Religiöse Strömungen der Zeit im Ackermann aus Böhmen—Johann Wiclef und sein Einfluss auf das mittelalterliche Streitgespräch

Abstract

In Forschungen zum `Ackermann aus Bohmen' (1930), Alois Bernt writes that every literary work is influenced by the time in which it was written. Therefore, the dialogue between the “Ackermann” and death can be considered a religious-ecclesiastical contention because it deals with such questions as the proper way of living and the relationship between men and God. This paper concentrates on the question of how far the “Ackermann”-dialogue is affected by the religious trends of the time, particularly the Pre-Reformation movement in Bohemia. The focus is on the character Johann Wiclef and his main theses. A comparison of his theses and Johannes von Tepl's disputation demonstrates that the dialogue between the “Ackermann” and death shows Wiclef's influence. This is supported as the writer disregards the invocation of the saints and the worship of the Virgin Mary in his disputation. In addition, he uses John Wiclef's key term—the right to property—as an interpretation of the right to possess one's own life.