In 15th-century Europe, the Catholic Church, with its intimidating claim to be the only intermediary between God and humankind, ruled over everybody’s life. Yet its authority was being questioned. The Black Death, which had killed a third of Europe in just a few years, had shaken people’s beliefs. There were hostile splits within the church, including rival popes as well as shameful examples of priestly immorality. All this unease was to come to a head in central Europe with John Hus.
Hus was born in 1370 to a poor family in Bohemia, a kingdom corresponding to much of the modern Czech Republic. Growing up he discerned a call within the church and enrolled at the University of Prague, then the focus of intellectual life of central Europe. Hus was ordained in 1400 and assumed two roles: that of university lecturer and administrator, and also priest at a very large church, Bethlehem Chapel. Blunt, relevant and humorous, Hus was popular as both lecturer and preacher. His preaching was notable for his use of Czech rather than Latin, a dependence on Scripture and his insistence on speaking truth, however uncomfortable. To help educate his vast church congregation Hus took to decorating the walls of the church with Bible texts, theological statements and even cartoons.
Bohemia and England had been linked through a royal marriage and with the English influence had come Wycliffe’s works. Hus read them and felt that Wycliffe raised issues that demanded discussion. Hus began criticising the church of his day, his words carrying weight because of his ability as a communicator. He condemned the sale of indulgences, documents that promised deliverance from the pains of purgatory and a great fundraiser for the mediaeval church. He criticised priests who were lazy, greedy or had mistresses. He denounced the way that positions in the church could be bought. Yet Hus didn’t only mount attacks; he also asked unsettling questions. Shouldn’t congregations at the Mass be given not just bread but also wine? Couldn’t worship be in Czech rather than Latin? Why weren’t women given rights equal to men? Some of his questions struck at the very heart of the vast structure of mediaeval Catholicism. Was it possible that some who were leaders in the church might not genuinely belong to Christ? Was the true head of the church Christ rather than the Pope?
Hus’ speaking and writing demanded a response, and powerful counterattacks began. He was banned from preaching but kept writing, and his teachings were widely copied and circulated. When in 1412 Rome mounted a special sale of indulgences to fund a crusade against Naples, Hus protested against both the indulgences and the crusade itself. His protests were echoed on the streets by many; after bloody reprisals, Prague came close to revolt. Hus, seen as a ring leader, was excommunicated and disappeared into the countryside where he continued his writing and pastoral work.
To resolve some of the issues within the church, a powerful council was called at Constance, in modern-day Germany. Given an assurance of safe conduct, Hus went hoping to discuss his complaints amiably before the Pope and clerics. Once there, however, he was arrested and tried for heresy. Although none of his teachings were heretical, he was found guilty. Hus refused to retract his beliefs and on 6th July 1415 was burnt at the stake outside the Cathedral of Constance. His last words were, ‘Lord Jesus, it is for you that I patiently endure this cruel death. I pray you to have mercy on my enemies.’
The decision to burn Hus was not just wrong – the modern Catholic Church has apologised for it – but it was also disastrous. When Prague heard that its most respected preacher had been shamefully executed, a violent uprising began and for the next twenty years a bloody military conflict raged across Bohemia between the armies of the Pope and what became called the ‘Hussite’ forces, who were loyal to Hus’ memory if not his peaceful ideals. Hus became a celebrated figure in Czech history and the date of his death remains a national holiday. His status as martyr ensured his books were widely circulated and, a hundred years after his death, they were read by Luther who welcomed many of Hus’ ideas.
Hus is truly a heroic figure and let me highlight three striking things about him.
First, Hus was a shepherd of the sheep. He was not some troublesome individual seeking a fight, but a caring preacher and teacher desperately concerned that men and women were being misled in matters of eternal significance.
Second, Hus was a servant of the Word. He used it as the standard against which everything – including his own teaching – was to be measured. He recognised the supreme authority of God’s Word.
Finally, Hus was a steward of the truth. He saw it as his duty to proclaim all of God’s truth revealed in Scripture. Faced with threats to tone down his teaching, Hus simply refused. He taught truth wisely and imaginatively; I love how he used visual aids to transmit it. The motto of the Czech Republic today goes back to Hus: Pravda vítězí – truth conquers.
The story of John Hus is both one of tragedy and triumph. It is tragedy because had the church of his day listened to him instead of sending him to the stake, then the tragic split of the Reformation might have been unnecessary. It is a triumph because Hus, as a man of God and a preacher of the truth, stood firm on his principles. May we do the same!
J.John
Reverend Canon
