amy- The Legacy of Jan Hus

Well, I would suppose it is obvious why Jan Hus is so fascinating now more than ever. It is strange how prevalent his name is in Prague, even now. I think for us, as Americans, this should give us insight as to the nature of the religious wars that took place in Prague and the Czech Republic. In general, I think it is hard for us to completely understand the violence and insanity of the Protestant Reformation and the Thirty Years’ War. Can I really even understand an inkling of Hus’s conviction? Do have even an inkling of the kind of strength to be burned by fire? I always think of the martyrs of Christ as having some sort of amazing personality trait that elevated them above the rest, but I think it is not so. I think their faith in Jesus and belief in the truth of the Bible was what sustained them through their persecution. I often try and find a “unique” aspect of Hus’s persecution, and then I try to take a step back. His job was taken away, he was excommunicated, arrested and finally brutally killed. When one thinks about the intensity of all those actions, there does not need to be some “defining feature” amidst all those things. Those things should be more than enough to remember. Nevertheless, my favorite part of the Hus presentation was most definitely finding out that Hus’s last words apparently referred to Martin Luther. This, ironically enough, is what I remember most about Hus—his “defining feature.”  Even now, I cannot quite wrap my mind around such prophetic words.