Proclamation, Postils, Preaching: The Key to Understanding Milíč? Review of Peter C. A. Morée, 'Preaching in Fourteenth-Century Bohemia: The Life and Ideas of Milicius de Chremsir (1374) and his Significance in the Historiography of Bohemia'

Abstract

From Palacký, on, in Czech historiography generally and Hussite scholarship specifically, Jan Milíč of Kroměříž has been regarded as a primary precursor to Jan Hus and the Hussite movement of fifteenth-century Bohemia. Hussite scholarship has consistently identified Milíč within the evolving eucharistic reform movement, emphasizing his role in the development of frequent communion in 1370s Prague, his moral reforms, eschatological outlook, and as the prime mover in the establishment of the "Jerusalem" community in the capital. This foundation was a shelter for reformed prostitutes, a venue for reformation activity, and a center of renewed piety in the tradition of popular religion. Heretofore those assumptions, ostensibly rooted in late 14th century sources, have been unchallenged by scholars until now.