John Huss, Martyr
John Huss was the bold reformer who took up the spirit of Wycliffe, who predeceased Huss by 31 years. Huss laid the groundwork for the Reformation of Martin Luther a century later. He was also a master at Charles University in Prague, and produced extensive writings.
Richard II, King of England, married Anne of Bohemia, and travelling back to Bohemia brought Wycliffe’s ideas with them. Adopting Wycliffe’s ideas, Huss proposed to reform the church in Bohemia as Wycliffe had in England. His followers were known as Hussites, and the more ardent as Taborites. The Roman Catholic Church deemed Huss a heretic. He was excommunicated in 1411, condemned by the Council of Constance, and burned at the stake July 6, 1415. In the Czech Republic he is considered a national hero today.
Following are excerpts from “The Trial and Burning of John Huss,” said to contain an eyewitness account by Fra Poggius, Member of the Council of Constance (taken from The Lives of the Principal Reformers 1360-1600, by Richard Rolt, 1759).
“When the news came to Constance: ‘Huss, the arch-her-etic has arrived!’ there was a great tumult and no one’s heart could await the day when Huss would walk openly through the streets of Constance to the Council. This then happened for the first time on the 25th of November of this year [1414], when he was called for a short questioning before several cardinals. He could hardly squeeze his long body through the masses of the populace, so crowded stood the curious, while some of them, here and there, squeezed his hand in deep concern, others encouragingly … these happenings already lined up his preliminary judges against him, because they did not want him to be known and heard among the people, out of their own weakness.
” ‘We, the chief guardians of the holy Roman-Catholic Church, command you from now on, by the power of our regency, to quiet and silence and grant you only permission to answer modestly to our questions.’ Loudly and angrily yelled Cardinal Goolvi, so that I Poggius, standing in the ante-chamber, became suddenly frightened. But he [Huss] raised his voice without fear. ‘I am sorry for the zeal and rage of your Lordships … but this you gentlemen might grant me, that I only talk, when my conscience urged me and that I always base my words upon the apostle Paul who forcefully says: one must obey God more than man! I was not called here to keep silent … and I have not left my homeland to be insulted at Constance … I lift my eyes manfully before your Lordships.’ ”
Jan Huss, reformer of Bohemia
Huss was detained for six weeks, to the anxiety of his friends. Two of his friends returned to Bohemia to inform King Wenceslaus. Huss was kept in small confines, dank and putrid, and “often dragged forth from his hole, to be questioned as to his convictions,” always undeterred.
Poggius appealed to “Dominico, the Cardinal Legate” who was unmoved, so “I left him and went to the Chief Marshal of the town of Constance to ask him … to provide better quarters for the sick man … After a short while Huss was led out of his dungeon into a decent chamber, but his feet almost refused to carry him … listless and unused to the day was the light of his eyes, deathly pale his cheeks and loose what was left of his teeth, since eleven had fallen out due to the damp prison … upon his skin was a crust of dirt, his shoes had rotted upon his feet and his shirt and loincloth had vanished. The rounded flesh which had covered his bones had shrunken and shrivelled and he had become a picture of woe without equal.”
When brought to the Council Huss was refused his request for the holy Scriptures from which to answer for his views. “What harm? I tell you, that, even if you would burn and exterminate the holy scriptures, I could replace them by heart, with the exception of the Chronicles.”
As he was brought to the Council, Forty thousand filled the streets, the bells tolled thrice to announce the occasion, and work ceased everywhere. “The Cardinal Legate caused trumpets to be sounded from his abode and had the purpose of today’s synod of the fathers announced and that every Christian believer, upon bent knees, should piously beseech heaven to grant a triumph of the Church over the portals of hell.”
Before him gathered 56 clerics, two procurators, several scribes, and eleven witnesses. While their oaths were taken, “one of the witnesses relented, because his conscience tortured him. He declared publicly that he had permitted himself to be bribed to give false testimony … quickly the repentant witness was ordered away with the death sentence … the unfortunate man was dragged upon the bridge and cast over the railing so that he drowned.”
“First, the persecuted priest wanted to make complaints against his enemies, who had incarcerated him for eight moons, in spite of an Imperial safe conduct … but the fathers, as well as the Cardinal Legate, forbade him … every complaint and demanded only an answer of yes or no to the questions which the council had found to be in order. Huss listened attentively to them, answered 29 in the negative and one he answered firmly and with well-worded oration in the positive.”
During the mockery of his “hearing” he boldly recited the offenses even of the Pope before the council, denouncing him as antichrist who formed unjust wars and “permits indulgences to be sold to murderers, thieves, perjurers and all those who help him with their possessions, blood, money or hired soldiers.”
His fate was apparent. An aged friend of twice his years arranged an escape for Huss during the night. Huss went out from the prison with his liberator, stopped and gazed at the sky for a time, and reflected on his duty to speak the witness God had for him before the Council. Whereupon he returned to his narrow prison.
On the seventh of June he would appear before Emperor Sigismund. Visitors from Spain, France, England, Holland, Denmark, Prussia, Poland, Saxony, Bohemia, Austria and Bavaria had arrived. Against him were read 47 charges, with emphasis upon six in particular – that Huss was against transubstantiation, against the worship of saints, disputed the power of absolution by a vicious priest, rejected absolute obedience to worldly superiors, rejected the prohibition of marriage for priests, and decried indulgences. To all of which Huss gave resounding defense in most noble, articulate, and reasoned speech.
But as Steven before him, the Council would gnash for his death. “The clerical Lords could not contain themselves any longer, they yelled in maniacal ire, disregarding the presence of the Emperor entirely, not hearing the voice of the chairman.”
Huss was condemned on July 5, 1415, and burned the following day. At the proceedings Emperor Sigismund was “paled, trembled and stuttered like a prisoner,” but signed the order for the death of Huss.
More than eighty would cast votes, another having died sat motionless in his chair. For heresy, 51 in the majority. Has the Council the right to punish? 51 in the majority. What punishment should be given? 30 for release, 11 for public excommunication, 45 for death if no recantation – which Huss with clear voice and reason refused to give.
He would suffer more hours of disgraceful indignities. At the stake, he said “Today you will roast a lean goose [Huss means goose], but a hundred years from now you will hear a swan sing, whom you will leave unroasted and no trap or net will catch him for you.” The family emblem of Martin Luther is said to have been a swan.