Top 10 Interesting Facts About Jan Hus

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Jan Hus

The Czech Republic has rich history in Religion, evidenced by the magnificent cathedrals and churches found there. Studies of Christian Religion, and particularity the Catholic Church may yield heresy, which is the belief in, or theory contrary to already established and accepted beliefs or customs of a church or religious organization.

You may find heresy quite tasking and shocking, if seeking truth about various things as far as faith is concerned. Heresy has found its way into the big screens with movies such as Dogma, Opus Dei and Rob Bell’s documentary, The Heretic trying to tackle issues about faith and bordering heresy.

Over time there have arisen Catholic Church leaders who have not ‘towed the line’ but have questioned their faith, authority and bureaucracy in the quest for better understanding and to bring about change. Jan Hus is one such leader.

Jan Hus is a religious entity in the Czech Republic, the father of hussitism, whose emphasis was on clerical purity, communion in both bread and wine for the worshipers and the supreme authority of scripture.

1. Hus became a priest to escape poverty

Jan Hus home- Wikimedia Commons

Jan Hus was born in 1369 in Husinec, which is in modern day Czech Republic, Prague, known for its beautiful castles and medieval buildings. Born to peasant parents, Hus joined priesthood to escape poverty. He died a painful death by burning at the stake. His crime, heresy!

In addition to his religious exploits, Hus was a scholar and earned a Bachelors and Master’s Degree from the University of Prague.

2. Hus was a leader of the Czech Reform movement

In about 1934, church reforms arose, which Germans at the University of Prague were against, while the Czech’s were there for all of it. An English Reformer John Wycliffe’s writings were introduced in Prague and some of it resonated with Jan Hus- he agreed with the premise that scripture was the supreme authority (not the pope), the opposition of the sale of indulgences, restraining the clergy that had become powerful landowners in Bohemia and the use of church position to sell pardons and church appointments.

Hus was vocal about his position on such matters and as you might expect, he wasn’t so popular among the leadership of the day. He tackled controversial matters head on and sometimes publicly. For instance, he wrote a book “On Simony” in which he condemns the rampant practice in the 15th Century where wealthy parents bought church positions for their disinterested children, leading to lazy and corrupt church leaders.

Hus’ ideas were widely accepted and there was broad resentment against the Church’s hierarchy. Hus caused a revolution of sorts, that grew on to cause his excommunication from the church. He opted to flee from his city. Hus was self- exiled and lived in his friends’ castles in Southern Bohemia.

3. Hus was a literary giant

De Causa Boemica by Jan Hus – Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons

During his exile, Hus was still interested in reaching out to his followers and supporters. He tried to compensate for his absence through writing. Hus wrote a series of books, tracts, lectures, sermons and personal letters. These have let the world into the kind of person Jan Hus was, as well as his ideologies. Some of this literature is available online.

4. Hus was an advocate for women’s rights

It was not commonplace in the early church for women to preach and hold any leadership positions. It’s rather surprising that Hus was an advocate for women and opined that women should not fear any man as they were made in the image of God. He let them preach and this paid off when they later served in hussite wars.

5. Hus was burned at the stake

Hus was more often than not at loggerheads with the church leadership. Furthermore, there was disunity in the church for a long time. An attempt by a sitting leader to unite the church landed Hus an invitation to express his views and possibly defend his position to the Council of Constance. He accepted the invitation on condition that he would be safe.

This visit however landed him in confinement, and he never made it out alive. In prison, he suffered untreated illnesses and false accusation (30 false articles emerged framing him for heresy!). Hus was given a chance to recant his beliefs, but he would not. As was the custom for heresy, he was bound to the stake and set ablaze. His ashes were thrown into the Rhine River, to prevent his followers from idolizing him. However, some of them took soil off the site where he was burned, back to Bohemia.

6. Hus died a martyr

When he was captured, intervention by the Bohemian nobles obtained three public hearings for Jan Hus, at which he was allowed to defend himself. He actually succeeded in refuting some charges against him. However, he was not willing to let go of his ideologies even with looming destruction. When he saw he wouldn’t get a forum to explain his ideas, let alone a fair hearing, Hus finally said,

“I appeal to Jesus Christ, the only judge who is almighty and completely just. In his hands I plead my cause, not on the basis of false witnesses and erring councils, but on truth and justice.”

He was taken to his cell, where many pleaded with him to recant. The council urged Hus to recant in order to save his life, even at the point where he was sentenced and tied at the stake. Jan Hus simply wouldn’t recant! He believed in and was committed to his cause.

7. Hus’ death exacerbated the Revolution

Josef Mathauser- Mitva U Lipan roku 1434- Wikimedia Commons

While it may be expected that a movement dies down once the leader is eliminated, a coalition of hussites and other radicals did not rest for the following couple of years. They refused to submit to the authority of the Holy Roman emperor or the church. They also came together and fended off three military assaults. While this was eventually resolved and Bohemia reconciled with the rest of the church, it dictated some of its own terms according to Hus’ teachings. Jan Hus’ spirit and ideology did live on.

8. Hus’ writings influenced Martin Luther

Jan Hus’ works were preserved and continued to influence many a great leader such as Martin Luther, who opined that Hus explained the scripture with so much gravity and skill.

A good number of the protestant church tenets can also be traced back to Hus. For instance having Christ as the head of the Church as opposed to any leader, having both bread and wine for communion and daily personal Bible reading by Christians among others. Hus influenced religion a great deal.

9. You can visit a Jan Hus Memorial in Prague

Jan Hus Memorial in Prague – Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Located in the Old Town Square in Prague, the Jan Hus memorial was built in 1915 in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus’ martyrdom. It was fully paid for by public donations. You can book a tour to see this memorial and other interesting landmarks here.

Jan Hus is a symbol of dissidence and strength against oppressive regimes, to the people of Czech and neighboring regions in Prague. Smaller memorials have been erected in other towns throughout the Czech Republic.

A survey by Czech Radio in 2015 voted Hus the greatest hero of Czech nation.

10. You can visit a Jan Hus Memorial in New York

The Statue of Jan Hus (Bohemian Martyr)- Bohemia Village.com

The Jan Hus statue erected in 1983 at the Union Cemetery in Bohemia, New York became the first officially dedicated memorial to honor a foreigner in the United States. This statue was funded by voluntary contributions from Czech immigrants.

Additionally, the John Hus Moravian Church in Brooklyn New York, the Jan Hus Presbyterian Church and the Jan Hus Playhouse in Manhattan are named after Jan Hus.

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Jan Hus caused quite a stir in his time and beyond. In Christian circles, Hus’ most famous quote is…

“In life eternal, there is perfect joy and light, without pain or torture, and there is communion with God Himself and His angels.”

Perhaps he had seen what was coming his way!