Course: Selected Chapters from Czech Church History

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Course title Selected Chapters from Czech Church History
Course code KCD/DTVKC
Organizational form of instruction Seminary
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter
Number of ECTS credits 5
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course unspecified
Form of instruction eLearning
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Parma Tomáš, doc. Ph.D. et Ph.D.
  • Jonová Jitka, doc. PhDr. Th.D.
  • Hlinka Vít, Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
The course content is structured into six basic thematic blocks, which represent selected topics from Czech church history: 1. The beginnings of Christianity in Bohemia and Moravia and the Cyril and Methodius mission (the political and religious context in Bohemia and Moravia in the 9th century, Mojmír I, Rastislav, relationship with the East Frankish Empire, Cyril and Methodius, reasons for their arrival, course of the mission, approval of the Slavic liturgy, Methodius as archbishop, end of Great Moravia). 2. Jan Hus and Hussitism (political and religious context of the reigns of Charles IV and Wenceslas IV, pre-Hussite figures, Jan Hus, his activities, description of the dispute, the Hussite revolution, its main protagonists and directions, conflicts, attempts at resolution, the Council of Basel, the Compacts, the "Kingdom of Two Peoples," Utraquism). 3. The Inquisition in world and Czech history (From the inquisitorial type of trial to the institution of the Inquisition, the relationship of the Inquisition to mass heretical movements in the Middle Ages, the medieval Inquisition and its presence in the Czech lands, the Spanish Inquisition, the Roman Inquisition). 4. Witch trials (The concept of witchcraft, its origins and spread at the Council of Basel, historiography of witch trials, numbers of witch trials, witch trials in Silesia and Moravia in the early modern period, the question of vampirism). 5. Nationalism and the Church in the Czech lands in the 19th and first half of the 20th century (the concept of the Church as supranational, the impact of national disputes on pastoral care, e.g., the question of language). 6. Secularization in the Czech lands in the 19th and 20th centuries. (Was the Habsburg Monarchy Catholic and, conversely, was the First Republic godless? Anticlericalism; Atheization during the communist totalitarian era).

Learning activities and teaching methods
Lecture
Learning outcomes
The course deepens students' knowledge of church history using specific examples from Czech history. The basic thematic areas are the Christianization of the Czech lands, Hussitism and its understanding, the phenomena of the Inquisition and heterodoxy, superstition and witchcraft in the early modern Czech period, issues of nationalism in relation to the church and religion, and secularization. The approach to the subject matter is rather methodological, focusing on the critical evaluation of sources and historiographical analysis of the issues in question.

Prerequisites
General knowledge of Church History.

Assessment methods and criteria
Student performance

Students organize their studies based on the study materials and instructions in the LMS; they participate in mandatory online webinars and complete short assignments or tests (approximately 5) throughout the course. If they are excused from a mandatory webinar, they can watch a recording of it. However, the instructor will verify in an appropriate manner whether the student has studied the material in the recording. A test at the end of the semester will check whether they have mastered the topics covered. The student's overall assessment also takes into account the score they achieved in the ongoing assignments in the LSM.
Recommended literature
  • Balík, Stanislav; Hanuš, Jiří. (2007). Katolická církev v Československu 1945-1989. Brno.
  • Behringer Wolfgang. (2016). Čarodějnictví : globální historie : zásadní kniha pro všechny zájemce o historii čarodějnictví a magie. Praha.
  • Behringer Wolfgang. (2000). Hexen und Hexenprozesse in Deutschland. München.
  • Borromeo Agostino (red.). (2003). L'inquisizione: atti del Simposio internazionale. Citta del Vaticaano.
  • Burke Peter. (2005). Lidová kultura v raně novověké Evropě. Praha.
  • Cekota Vojtěch- Kuořil Miloš - Spurný František. (2000). Šumperský děkan Kryštof Alois Lautner, oběť čarodějnických inkvizičních procesů. Šumperk.
  • Čechura, Jaroslav. (2024). Heinrich Franz Boblig: Temná postava čarodějnických procesů. Praha.
  • Čechura, Jaroslav. (2023). Kronika jednoho šílenství: Čarodějnice na severní Moravě v 17. století. Praha.
  • černušák, Tomáš. (2017). Papežství a české země v tisíciletých dějinách. Praha.
  • Decker Rainer. (2003). Die Päpste und die Hexen. Aus den geheimen Akten der Inquisition. Darmstadt.
  • Ginzburg Carlo. (2003). Noční příběh: sabat čarodějnic. Praha.
  • Hansen Joseph. (1901). Quellen und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte des Hexenwahns und der Hexenverfolgung im Mittelalter. Bonn.
  • Levack Brian P. (1995). The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe. London.
  • Maiello Giuseppe. (2014). Vampyrismus a Magia posthuma. Vampyrismus v kulturních dějinách Evropy a Magia posthuma Karla Ferdinanda Schertze (první novodobé vydání). Praha.
  • Marin Olivier. (2017). Geneze pražského reformního hnutí 1360-1419. Praha.
  • Martínez Millán José. (2009). La Inquisición espanola. Madrid.
  • McLeod, Hugh. (2008). Sekularizace v západní Evropě (1848-1914). Brno.
  • Prosperi Adriano (red.). (2010). Dizionario storico dell´Inquisizione, I-IV. Pisa.
  • Šindelář Bedřich. (1987). Hon na čarodějnice. Západní a střední Evropa v 16. - 17. století. Praha.
  • Šmahel, F.:. Husitská revoluce. 1.-4. díl. Praha 1996..


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester