This theses researches the bequest of The Unity of the Brethren in the lore and practice of the contemporary protestant churches in the Czech Republic. The first part evaluates numerous sources to concretize the bequest of The Unity of Brethren to ten points, which represent the most specific characteristics of its lore. The second part focuses on comparison of the previously specified bequest of The Unity of Brethren with practice and lore of particular contemporary churches. Through analysis of church sources and structured interviews with the heads of contemporary churches the thesis shows which points of the bequest of The Unity of Brethren actually appear in the lore of the examined churches and to what extend these points influence the real life of the communities. The main objective of the thesis is to examine whether the rich Brethren tradition can be found in today's Czech churches. Moreover this work also asks to what extend these churches manage to keep the Brethren bequest alive in the modern social environment.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)