Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/449

120* Christ, and to ridicule it, authority is of necessity driven back to check it cruelly, while it prospers on arrogant pride, and on godless villainy without comparison. Authority is necessarily driven to check it (the Gospel) cruelly, to torture, to tear, to plunder, to imprison and all this in order to tame the uncircumcised mind of the evildoers and to put them in their proper place.

This course is not the way of faith and salvation; it is good only for the taming of unjust people in their physical lives and temporal goods and for preventing their fall and end on account of their excessive stupidity and temper.

Chap. XIV, p.83*.

1-Pe.3:9.

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.

, Chap. XVIII.

Possible reference to the story of Mithridates who trained himself to drink poison. (. Pliny,, XXIV, ii).

"supposito lapsu humani generis et cecitate proclivi bonis sensibilibus precipue innitendi, necesse fuit leges vel ordinaciones humanas statuere, ne quilibet lapsus de bonis fortune caperet cuantumcunque voluntas indebite inclinaret.", XVIII, 41-D.

An interesting similarity of argument is found in another treatise on passive resistance, Etienne de la Boe̍tie's, publ. by the Columbia University Press in 1942 under the title ; "We learn to swallow, and not to find bitter, the venom of servitude. It cannot be denied that nature influential in shaping us to her will and making us reveal our rich or meager endowment; yet it must be admitted that she has less power over us than custom, for the reason that native endowment, no matter how good, is dissipated unless encouraged Fruit trees retain their own particular quality if permitted to grow undisturbed, but lose it promptly and bear strange fruit not their own when ingrafted." (P.20f).

Matt. 5: 39–40.

This passage shows a definite Waldensian influence. It represents an echo of the Waldensian version of the legend of. Among the Austrian Waldenses the legend took on the following shape: The "manager" of the Church of God in the days of the rule of Emperor Constantine was "a certain Sylvester of Rome" who, being persecuted, led a miserable life "with his people on Mount Sirachia." Moved by a dream which he had had one night the Emperor asked to be baptized. [sic]by Sylvester. Once baptized, the Emperor was miraculously cured from leprosy. The Emperor, overjoyed by his recovery, stopped persecuting the Christians and their leader Sylvester; he even gave Sylvester "the imperial crown and dignity." Sylvester accepted the "donation" but his companions protested saying that "they have a commandment from the Lord, not to possess any land." On the night of the day in which the split occurred a voice from heaven was heard saying: "Today poison has been poured into the Church of God." The Christians departed from "Sylvester the arch-heretic upon hearing this voice" and continued to lead a life of poverty and renunciation. However, the greater part of the Church followed Sylvester and the hatred of these "pseudo-Christians" caused the persecution of the true "pauperes Christi" for many generations as if they were heathens or Jews. These persecuted remnants finally gathered around the person of Peter Waldo who simply "corrected their order" (i.e. he did not found it!); he also studied the Scripture and inspired them to action "in accordance with the way of poverty." Hence the origin of the Waldensians. By this legend the Waldensians wanted to justify their separation from the Church of Rome and their continuity as true descendants of the original "pure" Church. Chelcicky is much closer to this Waldensian interpretation of the Donation than to Wyclif's; on it he bases his logic of separation of "Christ" and "Caesar." Rudolf Holinka,, Prague, Melantrich, 1940, p.30f.