jjares reviewed Jan Hus and Ulrich Zwingli: The Lives and Deaths of the Reformation?s Most Famous Martyrs on + 3299 more book reviews
Before picking up this book about early Reformation martyrs, I was not aware of John Wycliffe or Jan Hus and Ulrich Zwingli. These three were early church reformers who helped others to bring about Protestantism to Europe. Wycliffe was a priest in England who started to complain about things he thought needed to be changed in the Catholic Church. Before long, people across Europe were reading about Wycliffe's views and found a ready audience.
One of the early people who were swayed by Wycliffe's ideals was Jan Hus, a Czech priest, philosopher, and church reformer. He also inspired Hussitism. They believe in an emphasis upon clerical purity, communion in both bread and wine for the laity (only the priests got the wine at that time), and the supreme authority of the Scriptures. Hus is considered the second reformer (after Wycliffe) because he came before Martin Luther, John Calvin or Ulrich Zwingli.
Hus was horrified by the selling of indulgences (paying money to reduce the time spent in purgatory for sins) and the adoration of fake icons (churches would claim they had part of {say} St. Peter's brain; people would come to adore and give money to the church). He was burned at the stake for his beliefs. His beliefs did not die with him.
Ulrich Zwingli was an intelligent Swiss and a dynamic speaker who received a good education and became a Catholic priest. After learning Hebrew and Greek (the languages the Bible was originally written in), Zwingli studied extensively and decided that the Catholic Church had moved too far away from the Bible's teachings. He was the most important person in the Swiss Reformation Movement.
It is interesting to note that German Martin Luther and Swiss Ulrich Zwingli met and debated their differing philosophies. At the end of the conference, they each continued to promote their own schools of Protestant thought. Zwingli was killed in battle against the Five States, known as the Second War of Kappel.
One of the early people who were swayed by Wycliffe's ideals was Jan Hus, a Czech priest, philosopher, and church reformer. He also inspired Hussitism. They believe in an emphasis upon clerical purity, communion in both bread and wine for the laity (only the priests got the wine at that time), and the supreme authority of the Scriptures. Hus is considered the second reformer (after Wycliffe) because he came before Martin Luther, John Calvin or Ulrich Zwingli.
Hus was horrified by the selling of indulgences (paying money to reduce the time spent in purgatory for sins) and the adoration of fake icons (churches would claim they had part of {say} St. Peter's brain; people would come to adore and give money to the church). He was burned at the stake for his beliefs. His beliefs did not die with him.
Ulrich Zwingli was an intelligent Swiss and a dynamic speaker who received a good education and became a Catholic priest. After learning Hebrew and Greek (the languages the Bible was originally written in), Zwingli studied extensively and decided that the Catholic Church had moved too far away from the Bible's teachings. He was the most important person in the Swiss Reformation Movement.
It is interesting to note that German Martin Luther and Swiss Ulrich Zwingli met and debated their differing philosophies. At the end of the conference, they each continued to promote their own schools of Protestant thought. Zwingli was killed in battle against the Five States, known as the Second War of Kappel.
