Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart is a book by John Amos Comenius. The book is a satirical allegory. Considered a jewel of Baroque literature, it is one of the author's most important works. Comenius finished the first version in 1623, but he rewrote the book several times, changing its concept and form. The book remains the most widely read work of older Czech literature.
The world is portrayed as a city which resembles a labyrinth, entered by a pilgrim (the narrator and author himself). The city has The Gate of Entering, and The Gate of Separation; six main streets which represent the six classes of the world; The Castle of Fortune in its middle; and The Common Square.
In Part One of the book, Labyrinth of the World (Chapters 1–36), the pilgrim is joined by two guides, Searchall Ubiquitous (allegory of human curiosity and longing for knowledge), and Delusion (allegory of indolent adopting of conventional and shallow thoughts). He seeks a job for himself that would best suit both his body and soul. The guides, however, prevent the pilgrim from seeing reality by making him watch the world through pink-coloured glasses. He captures glimpses of the reality only seldom. That is why he cannot find the right choice; even in the Castle of Wisdom he sees Vanity.
He sees human life as meaningless, and is terrified by death; yet he finds salvation in Part Two of the book, Paradise of the Heart (Chapters 37–54), where he returns to his heart, being called there by God. There he is visited by Christ who tells him what the real meaning of the world is, so the pilgrim, now transformed, can join the Invisible Church and see it through new glasses which are the word or sound of God and the Holy Spirit. He finally beholds the Glory of God and is received among God's own. For this, he thanks with a prayer and a hymn that celebrates the Glory, Beauty and Love of God.
The book is written in an artistic language. It is a poetical vision, and Comenius doesn't just criticize society; he also tries to capture the progress of Man in general (and show the dualism of material and spiritual ways of life). He points at the vanity of human endeavour that focuses on the material world and tells the reader that one must follow the will of God, as it is revealed in the Bible.
As mentioned above, the book remains very popular and is still in print (so far the last two editions in the Czech Republic appeared in 2001, which was sold out very soon, [1] and 2005). The new Moravian Library building which was opened in Brno on 2 April 2001 has a stone relief of the Labyrinth on its front wall. [2] [3] [4] It is now available in an illustrated English edition. [5]
Brno is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 400,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic after the capital, Prague, and one of the 100 largest cities of the European Union. The Brno metropolitan area has approximately 720,000 inhabitants.
John Amos Comenius was a Moravian philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considered the father of modern education. He served as the last bishop of the Unity of the Brethren before becoming a religious refugee and one of the earliest champions of universal education, a concept eventually set forth in his book Didactica Magna. As an educator and theologian, he led schools and advised governments across Protestant Europe through the middle of the seventeenth century.
The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a progenitor of the narrative aspect of Christian media. It has been translated into more than 200 languages and has never been out of print. It appeared in Dutch in 1681, in German in 1703 and in Swedish in 1727. The first North American edition was issued in 1681. It has also been cited as the first novel written in English. According to literary editor Robert McCrum, "there's no book in English, apart from the Bible, to equal Bunyan's masterpiece for the range of its readership, or its influence on writers as diverse as William Hogarth, C. S. Lewis, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, George Bernard Shaw, William Thackeray, Charlotte Bronte, Mark Twain, John Steinbeck and Enid Blyton." The lyrics of the hymn "To be a Pilgrim" are based on the novel.
Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century, it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic synonym for vanity, but originally meant considering one's own capabilities and that God's help was not needed, i.e. unjustified boasting; although glory is now seen as having a predominantly positive meaning, the Latin term from which it derives, gloria, roughly means boasting, and was often used as a negative criticism.
Znojmo is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants. Znojmo is the historical and cultural centre of southwestern Moravia and the second most populated town in the South Moravian Region. The historic centre of Znojmo is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation.
Petr Chelčický was a Czech Christian spiritual leader and author in the 15th century Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. He was one of the most influential thinkers of the Bohemian Reformation. Petr 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 and Petr Chelčický. Czech Baptists have also expressed continuity with the Bohemian reformation by identifying with Petr Chelčický.
The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren, formally the Unitas Fratrum, is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the Unity of the Brethren founded in the Kingdom of Bohemia, sixty years before Martin Luther's Reformation.
Uherský 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 zone.
Petr Eben was a Czech composer of modern and contemporary classical music, and an organist and choirmaster.
Přerov is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 42,000 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 city centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Pernštejn Castle is a castle in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on a rock above the village of Nedvědice and the rivers Svratka and Nedvědička, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Brno. Pernštejn came to be known as the marble castle because of the marble-like stone used to frame the doors and windows.
Sovinec is a castle in Jiříkov of Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated on a cone-shaped hill located in the Nízký Jeseník range.
Strážnice 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.
Herrnhaag was a communal spiritual centre for the Moravian Unity, an early form of Protestantism. It and Marienborn, a nearby sister community, are located in the Wetterau, an area of Hesse, north of Frankfurt am Main in Germany.
Janua Linguarum Reserata is a Latin textbook written by the Moravian pedagogue John Amos Comenius in 1629. It was published in 1631 in Leszno, Poland, and was soon translated into most European languages.
The Mladečské Caves are a cave complex in the municipality of Mladeč in the Czech Republic. It is located in the Třesín National Nature Monument within the Litovelské Pomoraví Protected Landscape Area.
Milan Ressel was a Czech painter, printmaker, illustrator and restorer.
Jano Köhler was a Czech painter. He is known for decorating sacral buildings with frescoes and sgraffiti.
The Great Didactic or, full title, The Great Didactic, The Whole Art of Teaching all Things to all Man, is a book written by Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian, John Amos Comenius between 1627 and 1638 and first published in 1657.
Comeniology or Comenius studies is the academic discipline dedicated to the comprehensive study of the life, contributions, and educational philosophy of John Amos Comenius (1592–1670). Hailing from Moravia, Comenius was not only an educator but also a prominent philosopher and theologian. His enduring influence has secured him a significant place in the annals of education, making him one of the most pivotal figures in the history of education and pedagogy.
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