Bohemian Reformation: Huss & Jerome Season 1 | Episode 12
The song says, 'It only takes a spark to set a whole fire going',
and once the fire was lit in one part of Europe,
it spread quickly to other areas.
John Wycliffe had made a massive impact,
not just in England but further afield in Europe,
in particular here in Prague and the region that was known then as Bohemia.
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John Huss was of humble birth
and his father died soon after he was born.
His mother sought an education for him
and he was able to get admission to the University of Prague as a charity scholar.
As she reached Prague with her son,
she knelt down and prayed that God would bless his life,
a prayer that was answered again and again.
He soon distinguished himself
by his tireless application to study and by his blameless life.
Upon completing his studies he entered the priesthood
and rapidly rose to prominence,
soon becoming attached to the court of the king.
In a few short years he was the pride of his country
and his name was known all over Europe.
Today they've built a statue to commemorate him
here in the old town square.
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Several years after becoming a priest,
Huss was appointed preacher of the Bethlehem Chapel here in Prague.
The founder of this particular chapel had advocated as a matter of importance
the preaching of the scriptures in the language of the people.
At that time there was a large degree of ignorance concerning the Bible,
and Huss also believed that it was vitally important
to preach the scriptures in the language of the people.
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At this point in his life Huss came in contact with Jerome,
who would prove to be his right-hand man until his death.
Jerome was a citizen of Prague
and he had brought back with him from a recent trip to England
the writings of John Wycliffe.
The Queen of England at that time was also a convert of John Wycliffe,
and she was a Bohemian princess,
and through her influence his writings were circulated at length in Bohemia.
Huss read them, believed their author to be a sincere Christian,
and believed the writings to be true.
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Huss's impact was growing,
not just here in his homeland, but also in neighboring Germany.
And soon news of the work here in Prague reached Rome
and he was summoned to appear before the Pope.
To go would be fatal.
The king and queen of Bohemia, the nobility,
and the government all asked for a local trial
but this was not granted.
The trial of Huss went ahead in his absence,
during which the city of Prague was put under interdict.
This struck terror into the hearts of everyone.
No church services could take place.
Baptisms, funerals, weddings,
those ceremonies that were so key to life in general,
were not allowed to take place.
And through this means, Rome was able to hold sway over the people.
The city was in turmoil, and so Huss withdrew to his native village
but he continued to travel to the surrounding countryside
where he was able to preach to eager crowds.
When the danger and excitement had subsided,
he was able to return to Prague
where alongside with Jerome he was able to continue his work.
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During this time in Europe there was not one, or two, but three rival Popes,
all claiming to be the vicar of Christ.
This abuse of power in the church
was something that many men strongly condemned,
Huss being one of the loudest voices.
The Emperor at that time, Emperor Sigismund,
called for a council in Constance Germany
to settle this dispute once and for all
and also to deal with some of the new heresies
arising from men such as John Huss that they didn't agree with.
Huss was summoned to appear before the council
and was given assurance of a safe passage by the Emperor.
One thing that stands out from this story
is the prayer that John Huss' mum made with him
as he was on the way to university.
I want to encourage you, if you're praying for a child,
if you're praying for a parent,
to never give up in your prayers.
The prayer of John Huss' mother was answered many many times over
in ways that she couldn't have even imagined.
Maybe you're praying for your children,
maybe they're on their way to school,
maybe you're praying for a loved one.
Keep them in prayer and never think that our prayers will go unanswered.
God does hear, and God does answer our prayers.