Petr Chelčický¹ (ca. 1390 – ca. 1460) was a Christian and political leader and author in the 15th century in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) from about 1420-60.

Chelčický's Background

Petr Chelčický was born about 1390 in southern Bohemia. Some believe Chelčický was part of the south Bohemian gentry. Some have called him a peasant, and some have called him "an impoverished knight". After 1420 he left Prague and lived in his native village of Chelčice, near Vodňany. While there he produced a number of writings. He was influenced by the thought of the John Wycliffe and Jan Hus. A number of scholars also believe the Waldenses influenced the views of Chelčický. He died around 1460.

Chelčický's Teachings

Petr Chelčický's teachings included many "new" ideas that appear to permeate present Christian religious thought, though it took the Anabaptists and Baptists to later popularize them.

Church and State

Chelčický called the Pope and the emperor (the church and the state) "whales who have torn the net of true faith", because they established the church as the head of a secular empire. Chelčický believed that Christians should follow the law of love, and in

Nonviolence and War

As early as 1420 Chelčický taught that violence should not be used in religious matters. Chelčický used the parable of the wheat and the tares² (Matthew 13:24-30) to show that both the sinners and the saints should be allowed to live together until the harvest. It is wrong even to kill the sinful. Christians should refuse military service. If the poor refused, the lords would have no one to go to war for them. Chelčický taught that no physical power can destroy evil. Christians should accept persecution without retaliating. He believed war was the worst evil, and thought soldiers were no more than murderers. He even opposed defensive war. He believed the example of Jesus and the Gospel was an example of peace.

Communal living

Chelčický was a communist in the original Christian sense. There must be complete equality in the Christian community. There would be no rich or poor, as the Christian relinquished all property and status. Christians could expel evil persons from their community, but could not compel them to be good. He believed in equality, but the State should not force it upon society, and went so far as to proffer that social inequality is a creature of the State, and

Priesthood of the believer

Chelčický criticized the use of force in matters of faith. The Christian should strive for righteousness of his own free will. He must not force others to be good; goodness should be voluntary. The Christian must love God and one's neighbor, and this is the way to convert people rather than by compulsion. Any type of compulsion is evil. He also taught that Christians should not participate in political power struggles.

Chelčický's Writings

On Spiritual Warfare is probably his first work. In it, Chelčický argued that the Taborites had participated in violence through the devil's deceit and the lust for the things of the world. He also criticized the chiliasts, opposed physical warfare, and noted that obligations of debts gave lenders power over debtors. In On the Triple Division of Society Chelčický criticized the nobility, clergy, and the middle class. In it he described how they subject the common people and ride them "as if they were beasts". One of his last works was Net of Faith. In it he showed how the apostles treated all people as equals, and considered Christ as the only head. It was in this book that he argued that the emperor and the pope were the two great whales that burst the net of faith. These are three of the numerous books and pamphlets he composed.

Chelčický's Influence

Chelčický has been called "the foremost thinker and writer of 15th Century." Chelčický certainly was an influential thinker among the Bohemian brethren of his day. Beyond his own time, his influence can be seen in the Moravians (Unitas Fratum), Unity of the Brethren (Jednota Bratrska), and even the Baptist Union in the Czech Republic (also known as the Unity of Brethren Baptists³). Important similarities can be seen between his teachings and the Contintental Anabaptists, and, to a lesser extent, the English Baptists, though no direct connections have been shown to exist. He emphasized the New Testament as the exclusive and final source to know the will of God. He held two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper. He encouraged people to read and interpret the Bible for themselves.

"Whoever is not of God cannot truly enjoy or hold anything belonging to God, except as the man of violence unlawfully enjoys and holds what is not his own."
— Petr Chelčický

Footnotes

1. The name may also be seen as Peter Chelcicky, Peter Chelciki, Peter Chelciky, Peter Chelčicky, Peter Chelčický, Petrus Cheltschitzky, Peter of Chelcic, et al.
2. As did the Waldenses
3. The first Baptist association was called The Chelčicky Unity of Brethren. Petr Chelčický

Petr Chelčický