Defiant Unto Death: John Hus

No-one knows the true date of Hus' birth but most estimate it to be in the year 1372. John Hus was born in Husinec, Bohemia to poor parents and was sent away to a monastery to join the priesthood at an early age, afterward receiving a Masters degree in 1396. He was then appointed to the position of Preacher at Bethlehem Chapel and Rector of Prague University were he began to preach Reformation principals.

Hus translated Wycliffe's works into Czech and exposed fraudulent "miracles" and the sale of indulgences. In 1405 he denounced the alleged appearances of "Christ's blood' on communion wafers as an elaborate hoax.

His denounced the sins of the clergy calling them fornicators, parasites, money misers, fat swines, drunks, and gluttons. He also detested simony (buying spiritual offices) and called churches that sold indulgences, brothels.

In 1410 the pope banned Hus from teaching in chapels. Hus did not obey the ban as he believed that no human institution, including the church can be ultimate in authority. Only God has ultimate authority.

Act 5:29b (KJV)  We ought to obey God rather than men.

At this point Archbishop Zbynek excommunicated Hus. He was actually excommunicated 5 times in all. Hus being branded a radical and dangerous then started to openly attack the pope's sale of indulgences to fund his war against Naples. In retaliation the pope placed the city of Prague under a papal interdict, which meant the entire city was under an ecclesiastical ban. There were to be no churches open, no masses allowed, no confessions received, and no marriages nor burials performed. Until this time Hus had been protected by those in power in Prague, but with this heavy burned put on the town the Reformer chose exile.

In 1414 a General Church Council was called at Constance to heal the schism. The Emperor Sigismund guaranteed Hus safe passage to and from the council, however, Hus was imprisoned upon arriving by order of pope John XXII. What pursued next was a mockery of a trial in which Hus was afforded no defence. During the inquisition Hus was convicted of multiple heresies that he neither believed nor taught, one being so ridiculous as him claiming to be the fourth member of the Trinity. During the trial Hus prayed aloud that Christ would forgive his judges and false accusers.

Mat 5:44 (KJV) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Painting of Jan Hus at the Council of Constance byVáclav Brožík(1883)

Hus was pressured to recant but instead declared "I would not, for a chapel full of gold, recede from the truth....the truth stands and is mighty forever."

Hus said he would prefer to be burned in public than silenced in private "in order that all of Christendom might know what I have said in the end."

In 1415 on July the 6th Hus was condemned to death and taken to be burned on the outskirts of Constance. Hus prayed "O most holy Christ...strengthen my spirit...give me a fearless heart, a right faith, a firm hope, a perfect love, that for thy sake I may lay down my life with patience and joy."

Upon arriving at the place of his execution, Hus knelt and prayed "God is my witness that the evidence against me is false. I've never thought nor preached except with one intention of winning men, if possible, from their sins. In the truth of the Gospel I have written, taught and preached; today I will gladly die."

Hus died while singing "Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on me." He was 43 years old.

After Hus' martyrdom his followers organized a military resistance calling themselves Husites. They repelled six crusades against them, fighting under Hus's motto "Truth conquers."

For more information on John Hus and the Reformers check out The Greatest Century of Reformation by Peter Hammond.