The Reception of the Czechoslovak Catechism in the Czech Church Milieu of the 1920s

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Autor/ Author: Pavel Marek 

In: Kultúrne dejiny

ISSN: 1338-2209 (Print)

ISSN: 2989–3313 (Online)

Ročník/ Volume: 17

Číslo/ Issue: Supplement

Strany/ Page Range: 165-195

Rok vydania/ Publication Year: 2026

Jazyk/ Language: Czech

Vydavateľ/ Publisher: VERBUM – vydavateľstvo Katolíckej univerzity v Ružomberku

Abstrakt/ Abstract: The publication of the Czechoslovak Catechism by Karel Farský and František Kalous in the autumn of 1922 attracted considerable attention within the religious life of the Czechoslovak Republic. Formally, it was a relatively brief textbook of religion intended for secondary school students (but also for the wider church audience regardless of age). In reality, however, the book represented the first relatively systematic outline of the doctrine of the newly established Czechoslovak Church (Hussite), founded only two years earlier in 1920. Expectations among the faithful were high. Within the church itself – already divided into two currents over doctrinal issues – enthusiasts of theological modernism welcomed the catechism with excitement and satisfaction, while a traditionalist faction advocating the adoption of Eastern Orthodox teaching unequivocally rejected it. They concluded that the catechism contained numerous claims and principles incompatible with the theology of the Christian churches. Although the authors employed established Christian terminology, they infused it with a new rationalist meaning by suppressing sacramentalism. The catechism also drew responses beyond the Orthodox camp: representatives of other major churches active in the Czech lands – Catholic, Protestant, and Old Catholic alike – reached conclusions similar to those of the Orthodox, namely that the work failed to remain within the boundaries of Christian doctrine, and they rejected it to varying degrees. By contrast, the catechism was warmly received and endorsed by the Free Thought movement (atheists). Its publication triggered a controversy that ultimately led to the termination of relations between the Czechoslovak Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church. The affair deepened and sharpened the internal doctrinal conflict, encouraged the organizational separation of traditionalists, and accelerated the processes that culminated in the establishment of an Orthodox Church in the Czech lands. The dispute over the catechism highlighted the necessity of engaging additional theologians to refine the church’s doctrine and to develop further creative efforts in this field.

Kľúčové slová/ Keywords: Doctrine, Catechism, Christianity, Reception, Controversy, Confession.

Citácia/ How to cite:
MAREK, Pavel, 2026. K problematice recepce Československého katechismu v českém církevním milieu 20. let 20. století. Kultúrne dejiny. Online. Roč. 17, č. Supplement, s. 165-195. ISSN 1338-2209 (Print). ISSN 2989–3313 (Online). Dostupné na:

Toto dielo je publikované pod/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.