Department of Biblical Studies

Research Focus

The Department focuses on the study of historical, philological, philosophical and theological questions related to the Bible within the context of early Christianity and its impact on the European culture. The researchers of the department concentrate mainly on these areas of study: the Bible and the Hellenistic Antiquity; the Bible and the early Christian literature; and the Bible in the Czech lands.

Current projects

Team projects

THE LIBRARY OF EARLY CHRISTIAN LITERATURE 

Early Christian writings (often treated in the introductory sections of patristics) are usually divided into apocryphal writings, apologetic treatises, works of the Apostolic Fathers and of the Church Fathers; the limits between these groups may be fluid and do not match boundaries between genres. In the second half of the 20th century, when the humanities were under strict ideological control of the state in the Czech lands, the old Christian texts remained on the periphery of interest and attention was paid to them almost exclusively by religious circles. Now we make them accessible to wider Czech public (some of them for the first time) in modern translations from Greek, Latin and other languages, equipped with detailed commentaries aiming especially at setting them in the context of contemporary ancient literature. The texts are published especially in the series The Library of Early Christian Literature (Vyšehrad publishing house) and in the Library of Early Christian Tradition (OIKOYMENH publishing house, with dr. Petr Kitzler as the principal editor, since 2019 along with dr. Jana Plátová).

THE MANUAL BY JAN AMOS COMENIUS 

A little-known Biblical paraphrase, compiled from the Kralice translation by the bishop of the Unity of the Brethren, who is known today rather for his pedagogical writings. The planned outcome of the projects, which involves dr. J. Benš and dr. J. Dus,  will be an annotated edition published in the book series The Works of Jan Amos Comenius in cooperation with the Department of Comenius Studies and Early Modern Intellectual History of the Institute of Philosophy.

Individual Projects

LETTERS OF IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH IN TWO VERSIONS. The standard collection of seven authentic letters by Ignatius of Antioch (2nd c. CE) was later expanded by an anonymous author who also enriched it by adding independent exegetical and dogmatical emphases (the so-called expanded version from 4th c. CE). The planned outputs are confrontational studies with special reference to the Bible as a firm reference base of the Ignatiana, and later the synoptical edition of both versions. Investigator: Mgr. Jan A. Dus, Th.D.

SIBYLLINE ORACLES. The extensive collection of Judeo-Christian oracles written in Greek hexameter and edited repeatedly during the 4th-7th c. CE contains many older traditions and references to the Bible as well as to ancient mythology. The planned output is a commented Czech translation of last four books (XI-XIV) which have not been translated into Czech yet. Investigator: Mgr. Jan A. Dus, Th.D.

TERTULLIAN'S THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND HIS DOCTRINE OF THE SOUL. Tertullian of Carthage (3rd c. CE), one of the oldest Christian authors to write in Latin, is also the author of the oldest extant Christian treatise On the Soul (De anima). During the project, the first annotated Czech translation of this extensive treatise was published, special studies will follow. Investigator: PhDr. Petr Kitzler, Ph.D., DSc.

SOLOMON IN THE PARABIBLICAL AND MAGICAL TRADITION OF LATE ANTIQUITY
A rich parabiblical tradition associated with the Jewish king Solomon is preserved in both literary sources and numerous archaeological findings. The main aims of the project are to produce the first Czech translation and commentary of the Testament of Solomon, and to publish an extensive catalogue of late antique and early Byzantine amulets bearing his name.
Investigator: doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Juraj Franek, Ph.D.

Databases

The survey of Czech translations of the so-called "New Testament Apocrypha" aims at harmonizing the nomenclature, based on the authoritative Clavis Apocryphorum Novi Testamenti (Brepols publishing house). More information here.

Involvement in the Strategy AV 21

Detailed information is available at the webpage dedicated to the Strategy AV21.

• History of Early Christianity as a Historical Memory (Coordinator: Mgr. David Cielontko, 2020)
• The Electronic Encyclopaedia of Hellenism, Post-Hellenism, and Early Christianity (Coordinators: Mgr. Bc. Radka Fialová, Ph.D.; Doc. Mgr. Jiří Hoblík, Th.D., 2019).

Educational Activities

The staff of the Department regularly take part in teaching at various Czech universities, e. g. at the Protestant Theological Faculty of the Charles University in Prague (dr. David Cielontko, dr. Jan A. Dus), Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University in Brno (doc. Juraj Franek).

Completed Projects and Selected Important Publications

THE TRANSMISSION AND TRANSFORMATION OF IDEAS: HELLENISM, EARLY JUDAISM, AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY (2019-2021; CSF grant no. 19-02741S; principal investigator: doc. Mgr. Jiří Hoblík, Th.D., research collaborators: Mgr. David Cielontko, dr. Jan A. Dus, dr. Radka Fialová, dr. Juraj Franek, dr. Petr Kitzler)
This interdisciplinary project dealt with the dynamic relations between early Judaism and early Christianity on the basis of critical and complex analysis of selected literary works. The main goal of the project is to elucidate the process of shaping of early Christianity both in response to early Hellenised Judaism and in the reaction against it. During the project, an international conference was held, and, among many other outputs, two large collective monographs were published (one by De Gruyter in the Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte series). More info on the proejct here.

THE NEW TESTAMENT 1601: THE PEAK OF BIBLICAL WORK OF THE UNITY OF BRETHERN (2018-2020; CSF grant no. 18-07309S; principal investigator: PhDr. Robert Dittmann, Ph.D., Charles University, Faculty of Arts; representatives of the Centre for Classical Studies: Mgr. Jan Dus Th.D. and Mgr. Vojtěch Pelc).

THE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE “HISTORY AND INTERPRETATION OF BIBLE” (CSF grant no. P401/12/G168; 2012–2018)
Five institutions and some tens of scholars have joined their efforts in this extensive project supported by the Czech Science Foundation (for more details click here). The following researchers of the Department collaborated on this project: doc. Josef Bartoň, dr. Jiří Beneš, dr. Robert Dittmann, dr. Jan A. Dus, Mgr. Radka Fialová, doc. Jiří Hoblík a dr. Petr Kitzler.

GRACE IN EARLY CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY (2004–2016)
In an extensive set of studies, printed first in three separate volumes in Czech and then in one volume in German, the theological theme of grace is presented from the points of view of various ancient authors. The project was co-organised with the Centre for Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Texts. Dr. Jan A. Dus and dr. Petr Kitzler took part in the project.

Volumes published in Czech:
Karfíková, Lenka – Mrázek, Jiří (eds.), Milost podle Písma a starokřesťanských autorů [Grace according to the Scripture and Old Christian Authors], Jihlava: Mlýn 2004 .
Karfíková, Lenka – Dus, Jan A. (eds.), Milost v antické, židovské a křesťanské tradici [Grace in Classical, Jewish and Christian Tradition], Jihlava: Mlýn 2008.
Karfíková, Lenka – Dus, Jan A. (eds.), Milost v patristice [Grace in Patristic Writings], Jihlava: Mlýn 2011.

The German version of the studies was published under the following title in a prestigious theological book series devoted to the history of dogma:
Karfíková, Lenka – Hušek, Vít – Chvátal, Ladislav (eds.), Gnadenlehre in Schrift und Patristik. Freiburg: Herder 2016 (Handbuch der Dogmengeschichte, Bd. III, Fasz. 5a, Teil 1).

MARTYROLOGICAL LITERATURE (2009–2015)
An annotated Czech translation of the oldest testimonies about Christian martyrs. The project was co-organised with the Centre for Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Texts and was directed by Petr Kitzler.

Volumes published:
Kitzler, Petr (ed.), Příběhy raně křesťanských mučedníků: Výbor z nejstarší latinské a řecké martyrologické literatury [Stories of Early Christian Martyrs. Selection from the Oldest Latin and Greek Martyrological Literature], Praha: Vyšehrad 2009.
Kitzler, Petr (ed.), Příběhy raně křesťanských mučedníků II: Výbor z latinské a řecké martyrologické literatury 4. a 5. století [Stories of Early Christian Martyrs II. Selection from Latin and Greek Martyrological Literature of the 4th and 5th Centuries], Praha: Vyšehrad 2012.
Kitzler, Petr, From Passio Perpetuae to Acta Perpetuae. Recontextualizing a Martyr Story in the Literature of the Early Church. Berlin – Boston: Walter de Gruyter 2015 (Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte, 127).

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (SINCE 2020)

BOOKS

• Dus, Jan A., List Judův, Druhý list Petrův, Praha: Centrum biblických studií AV ČR a UK v Praze ve spolupráci s Českou biblickou společností 2023 (Český ekumenický komentář k Novému zákonu, 20), 275 s., ISBN 978-80-7545-115-6.
• Fialová, Radka – Hoblík, Jiří – Kitzler, Petr (eds.), Hellenism, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity: Transmission and Transformation of Ideas, Berlin – Boston: Walter De Gruyter 2023 (Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte, 155) 243 s., ISBN 978-3-11-079507-3.
• Hoblík, Jiří – Fialová, Radka (eds.), Helénismus, raný judaismus a rané křesťanství. Kapitoly z encyklopedie, Praha: Filosofia, 2023, 700 s., ISBN 978-80-7007-761-0.
• Kitzler, Petr, Tertullianus, O duši (latinsko-české vydání), Praha: Filosofický ústav AV ČR – OIKOYMENH 2023 (Knihovna raně křesťanské tradice, 32), 485 s., ISBN 978-80-7298-623-1.

STUDIES

• Beneš, Jiří, „Friedensstrategien von Comenius mit Rückgriff auf die allgemeine christliche Tradition“, in: Comenius-Jahrbuch 31, 2023, s. 71–85.
• Cielontko, David, „The Elephant Mosaic Panel in the Huqoq Synagogue. A Reappraisal of the Maccabean Interpretation“, in: Fialová, Radka – Hoblík, Jiří – Kitzler, Petr (eds.), Hellenism, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity: Transmission and Transformation of Ideas, Berlin – Boston: Walter De Gruyter 2023 (Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte, 155), s. 179–204.
• Cielontko, David, „Herodes, Židé a jeho odpůrci“, in: Teologická reflexe 28/2, 2022, s. 170–193.
• Cielontko, David, „Reputational Construct of Jesus in Celsus’ Aléthés Logos“, in: Eirene. Studia Graeca et Latina 58, 2022, s. 421–453.
• Cielontko, David, „Spor o Belzebula: analýza jedné synoptické tradice v kritické reflexi“, in: Teologická reflexe, 27/1, 2021, s. 64–89.
• Cielontko, David, „On the Origin of the Archdemon Beelzebul/Beelzebub“, in: Biblica 102/1, 2021, s. 68–77.
• Dus, Jan A., „Adresáti Judovy epištoly ve výkladech Bratří a Františka Sušila“, in: Ondřej Podavka (ed.), Křesťanská kultura a vzdělanost v českých zemích od středověku po Komenského. Justus et Bonus. Ad honorem Jiří Beneš, Praha: Filosofia 2020, s. 335–348.
• Fialová, Radka, "Spor o starobylou moudrost. Úvahy o původu křesťanství u raně křesťanských apologetů", in: Cielontko, David – Čapek, Filip (eds.), Kolektivní paměť v bibli a křesťanství. Od teoretických otázek k praktickým aplikacím, Praha: Karolinum 2023, s. 224–240.
• Franek, Juraj, „,Seal of Solomon‘ on a Bilingual defixio from Carnuntum (Pannonia)“, in: Fialová, Radka – Hoblík, Jiří – Kitzler, Petr (eds.), Hellenism, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity: Transmission and Transformation of Ideas, Berlin – Boston: Walter De Gruyter 2023 (Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte, 155), s. 205–222.
• Hoblík, Jiří, "God's Power and Powers in Philo of Alexandria", in: Fialová, Radka – Hoblík, Jiří – Kitzler, Petr (eds.), Hellenism, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity: Transmission and Transformation of Ideas, Berlin – Boston: Walter De Gruyter 2023 (Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte, 155), s. 9–27.
• Hoblík, Jiří, "Prophetization of Wisdom. Towards the Reception of Isaiah’s Prophecy in the Book of Wisdom", in: Adamantius, 26, 2020, s. 368–375.
• Hoblík, Jiří, "The Philosophical Concept of Orientation Compared with the History of Religious Orientation in the First Four Centuries of Christianity: An Interdisciplinary Study", in: Communio Viatorum, 62, č. 3, 2020, s. 280–302.
• Hoblík, Jiří, "Pseudo-Clementine Writings as Evidence of Friendship, Christian Community, and Polemics in the Early Church", in: Acta Universitatis Carolinae. Theologica, 10, č. 2, 2020, s. 27–40.
• Kitzler, Petr, „Tertullian's Paradise“, in: Lampe, Peter  –  Mader, Heidrun E. (eds.), "Montanism" in the Roman World. The New Prophecy Movement from Historical, Sociological, and Ecclesiological Perspectives. Festschrift for William Tabbernee on the Occasion of His 80th Birthday, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 2024 (Novum Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus / Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments, 132), s. 109–120.