Daniel Ernst Jablonskis Wirken im Geist der Reformation, des Humanismus und der Frühaufklärung

He was a tutor for the Radvilas (Radziwills) at Biržai, a student at Oxford, headmaster of agymnasium in Leszno, and court preacher in Konigsberg and later Berlin. Of all the stages inthe life of Daniel Ernst Jablonski (1660–1741), his contribution, together with Gottfried WilhelmLeibniz, to the establishment in 1700 of the Kurfurstlich Brandenburgische Societat der Wissenschaften,the predecessor of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, is emphasised the most.However, his efforts to achieve ecumenical communication between evangelical churches ofvarious hues were no less significant. The article deals with the development of Jablonski’sviews leading to these efforts as a result of his family history: the experiences of his childhoodand youth. Manifestations of efforts in East Central Europe, especially in the Commonwealthof the Two Nations, are presented through Jablonski’s activities in pursuing ecclesiastical unity,defending the rights of religious minorities, engaging in Hebrew studies, and in the ecclesiasticalcontroversy in Russia. KEY WORDS: Reformation, Bohemian Brethren, Commonwealth of the Two Nations, Brandenburg-Prussia, idea of Protestant unity.