Historical Quotation in the biblical School Act Johann Klaj's Angles and Dragons Dispute between Depiction of War and Poetry of Peace

Johann Klaj's Engel und Drachen Streit (1649) takes an intermediate position in his literary work between the depiction of war and peace poetry: in this Schulactus, a biblical subject is combined with the historical context of the recently ended Thirty Years War and used for an eschatological interpretation of war. At the same time, the Schulactus' performs a secular transfer of these interpretive patterns in the context of the peace ceremonies, which is due to the representative functions of his recita-tional practice, revealing the institutional as well as politico-religious integration of literature. Examining the text, paratext and the historical context of presentation, this contribution elaborates how knowledge is created, transmitted and represented as well as combined with a negotiation of power in discourses and practices of the early modern period.

Automated summary

This article explores how Johann Klaj's literary work "Engel und Drachen Streit" combines war and peace poetry, while revealing the institutionalization of literature and the integration of religious politics in the early modern period.