By Jan Hus
in ePub, .mobi & .pdf formats
Translated by David Schley Schaff
In The Church, Jan Hus, the Bohemian pastor, theologian, and martyr, gives us one of the most courageous and influential ecclesiological works of the pre-Reformation era. Writing at the dawn of the fifteenth century—long before Luther nailed his theses—Hus dared to articulate a vision of the Church radically anchored in Scripture, Christ’s headship, and the calling of the elect, rather than in the corrupt hierarchy of his day. The Church became the very work for which Hus was condemned at the Council of Constance and ultimately burned at the stake in 1415.
This landmark treatise is a passionate, reasoned defense of the true Church as the body of the faithful—those predestined to eternal life—rather than the visible structures of ecclesiastical power. Hus draws heavily from Scripture, the early Church Fathers, and even canon law to expose abuses of papal authority, the fallibility of popes, the misuse of excommunication, and the error of conflating the institutional church with the true Church of Christ. Like John Wyclif before him, whom he often quotes, Hus contends that Christ alone is the head of the Church, that the supreme authority is the Word of God, and that the true unity of the Church is spiritual, not hierarchical.
The Church reveals Hus as a proto-Reformer: clear on the supremacy of Scripture, bold in rejecting false ecclesiastical claims, and firm in calling the Church back to faith, hope, and love as its true marks. Yet it is also important to note that Hus, standing at the very threshold of the Reformation, retains certain medieval elements (such as belief in purgatory) that later Reformers, building on his foundation, would reform more fully.
Published now for modern readers, this work offers a unique window into the developing theology that would soon erupt into full Reformation. It is an edifying read for anyone seeking to understand the historic struggles for the purity of Christ’s Church—and a reminder that faithfulness often demands standing alone, bearing the cross, and clinging to Christ when the whole world turns against you.
Editor's Note
Jan Hus (c. 1372–1415) stands as one of the clearest voices calling for Reformation before the Reformation itself arrived. His treatise The Church represents a courageous stand for biblical truth in an age of deep ecclesiastical corruption. For these convictions, Hus was condemned at the Council of Constance and martyred in 1415. His work remains a lasting testimony to the supreme authority of Scripture and the sole headship of Christ over His Church.
In this treatise, readers will find Hus anticipating the great truths of the Reformation. He clearly affirms:
The supreme authority of Scripture over popes, councils, and tradition
The headship of Christ alone over the Church
The true Church as the company of the elect joined to Christ by faith
The fallibility of popes and councils
The necessity of testing ecclesiastical authorities by the Word of God
The rejection of coercion or violence in matters of faith
At the same time, as a “proto-Reformer,” Hus had not yet thrown off every medieval belief. In The Church, he continues to affirm:
The existence of purgatory
The doctrine of the real presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper (transubstantiation)
Traditional language such as referring to the Church as “Holy Mother”
These medieval elements, however, are peripheral to the heart of his argument. Hus’s main concern is to call the Church back to the Word of God, to faith in Christ alone, and to a life of sincere godliness.
Readers today will find in The Church not a fully developed Reformation theology, but a faithful and courageous witness pointing the way. With appropriate discernment, this work can greatly strengthen our appreciation of the long battle for biblical truth, and our gratitude for the costly sacrifices made by those who, like Hus, loved not their lives even unto death.
— Monergism Books
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. CHAP. I. THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH
3. CHAP. II. THE ONE UNIVERSAL CHURCH DIVIDED INTO THREE PARTS
4. CHAP. III. ALL CHRISTIANS ARE NOT MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH
5. CHAP. IV. CHRIST THE ONLY HEAD OF THE CHURCH
6. CHAP. V. GOOD AND BAD IN THE CHURCH
7. CHAP. VI. CHRIST THE HEAD OF THE ELECT
8. CHAP. VII. THE ROMAN PONTIFF AND THE CARDINALS NOT THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
9. CHAP. VIII. THE FAITH WHICH IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH
10. CHAP. IX. THE CHURCH FOUNDED ON CHRIST, THE ROCK
11. CHAP. X. THE POWER OF BINDING AND LOOSING
12. CHAP. XI. THE ABUSE OF SCRIPTURE IN THE INTEREST OF CLERICAL POWER
13. CHAP. XII. CHRIST THE TRUE ROMAN PONTIFF UPON WHOM SALVATION DEPENDS
14. CHAP. XIII. THE POPE NOT THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH BUT CHRIST'S VICAR
15. CHAP. XIV. WHEN THE CARDINALS ARE THE TRUE SUCCESSORS OF THE APOSTLES
16. CHAP. XV. THE CHURCH MAY BE RULED WITHOUT POPE AND CARDINALS
17. CHAP. XVI. THE LAW OF GOD THE STANDARD OF ECCLESIASTICAL JUDGMENTS
18. CHAP. XVII. HUSS'S RESISTANCE TO PAPAL AUTHORITY
19. CHAP. XVIII. THE APOSTOLIC SEE, OR CATHEDRA PETRI
20. CHAP. XIX. WHEN ECCLESIASTICAL SUPERIORS ARE TO BE OBEYED
21. CHAP. XX. OBEDIENCE NOT ALWAYS TO BE RENDERED TO THE CHURCH OR ITS PRELATES
22. CHAP. XXI. CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH OBEDIENCE IS TO BE RENDERED TO PRELATES
23. CHAP. XXII. EXCOMMUNICATIONS, JUST AND UNJUST
24. CHAP. XXIII. SUSPENSION AND THE INTERDICT