Bohemian Brethren hymnody

The early history of the Bohemian brethren is closely connected with the Moravian Church (see ‘Moravian hymnody’*). In both Bohemia and Moravia, the memory of Jan Hus* and his martyrdom at the Council of Constance in 1415 were influential in the creation of small independent churches in the region, dedicated to the reform of abuses and the preaching of the gospel in the vernacular. The first leaders were Peter Chelčický, who gathered his followers into a congregation at Chelčic, and Gregory of Prague; after Peter’s death, the groups moved (ca. 1457-58) to the forests of east Bohemia, and set up a community at Kunwald, in the region of Seftenberg (Zamberk), living the life of primitive...