John Amos Comenius: Inciting the Millennium through Educational Reform

Comenius is considered by many scholars to be the father of modern education, a title that he has thoroughly earned. His ideas about universal education for all children foreshadowed modern pedagogical developments, and he dedicated more than forty years of his life to reforming education and societ...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Robert A. Dent
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-11-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/11/1012
Description
Summary:Comenius is considered by many scholars to be the father of modern education, a title that he has thoroughly earned. His ideas about universal education for all children foreshadowed modern pedagogical developments, and he dedicated more than forty years of his life to reforming education and society. The question guiding this research was: Why was Comenius so dedicated to reform efforts, and why were his ideas about education so peculiar for his time? Through a review of existing scholarship and Comenius’ own writing, namely the <i>Labyrinth</i>, <i>Didactic</i>, and the <i>Orbis Pictus</i>, it became clear that Comenius was inspired by the millenarian ideology prevalent during the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries in Europe as well as the effects that the turbulence of the seventeenth century had on his own life. These factors also led Comenius to believe that educational reform was the key to unlocking Pansophy, which would incite the Millennium, the golden age of peace and prosperity that would precede the second coming of Christ and the final judgement of God.
ISSN:2077-1444