Zeman, Jarold Knox (1926-2000)

Jarold (Jaroslav) Knox Zeman: scholar of the Anabaptists and Bohemian Brethren, and a Canadian Baptist minister and leader, was born on 27 February 1926 and raised in Semonice near Jaroměř, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). After World War II he enrolled in Charles University in Prague, first in philosophy and then in theology. In 1948 he received a scholarship to continue his studies at Knox College, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He earned degrees at Charles University and Knox College, and a ThD at the University of Zurich. Zeman married a Canadian wife, Lila (Lillian) Koncicky (27 April 1933-July 2002); they raised a family of one son and three daughters--Tim, Janice, Miriam and Dagmar. Jarold Zeman died in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada on 18 September 2000.

Jarold Zeman was active both in his church and in academia. He served as a Baptist minister in Toronto to his fellow Czech-speaking compatriots for six years as well as in a rural church where he continued his contacts with Czech immigrants. He also provided leadership to the Department of Canadian Missions of the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec. After receiving his doctorate he assumed the chair of Church History at Acadia Divinity College, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where he taught for 23 years.

His doctoral dissertation The Anabaptists and the Czech Brethren in Moravia, 1526-1628: A Study of Origins and Contacts (Hague/Paris, 1968) and his book entitled The Hussite Movement and the Reformation in Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia (1350-1650), a Bibliographical Study Guide (Ann Arbor, 1977) were definitive in their fields. He also published a number of studies concerning the history of Waldensians and the Bohemian Brethren, spearheaded new interest in archival history in the Baptist church, and initiated the publication series Atlantic Baptist Heritage.

In addition to his doctoral dissertation, Zeman's most significant publication for Anabaptist studies included “The Rise of Religious Liberty in the Czech Republic," Central European History 6 (1973), 128-47 and a significant survey of sixteenth-century Anabaptist communities in eastern Europe, "Historical Topography of Moravian Anabaptism," Mennonite Quarterly Review 40 (Oct. 1966), 266-78; 41 (Jan. 1967), 40-78; and 41 (April 1967), 116-60.

His students remember him for his listening ear and caring heart as much as for his gift of teaching and academic expertise. Zeman served as advisor and mentor to many younger scholars who were interested in Czech history. He was awarded honorary degrees by McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario) and Acadia University and received the Comenious medal from his alma mater in Prague.

Bibliography

"Dr. Jarold Zeman, Hon. 1994." Acadia Bulletin 85 (Fall 2000): 16. Web. 30 June 2016. http://openarchive.acadiau.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/AAB/id/1886/rec/3.

Klassen, John Martin. "In Memoriam: Jarold K. Zeman, 1926-2000." Mennonite Quarterly Review 76 (July 2000): 259.

Author(s)	John Martin Klassen
Date Published	June 2016

Cite This Article

MLA style

Klassen, John Martin. "Zeman, Jarold Knox (1926-2000)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2016. Web. 25 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zeman,_Jarold_Knox_(1926-2000)&oldid=134780.

APA style

Klassen, John Martin. (June 2016). Zeman, Jarold Knox (1926-2000). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zeman,_Jarold_Knox_(1926-2000)&oldid=134780.

---

©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.