Petr Chelčický
Petr Chelčický (1390 circa – 1460 circa) è stato un politico e religioso ceco.
Primi anni
Si ritiene che Peter Chelcický sia nato nella Boemia del sud, all'incirca nel 1390, sebbene secondo una teoria la sua nascita sarebbe avvenuta prima, ovvero nel 1374. Si sa pochissimo della sua storia personale. Diversi storici lo hanno definito un servo della gleba, un contadino indipendente, uno scudiero, un nobile, un ciabattino, un prete o un valdese. In una occasione, Chelčický si definì un agricoltore, ma questa descrizione contrasta con la vita a Praga dal 1419-1421, la sua conoscenza rudimentale del latino e la dedizione alla letteratura ed alla ricerca politica e religiosa. È indubbio che avesse raggiunto un livello di erudizione non comune per un uomo medioevale senza un'educazione regolare accademica. Dopo il 1421 egli visse di agricoltura nel suo villaggio nativo di Chelčice, vicino a Vodňany. A noi sono noti 56 libri, ma la maggioranza rimane non pubblicata ed accessibile solo nei manoscritti originali. Il suo pensiero fu influenzato da Tomáš Štítný ze Štítného, John Wycliffe, Jan Hus e il Valdismo. Morì verso il 1460.L'insegnamento di Chelčický
L'insegnamento di Petr Chelčický includeva idee adottate successivamente dai Moraviani, Anabattisti, Quaccheri e Battisti. Egli fu il primo scrittore pacifista del Rinascimento, anticipando Erasmo da Rotterdam e Menno Simons di circa 100 anni.Chiesa e Stato
Chelčický chiamò il papa e l'imperatore (ovvero la Chiesa e lo Stato), "squali che hanno lacerato la rete della vera fede" perché essi ponevano la Chiesa al vertice dell'impero secolare. Chelčický pensava che i Cristiani dovessero seguire la legge dell'amore e, nel fare ciò, non dovesse essere forzato dall'autorità dello Stato.Insegnava ai fedeli a non accettare cariche di governi né ad appellarsi alle loro autorità, poiché per il vero fedele prendere parte al governo era peccato. Sosteneva che la pena capitale e altre forme di punizioni violente fossero errate. Le sue posizioni sul governo sono simili ai principi dell'anarchismo cristiano di Lev Tolstoj. Tolstoj lodò il lavoro di Chelčický nel suo libro del 1894 Il regno di Dio è dentro di noi.
"L'uomo che ubbidisce a Dio non ha bisogno di nessun'altra autorità (al di sopra di lui)." — Petr Chelčický
Non violenza e guerra
Già nel 1420 Chelčický insegnava a non usare la violenza nelle questioni religiose. Chelčický usava la Parabola della zizzania (Template:Bibleref) per mostrare come al santo e al peccatore era permesso vivere assieme fino al "raccolto". Pensava che fosse sbagliato anche uccidere i peccatori, e che i Cristiani avrebbero dovuto rifiutare il servizio militare. Sosteneva che se i poveri avessero rifiutato, i signori non avrebbero avuto nessuno da mandare a far guerra per loro. Chelčický insegnava che nessun potere fisico poteva distrurre il male, e che i Cristiani avrebbero dovuto accettare le persecuzioni senza attuare ritorsioni. Credeva che la guerra fosse il male peggiore, e che i soldati non fossero altro che assassini. Si opponeva anche alla guerra di difesa. Sosteneva che Gesù e il Vangelo fossero esempi di pace.Vita comunitaria
Chelčický era un comunista nel senso cristiano originale, e pensava che ci dovesse essere perfetta uguaglianza nella comunità cristiana. Sosteneva che non ci dovessero essere né poveri né ricchi, perché il Cristiano rinuncia a ogni bene e stato sociale. Affermava che i Cristiani potevano espellere i cattivi dalla loro comunità, ma non costringerli a essere buoni. Credeva nell'eguaglianza, ma che gli Stati non avrebbero dovuto forzarla nella società, spingendosi fino a sostenere che la disuguaglianza sociale era una stessa creatura dello Stato, e aumentava e diminuiva con lui. Secondo Kautsky in Comunismo nell'Europa Centrale ai tempi della Riforma, "la natura della prima organizzazione dei confratelli boemi non è affatto chiara, tanto che i successivi confratelli si vergognavano delle loro origini comuniste, e cercavano di nasconderle in ogni modo." Alcune delle frasi di Chelčický sembrano indicare che secondo lui solo i poveri erano Cristiani veri.Sacerdozio del credente
Chelčický criticava l'uso della forza nelle questioni di fede. Insegnava che il Cristiano doveva impegnarsi la giustizia del proprio libero arbitrio, che non doveva forzare nessuno ad essere buono, e che la bontà doveva essere volontaria. Credeva che i Cristiani dovessero amare Dio e il proprio vicino, e che fosse questa la via per convertire le persone più che la costrizione. Sosteneva che ogni tipo di costrizione era male, e che il Cristiano non avrebbe dovuto partecipare alle lotte per il potere.Opere di Chelčický
Sulla guerra spirituale, scritto nel 1421, fu il suo primo grande lavoro. Nell'opera Chelčický sosteneva che i Taboriti avevano partecipato a violenze attraverso l'inganno del diavolo e della brama per le cose terrene. Criticava anche il Millenarismo, si opponeva alle guerre e notava come i debiti dessero ai signori il potere sui debitori. In Sulla tripla divisione della Società Chelčický criticò la nobiltà, il clero e la borghesia. Nel testo descrisse come queste classi soggiogavano la gente comune e le guidavano "come fossero bestie". Il suo lavoro più completo, scritto attorno al 1443, e uno dei suoi ultimi, fu La rete della Fede. In quest'opera mostra come i dodici apostoli trattavano tutte le persone ugualmente e come essi considerassero Cristo come unica guida. È in quest'opera che sostenne che l'imperatore e il papa fossero le due grandi balene che rompevano la rete della fede. Incluse anche un lungo commento sul Concilio di Basilea.Influenze
Chelčický fu chiamato "il primo pensatore del movimento Hussita ceco". Era certamente un pensatore influente fra i confratelli boemi della sua epoca. La sua influenza si ritrova anche nella Chiesa Morava, (Unitas Fratrum), e anche nell'Unione Battista in Repubblica Ceca (conosciuta anche come "Unità dei confratelli battisti".). Importanti analogie possono essere trovate fra i suoi insegnamenti e l'Anabattismo continentale e, in maniera minore, nel battismo inglese, anche se non è stata dimostrato nessuno collegamento diretto. Egli enfatizzava il ruolo del Nuovo Testamento come unica ed esclusiva fonte per conoscere il volere di Dio. Riconosceva due sacramenti: il battesimo e la Comunione. Incoraggiava la gente a leggere e interpretare la Bibbia in maniera autonoma.I lavori di Chelčický, specificatamente La rete della Fede, influenzarono Lev Tolstoj nel suo libro Il regno di Dio è in voi. Il suo nome è trascritto come "Helchitsky" in molte traduzioni inglesi.
"Chi non appartiene a Dio non può veramente godere o tenere nulla che appartenga a Dio, se non come l'uomo gode della violenza senza ritegno e possiede ciò che non gli appartiene." — Petr Chelčický
Čeština: Petr Chelčický v rozhovoru s mistry pražské univerzity.
English: Petr Chelčický talking with masters of the University of Prague.
Unknown date 15th or 16th century ??
Peter Chelcicky or Petr Chelčický (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpɛtr̩ ˈxɛltʃɪtskiː]) (c. 1390 – c. 1460) was a Christian spiritual leader and author in 15th century Bohemia (modern Czech Republic). He was one of the most influential thinkers of the Bohemian Reformation.
His published works concentrated on critique of immorality and violence of the contemporary church and state. He proposed a number of Bible-based improvements for human society, including nonresistance, which influenced such luminaries as Tolstoy, Gandhi, and M.L.King. Paradoxically, the main part of the Hussite movement rejected his teachings in favour of nonviolence and avoidance of politics, which led to much violence among the Hussite movement in the end. Chelcicky's teachings laid the foundation of the Unity of the Brethren.
"The man who obeys God needs no other authority (over him)." — Petr Chelčický
Chelčický's work, specifically The Net of Faith, influenced Leo Tolstoy and is referenced in his book The Kingdom of God Is Within You. His name appears as Helchitsky in many English translations.
His published works concentrated on critique of immorality and violence of the contemporary church and state. He proposed a number of Bible-based improvements for human society, including nonresistance, which influenced such luminaries as Tolstoy, Gandhi, and M.L.King. Paradoxically, the main part of the Hussite movement rejected his teachings in favour of nonviolence and avoidance of politics, which led to much violence among the Hussite movement in the end. Chelcicky's teachings laid the foundation of the Unity of the Brethren.
Chelčický's background
Petr Chelčický is thought to have been born in southern Bohemia 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, an independent farmer, a squire, a nobleman, a cobbler, a priest, and a Waldensian. On one occasion, Chelčický called himself a peasant, but this description is at odds with his ability to live in Prague from 1419–1421, his rudimentary knowledge of Latin, 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, Jan Hus, and the Waldensian tradition. He died around 1460.Chelčický's teachings
Petr Chelčický's teachings included ideas later adopted by the Moravians, Anabaptists, Quakers, and Baptists. He was the first pacifist writer of the Renaissance, predating Erasmus and Menno Simons by nearly 100 years.Church and state
Chelčický called the Pope 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 should follow the law of love, and in so doing should not be compelled by state authority. He taught that the believer should not accept government office, nor even appeal to its authority, as for the true believer to take part in government was sinful. He argued that capital punishment and other forms of violent punishment were wrong. His positions on government are similar to the Christian anarchist principles of Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy praised Chelčický's work in his 1894 book The Kingdom of God is Within You."The man who obeys God needs no other authority (over him)." — Petr Chelčický
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 (Matthew 13:24–30) to show that both the sinners and the saints should be allowed to live together until the harvest. He thought that it is wrong even to kill the sinful, and that Christians should refuse military service. 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, and that Christians should accept persecution without retaliating. He believed war was the worst evil, and thought soldiers were no more than murderers. He even opposed defensive war. He believed the example of Jesus and the Gospel was an example of peace.Communal living
Chelčický was a communalist in the original Christian sense, and thought 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. He taught that the Christian should strive for righteousness of his own free will, that he must not force others to be good, and that goodness should be voluntary. He believed that the Christian must love God and one's neighbor, and that this 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 power struggles.Chelčický's writings
O boji duchovním ("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 O trojím lidu ("On the Triple Division of Society") Chelčický criticized the nobility, the clergy, and the middle class. In it he described how they subjected the common people and rode them "as if they were beasts". His most comprehensive work, written around 1443 and one of his last, was Sieť viery pravé ("The Net of True Faith"). In it he showed how the apostles treated all people as equals, and considered Christ as the only head. 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. In it he also included extensive commentary on the Council of Basel.Chelčický's 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 (Unitas Fratrum), Unity of the Brethren (Jednota Bratrská), 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 Anabaptists, and, to a lesser extent, the English Baptists, though no direct connections have been shown to exist. He emphasized the New Testament as the exclusive and final source to know the will of God. He held two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper. He encouraged people to read and interpret the Bible for themselves.Chelčický's work, specifically The Net of Faith, influenced Leo Tolstoy and is referenced in his book The Kingdom of God Is Within You. His name appears as Helchitsky in many English translations.
Whoever is not of God cannot truly enjoy or hold anything belonging to God, except as the man of violence unlawfully enjoys and holds what is not his own.
— Petr Chelčický
Chelčický's statue in Chelčice
Statue of Petr Chelčický in Chelčice village in Strakonice District, Czech Republic.
Jméno Petr Chelčický je jen literárním pseudonymem. Český historik F. M. Bartoš jej ztotožnil se zemanem Petrem Záhorkou ze Záhorčí (nyní součást Chelčic), který se narodil asi r. 1379 a zemřel ve 2. třetině 15. století. Toto ztotožnění je považováno za nejpravděpodobnější hypotézu.
Život a názory
Pocházel pravděpodobně z nižší venkovské šlechty, zastával názor, že správný křesťanský život může člověk vést pouze prací v zemědělství. To, že mohl žít v letech 1419 - 1421 v Praze, jeho znalosti latiny a čas, který mohl věnovat literatuře, politice a náboženství, nasvědčují tomu, že asi nemohl být prostým poddaným, pracujícím v zemědělství. Ačkoli Chelčický neměl univerzitní vzdělání, měl základní znalosti latiny, byl velice sečtělý, rozsahem a hloubkou svých znalostí vysoce převyšoval naprostou většinu svých současníků. Ve svých literárních dílech vedl kritický dialog s vůdčími mysliteli své doby. Ovlivnilo ho především učení Jana Husa a Jana Viklefa, ale i Tomáše Štítného. Je známo, že osobně navštívil svého učitele Jakoubka ze Stříbra na Betlémské faře a své rozdílné názory na ospravedlnění války zahrnul do svého spisu „O boji duchovním“ (1421). V teologické rozepři dvou proudů husitství, která vyvrcholila diskusí Mikuláše Biskupce z Pelhřimova s Janem Rokycanou, stál Petr Chelčický na straně Biskupcově.Chelčického učení zahrnují myšlenky, které později přijala Jednota bratrská, anabaptisté, kvakeři a baptisté. Byl prvním pacifistickým spisovatelem renesance, který předběhl Erasma Rotterdamského a Menna Simonse téměř o sto let.
Ve svých teologických a sociálních názorech byl Petr Chelčický radikální, kritizoval například feudalismus nebo klerikalizaci církve, byl proti náboženskému zdůvodňování války, vystupoval proti trestu smrti atd. Jeho kritika, zdůvodňovaná především texty evangelií, odráží hlubokou sociální a sociologickou myšlenkovou práci i dobrou intuici.
Petrovi náboženští dědicové založili ke konci jeho života v Kunvaldu Jednotu bratrskou - intencionálně minoritní křesťanské společenství, které přinejmenším v počátcích připomínalo náboženskou pacifistickou komunu.
Spisy Petra Chelčického významně ovlivnily spisovatele a filosofa Lva Tolstého a nepřímo Gándhího, Martina Luthera Kinga, Nelsona Mandelu.
Pro radikalitu svých názorů, které stranily prostému lidu, bývá Petr Chelčický občas označován za prvního českého anarchistického myslitele.
Dílo
Jeho díla jsou obhajobou nenásilí a všeobecnou kritikou světskosti. Psal především traktáty.- O boji duchovním – neuznává násilí, odmítá všechny války, včetně husitských, protože se řídí zásadou nezabiješ. Hlásá křesťanskou pokoru, boj proti ďáblovi.
- O trojím lidu – odsoudil dělení společnosti na tři stavy (duchovenstvo, vojáci, prostý lid). Základem byla Bible, kde se hlásala rovnost lidí.
- O církvi
- Řeč o základu zákonů lidských
- Sieť viery pravé – traktát, síť symbolizuje náboženství a církev, ty mají chránit věřící. Síť trhají králové, papež a císař – popsáni jako velryby. Líčí zde svoji představu o ideální církvi. Dílo je složeno z asi 50 malých traktátů, které se vztahují k určitým osobám, kritika míří na konkrétní osoby a patří k nejradikálnějším ve své době.
- Postilla – sbírka kázání, podobně jako v Sieti viery pravé odmítá jiný než duchovní boj proti představitelům zla.
Painting of Chelčický instructing others to not repay evil with evil (by Alphonse Mucha)
The Net of Faith (c. 1443)
- Online translation by Enrico C. S. Molnár
- He who obeys God needs no other authority.
- Our faith obliges us to bind wounds, not to make blood run.
- Wars and other kinds of murder have their beginning in the hatred of the enemy and in the unwillingness to be patient with evil. Their root is in intemperate self-love and in immoderate affection for temporal possessions. These conflicts are brought into this world because men do not trust the Son of God enough to abide by his commandments.
- Facts witness to the reality that [Christians] have abandoned God,
that they have entered the world and become one with the world. Whatever
the world considers praiseworthy – vanity, comfort, wealth, fancy
notions, blasphemies – the Christians, too, praise with one accord,
quite blatantly without shame and without conscience. We can find with
difficulty one man in a thousand who does not conform himself to the
world.
- Chapter 95
- A world contrary to God must be kept within bounds by the world’s
sword. But true Christians love God and their neighbors as themselves;
they commit no evil by the grace of God. It is not necessary to compel
them to goodness since they know better what is good than the law
imposing authority.
- Chapter 95
Petr Chelčický - YouTube
Petr Chelčický
Several streets in the modern Czech Republic are named Chelčického after Chelčický. This street in Teplice has a church dedicated to Bartholomew the Apostle.
Petr Chelcicky | |||||
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