Jan Huss

Jan Hus was born around 1372, in the village of Husinec, in southern Bohemia, in what is now the Czech Republic. His family was poor, and he was sent to school by the help of others. He studied at the University of Prague, where he received his master's degree in 1396 and was ordained as a priest in 1400. He was a clever and diligent student, and he rose in the ranks of the university. He later became its rector, in 1409. At first, he was a loyal son of the church, and he took part in its devotions with sincerity. He even went on a pilgrimage and gave an offering.

In 1402 he was appointed preacher at the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague, a large church that had been built for preaching in the Czech language. Here he found his calling. He preached to crowds of up to three thousand people. He spoke in the common tongue, and he spoke plainly against the greed and corruption of the clergy. He was moved by the writings of John Wycliffe, the English reformer, which had reached Prague. He did not accept all of Wycliffe's views, but he learned from him to place the authority of Scripture above that of the pope.

He preached against the sale of indulgences and the lavish lifestyle of bishops. He taught that the true church is the body of the elect, with Christ as its head, and that no pope or priest could be the head. He also taught that a priest in mortal sin could not rightly administer the sacraments, an idea that had its dangers. His preaching drew a large following among the people. It also aroused powerful enemies. The archbishop of Prague forbade him to preach, and in 1410 he ordered the burning of Wycliffe's books. Hus defied the ban, and in 1411 he was excommunicated.

He continued to preach and to write. In 1412, when the pope offered indulgences to raise money for a war, he spoke out strongly. The city of Prague was placed under an interdict because of his presence, and to spare the people, he left the city and lived in the countryside. He spent two years in exile, writing a number of works, including On the Church, in which he set out his views. He also wrote letters to his friends and preached in the villages.

In 1414, the Council of Constance was called to resolve the divisions in the church and to deal with heresy. Hus was invited to attend, and he was promised safe conduct by the emperor Sigismund. He went in good faith, believing that he would be able to explain himself. On arriving at Constance in November, he was arrested and thrown into prison. The promise of safe conduct was not honored. He was kept in damp and filthy conditions for months, and he fell ill. He was examined by the council and pressed to recant.

He said that he would recant anything that could be shown to be contrary to Scripture, but he could not deny what he believed to be true. On July 6, 1415, he was condemned as a heretic and stripped of his priestly robes. He was taken outside the city and burned at the stake. It is said that he sang as the flames rose. His ashes were thrown into the Rhine. His friend Jerome of Prague was burned in the following year.

His death caused an uproar in Bohemia. His followers, known as the Hussites, took up arms and fought a series of wars against the empire and the church. The Moravian Church, which later arose in Bohemia, traced its roots to his teaching. A century later, Martin Luther said that he and his friends had been Hussites without knowing it. His life shows the cost of standing for the truth against a powerful institution, and the way that a single voice can shake a continent.