Jan Hus over the Changing Six Centuries

According to the Hussite approach, and also according to the approach of the Reformation streams, the death of Jan Hus represented a turning point in history, a return to the binding road to salvation. This is demonstrated in the Hussite chronicles, and also the depictions of Jan Hus as a witness to the first day and a Saint comparable to the early Christian martyrs. Although the Catholic environment viewed Jan Hus and the Hussites as heretics doomed to eternal torment in the flames of Hell, the preacher of Bethlehem Chapel was considered both a savvy and dangerous opponent. These two basic and extremely different approaches continued into the last quarter of the 18th century, when the Enlightenment began to present Jan Hus as a victim of conscience and the proclaimer of the primacy of state power. This interpretation, which viewed the current issues of the day in connection with Hus' struggle, continued up until the last days of the 20th century. There is a lack of understanding of the true essence of Hus' efforts in the contemporary Post-modern perception of the world, however. The logical results of this misunderstanding are recurrent, outdated explanations involving stereotypes, simplification and a tabloid approach.

Keywords: Jan Hus; Hussite Movement; the Reformation; Martin Luther; Enlightenment; Czech National Revival; František Palacký; Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk; Post- modernism