Although it took many years and the ideas of many men to reach the culmination of the reformation, Martin Luther is often credited and associated the most with this movement. To be honest, I had barely heard of Wycliffe and Hus prior to this semester (forgive me Kip) and yet Luther was greatly influenced by the works of these men. I found our discussion on the impact of the printing press on the success of Martin Luther to be very interesting but I feel that this idea again attributes too much importance on Luther.
Of course, the printing press is a large reason why Luther is more well known that Wycliffe and Hus, but I do not believe that the printing press was the sole reason the reformation came to a head during Luther’s time. I do not think that people would have been ready for the mass spreading of Luther’s ideas along with translations of the bible had it not been for Hus and Wycliffe paving the way before him. These two men in particular committed their whole lives to their faith, and were absolute revolutionaries.
In particular, the example of Hus being a martyr for this cause was vitally important for the people of Europe to understand his commitment to the truth, and the importance of the message of these reformers. The gradual process that occurred between the lives of Wycliffe, Hus and Luther spanned over a hundred years and that amount of time was incredibly necessary for the reformation to occur. The reformation was not just a spreading of ideas, it called for a complete change in society and way of life and it took time for people to understand that. This great move away from the Catholic Church could not happen over night, yet once the people were ready for reform there was no turning back.
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