Joy in J. A. Comenius’s Conception

When we talk about the life of John Amos Comenius, we rarely associate it with joy. On the contrary, we know him as a person who faced many very unhappy situations in his life. However, Comenius in his works often mentions joy in various forms (laetitia, gaudium, voluptas, hilaritas). It is obvious that he perceives it as a  life attitude from which we can and should draw in our lives. It is not only the joy of education, but, above all, the joy of God that gives man much-needed hope in his sorrows and pains. In the following article, we will ‘immerse ourselves’ in Comenius’s thoughts and words that describe his attitude to life. We will follow the footsteps of Comenius’s work and search for his conception of joy, which is still necessary for our lives today. The article is based on the forthcoming headword Joy for the work called Encyclopaedia Comeniana. It required a  thorough study of Comenius’s  work mainly in the DJAK edition (Dílo Jana Amose Komenského, Praha: Academia, 1969–) and searching for this term in Comenius’s writings mainly in Czech and Latin. Due to the availability of texts in the Czech language, this work is not always quoted; other editions of Comenius’s work are also used as referenced in the footnotes.


Th e Concept of Joy
Joy is a person's mental state in which one experiences a feeling of pleasure and feels happiness. In other words, joy contains more than the currently used term well-being -a subjective feeling of contentment. Joy is not a static concept, as it has a number of degrees. It can be experienced either at the level of sensory satisfaction only (e.g., the joy of physical health, the joy of beautiful scenery of nature, or the joy of art, architecture, music, etc.). However, joy also has a mental and spiritual children from this fi rst marriage has not been historically documented. 3 Jan Amos KOMENSKÝ, O sirobě, Opera omnia, (DJAK 3), Praha: Academia, vol. 3, 1978, (pp. 427-472), here p. 434. It was prepared for publication by Milan Kopecký. Th e work was created during the year 1622 and published in 1624 for the fi rst time. 'Indeed, when a man loses a good friend, it usually comes to his mind what he has had in him and what he has lost with him fi rstly. Desire, longing, feeling of pressure, weeping and lamenting, the eyes fi lled with tears and heart with blood, drying and thinning of the bones -that all come from that, and man carries a soul almost dead in his living body. ' level. At these two levels, it can be understood as the driving force of life, associated with love as a principle of life, and as one of the basic preconditions of life. Joy (as understood by the author of this article) is not seen only as a fl eeting moment, a momentary fl ash lost in the past. It is not even a short-term fl eeting emotion that comes from satisfying needs. Joy is not just a fl eeting moment of happiness without long duration. On the contrary, joy is a lasting feeling of life, which is stored in the depths of our inner self and becomes a life attitude: staying on the top of things and of hardships. It becomes a shield that protects the aching soul and heart from despair and nothingness. Joy is a shield against anxiety and as such carries us through life. In the Czech language, he uses the following expressions: veselost -merriment, utěšení (potěšení) -comfort (pleasure), radost -joy, větší radost -greater joy, rozkoš (spojená však s bázní) -delight (but connected with fear); and verbally: jásat chtivostí -exults in avidity, těšit se -please oneself, radovat se -rejoice, obveselovat se (kochat se) -amuse oneself.
• Th e term laetitia is the most general term for joy, joyful response to welcome, desired things that are good; laetari involved expressing joy, enjoying a good thing with joy. Th e related word oblectare means to bring joy by reminding one of a welcome, desired thing in the sense of being pleased, to please. • Th e term gaudium is an expression of greater, deeper joy (laetitia profundior), when someone is full of joy, one's heart trembles with joy, one jumps (fi guratively speaking), exults in joy, is fi lled with joy. • Comenius calls externally manifested joy shown through the senses hilaritas. In other words, it is an expression of merriment (the defi nition is only for hilaris -it is joy manifested by the senses, movement of hands, body). Similarly, jucunditas is joy manifested by the senses. • Th e term voluptas then refers to the reaction to pleasant things; it means the delight of 'being good' and being pleased with the highest good. • Th e term deliciae then means delight, the ultimate delight.
From this small list we see that in Comenius's conception (and in both Latin and Czech) there is no joy as joy, that this word has diff erent connotations and thus not exactly the same meaning in all forms.

Joy as the Triple Delight of the Soul (Voluptas Animae) According to Comenius
According to J. A. Comenius, joy can also be seen as joy emanating from the triple delight of the soul. How to approach this concept? We will try to do this in the following lines, based on the texts in Comenius's Didaktika and Velká didaktika. How does Comenius consider joy here?  16 Th at spoils health, causes pain, illness and death. He understands it as the delight of the soul (voluptas animae), which is threefold, depending on its origin. 'Th e soul can have three kinds of delight, one in all things around; the second in oneself, the third in God. ' 17 Comenius explains the threefold origin of joy in the following way. Firstly, joy comes from things. One explores them and does some research, which brings pleasure and joy coming from the sharpening of reason (as evidenced by the biblical Book of Wisdom 8:16). Secondly, joy comes from ourselves when we observe how we understand the order of the world, the order of justice, when we see that the fulfi llment of this order brings 'inner order' to us depending on how human virtues and good conscience develop. Th irdly, Comenius distinguishes the highest degree of delight, the ultimate joy. Th is joy comes from God, from the feeling that man obtains the grace of God and exults in his Father's favour and melts with love for God.

Th e Joy (Delight) of Education in the Conception of Comenius
Th e highest degree of voluptas animae (delight of the soul) is also associated with the joy of education, virtue, and piety, i.e., eruditio, virtus, pietas. Using other words, according to Comenius in Didaktika, these are: '… Th ree wells, from which all the springs of most perfect delights fl ow fully. ' 18 Th ese three wells -education, virtue, and piety, which bring man inner order, are to fulfi ll individuals and schools, all people, in everything that is essential for life. Later, in Pampaedia, in the fourth part of Obecná porada o nápravě věcí lidských (Consultatio de rerum humanarum emendatione catholica, 1644-1670), 19 Comenius also called this delight deliciae, the light of the mind was hortus deliciarum (fi guratively speaking, it was the light of pleasure), 'the garden of delight, the garden of joy' . Th e fact that joy is connected with upbringing and education, and thus also with various requirements and principles, can be seen as early as in Comenius's Informatorium školy mateřské (1632). In this work, Comenius combines joy with love. Here, he advises parents to cheer children up by telling stories, singing, music: '... as a good mind is a key to health, and, according to Sirach's testimony, a happy heart is man's life; … Parents should also make sure that their children have their merriment and pleasure. ' 20 Th ey should play with them, sing, show pictures, and support their own activities in every possible way, as it all strengthens the health of children. 'Th e more they know, the more they like it. ' 21 In Škola dětství (Schola infantiae) 22  Human nature is adapted in such a way that the senses, reason, will, and all abilities are constantly looking for an adequate diet. If you deny it, they grieve, weaken, wither, die. If you add nutritions wisely, they will rejoice, be refreshed, come to life, and will cope with everything ... 26 (In the Latin version, Comenius used the verbs gaudere and laetari).

Th e Joy of God in Comenius's Conception
Most oft en, however, John Amos Comenius connected joy with good, truth, freedom, unity, love. Comenius's metaphorical conception of light as several types of joyful enlightenment (physical, mental, and spiritual) was related to corrective activity, truth, love, and the hope of a universal correction of everyone-everything-throughout. Our intention is to show humanity, with God's grace, where all its good lies. We want to point out how we have crossed its boundaries and wandered in innumerable ways in vain. Finally, we want to indicate reliable, comfortable, and joyful paths to ancient simplicity, peace, and happiness. 28 Comenius retains hope. It is evident, for example, in chapter VIII, § 13. Here he writes that 'all nature avoids pain and is pleased with love. So there is hope that when the reliable foundations of true unity (and therefore truth and peace) are discovered, everyone will jump with joy and willingly exchange mutual hatred for mutual love. ' 29 Also in Panaugia, Comenius connected joy (gaudere) with a desire to make things right. In Pansofi a (Pansophia), Svět možný (Mundus possibilis), the importance of the light of the mind (hortus deliciarum) for understanding the things one encounters in the world is emphasised, and one should rejoice in it (gaudere).
Did you see the light of your mind in you? Did you know that no books have inserted it nor have I poured it into you? It is fl owing into you from your mind. Do you feel joy? Rejoice, for you shall have an open spring within you. It will fl ow within you constantly without slackening. It will accompany you throughout your life... 30 In Pansofi a, Svět materiální (Mundus materialis), in chapter VII (which deals with man, the user of the world around us) Comenius connected the perception of a beautiful, nice, necessary thing with good, a general love for that thing which includes pleasure (oblectatio) and desire, the eff ort to obtain it. If there are means, there is hope and joy (laetitia) and stimuli for further zeal. Th e attainment evokes a deeper joy (gaudium) coming from the fact that we have grasped it, delight (voluptas), spilling delight of the spirit (jucunditas animi). 31 In Panorthosia, 32 in the chapter on the correction of schools (chapter XXIV), Comenius combines the joy of education with the joy of God. Here he proposes a 'garden of delight' ('paradisus deliciarum') as part of the reform of secular administration. Chapter XXV mentions the joy (gaudium perfectum) of preparing people for the kingdom of heaven. Th is would be the task of a special university, to which a new philosophy, a new politics, and a new theology will contribute as part of the general reform. However, Comenius's greatest and most frequently expressed joy was the joy of God, the joy of pious people, the joy associated with the hope of salvation. In Historie o těžkých protivenstvích, this joy is described in chapter LX. It is about 27 Czech martyrs, executed in 1621 in Prague by order of Emperor Ferdinand II: '… Th e sorrow of this hour will pass away and new, cordial, and eternal joy will come. ' 33 Th e joy associated with God, the giver of joy, oft en appears in Comenius's rewording of the Psalms called Žalmy (e.g., in IX, XIX, XX, XXI, XXVIII, XXXII, XXXV, XLI, XLIII). We can mention, for example, the conclusion of Psalm XXXII: 'Let all the godly ones rejoice in the LORD. Anyone with a sincere 34 heart, rejoice in the Lord. ' 35 Or there is Psalm IX: 'O my righteous judge, you made the true judgment over me: joy, joy which is in you is brought by my heart to me. ' 36 As early as in Přemyšlování o dokonalosti křesťan ské (1622), 37 the chosen soul piously meditates and cannot do anything else than weep with joy, as it would like to repay God with love for his good, especially for inner peace and joy in the spirit. Christian perfection includes love, tolerance, goodness, modesty, etc., and merriment and perfect comfort, joy in spirit, in heaven of delight. In the second part of Labyrint (that is, Ráj srdce), the inner light of pious Christians, the freedom of hearts devoted to God, love for God and neighbour brings joy, even delight, joy greater than the joy of the world; life is a joyous exulting in God, culminating in the delight of salvation. Similarly, in Svět duchovní (Mundus spiritualis) in Pansofi a, 38 where the path to perfection needed for the reform of everything -in everything -throughout is described. For example, in chapter I, there is life in God as love and joy (amor et gaudium), or in chapter VII, joy (gaudium) of Christ the Redeemer is one of the seven stages of rebirth. In the fi nal past of Pansofi a, in chapter X, Jubileus jubileorum, 39 the sign of the pinnacle of human wisdom is the lasting light of the mind, the lasting joyful heart (svavitates cordis perpetuae), the pinnacle of happiness (felicitatis culmen). Th is -the praise of the Lord, a life consecrated in the joy of God and devoted to God, a lasting happy heart as the pinnacle of happiness -was the driving force of all of Comenius's action. He writes about this at the beginning of his professional and life career in the Th eatrum universitatis rerum (1616-1618). Here, he also foreshadows his whole future life with words in which he addresses God in a somewhat unusual and strange way with youthful astonishment: '...wonderful God, my Lord. In your name I will begin with my work, do my work and fi nish it, and I will give myself and all my work to You, it will be under your protection... ' 40 Th ese words express the greatest impulse of Comenius's life, his activities, and his ability to rise again from his falls to peak activity. To the question of how Comenius overcame his pain and sorrow, his suff ering, the almost dead soul that he carried (aft er all the wounds of his life) in his living body, we can answer using the words of the Old Testament. Th ese are the words of Prophet Nehemiah, whom Comenius liked to quote: '...for the joy of the Lord is your strength' (Neh 8:10). John Amos Comenius not only wrote about this power of joy, but he really felt and lived it in his life. It was his hortus deliciarum.
Aft er all, in the already mentioned Labyrint světa a ráj srdce, Comenius speaks as follows: Surely in the world there I have seen blindness and darkness, but I have seen this bright light as well; I have seen deception, but also truth; I have seen disorder, but also noble order itself; I have seen rush, but also peace; I have seen worries, but also joy; I have seen defi ciency, but also abundance; I have seen slavery, but also freedom; I have seen diffi culties, but also ease; I have seen tragic incidents, but also safeness... 43

Conclusion
Th e concept of Comenius's joy is an unexplored area in the existing literature related to his work and life. At the same time, it is clear that this concept, and especially the concrete experience of that joy, was not completely foreign to him. Despite the hardships of life and the pain he experienced, he was a man of unrelenting faith, fi lled with the joy of God. Th is joy gave him a life force and enabled him to overcome all the hard and bad things which he encountered in life. However, as can be seen from this article, Comenius's conception of joy does not apply to God himself only. Comenius himself perceives it from various possible angles considering the emotional states of man himself. It defi nes joy by expressions such as laetitia, gaudium, hilaritas, voluptas, deliciae, which diff er from each other not only in possible expression, but also in the depth of experience. In his work (for example, in Dveře jazyků odevřené, Pansofi cký slovník, but even elsewhere), he defi nes the individual concept of joy. In Didaktika and in Didactica magna he understands joy as the triple delight of the soulvoluptas animae. It is then distinguished on the basis of its origin (source) as the joy of things (external), joy emanating from ourselves (that can be called inner joy, joy of the soul), and ultimate joy coming from God himself. In Comenius's conception we also fi nd the joy that relates to education, to knowledge as such. Th is joy is associated with virtue and piety (eruditio, virtus, pietas). Th ese three bring us directly a garden of delight, a garden of joy, Comenius's hortus deliciarum. We see this not only in Obecná porada o nápravě věcí lidských, but also, for example, in Informatorium školy mateřské, in Th eatrum univesitatis rerum, in didactics, in Gentis Felicitas, and elsewhere. Th e ultimate joy for Comenius is the joy of God himself. In the sections of Obecná porada o nápravě věcí lidských, in Panegersia and Panaugia, this joy is the path to original simplicity, peace, and happiness. Th e joy of God is connected here with love as such; it helps to reach the light of the mind, the garden of delight, the already mentioned hortus deliciarum, and the delight of the spirit (jucunditas animi). Th e pinnacle of human wisdom is the permanent light of the mind, which is inextricably linked with the permanently happy heart (svavitates cordis perpetue). With this constantly happy heart, we are to accept everything that we encounter in our lives. Using the words of Comenius from the beginning of this article: one should stand in one's lot until the end of one's life. In my article, I wanted to recall and bring this almost 'forgotten' but, at the same time, so important and inspiring message from the work and thinking of J. A. Comenius.