for the things of the world. He also criticized the chiliasts, opposed physical warfare and noted that obligations of debts gave lenders power over debtors. In ' ("On the Triple Division of Society") Chelčický criticized the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and the

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

. He describes how they subjected the common people and rode them "as if they were beasts". In ' ("Net of Faith"), his final and most comprehensive work written around 1440, he argues that the

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

s treated people as equals, considered

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

as their only head, and that early Christians followed Jesus's instruction of loving one another - thus having no need for rulers or criminal courts. It was in this book that he argued that the Emperor and the Pope were the two great "whales" that burst the "net of faith" - a metaphor for the inclusion of pagan values and practices into the teachings of Christ. The book also includes some commentary on the Council of Basel.

Influence

Chelčický has been called "the foremost thinker of the 15th-century Czech Hussite Reformation movement." He certainly was an influential thinker among the Bohemian brethren of his day. Beyond his own time, his influence can be seen in the

Moravians Moravians ( or Colloquialism, colloquially , outdated ) are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group from the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, who speak the Moravian dialects of Czech language, Czech or Czech language#Common Czech, Common ...

(), Unity of the Brethren (), and even the Baptist Union in the Czech Republic (also known as the Unity of Brethren Baptists). Important similarities can be seen between his teachings and the Continental

s, and, to a lesser extent, the English

, though no direct connections have been shown to exist. He emphasized the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

as the exclusive and final source to know the will of God. He held two

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

and the Lord's Supper. He encouraged people to read and interpret the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

for themselves. Chelčický's work, specifically ''Net of Faith'', influenced

and is referenced in his book '' The Kingdom of God Is Within You''. His name appears as "Helchitsky" in many English translations (following the Russian transliteration ).

Bibliography

The following is a list of Chelčický's ''known'' works * (These Are the Marks of Antichrist) * (Nine Pieces of Gold) * (Another Sermon on the Beast and Its Image) * (How Priests Have Not Preached According to the Early Church in All Things) * (How We Do Not Have Love for Life but Prefer to Hate) * (Letter to Father Mikuláš) * (Letter to Mikuláš and Martin) * (Letter to Master Jan) * (We Fools for Christ) * (For Christ Did Not Send Me to Baptize but to Preach) * (On Spiritual Warfare) * (On the Holy Church) * (On Love of God) * (On the Power of the World) * (On the Highest Bishop, the Lord Christ) * (On Purgatory) * (On the Truth of Purgatory, Its Certainty and Uncertainty) * (On Humility) * (On Recognition of Oneself) * (On the Czech Factions) * (On the Differentiation of the Spirits) * (On the Seven Cardinal Sins) * (On the Old and New Faith and on the Fellowship of the Saints) * (On Witnessing) * (On Conscience) * (On the Beast and Its Image) * (On the Body of Christ) * (On the Body and Blood of the Lord) * (On the Punishment of the Heart) * (On the Triple Division of Society) * (On Evil Priests) * (On the Prodigal Son) * (Markolt's Defense) * (The Polstilla - Sunday Bible commentaries for the whole year) * (Man Should Not Be Given the Death Penalty for Theft) * (Reply to Bishop Mikuláš) * (Reply to Rokycana) * (Sermon and Instructions on the Body of Christ) * (Sermon on the 20th Chapter of St. Matthew) * (Sermon on the Love of God) * (Sermon on the Foundation of Human Laws) * (Sermon of St. Paul on the Old and New Man) * (The Conversations of Tomáš Štítný) * (Net of Faith) * (Writing Against the Priests) * (Exposition on the Lord's Supper Against the Bishop) * (Exposition on the passage from St. John, First Chapter) * (Exposition on Chapter 14 of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans) * (Exposition of Matthew 22:37–39) * (Exposition of the Lord's Prayer) * (Exposition on the Passion of St. John) * (Exposition on the Sermon of St. John in the Second Epistle) * (Exposition on the Sermon of St. Paul) * (Exposition on the Words of St. Paul in his Epistle to Timothy 1:5-8) * (Exposition of Romans 13:1-3) * (Instructions on the Sacraments)

Notes

External links

Works by or about Petr Chelčický on the Internet Archive

Chelčický's Nonviolence

nbsp;– from Karl Kautsky's ''Communism in Central Europe in the Time of the Reformation''

nbsp;– A historical overview of the revival that generated the Unitas Fratrum {{DEFAULTSORT:Chelcicky, Petr 1390s births 1460s deaths People from Strakonice District Writers of the Moravian Church Czech male writers Czech Christian pacifists Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain Czech farmers