Luke of Prague

[1] He attended University of Prague where he studied the standard church fathers and medieval teachers but was also exposed to the writings of Petr Chelčický.

[4] Around the time that Luke joined the Unitas Fratrum, the “seclusionary and narrow views” of the early members of the Unity were being challenged by views that “were not so completely terrified of any involvement in the outside world.”[5] During this difficult time, Luke and three other members were sent to find a Christian community “fully keeping and living the “apostolic faith.”[6] Luke travelled to through the Balkans and covered the Turkish lands in Europe and Asia but did not find any such communities.

Luke wrote Bárka [The Ship] in 1493 as an allegorical tale where the Unity was depicted as a boat that was weathering a storm.

[7] The Ship sought to address the issues that were dividing the Unity but also illustrates Luke's theology that “involves a full dependence on Christ.”[8] The Unitas Fratrum went into an open schism in 1495 with the church divided into the Minor Party representing the views of the early members of the Unity and the Major Party backing the ideas of Luke and other newer members.

[10] Luke was the head of the Unity when the Protestant Reformation began and corresponded with Martin Luther.