Forerunner of the Reformation: A Concise History of Jan Hus

"God is my witness that I have never taught that of which I have by false witnesses been accused. In the truth of the Gospel which I have written, taught, and preached, I will die today with gladness." (Jan Hus, July 6, 1415)

About Jan Hus
Jan Hus (c. 1369 – July 6^th, 1415), known in English as John Hus or John Huss, was born in Husinec, Bohemia (in modern-day Czechslovakia). He was not wealthy by any means, and his parents made sure that Hus had enough money to obtain his Bachelor of Divinity (1393) and Masters of Arts (1396) degrees from the University of Prague. He was ordained in 1400/01 as a Bohemian (Czechoslovakian) priest, and he is widely known as a religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer of the Scottish Reformation movement, which was influenced by John Wycliffe’s teachings. He lived a full century before Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli existed.

During his career, Jan Hus taught at Prague University and was a preacher in the nearby Bethlehem Chapel. Rising in prominence, he became involved in politics of the university and soon found himself at odds with the Catholic Church and the papacy when he opposed the two decrees issued by Archbishop Sbynko concerning Wycliffe’s books. He believed that professors should read whatever they wished and without any harassment from the religious establishment.

Bethlehem Chapel, Prague

He was also a vocal critic of the pope and cardinals concerning the established doctrine of the Catholic Church, which by large stood contrary to Scriptural teachings. He consistently preached about personal piety, purity of life, and the primacy of Scriptures as the final authority of the church. For instance, in his treatise, On the Church, he emphasized that there is nothing in the Bible claiming that priests could forgive sins because only God forgave sins. He also condemned priests who insisted that people follow their instructions when it ran contrary to the Scriptures. He soon expanded his criticism of the Catholic Church’s doctrines of ecclesiology, Eucharist, and other theological topics. For instance, he criticized the immoral conduct and corruption of the clergy; the practices of pilgrimage, idol worship, and indulgences (which were important parts of penance); the doctrine of impanation, or the Real Presence of Christ in the bread and wine, in the Eucharist (Holy Communion); and also the withholding of the wine from the worshipers during Eucharist. Hus ended up being widely influential in the Swiss states of Europe and gained prominence even with King Wenceslaus.

As Hus became bolder in his criticism of the Catholic Church, and in the light of Roman Catholic Church’s distaste of Wycliffe’s writings, Alexander V (the “antipope”) issued a papal bull on December 20, 1409 authorizing Archbishop Zbyněk Zajíc to confiscate and destroy Wycliffe’s writings, force his followers to repudiate his teachings, and ban free preaching. Jan Hus and his followers were soon excommunicated by Alexander V.

After his excommunication, the Hussites (his followers) rebelled against the papal authority in Bohemia (it was sanctioned by King Wenceslaus and his government), and Hus’ influence continued to spread across Europe. However, when Alexander V died in 1410 and the Archbishop in 1411, John XXIII, the successor (and later also declared an antipope), placed greater emphasis on the doctrine of indulgences (probably because they needed more money). Hus was still safe in the land of Bohemia even though Prague was placed under a ban by the Church, until he was summoned by Pope XXIII to appear before the Council of Constance.

Pope XXIII wanted Jan Hus to explain his views before the Council of Constance convened on November 15^th, 1414. Because Hus was perceived as a threat to the Catholic Church, the Council was determined to do anything to get rid of him. He was condemned as a heretic, given several chances to recant (which he subsequently refused), and was sentenced to die. He perished upon a fiery stake on July 6^th, 1415.[1]



Jan Hus’ impact on the Reformation movement

Although he was not as radical of a critic as Martin Luther was, Jan Hus’ ideas had substantial influence on the Reformers. For instance, Martin Luther criticized, just as Hus did, the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, and he also promoted the development and dissemination of vernacular Scripture. Hus was also not shy to criticize the papal assertion that the Pope held the keys (authority) to govern heaven (spiritual power – such as excommunication) and earth (temporal power – such as who was appointed a king). Luther wrote several treatises on this topic as well.[2] Jan Hus’ boldness to stand up for the Scriptures and his convictions in face of imminent death sounds strikingly similar to what Luther declared over a century later at the Imperial Diet of Worms in 1521:

"Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."

Links for more information about Jan Hus
1) More about Jan Hus
2) See the city of Prague, Czech!

---

[1] Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Hus; www.thereformation.info/jan_huss.htm; and http://www.theopedia.com/John_Huss.

[2] See Luther’s Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope as an example.