Certain figures across the centuries remind us that the word of God really is worth dying for. Jan Hus (Anglicized: John Goose) was born around 1372 in Bohemia. He studied theology at the University of Prague, and afterward was ordained as a priest. He then served as a professor of theology himself, as well as regular preacher at the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague. If John Wycliffe (1330-1384) is called “Morningstar of the Reformation”, then Hus is something like the first lantern of the Reformation, breaking the darkness for those who would come after him. He preached in the local Czech language instead of Latin, and as a result quickly gathered large crowds who were hungry for the word of God. In his sermons, he exposed the moral corruption of high church leaders, condemned the practices of granting “blessings” for money, and initiated a translation of the Bible into the common language. He taught the people to look to Scripture itself for understanding of who God is, what He requires of us, and the salvation He has worked for us.
While Bohemia was experiencing awakening, it didn’t take long for opposition to mount from the Roman Catholic establishment. Pope Alexander V excommunicated Hus, but lacked the means to enforce it. Hus kept preaching. Then came a time of chaos for the Roman church, when due to inner conflict there were actually three competing popes! After he spoke out against “Antipope” John XXIII for selling certificates supposedly granting entrance to heaven, Hus was forced into exile for two years. In 1414 The Council of Constance convened, which promised to bring order and needed reforms to the Catholic Church. For example, it would depose the schism popes and elect a new one. Hus was invited to attend the council and to present his views on the dissension within the Church. He had been promised “safe-conduct” to and back home from the Council. But when he arrived, he was immediately arrested and put in prison. Later he was taken in front of the council and asked to recant his views. When he refused, he was burned at the stake for “heresy” on July 6, 1415.
Before dying, Jan Hus stated, “In 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed. You can cook this ‘goose’, but soon you will have a swan which you can neither roast nor boil.” He spoke better than he knew! 102 years later, Martin Luther would post his “Ninety-five Theses”, effectively starting the Reformation in full-swing. At Luther’s funeral in 1546, he was explicitly referred to as “The Swan”, a connection that early Protestants would continue to celebrate. Besides these words, Jan Hus also prayed for mercy on his enemies. His last words were, “Christ, the Son of the living God, have mercy upon me.”
After his killing, Hus’ followers continued to cling to Scripture. Between 1420 and 1431, the Bohemians withstood five consecutive papal military crusades against them. In 1999, Pope John Paul II issued an apology for the “cruel death inflicted on Jan Hus,” and acknowledged the “wound of conflict and division” caused by his execution. The Bohemian Proto-Protestant expression of the faith that started with Hus is today known as the Moravian Church. Their emblem reads: “Our Lamb has conquered; let us follow Him!”