“The Letters of Hus have long been recognized by the best judges as one of the world’s spiritual treasures. The discovery of Hus, if we may so express it, forms more than once a landmark in the spiritual development of Luther.

“‘When I was a tyro at Erfurt,’ we read, ‘I found in the library of the convent a volume of The Sermons of John Hus. When I read the title I had a great curiosity to know what doctrines that heresiarch had propagated, since a volume like this in a public library had been saved from the fire. On reading I was overwhelmed with astonishment. I could not understand for what cause they had burnt so great a man, who explained the Scriptures with so much gravity and skill. But as the very name of Hus was held in so great abomination that I imagined the sky would fall and the sun be darkened if I made honorable mention of him, I shut the book and went away with no little indignation. This, however, was my comfort, that perhaps Hus had written these things before he fell into heresy. For as yet I knew not what was done at the Council of Constance ’ (Mon. Hus. vol. i. Preface).” — From the Introduction.

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate: Some subject matter knowledge helpful.

Book Contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• Part I. Letters Written Before the Death of Archbishop Zbinek (June 30, 1408 September 28, 1411)
• Part II. From the Death of Zbinek to the Exile of Hus (September 1411 September 1412)
• Part III. Letters Written during the Exile of Hus (September 1412 - August 1414)
• Part IV Letters Written on the Journey to Constance (August - November, 1414.)
• Part V. Letters Written during the Imprisonment at the Blackfriars (November 16, 1414 - March 24, 1415)
• Hus’s Final Declaration (July 1, 1415)
• Appendix A. A Doubtful Letter Of Hus
• Appendix B

Publication Information

• Lutheran Library edition first published: 2022
• Copyright: CC BY 4.0