The Relevance of Comenius' Philosophy of Education for Christian Education Today

Jan Komensky, or John Amos Comenius, was one of the more brilliant minds of Europe in the 17th Century. At the invitation of leading politicians and clergymen he arrived in England in 1641 to address the parliament on his pansophic ideas, which had been widely circulated and for which he had become renowned. The political turmoil that overtook the country prevented him from addressing the parliament, which had turned its attention to more pressing issues of national security. The invitation, however, provided Comenius with the opportunity to reflect more deeply on his philosophical ideas in the publication Via Lucis, or the Way of Light, which he dedicated to the parliament. In it he outlined his philosophical ideas for the overcoming of ignorance and disunity in the world. These philosophical ideas are the foundations of his education philosophy. In this paper I will look briefly at his philosophy of education and indicate some challenges for how we approach the task of education today.