Jan Comenius, Czech teacher: biography, books, contribution to pedagogy

Jan Amos Comenius (born 28.03.1592 in Nivnice, Moravia, died on 14.11.1670 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands) is a Czech reformer of the education system and a religious figure. Known for innovative methods of teaching, in particular languages.

Jan Amos of Comenius: biography

The youngest of five children, Comenius was born into a moderately prosperous family of devout members of the Protestant community of the Bohemian brothers. After the death of his parents and two sisters in 1604, presumably from the plague, he lived with relatives and received a mediocre education, until in 1608 he entered the Latin school of Bohemian brothers in Prerov. Three years later, thanks to the patronage of the Count Karl Zerotinsky, he, under the influence of Johann Heinrich Alstead, entered the Reformed University in Herborn. Many aspects of Comenius's thought are very reminiscent of the philosophy of the latter. Alstead, an adversary of Aristotle and follower of Peter Ramus, was deeply interested in Raimund Lullius and Giordano Bruno, in theology he was a chiliastic and worked on a collection of all knowledge in his famous Encyclopaedia (1630). After completing his studies in Heidelberg in 1614, Jan Komensky returned to his homeland, where he first taught at school. But in 1618, two years after his ordination by the priest of the Bohemian brothers, he became a pastor in Fulnek. His first printed work, "Grammar of Latin", dates back to those years.

The Thirty Years' War and the Battle of the White Mountain in November 1620 had a significant impact on Comenius's life, since most of his work was aimed at returning his people land and faith. For the next eight years he was not safe until the final expulsion of the brothers from the imperial lands led him to Leszno, Poland, where he had previously visited, agreeing on the possibility of settlement.

Jan Amos Comenius, whose biography over the years was marked by the death of his first wife Magdalena and their two children, married in 1624 for the second time. He completed the "Labyrinth of Light and the Heaven of Hearts" in 1623 and Centrum securitatis in 1625, publishing them in 1631 and 1633 respectively in Czech.

From 1628 to 1641, Jan Komensky lived in Leszno as a bishop for his flock and rector of the local gymnasium. He also found time to work on reforming knowledge and pedagogy, writing and, among other things, for his first large book, Didactica magna. Written in Czech, it was published in 1657 in Latin as part of the Opera didactica omnia, which contains most of the works created since 1627.

Another book written by Jan Amos Komensky at the time, Maternal School, is dedicated to the first six years of child upbringing.

Unexpected popularity

In 1633, Jan Komensky unexpectedly received European fame thanks to the publication of Janua linguarum reserata ("The Open Door to Languages"), which was published in the same year. This is a simple introduction to Latin according to a new method based on the principles derived from Wolfgang Ratke and the textbooks published by the Spanish Jesuits of Salamanca. The reform of language education, which accelerated and simplified it for all, was characteristic of the overall reform of mankind and the world, which all the chiliasts sought to achieve in the remaining hours before the return of Christ.

Jan Comenius signed an agreement with the Englishman Samuel Hartlib, to whom he sent a manuscript of his "Christian omniscience" called Conatuum Comenianorum praeludia, and then, in 1639, Pansophiae prodromus. In 1642, Hartlib published an English translation entitled "School Reform". Jan Amos Comenius, whose contribution to pedagogy aroused great interest in certain circles in England, was invited by Hartlib to London. In September 1641 he arrived in the capital of Great Britain, where he met his supporters, as well as people like John Pell, Theodore Haak and Sir Cheney Culpeper. He was invited to remain forever in England, it was planned to create a pansophic college. But the Irish uprising soon put an end to all these optimistic plans, although Comenius remained in Britain until June 1642. While in London, he wrote the work of Via Lucis (The Way of the World), which was distributed as a manuscript in England, until it was printed in 1668 in Amsterdam. At the same time, the Czech teacher received an offer from Richelieu to continue his activities in Paris, but instead he visited Descartes near Leiden.

Work in Sweden

In Sweden, Jan Comenius again encountered difficulties. Chancellor Oksensherna wanted him to write useful books for schools. Comenius, at the insistence of his English friends, suggested working on pansophy. He focused on two problems at the same time, retiring to Elbing in Prussia, at that time under Swedish rule, between 1642 and 1648. His work Pansophiae diatyposis was published in Danzig in 1643, and Linguarum methodus nouissima - in Leszno in 1648. In 1651 the "Pansophia" was published in English as a model of universal knowledge. His "Natural philosophy, reformed by the Divine Light," or Lumen divinuem reformatate synopsis (Leipzig, 1633), appeared in the same year. In 1648, returning to Leszno, Comenius became the twentieth and last bishop of the Bohemian brotherhood (later converted to the Moravian).

Failure in Sharospataka

In 1650, the teacher Jan Komensky received a call from Prince Sigismund Rakoczy from Transylvania, the younger brother of George II Rakoczy, to come to Sharospatak for consultations on the issues of school reform and pansophy. He introduced many changes to the local school, but despite the hard work, his successes were small, and in 1654 he returned to Leszno. At the same time Comenius prepared one of his most famous works, Orbis sensualium Pictus ("Sensual world in pictures", 1658), in Latin and in German. It is important to note that the work was opened with an epigraph from Genesis, when Adam gave names (Genesis 2: 19-20). This was the first school book in which images of objects were used for teaching languages. She illustrated the fundamental principle that Jan Amos of Comenius professed. Briefly it sounds like this: words should be accompanied by things and can not be studied separately from them. In 1659, Charles Hoole published an English version of the textbook, "The Visible World of Comenius, or Image and a list of all the major things that exist in the world, and human pursuits."

The lack of success in Sarospatak is probably due in large part to the enthusiasm for the fantastic prophecies of the visionary and enthusiast Nikolai Darbik. Not the first time Komensky put on the prophet of the last day - the weakness that other chiliasts gave in to. They too trusted the predictions of the apocalyptic events and the unexpected twists that should occur in the near future, such as the fall of the Habsburg home or the end of the papacy and the Roman church. The publication of these statements in order to influence political events had a negative impact on the reputation of an outstanding teacher.

Last years

Soon after the return of Comenius to Leszno between Poland and Sweden, war broke out, and in 1656 Leszno was completely destroyed by Polish troops. He lost all his books and manuscripts and was again forced to leave the country. He was invited to settle in Amsterdam, where he spent the remaining years of his life in the home of his former patron's son Lawrence de Gere. During these years he completed a great work that occupied him for at least twenty years, De rerum humanarum emendatione consultatio catholica. The seven-part book summed up his life and became a comprehensive discussion on the topic of improving human things. "Pampedia", instructions for universal education, is preceded by "Pansophia", its foundations, followed by "Panglottia", instructions for overcoming the confusion of languages, which will make possible a final reformation. Although some parts of the work were published back in 1702, it was considered lost until the end of 1934, when the book was found in Halle. For the first time it was published in full in 1966.

Comenius is buried in the Church of Wallonia in Naarden, near Amsterdam. His thoughts were highly appreciated by the German pietists of the eighteenth century. In his own country, he occupies a prominent place as a national hero and writer.

Path of light

Jan Amos Comenius devoted his works to the rapid and effective reform of all things related to human life in the sphere of religion, society and knowledge. His program was "The Way of Light," designed to provide the greatest possible enlightenment of a person until his soon return to the earthly millennial kingdom of Christ. Universal goals were piety, virtue and knowledge; Wisdom was achieved by prosperity in all three.

Thus, the source and purpose of all the works of Comenius was theology. His beliefs and aspirations were shared by many of his contemporaries, but his system was certainly the most complete of the many that were proposed in the 17th century. It was, in fact, a recipe for salvation through knowledge raised to the level of universal wisdom, or pansophy, supported by the corresponding education program. The divine order of things of the time when it was believed that the last century is coming was consistent with the possibility of achieving universal reform through the invention of the press, as well as the expansion of shipping and international trade, which for the first time in history promised the worldwide dissemination of this new, reforming wisdom.

Since God is hiding behind his work, a person must be opened for three revelations: visible to the creation in which the power of God is revealed; A man created in the image of God and showing proof of his divine wisdom; Word, with his promise of goodwill towards a person. All that a person must know and do not know must be extracted from three books: nature, reason or the spirit of man and the Scriptures. To achieve this wisdom, he is endowed with feelings, reason and faith. Since man and nature are God's creations, they must share the same order, a postulate that guarantees the complete harmony of all things among themselves and with the human mind.

Know yourself and nature

This famous doctrine of the macrocosm-microcosm gives confidence that a person is really capable of finding unrealized wisdom so far. Everyone, thus, becomes a pansophist, a small god. Pagans who lack the revealed word can not attain this wisdom. Even Christians until recently were lost in the maze of mistakes due to tradition and under the influence of a flood of books that at best contain scattered knowledge. A person should only apply to divine works and learn by direct collision with things - using autopsy, as Comenius called it. Jan Amos pedagogical ideas based on the fact that all learning and knowledge begin with feelings. Hence it follows that the mind has innate representations that make a person able to comprehend the order with which he encounters. The world and life of each individual is a school. Nature teaches, the teacher is a servant of nature, and naturalists are priests in the temple of nature. Man must know himself and nature.

Encyclopedia of Omniscience

To find a way out of the maze, a person needs a thread of Ariadne, a method by which he will see the order of things, understanding their causes. This method should be given in the book about pansophy, in which the order of nature and the order of the mind will gradually move towards wisdom and discernment. It will contain nothing but concrete and useful knowledge, replacing all other books. The complete record of the information organized in this way is a real encyclopedia that largely coincides with Robert Hooke's "repository" of natural wonders in the Royal Society, organized in accordance with the John Wilkins categories in his "Experience of True Symbolism and the Philosophical Language." Following this natural method, people can easily acquire full and comprehensive knowledge of all knowledge. The result of this will be true universality; And again there will be order, light and peace. Through this transformation, man and the world will return to a state similar to that before the fall.

Innovation in Education

Jan Comenius, whose pedagogy demanded that from the earliest childhood the child learned to compare things and words, considered the native speech the first acquaintance with reality, which should not be clouded by empty words and poorly understood concepts. At school foreign languages - especially those of neighboring countries, and then Latin - should be studied at home, and school books must follow the method of pansophy. "The Door to Languages" will offer the same material as the "door to things", and both will be small encyclopedias. School textbooks should be divided into age groups and only concern those things that are within the child's experience. For general communication, Latin is best suited, but Komensky with interest expected the emergence of a perfect philosophical language that would reflect the method of pansophy, not misleading, and would not be uninformative. Language - it's just a carrier of knowledge, but its correct use and teaching are the true means of achieving light and wisdom.

Life as a school

Jan Comenius, whose didactics were directed not only towards formal schooling, but also to all age groups, believed that all life was a school and a preparation for eternal life. Girls and boys should learn together. Since all people have an innate desire for knowledge and piety, they must be trained in a spontaneous and playful manner. Corporal punishment should not be applied. Bad study is not the fault of the student, but indicates the inability of the teacher to fulfill his role as a "servant of nature" or "obstetrician of knowledge," as Comenius said.

Jan Amos, whose pedagogical ideas were considered the most significant and, perhaps, his only contribution to science, he considered them only a means of universal transformation of mankind, the basis for which was pansophy, and theology - the only guiding motive. The abundance of biblical quotes in his works is a constant reminder of this source of inspiration. Jan Comenius of the Book of Daniel's prophecies and revelations of John considered the main means of acquiring knowledge for the imminent millennium. The story of Adam's distribution of names in Genesis and the wisdom of Solomon formed his idea of man and his conviction in order that was reflected in Pansophia, because God "arranged everything by measure, number and weight." He relied on the complex metaphorical and structural properties of the temple of Solomon. For him, man was, like Adam, in the center of creation. He knows the whole nature and thus controls and uses it. Therefore, the transformation of man was only part of a complete transformation of the world, which would recreate its original purity and order and would be the ultimate tribute to its creator.

Man of his time

Jan Amos Comenius made no contribution to the natural sciences and was profoundly alien to the development of science that was taking place at that time. Other assessments of his work were made, but they completely ignored his dependence on a priori postulates and his theological orientation. On the other hand, several prominent members of the Royal Society showed close kinship with most of his thoughts. The motto of the Nullius in Verba society occupies a significant place in Comenius' book "Natural Philosophy Transformed by the Divine Light," and in both contexts it has the same meaning. This is a reminder that traditions and authority are no longer arbiters of truth. It is given to nature, and observation is the only source of concrete knowledge. The widely discussed problem of the relationship between Comenius and the early Royal Society is still not resolved, mainly because the discussion of this issue is based on a meager acquaintance with his works and almost complete ignorance of his correspondence.

The statements about the influence of the Czech reformer on Leibniz are greatly exaggerated. It was such a typical manifestation of beliefs, doctrines and problems of the time that the same thoughts were expressed by others occupying a more significant place in Leibniz's early works. Jan Amos Comenius has drawn his ideas from the theology of the Bohemian brothers (with their strong chiliastic tendencies), as well as among such famous personalities as Johann Valentine Andree, Jakob Böhme, Nikolai Kuzansky, Juan Luis Vives, Bacon, Campanella, Raimund de Sabunde Which he published in Amsterdam in 1661 under the name Oculus fidei) and Mersenne, whose correspondence indicates a positive attitude towards Comenius and his work.