Papers by Martin Pjecha
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Filosofický časopis Philosophical Journal, 2015
In 1415, Jan Hus was burned as an unrepentant heretic at the Council of Constance, setting events... more In 1415, Jan Hus was burned as an unrepentant heretic at the Council of Constance, setting events into motion which soon turned Bohemia into a battleground for religious warfare. By the end of 1419, Hus’s followers in Prague controlled the country’s intellectual seat of Prague University, the city government, and included many towns and nobles. In 1420 the heir to the Bohemian throne, Sigismund of Hungary, launched a papally -supported crusade against the “Hussites” to crush their heresy and claim his throne. For over a decade the Hussites successfully defended themselves from five such crusades, under the military leadership of Jan Žižka and his successor Prokop Holý. Starting in 1426 and building thereafter, the Hussite armies began to engage in “glorious rides” (spanilé jízdy), attacking their enemies abroad and spreading their faith outside Bohemia.2 Though the period of the Hussite wars has been well -researched by scholars, what has been largely ignored or taken for granted is...
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Apocalypse Now: Connected Histories of Eschatological Movements from Moscow to Cusco, 15th-18th Centuries , 2023
The radical Hussite dissidents (so-called Táborites) appear unique in Latin Christendom, when loo... more The radical Hussite dissidents (so-called Táborites) appear unique in Latin Christendom, when looked at from the perspective of the history of political thought, they seem to be the first “revolutionaries”, a term I employ to designate a community which takes upon itself the task to achieve an absolute annihilation of the world order via violence to achieve a new, radically-altered worldly reality. Apocalypticism was obviously a very potent meaning-structure for Táborites, but it is not at all clear why it would lead to revolutionary action, when it did not before them. This chapter traces the supposed and possible influences of various streams of thought on the Táborites in historiography and history. Historians have previously cited influence from virtually all extant contemporary heterodox movements, including the Waldensians, Free-Spirit, Lollards, and Joachites. While some such arguments may be tempting, they are also problematic in various ways, and I will highlight these allures and problems. In addition, though, I would like to draw attention to influences from less-heterodox and even orthodox, non-apocalyptic ideas which can be traced back to early Christianity, including mysticism, Christian neo-Platonism, and Augustinianism.
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The Bohemian Reformation and Religious Practice, 2018
How could the Táborite radical innovation of popular, purgative violence
be born from an academic... more How could the Táborite radical innovation of popular, purgative violence
be born from an academic Church reform movement stressing the exclusive legitimacy of spiritual struggle and established sources of coercion? The framing of this question has often led historians to answers suggesting influences from outside heterodox traditions combined with unique socioeconomic conditions. I have argued instead that the question is framed misleadingly, and that the Táborite innovation inherited a great deal conceptually from earlier key reformist leaders who were not always consistent on matters like popular pacifism or agency. In their creation of a popular movement which spread geographically in the kingdom, these thinkers clearly simultaneously lost their monopoly on hermeneutic authority, and yet I have argued that certain core assumptions which were fundamental to informing the Táborites’ purgative campaign—confidence in the identity of transcendent
communities, knowledge of God’s will, and the authority to cooperate in
its manifestation—were not fundamentally new or fringe, but rather radical interpretations of those developed a decade earlier by Hussite intellectuals to define their positions on contemporary debates like those on ecclesiology, realism, and reform. In sidelining or overlooking these important continuities and instead emphasising the pacifism of early Hussite thinkers, we not only disregard the important complexity within “Hussite ideology”, but we miss a valuable explanatory factor for Táborite purgative violence, as demonstrated by their self-perception, motivations, and goals.
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"The Changing Perception of the Hussites in the Thoughts and Works of Johannes Nider" presents a... more "The Changing Perception of the Hussites in the Thoughts and Works of Johannes Nider" presents a case study of the perception of heresy in the Late Medieval period by addressing Johannes Nider (d. 1438). Not only was Nider an important figure in the Dominican observant movement, but his efforts toward Church reform brought him to some of the most important ecclesiastic gatherings of his day – including the Councils of Constance and Basel – and his great work the "Formicarius" (1436–1438) is today considered as among the foundational texts attacking witchcraft, demonology, and magical speculation. A less-explored, and seemingly a more contentious issue are Nider’s views on the the Hussites of Bohemia. With a view to contributing to the latter discussion, the article compares Nider’s discourses on the Hussites in relevant parts of the Formicarius and in his "Contra heresim Hussitarum" (1430–1431), an earlier work dealing with the Hussite threat. With reference events and developments – relating both to Christendom, and to Nider personally – taking place in the time between the two works, it is argued that Nider’s view of the Hussites was modified as he learned more about them, and also as a peaceful compromise was becoming an increasingly appealing alternative to
continued warfare. After such a compromise was reached with the "Compactata" of 1436, Nider altered his view of the Hussites so as to make it fit the current reality, his understanding of sacred history, and the role of the wars in that history. At the same time, he carefully redefined his terminology. The conclusion argues that heresy was not always a static, ahistorical category, but rather one which sometimes needed to be adapted to contemporary contexts.
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Translations by Martin Pjecha
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Hussite Eschatological Texts (1412–1421): Introduction and Translations, 2020
It is arguable that, in the long history of Western apocalyptic thought, the radical Hussites rep... more It is arguable that, in the long history of Western apocalyptic thought, the radical Hussites represent a unique turning point which may be summarised as “revolutionary apocalypticism”. Whether or not we accept this thesis, the Hussite Revolution still represents an important moment in the history of one of the most persistent symbolic forms of religious existence. As such, it is a point of interest relevant not only to the field of history, but also theology, political science, and philosophy, among others. This collection of eight texts, therefore, aims to help fill a significant gap in the study of both a historical moment, and a religio-political form of thought. Although they are mostly published and well-known by Hussite specialists, they have been difficult to access outside of this small circle of scholars due to the barriers posed by language and/or by the rarity of the publications containing them. In addition, the notes and introduction aim to provide a historical and intellectual context, and address certain historiographic issues like dating and authorship, with reference to specialised literature.
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Book Reviews by Martin Pjecha
Studia Mediaevalia Bohemica, 2021
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M. A. Thesis by Martin Pjecha
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Call for Papers by Martin Pjecha
A conference on the occasion of the (postponed) 600th anniversary
of the foundation of Tábor
Tábo... more A conference on the occasion of the (postponed) 600th anniversary
of the foundation of Tábor
Tábor, Czech Republic, 9-11 June 2021
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Theologies of Revolution, 2019
Workshop, 20-21 May 2019, Prague
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Since the emergence of the first historical states, the divine has been used to either empower an... more Since the emergence of the first historical states, the divine has been used to either empower and justify political authority and social stratification, or as an antithesis that could question the spheres of power. In its interplay with various groups pertinent both to state and non-state levels, religion has influenced societies throughout all periods of human history. The dialogue between the religious and political spheres found (and still finds) its way into all layers of social interaction. Emperor-gods, sacred kings, priests, and sages struggled for authority and legitimacy. Officials, subjects, and disciples operated between reason and revelation, appropriating, recreating and exchanging the products of these two vast spheres. Established clerics, monks, and intellectuals found their positions challenged by the prophets, shamans, and witch-doctors who spun intricate embroideries across human societies. With varying degrees of success, religious counter-powers struggled for legitimacy and even authority from positions of ambiguity or marginality. This enchantment of the world, allegedly shattered by the advent of a re-invented rationality and a modern, enlightened, secular progress, nevertheless pervades the public and private spheres. It even penetrates them in new ways, re-inventing models of political, intellectual, and social life. Between secularism on one hand, and the disenchantment with secularism and a recreated model of sacral governance on the other, there lies a rich pool of experiences that is highly relevant for various fields of research today. The Center for Religious Studies welcomes applications from all fields of humanities and social sciences including:
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Syllabi by Martin Pjecha
Teaching Documents by Martin Pjecha
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Papers by Martin Pjecha
be born from an academic Church reform movement stressing the exclusive legitimacy of spiritual struggle and established sources of coercion? The framing of this question has often led historians to answers suggesting influences from outside heterodox traditions combined with unique socioeconomic conditions. I have argued instead that the question is framed misleadingly, and that the Táborite innovation inherited a great deal conceptually from earlier key reformist leaders who were not always consistent on matters like popular pacifism or agency. In their creation of a popular movement which spread geographically in the kingdom, these thinkers clearly simultaneously lost their monopoly on hermeneutic authority, and yet I have argued that certain core assumptions which were fundamental to informing the Táborites’ purgative campaign—confidence in the identity of transcendent
communities, knowledge of God’s will, and the authority to cooperate in
its manifestation—were not fundamentally new or fringe, but rather radical interpretations of those developed a decade earlier by Hussite intellectuals to define their positions on contemporary debates like those on ecclesiology, realism, and reform. In sidelining or overlooking these important continuities and instead emphasising the pacifism of early Hussite thinkers, we not only disregard the important complexity within “Hussite ideology”, but we miss a valuable explanatory factor for Táborite purgative violence, as demonstrated by their self-perception, motivations, and goals.
continued warfare. After such a compromise was reached with the "Compactata" of 1436, Nider altered his view of the Hussites so as to make it fit the current reality, his understanding of sacred history, and the role of the wars in that history. At the same time, he carefully redefined his terminology. The conclusion argues that heresy was not always a static, ahistorical category, but rather one which sometimes needed to be adapted to contemporary contexts.
Translations by Martin Pjecha
Book Reviews by Martin Pjecha
M. A. Thesis by Martin Pjecha
Call for Papers by Martin Pjecha
of the foundation of Tábor
Tábor, Czech Republic, 9-11 June 2021
Syllabi by Martin Pjecha
Teaching Documents by Martin Pjecha
be born from an academic Church reform movement stressing the exclusive legitimacy of spiritual struggle and established sources of coercion? The framing of this question has often led historians to answers suggesting influences from outside heterodox traditions combined with unique socioeconomic conditions. I have argued instead that the question is framed misleadingly, and that the Táborite innovation inherited a great deal conceptually from earlier key reformist leaders who were not always consistent on matters like popular pacifism or agency. In their creation of a popular movement which spread geographically in the kingdom, these thinkers clearly simultaneously lost their monopoly on hermeneutic authority, and yet I have argued that certain core assumptions which were fundamental to informing the Táborites’ purgative campaign—confidence in the identity of transcendent
communities, knowledge of God’s will, and the authority to cooperate in
its manifestation—were not fundamentally new or fringe, but rather radical interpretations of those developed a decade earlier by Hussite intellectuals to define their positions on contemporary debates like those on ecclesiology, realism, and reform. In sidelining or overlooking these important continuities and instead emphasising the pacifism of early Hussite thinkers, we not only disregard the important complexity within “Hussite ideology”, but we miss a valuable explanatory factor for Táborite purgative violence, as demonstrated by their self-perception, motivations, and goals.
continued warfare. After such a compromise was reached with the "Compactata" of 1436, Nider altered his view of the Hussites so as to make it fit the current reality, his understanding of sacred history, and the role of the wars in that history. At the same time, he carefully redefined his terminology. The conclusion argues that heresy was not always a static, ahistorical category, but rather one which sometimes needed to be adapted to contemporary contexts.
of the foundation of Tábor
Tábor, Czech Republic, 9-11 June 2021