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=__**John Huss (Jan Hus)**__= __**Early Life**__ John Huss (a.k.a. Jan Hus) is regarded to be one of the earliest known religious thinkers and reformers in the world. A philosopher and a Master at Charles University (Prague), Huss was greatly influenced by the writings and teachings of John Wyclife. He made a number of followers during his time, who came to be known as Hussites. Reformers, in the later years, looked up to Huss for his unswerving commitment in the face of the church's cunning brutality, due to which he had to face extreme consequences. Condemning Hus' uprising, the Church first excommunicated him and then burned him to death, in an unfair trial.

__**Attacks on the Church**__ In his sermons Huss attacked the abuses of the clergy, thus earning the hostility of many priests, who turned the archbishop of Prague against him. Huss, however, had the support of Wenceslaus IV (see [|Wenceslaus], Holy Roman emperor). He furthermore represented the Czech national aspirations in conflict with the German elements in Bohemia. In 1408 the archbishop and the university opposed the king's scheme to have Bohemia observe neutrality between the rival popes Gregory XII and Benedict XIII (Pedro de Luna). Only the Czech members of the university supported Wenceslaus, who as a result changed (1409) the university charter, giving the Czechs a predominant position; he made Huss rector of the university. The Bohemian clergy thus were split into two groups.

This situation was not helped when, in the same year, the Council of [|Pisa] deposed both popes and chose Pietro Cardinal Philarghi as Alexander V, who was shortly succeeded by Baldassare Cardinal Cossa as John XXIII. With papal support, the archbishop forbade preaching in the Bethlehem Chapel, ordered the burning of Wyclif's books, and excommunicated (1410) Huss and his followers. Wenceslaus stood by Huss and in 1411 brought about a truce, but the fight flared up again in 1412, when Huss openly denounced the bulls of the antipope John XXIII against King Lancelot of [|Naples] and preached against indulgences.

The pope excommunicated Huss, who—to save Prague from the papal interdict—retired to a castle near Tabor. During his two years of exile he wrote his chief works, including the //De ecclesia,// which increasingly reflected Wyclif's influence. He denied the infallibility of an immoral pope, asserted the ultimate authority of Scripture over the church, and accorded the state the right and duty to supervise the church. Because of these ideas he is generally considered a forerunner of the Protestant Reformation.

__**Timeline**__ One of the first indelible marks in the historical timeline precedes the Reformation. It was made by an English diplomat, **John Wycliffe** (//circa// 1330-1384 [|[2]] ). Among other Roman Catholic beliefs, Wycliffe challenged the well-established doctrine of transubstantiation. The next significant mark on the timeline, like Wycliffe’s, falls before the actual Reformation. **Jan Huss** (a.k.a. John Huss) of present-day Czechoslovakia, was born some three decades after Wycliffe’s birth, but was influenced by Wycliffe’s ideas. He was an ordained priest who believed that the pope, as well as any Christian, should submit to the authority of the Bible. These, and some other soon-to-be Protestant views, pushed him onto a collision course with the bigoted Roman Catholic Church. Not having all of the ingredients for a full reformation as Martin Luther would later enjoy, Huss’ movement could not be sustained, and he was burned at the stake as a heretic. __** Rise to Fame **__ Huss, along with other Bohemian leaders, initiated a decree; according to which Bohemian nation had to have three votes and the foreign nations were to have one vote. This verdict led to the evacuation of many doctors, masters and students from Prague University, in 1409, resulting in the formation of the University of Leipzig. With this, Prague University lost its international repute and turned into a Czech school. The news of the Bohemian heresy spread throughout Europe, thus isolating Archbishop Zbynìk Zajíc. John Huss attained became the rector of the Czech university.

__** Excommunication of Huss **__ Alexander V authorized the Archbishop to give up all the books of John Wycliffe, cancelled his doctrines and ceased his free preaching. Though Huss argued in favor of Wycliffe, all his arguments and wiles went unheard. To cap it all, Huss and his adherents were excommunicated. However, this did not stop Huss or his adherents. With the government on his side, he continued to preach in the Bethlehem Chapel and his power increased. Huss became fearless in his allegations against the Church,

__** Indulgence and Huss **__ After the death of Pope Alexander V, a crusade against indulgence started, of which Huss was also a part. Huss delivered a speech in 1412, which is said to be directly taken from the last chapter of Wycliffe's book, De ecclesia, and his treatise, De absolutione a pena et culpa. He argued that no Pope or Bishop had the right to raise a sword in the name of Church. Huss was of the opinion that man attained forgiveness only by repentance. His followers burnt the Papal bulls and believed that Huss' sayings should be adhered, to rather than that of Church.

__** Arrest of Huss **__ The Pope ordered the Cardinal of St. Angelo to advance against Huss. Imposed under the great church ban, Huss was seized and delivered to the archbishop. Even his chapel was destroyed. In retaliation to such cruelties, Huss appealed that Jesus Christ, and not the Pope, was the supreme judge. Though he was forced to leave the Prague by Wenceslaus, his exodus did nothing to lessen the excitement that had built already.

__** Trial **__ At the trial, Huss was charged with thirty-nine sentences, out of which twenty-six had been excerpted from his book on the Church, seven from his treatise against Páleè and six from the treatise against Stanislav ze Znojma. However, in return, Huss maintained just one argument that he would renounce himself, if his errors were proven to him from the Bible. He asked for a fair trial and some time, so that he could prove his views. Though there were several attempts to make him recant his words and views forcefully, Huss resisted all of them.

__** Death **__ An Italian clergyman pronounced the sentence of condemnation for Huss. Even at that time, he said that he would only be convinced once he has been given proof from Holy Scriptures. As a result, he was enrobed in priestly vestments and asked to recant. Still, he refused. At this, all his ornaments were taken and his priestly tonsure was destroyed. Huss was deprived of all rights and was delivered to the secular powers. A high paper hat, with the word 'Haeresiarcha' inscribed on it, was placed on his head and he was taken away by armed men.

At the execution ground, Huss spread his hands and prayed aloud. After undressing him, the executioners tied his hands behind his back with ropes. His neck was tied, with a chain, to a stake around which wood and straw had been piled up, in such a way that it covered him up to the neck. Count Palatine asked Huss for the last time whether he wanted to recant and save his life or die. Huss preferred to die and was thus, burnt to death. __**Works by John Huss**__ "The letters of John Hus," by Jan Hus. This was written during his exile and imprisonment. "De ecclesia," which means the church. Written by Jan Hus

__** Quotes **__ "Has not God himself instituted marriage, as a means to satisfy the craving for love in all men. ... (Whose) heart is not unresponsive to nature, into which God has placed all creatures for enjoyment. ... For those are speaking lies in hypocrisy, who have a seared conscience, who forbid a life in marriage and abstain from foods which God has created (1 Timothy 4:1-5). I hold this to be the seed of iniquity and the root of all evil." - John Hus

“I hope, by God's grace, that I am truly a Christian, not deviating from the faith, and that I would rather suffer the penalty of a terrible death than wish to affirm anything outside of the faith or transgress the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ. //Spero, ex Dei gratia, quod sum christianus ex integro, a fide non devians, et quod potius vellem pati dirae mortis supplicium, quam aliquid vellem prataer fidem asserere, vel transgredi mandata Domini Jesu Christi.//" - John Huss

“O Lord, Jesus Christ, into thine hands I deliver my soul, which thou hast redeemed with thy blood. Father in Heaven, do not hold against them the sins which my enemies commit against me, and let mine eyes see them blissfully with thee, when their souls fly to thy throne after an easy death. Oh Holy Spirit, enlighten their deceived hearts, so that the truth of the holy Gospel may open their eyes and its praise be spread everywhere, forever and ever, Amen.” - John Hus

“No one is held to believe anything except what he is moved by God to believe but God moves no man to believe what is false. //Nemo tenetur quidquam credere nisi ad quod movet eum deus credere sed deus non movet hominem ad credendum falsum.//" - John Huss

“Many centuries have passed since the foundation of Christianity and bishops and priests have wedded and permitted themselves to be wed in honor and decency, until some Primates, Gregory VII (also called Hildebrand) and Innocent III, thousand years after the death of Jesus the Nazarene, conceived the thought to forbid marriage to priests, so that they would not love their families, would not honor their home and would be compelled to seek salvation under the wing of Rome only, remembering the protection which was to come from there against worldly powers. And what shall I say about the unnatural trend of such a request?” - John Hus

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