Jane Hus

Jan Hus (Czech: Jan Hus; 1372-July 6, 1415), formerly translated as Hus, was a Czech Christian thinker, philosopher, and reformer who served as the president of Charles University in Prague. Hus was the pioneer of the religious reform and was deeply influenced by Wycliffe's thinking. He believed that everything should be based on the Bible, denied the authority of the pope, opposed indulgences, and advocated receiving both bread and wine. The Catholic Church regarded him as a heretic and excommunicated him, then trapped him and burned him at the stake. Hus's followers were called Hussites. Most of them were students of Hus at the University of Prague and grassroots nobles and civilians in Bohemia. After Hus's death, they rose up against Emperor Sigismund, igniting the Hussite War. Hus is famous for his martyrdom and is also the benchmark of Czech nationalism. The day he was burned at the stake - July 6 - became a national holiday in the Czech Republic. The Old Catholic Church in the Czech Republic, as well as the Orthodox Church (according to the statement of the Archbishop of Prague, Metropolitan Christopher of Prague), canonizes him as a saint-martyr together with the Holy Martyr Jerome of Prague. For the Hussite Church in Czechoslovakia, the anniversary of his death is actually the most important holiday of the year. In 1999, Pope John Paul II stated that he regretted the tragic death of Jan Hus and the subsequent sacrifices it caused and the division of the Czech nation, and called for reconciliation and a historical evaluation of Hus' life without prejudice. However, despite the popular belief that Jan Hus was a religious reformer, John Paul II was not explicit, other than stating that the purpose of the so-called "Hus Council" was to more accurately determine Hus's position among those committed to church reform. Within the Roman Catholic Church, there was no consensus on many of Hus's views, and his ecclesiology in particular was considered controversial. Jan Hus was not vindicated.