Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/435

113* Therefore, says the Master Adversary, whenever man gives preference to human institutions and statutes rather than to the law of God, he chooses for himself other and foreign gods; whatever man loves, he loves in preference to Christ Jesus, and that is his god. Thus, when man chooses to obey the imperial statutes for the love of his possessions (that is, to regain them or to protect them by the authority of the Emperor and by abandoning the law of Christ) he chooses at the same time a strange god in the form of the Emperor and his law. There have been many learned discussions on the subject who the "Master Adversary" might be. The Czech word "Protiva" is derived from the verb "protiviti se," meaning "to resist," "to oppose," but also "to disgust," "to be repugnant," "to be offensive," so that the noun "protiva" could be a derivative of any of these meanings. It was thought for a time that Protiva was a proper name of a personage ( Jaroslav Goll, "Jes̄tē jednou – kdo jest Chelc̄icke̍ho mistr Protiva?" – "Once More – Who Is Chelc̄icky̍'s Master Protiva?" – in, vol.1, No.1, (1895), pp.47–49). However, Rys̄a̍nek in, 1915, p.269f, offered a solution which is today accepted as valid by most Slavists. Smeta̍nka, editor of the 1929 edition of the writes this in the preface (p.xv): "The word 'protiva' means 'adversary,' 'opponent'; Wyclif represents to Chelc̄icky̍ a perfect symbol, personification of resistance against the medieval Church; he is the Adversary, the  par excellence. If, therefore, he calls Wyclif the Adversary, it is meant as an honorific epithet, in a similar way in which the word 'Apostle' stood for Paul, the 'Philosopher' for Aristotle, or the Master of Sentences' for Peter Lombard." Further references: Kamil Krofta,, 1900, p.190f.; F.M.Bartos̄, C̄esky̍ c̄asopis historicky̍, vol.XVI, p.426.In this particular instance, the quotation ascribed to Wyclif does not actually come from his pen; it is rather an elaboration of a statement inserted into the free Czech translation of Wyclif's by Jakoubek of Str̄i̍bro; .Smetánka's edition of the , 1929, chap.XXII, n.14.