Biography of Jan Hus, Religious Reformer and Martyr

Biography of Jan Hus, Religious Reformer and Martyr A century before Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses criticizing the Roman Catholic Church, Czech pastor and church reformer Jan Hus pointed out the same problems. The Church labeled Hus a heretic and burned him at the stake. But Hus complaints would not die with him. Instead, they sparked a wildfire of protest that roared across Europe, changing Christianity forever. Early Life and Career The birth of Jan Hus around 1370 was of little notice in the southern Bohemian town of Husinec. His parents were peasants, and as an adult, he shortened his surname from Husinec to Hus. By 1394, Hus had earned a bachelors degree at the University of Prague. Two years later he added a masters and became an instructor at the university. A struggle at the university pitted the German masters, who opposed church reform, against the Czech masters, who admired the writings of John Wycliffe (1330 - 1384), an English reformer who translated the gospels into English. Wycliffes writings found their way into Prague about 1401, worsening the split between the Germans and Czechs. Hus Discovers Wycliffe Hus found himself agreeing with many of the points Wycliffe had raised. For example, Wycliffe considered Scripture to be the supreme authority, not the pope. He also opposed the sale of indulgences, Church documents which supposedly shortened or terminated a souls stay in purgatory. Wycliffes belief in trusting in Christ alone for salvation, rather than good works or obeying church rules, later became a cornerstone of the Reformation. Hus also agreed with Wycliffes plea for restraining clergy, who had become powerful landowners in Bohemia. Hus denounced the sin of simony, the practice of using a church position to profit from selling pardons or church appointments.   Church and Politics Needless to say, Hus positions were not popular with the local bishops and the pope. In 1403, Johann Hubner, one of the anti-reform German masters at the university, drew up a list of 45 of Wycliffes articles and condemned them as heresy. Besides the upheaval caused by the fledgling reform movement, this was a period of chaos in the Roman Catholic Church. There were two popes, Gregory XII and Benedict XIII, and a later election resulted in a third, Alexander V. Archbishop Zbynek Zajic of Bohemia, initially a supporter of Hus, turned against him and bribed Pope Alexander V to prohibit preaching in private chapels. Hus preached in Bethlehem Chapel in Prague. When Hus refused to follow the popes order, Archbishop Zbynek excommunicated him. Still, Hus continued to preach and teach at the university. Once more, the matter of indulgences came up when Alexanders successor, Pope John XXIII, sold them in Bohemia to raise money. Hus again condemned the practice, but that did not sit well with King Vaclav IV of Bohemia, who received a share from indulgence sales. Without Vaclavs support, Hus was excommunicated by the Roman curia. A church interdict was placed on Prague in 1412, which meant Catholics could not receive sacraments or be buried in church cemeteries. To spare the city, Hus fled to southern Bohemia, where he stayed in exile at the castles of friends. Hus Writes Feverishly In an attempt to answer charges against him, Hus wrote a lengthy book titled The Church (de Ecclesia) in which he asserted that Jesus Christ, not the pope, is the head of the church. Hus stated that Christ is the Rock upon which the church is built, not Peter. While Hus declared Catholics were obligated to obey the church when its laws were based on Scripture, he said they had no duty to obey when humanmade rules could not be supported by the Bible. In his book On Simony, Hus attacked the common practice of simony, rampant in the 15th century. Affluent parents bought high church positions for their sons, most of whom showed little interest in the gospel. That led to a string of lazy, corrupt church leaders. During that period Hus also penned a long series of letters to everyone from personal friends to the people of Prague to cardinals and the pope. Much of what is known about him comes from those documents. His other works explained the Ten Commandments, the Apostles Creed, and the Lords Prayer. Of course, many of Hus positions undercut church authority, a stance that further alienated him from the local archbishop and Rome. Hus was dangerously unaware of just how much he was hated by church officials. Betrayal and Execution In 1414, a naive Jan Hus traveled to a church conference in Constance, Germany, believing he would have the chance to defend himself before a group of church fathers gathered to discuss the situation of three sitting popes. Hus was promised safe passage there and back by King Sigismund of Hungary, Vaclavs half-brother, but when Hus arrived, he was arrested and thrown in prison. Located next to the latrines, Hus unsanitary cell stunk. The reformer grew so ill that treatment by the popes doctor and relocation to another cell were needed to keep Hus alive. When Hus finally appeared before the council, the loathing against him was overwhelming. Sigismund, caving to political pressure, secretly withdrew his vow of protection. The council concocted 30 false articles they said Hus taught, including that he was the fourth person of the Godhead. Every time Hus tried to defend himself, he was shouted down. On July 6, 1415, Hus was dressed in priestly vestments then ceremonially defrocked. He refused to recant his beliefs. Dragged to the place of execution, he was bound to the stake with a chain around his neck. Men piled wood up to his chin. Given one last chance to recant, Hus proclaimed his innocence. As the fire overtook him, Hus could be heard singing, Jesus, son of the living God, have mercy on me. Reformation Legacy Hus impact on later reformers was immense. In 1520, Martin Luther confessed, I have taught and held all the teachings of Jan Hus, but thus far did I not know it . . . In short, we are all Hussites and did not know it. Most mainstays of Protestant theology can be traced to Hus: Christ alone as head of the church, strict adherence to the Bible, all worship readings and sermons in the local language, reception of both wine and bread in communion, daily Bible reading by Christians, and the danger of temptations in culture. As a Catholic priest, Hus never advocated breaking from the church. Instead, he called for change, for reforming the corrupt bureaucracy of the church and returning to the nonpolitical norms of early Christianity. The system called his appeals heresy.   Jan Hus Fast Facts Full Name: Jan Hus  Also Known As: John Huss, Johann Huss  Occupation: Priest, theologian, teacher   Born: Between 1369 and 1372 in Husinec, Czech RepublicDied: July 6, 1415, in Constance, GermanyEducation: University of PraguePublished Works: The Church, On Simony, lettersKey Accomplishments: Inspired church reformers like Martin LutherFamous quote: In life eternal, there is perfect joy and light, without pain or torture, and there is communion with God Himself and His angels. Sources Christian History Institute.  To Build a Fire. https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/to-build-a-fire.Reformation 500. Jan Hus. https://reformation500.csl.edu/bio/jan-hus/.C.S. Lewis Institute. The Legacy of John Hus. cslewisinstitute.org/The_Legacy_of_John_Hus_FullArticle.Online Library of Liberty. Jan Huss,  The Church  [1411]. http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/huss-the-church.Christianity Today, Christian History. John Huss, Pre-Reformation Reformer. https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/martyrs/john-huss.html.Encyclopedia Britannica. Han Hus, Bohemian Religious Leader. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jan-Hus.The Famous People. 18 Thought-Provoking Quotes By John Huss That Prove Hope Springs Eternal. https://quotes.thefamouspeople.com/john-huss-87.php

A Timeline of the Agricultural Revolution

A Timeline of the Agricultural Revolution Between the eighth century and the eighteenth, the tools of farming basically stayed the same and few advancements in technology were made. This meant that the farmers of George Washingtons day had no better tools than the farmers of Julius Caesars day.  In fact, early Roman plows were superior to those in general use in America eighteen centuries later. All that changed in the 18th century with the agricultural revolution, a period of agricultural development that  saw a massive and rapid increase in agricultural productivity and vast improvements in farm technology. Listed below are many of the inventions that were created or greatly improved during the agricultural revolution. Plow and Moldboard By definition, a plow (also spelled plough) is a farm tool with one or more heavy blades that breaks the soil and cut a furrow or small ditch for sowing seeds. A moldboard is a wedge formed by the curved part of a steel plow blade that turns the furrow. Seed Drills Before drills were invented, seeding was done by hand. The basic idea of drills for seeding small grains was successfully developed in Great Britain, and many British drills were sold in the United States before one was manufactured in the States. American manufacture of these drills began about 1840. Seed planters for corn came somewhat later, as machines to plant wheat successfully were unsuited for corn planting. In 1701, Jethro Tull invented his seed drill and is perhaps the best-known inventor of a mechanical planter. Machines That Harvest By definition, a sickle is a curved, hand-held agricultural tool used for harvesting grain crops. Horse-drawn mechanical reapers later replaced sickles for harvesting grains. Reapers  were then replaced by the reaper-binder (cuts the grain and binds it in sheaves) and in turn, was replaced by the swather before being replaced by the combine harvester. A combine harvester is a machine that heads, threshes and cleans grain while moving across the field. The Rise of the Textile Industry The  cotton gin  had turned the whole South toward the cultivation of cotton. While the South was not manufacturing any considerable proportion of the cotton it grew, the textile industry was flourishing in the North. A whole series of machines similar to those used in Great Britain had been invented in America and mills paid higher wages than in Britain. Production was also far ahead of the British mills  in proportion to hands employed, which meant the U.S. was ahead of the rest of the world. Wages in America Take-home pay, measured by the world standard, was high. Additionally, there was a good supply of free land or land that was practically free. Wages were high enough that many could save enough to buy their own land. Workers in textile mills often worked only a few years to save money, buy a farm or to enter some business or profession. Advances in Transportation Lines The  steamboat and the  railroad  enabled transportation to the West. While steamboats traveled all the larger rivers and the lakes, the railroad was growing rapidly. Its lines had extended to more than 30 thousand miles. Construction also went on during the war, and the transcontinental railway was in sight. The locomotive had approached standardization and the American railway was now comfortable for passengers with the invention of  Pullman sleeping cars, the dining cars, and the automatic air brake developed by  George Westinghouse.