Table Of ContentBernard Bolzano
CZECH THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Series Editor
Dr. Jan Blahoslav Lášek (Charles University, Prague)
Dr. Jacob Marques Rollison (Independent Scholar)
This series aims to constitute a distinguished forum for research issuing from
or concerning Czech theology in the broadest sense of this compound term.
Examples of research sought and welcomed under this umbrella include:
high quality original monographs and edited volumes presenting research
conducted by Czech scholars, in Czech universities, or in Czech territory;
research conducted by non-Czech scholars or outside of Czech universities
and territory which examines contemporary or historical theological trends and
events linked to the Czech lands, people, and church (such as the Bohemian
Reformation, the legacy of Jan Hus, etc.); and scholarly translations of
both contemporary research and works of enduring theological or historical
value which aim to fill out the currently sparse anglophone resources on
these same topics. While Anglophone discussion is well acquainted with the
historical and theological contours of the Reformation in Western Europe
(especially France, Switzerland, and Germany), it has yet to fully attend to the
importance of Czech theological history and Czech voices in contemporary
theology. Wider recognition that this history and these voices are important in
their own right (and not merely as precursors to Luther or Calvin) drives the
posture of inquiry, listening, and dialogue which this series aims to embody.
Titles in the series
Bernard Bolzano: A New Evaluation of His Thought and His Circle, by
Kamila Veverková, translated by Angelo Shaun Franklin
Jan Hus: Faithful Witness to Truth, by Jan Blahoslav Lášek and Angelo
Shaun Franklin
The Four Articles of Prague within the Public Sphere of Hussite Bohemia:
On the 600th Anniversary of Their Declaration (1420–2020), by
Kamila Veverková
Bernard Bolzano
A New Evaluation of His
Thought and His Circle
Kamila Veverková
Translated by Angelo Shaun Franklin
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Cover: František Horčička - Study for a Portrait of Bernard Bolzano (1810-1820).
Bernard Bolzano, olejomalba od Františka Hořčičky z let 1824-1825. Originál ztracen po
r. 1925. Zde je pouze výřez.Bildnisse Bolzanos von Lubomír Sršeň mit Photographien
von Dagmar Landová (Bernard-Bolzano Gesamtausgabe, Reihe 4, Bd.1), Friedrich
Frommann Verlag (Günther Holzboog), Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt 1986, strana 156.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Veverková, Kamila, author. | Franklin, Angelo Shaun, translator.
Title: Bernard Bolzano : a new evaluation of his thought and his circle /
Kamila Veverková ; translated by Angelo Shaun Franklin.
Description: Lanham : Lexington Books, 2022. | Series: Czech theological
perspectives | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary:
"This book introduces the ethical, philosophical, and social legacy of
Bernard Bolzano (1781-1848), emphasizing the theological dimension of
his thought. The author situates Bolzano as a significant and
influential figure in the late Enlightenment in Bohemia, which developed
in the politically unfavorable times of the early nineteenth century"--
Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022026086 (print) | LCCN 2022026087 (ebook) | ISBN
9781793653055 (cloth) | ISBN 9781793653062 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Bolzano, Bernard, 1781-1848.
Classification: LCC B4805.B654 V4813 2022 (print) | LCC B4805.B654
(ebook) | DDC 199/.437--dc23/eng/20220727
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022026086
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022026087
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Contents
Foreword vii
Preface xvii
Chapter 1: The Later Enlightenment in Bohemia and the Bolzano
Circle 1
Chapter 2: The Ethical Foundations of Bolzano’s Work 27
Chapter 3: Reflections on the Transformation of the Family after
the Advent of the Industrial Society 39
Chapter 4: Bolzano and the Jewish Question 51
Chapter 5: The Theological, Philosophical, and Pedagogical
Problematic of Vincenc Zahradník 61
Chapter 6: New Discoveries of Krombholz’s Manuscripts 83
Chapter 7: The Importance of New Research on Bolzano and His
Circle 97
Notes 115
Bibliography 137
Index 145
About the Author & Translator 149
v
Foreword
This new study by Kamila Veverková concerns the ethical and religious
views of the notable thinker Bernard Bolzano (1781–1848) and the important
influence that he exercised on some of his pupils of both Czech and German
nationality. Although Bolzano is already well-known for his voluminous
writings and significant contributions in the areas of logic, science, math-
ematics, philosophy, and religion, it is often hard for someone to know where
to start learning about his remarkable life and work.1 Recent translations of
his mathematical and ethical works now allow for a proper appreciation of
Bolzano outside of the German-speaking world.2 Several original aspects of
his thought might be considered particularly intriguing: his ideas concerning
the nature and method of mathematics expressed in Paradoxes of the Infinite,3
his social vision explained in On the Best State,4 his moral philosophy and
theological writings,5 his theory of knowledge,6 his exhortations to students
at the University of Prague, and of course his magnum opus on science titled
Wissenschaftslehre.7 This new work will serve as an excellent introduction
and further elaboration of previous research on Bolzano and will propose a
point of departure and orientation for mapping out the frontiers of Bolzano’s
collected works which span more than a 130 volumes.8
During Bolzano’s life, Bohemia was a country of two linguistic cultures:
German and Czech. After a long hiatus (1620–1781),9 the Czech language
became a literary language once again during a period known as the Czech
National Revival.10 However, German was spoken by all who belonged to
the intelligentsia, regardless of their nationality. Therefore, Bolzano’s works
were written in German and were easily accessible. Bolzano’s father came to
Bohemia from Italy at a young age and settled here permanently. His mother
Cecilia was from an Austrian family who came to Prague; her father Franz
Maurer was a hardware merchant. Bolzano’s parents raised Bernard within
their German culture. It was a large family, though only two of the twelve
siblings survived to adulthood—Bernard and John.
vii
viii Foreword
The life of Bernard Bolzano was initially not very different from the
usual formation of other intellectuals of the time. He studied at the Piarist
Gymnasium in Prague, and later studied philosophy, logic, and mathematics
at the Faculty of Philosophy. At that time, graduation in philosophy was a
prerequisite for engaging in further university studies. During these years,
Bolzano became very involved in mathematics and seemed to show signs
of being an excellent mathematician. He was a pupil of the outstanding
mathematicians Stanislav Vydra (1741–1804) and František Josef Gerstner
(1756–1832). Since Bolzano was raised in a devout Catholic family, the
Enlightenment upbringing he received also led him to intense contemplation
on matters of religion. He concluded that it was necessary to reformulate
the relationship between science and faith and to contribute to the Catholic
Church’s reflection on some of the main issues related to its situation and
existence within modern society. This was ultimately why he began his stud-
ies at the Faculty of Theology in 1800.
Two decisive moments influenced his decision to pursue his lifelong career
as a theologian. First, the successor of the Professor Vydra in 1805 was Josef
Ladislav Jandera (1776–1857), who had won the selection process for the
chair of mathematics. Jandera’s age was probably the decisive factor, since
he was five years older than Bolzano. Jandera was already a member of the
Premonstratensian Order (Ordo Praemonstratensis), was ordained a Catholic
priest in 1802, and had also already become a doctor of philosophy.11 Jandera
later achieved scientific and academic success and even became the rector of
Charles-Ferdinand University in 1828. Second, the Enlightenment professor
of pastoral theology Jan Marian Mika (1754–1816) had a great theological
influence upon Bolzano. Mika emphasized the social function of religion and
the church and taught that any doctrine is justifiable if it can be shown that
adhering to it provides certain moral benefits.12 Bolzano found that doctrine
expressed most clearly in Catholic theology. It was Professor Mika who
informed Bolzano that a new chair of religious doctrine was to be established
at the University of Prague (as it was at all universities in Austria) and sug-
gested that he should apply for the chair. Ironically, a great paradox unfolded
here, since these university departments were established to oppose modern
thought and the ideals of the French Revolution which were spreading rapidly
throughout Europe at the time. The Catholic countries were supposed to pre-
vent the growing intelligentsia from being infected by the new line of think-
ing. After some struggle and provisionality, Bolzano was finally appointed
to the chair of religious doctrine in 1804/1805, and was finally appointed to
that chair for good in 1805. Meanwhile, in the spring of 1805, he received his
priestly ordination and a doctorate in philosophy. His primary task was thus
to give lectures and to preach sermons for the students on Sundays and feast
Foreword ix
days in the university Church of Saint Salvator. As far as lectures were con-
cerned, he was expected to follow the curriculum and the prescribed textbook
written by the Viennese court preacher Jakob Frint (1766–1834).13
The textbook was slow in being issued, so Bolzano began to lecture using
his own texts. Frint was a very conservative Catholic and tried his best
to prevent the “enlightened” Bolzano from lecturing on the subject of the
Enlightenment, but he was unsuccessful. By that time Bolzano had already
gained a widespread sympathy and popularity among the students, and the
provincial governor and the archbishop of Prague supported him. However,
he had to promise the Archbishop that he would lecture according to the
prescribed Frint textbook. He could have easily made such a promise since
only the beginning of the textbook had been written at that time. This was
later the cause and subject of a formal investigation. However, Bolzano in
no way wanted to succumb to the external pressure and become a tool of
conservative Catholicism. A subject of serious controversy arose from his
university sermons which he named “educational exhortations” or “edifying
addresses” (Erbauungsreden), the first volume of which was published as
early as 1813.14 Later on, other academic discourses and exhortations were
published in the following years, which were reedited many times. The mod-
ern edition has been edited by Edgar Morscher and Kurt F. Strasser as part
of the Bernard Bolzano Gesamtausgabe (Collected Works) published by the
Fromann-Holzboog publishing house.15 As we have already mentioned, all
university students had to graduate from the Faculty of Philosophy, since it
served as the foundational preparation for further specialized study.
Under Bolzano’s desk and pulpit from 1805 to 1819, several hundred stu-
dents from all over Austria flourished, later achieving distinguished careers as
doctors, lawyers, and theologians throughout the Austrian Empire. They were
educated by Bolzano in the spirit of the Enlightenment, in the spirit of open
and reason-based Catholicism, not in the spirit of conservative Catholicism. A
very interesting monograph based on archival research has been dedicated to
this influence by the meritorious Czech scholar Marie Pavlíková.16 Bolzano’s
educational exhortations dealt with very lively topics such as the relation-
ship between the two nationalities in Bohemia, the vocation and dignity of
women, the question of celibacy, the relationship to the Jewish people, and
many others. His pupils loved Bolzano for his openness and transparency,
and they continued to disseminate his views throughout their lives. It is inter-
esting to note that during the critical years 1805–1819, he did not publish
any other theological or philosophical studies other than his mathematical
studies and the aforementioned edition of the Erbauungsreden.17 Copies of
his lectures were widely circulated, and by means of denunciations reached
Bolzano’s arch-enemy Jakob Frint in Vienna. The educational exhortations,
