Unum necessarium

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Title page of the first edition, Amsterdam 1668. Moravian National Library, Brno.

Unum necessarium (German: The only necessary ) is one of the last writings by Johann Amos Comenius . The 77-year-old wrote it in Amsterdam in 1668 , two years before his death, as a kind of will . The book, written in Latin , is permeated with a deep piety . In anticipation of his imminent death, Comenius considers his life and life in general and asks what is really necessary in life. Especially the last 10th chapter is seen as his legacy, it is a summary of his life experiences and his beliefs.

The full title is translated:

“The only thing necessary. That is to know what man needs during his life, when he is dying and after his death. In the 77th year of his life, the aged J. A. Comenius, tired of the vanities of the world and striving for the only necessary, presented to the world for reflection. "

content

Comenius in his study in Amsterdam

The inspiration for the title gave Comenius the saying from the Gospel of Luke : But one thing is necessary ( Luke 10.42  LUT ).

In his book, Comenius starts from the question of happiness. To explain why this happiness is so rarely realized, he takes up his popular image of the labyrinth from which a way out has to be sought. He says: All entanglements in the world are only caused by the fact that people cannot distinguish between the necessary and the unnecessary, overlook what is necessary for them, and continually deal with the unnecessary, become entangled and entangled in it. (Chap. II, 0) The way out of these labyrinths lies in the fact that people learn the art of differentiating between the necessary and the unnecessary. (Chapter III, 0) Comenius derives the rule of Christ from the biblical story of Mary and Martha ( Luke 10 : 38-42  LUT ) . He writes: The rule of Christ about the one thing that is necessary must be observed urgently. It alone is able to show the way out of the labyrinths of the world, to ease the burdens it imposes, to satisfy its cravings. (Chapter IV, 0)

In the first three chapters, Comenius justifies the need to strive for the only necessary and to learn to separate the necessary from the unnecessary, the useful from the useless and harmful. (Chapter II, 2). Chapter IV explains the Rule of Christ and how it helps the Christian to free himself from the labyrinth of error (Chapter IV, 2). The following chapters then give advice on concrete application in various areas: in personal life (Chapter V), in science, especially theology and pedagogy (Chapter VI), in public and political life (Chapter VII), in the Church (Chapter VIII) and around the world (Chapter IX).

In the last chapter, Comenius looks back on his own life. He sees his own labyrinths and wrong turns: the often unsuccessful pedagogical work, the unsuccessful efforts for reconciliation between denominations and for peace in the world, the publication of dubious contemporary revelations, the unfinished pansophic work. In retrospect, he regards his life as that of busy Martha, be it also in the service of the Lord and his disciples and out of love for him. But now at the end he would like to sit with Mary at the Lord's feet and shout out with David cheering : ... that is my joy that I stand by God ( Psalm 73.28  LUT ). (Chapter X, 2)

He always saw himself guided by God through his own labyrinths. Just as his unshakable faith in God had carried him through the many setbacks in life, so too now at the end of the day he confides in God's goodness. He writes: My life was a pilgrimage. I didn't have a home. I wandered restlessly and found no permanent home. But now I can already see my heavenly fatherland, on the border of which my guide, my light, Christ , has brought me . (Chapter X, 10)

According to Comenius, the only thing necessary is to seek God throughout life, to live with him, to listen to his voice in the Holy Scriptures ; only in his presence could a Christian live happily and die happily. At the end Comenius prays: You, Lord Jesus, are for me this one precious pearl, the only true good, the one thing that is necessary. I want to look for and acquire you. I want to give everything that I have. What the world offers and considers profit, I consider refuse, so that I may win you, Christ ( Philippians 3: 8  LUT ). (Chapter X, 12)

Comenius adds a conclusion and gives the following advice: Do not burden yourself with things that you do not absolutely need in life! Make do with little that is convenient and praise God. If you cannot have comfort, be content with what you need alone. If that is also taken from you, remember to keep yourself. If you can't do that either, let your body go; only God you must not lose. Whoever has God can do without everything. With God he has the highest good and eternal life and has it for eternity. That is all one could wish for, the goal and the end.

expenditure

Comenius had the Latin script printed in Amsterdam in 1668 . He dedicated it to the Count Palatine Ruprecht , the son of the former King of Bohemia Frederick V , who was then living in London . An original print from 1668 is kept in the Moravian State Library in Brno . The book was also translated into other languages: in German in 1725 ( Leipzig ), in Czech in 1765 ( Halle ), in Dutch in 1926, in English in 1958 ( Pennsylvania ). A translation into today's German was published in Haarlem in 1998 .

Remarks

  1. ↑ E.g. in The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart

literature

  • Johann Amos Comenius: The only thing necessary, Unum Necessarium . Translated from Latin by Johannes Seeger. At the instigation of the Comenius Society with a biographical introduction. Ed .: Ludwig Keller. Rozekruis Pers, Haarlem 1998, ISBN 90-6732-203-2 (163 pages).
  • The book in English: John Amos Comenius: Unum Necessarium, The One Thing Necessary . Moravian Theological Seminary Bethlehem , Pennsylvania 1958 (163 pp.). Translated by Vernon H. Nelson. Reprint 2008
  • Johann Amos Comenius: The labyrinth of the world and other masterpieces . Ed .: Klaus Schaller . Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-421-05256-5 (461 pages). Contains the 10th chapter of Unum Necessarium on pages 411 - 430. German based on the 1725 edition, revised by Klaus Schaller.
  • Jan Kumpera: Jan Amos Komenský, Poutník na rozhraní věků (= Johann Amos Comenius [Ed.]: Wanderer in the upheaval of times ). Amosium Servis, Ostrava 1992, ISBN 80-85498-03-0 , p. 306-307 (Czech, 372 pp.).
  • Christoph Scheilke: Necessary Education Today - Theses on “Unum Necessarium” . In: violence be far from things! : Contemporary Perspectives on the Works of John Amos Comenius . Springer Fachmedien, Wiesbaden 2016, p. 423-429 .
  • Veit-Jakobus Dieterich: Jan Amos Comenius. With testimonials and photo documents . Rowohlt, Reinbek 2005, ISBN 3-499-50466-9 , pp. 110-112 (156 pp.).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g German based on: Johann Amos Comenius: The only necessary, Unum Necessarium . Ed .: Ludwig Keller. Rozekruis Pers, Haarlem 1998, ISBN 90-6732-203-2 (163 pages). Translated from Latin by Johannes Seeger.
  2. ↑ ( Matthew 13 : 45-46  LUT )
  3. ↑ Unum Necessarium , Amsterdam 1668 edition, Moravian State Library in Brno, accessed on December 15, 2018.
  4. ↑ John Amos Comenius: Unum Necessarium, The One Thing Necessary . Moravian Theological Seminary Bethlehem , Pennsylvania 1958 (163 pp.). Translated by Vernon H. Nelson. Reprint 2008
  5. ↑ Johann Amos Comenius: The only necessary, Unum Necessarium . Ed .: Ludwig Keller. Rozekruis Pers, Haarlem 1998, ISBN 90-6732-203-2 (163 pages). Translated from Latin by Johannes Seeger.