Jan Blahoslav (20 February 1523 – 24 November 1571) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...

humanistic Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

writer, poet, translator, etymologist, hymnographer, grammarian, music theorist and composer. He was a

Unity of the Brethren Unity of the Brethren (Latin ''Unitas Fratrum'') may refer to: *Unity of the Brethren (Czech Republic), the province of the Moravian Church in the Czech Republic *Unity of the Brethren (Texas), a Protestant church formed in the 1800s by Czech immig ...

bishop, and translated the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

into

in 1564. This was incorporated into the

Bible of Kralice The Bible of Kralice, also called the Kralice Bible ( cs, Bible kralická), was the first complete translation of the Bible from the original languages into Czech. Translated by the Unity of the Brethren and printed in Kralice nad Oslavou, the ...

Life

Blahoslav was born in

Přerov Přerov (; german: Prerau) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 41,000 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 centre ...

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

. He studied theory under Listenius and Hermann Finck at

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university i ...

from 1544. At Wittenberg he became acquainted with

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

, and he was also acquainted with

Philipp Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon. (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lu ...

. After a short period at

Mladá Boleslav Mladá Boleslav (; german: Jungbunzlau) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 42,000 inhabitants. Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region and a major centre of the Czech automotive ind ...

(1548–9) he continued his education at Königsberg and Basle. He was a linguist who strove to preserve the purity of his native tongue and succeeded in bridging the gulf between Christianity and humanism. He was ordained at Mladá Boleslav in 1553, and became a bishop of the Fraternity of Czech (or Moravian) Brethren in 1557. In the following year he established himself at

Ivančice Ivančice (; german: Eibenschütz, yi, אייבעשיץ) is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as a ...

, where before long he installed a printing press. Towards the end of his life he moved to

Moravský Krumlov Moravský Krumlov (; german: Mährisch Kromau) is a town in Znojmo District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,600 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monumen ...

, where he died, aged 48. Blahoslav was the editor of the 1561 Czech-language hymnal of the Unity, a hymnal which was reprinted and revised at least 10 times over the next 50 years. His ''Muzika'' (1558) -- a "theoretical instruction book for the singing of hymns" -- has been called "the first book in Czech presenting the theory of music and singing."Ríčán,Rudolf, ''The History of the Unity of the Brethren'', translated by C. Daniel Crews, Bethlehem, PA and Winston-Salem, NC, Moravian Church in America, 1992, P.220. Blahoslav's work influenced

Jan Amos Komenský John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considere ...

Works

* ''O původu Jednoty'' – Rules of Unity * ''Filipika proti misomusům'' * ''Gramatika česká'' – Czech Grammar * ''Bratrský archiv'' * ''Naučení mládencům'' * ''Akta Jednoty bratrské'' – Rules of the

* ''Rejstřík skladatelů bratrských písní''

Works on music

* ''Muzika'' (

Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on th ...

, 1558) – On Music * ''Šamotulský kancionál'' (1561) – Cantionale * ''Věčný králi, pane náš'' – Song published in ''Staročeské hymny a písně'' (Old Czech Hymns and Songs) (1940)

Bibliography

* Brown, Marshall T., ''Jan Blahoslav: Sixteenth-Century Moravian Reformer'', Edinburgh, The Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 544, January 2009, pp. 1–9. *

References

External links