HUSS, or HUS, John, Bohemian religious heresiarch: b. Husinec, Southern Bohemia, about 1369; d. Constance, Switzerland, 6 July 1415. He studied at the University of Prague and in 1398 began to lecture on theology and philosophy. In 1401 he was made dean of the faculty of philosophy, and was made rector of the university (1400). Since 1391 he had been acquainted with the writings of Wiclif, and his denunciations of the indulgences, of masses for the dead, of auricular confession, etc., alarmed Archbishop Stynko of Prague, who had 200 volumes of Wiclif's writings burned (1410) in the archiepiscopal palace, and the preaching of his doctrines in Bohemia prohib ited. Huss appealed to the Pope, John XXIII, who summoned him to appear at Bologna. Huss refused to appear and was in consequence ex communicated, and Prague threatened with an interdict as long as Huss should remain in it Wenceslas, the king, alarmed by this menace, thought to bring about peace; and at his de mand, Huss made an orthodox profession of faith in 1411. But the quarrel broke out again when Huss and his friend Jerome publicly con demned the papal indulgences granted for the crusade against Ladislas of Naples. Huss was again excommunicated and Prague interdicted. He now retired to Husinec to the protection of his feudal lord and here he wrote his books On the Six Errors' and On the Church,' in which he attacks transsubstantiation, the belief in the papal primacy and the saints, the efficacy of the absolution of a vicious priest, uncondi tional obedience •to earthly rulers, and makes the Scriptures the only rule in matters of reli gion. In the meantime the Council of Con
stance had convened in 1413. Huss was sum moned to this council to render an account of his doctrines. The Emperor Sigismund granted him a safe conduct to the council. After sev eral examinations of his doctrines, and his per sistent refusal to retract the points which were regarded as heretical, he was sentenced to death and burned 6 July 1415. The Hussite War fol lowed. See Hussrres. The best editions of his works are by K. J. Erben (1865-68) ; F. Pal acky (1869) and by W. Flojshaus (1904). Con stilt also Neander, J. A. W., 'Allgemeine Ge schichte der christlichen Religion und Kirche' (Eng. trans. by J. Torrey, 1850-58) ; von Lech ler, G., 'Wiclif und die Vorgeschichte der Reformation' (Eng. trans. by P. Lorimer, 1878); the 'Acta' of the Council of Constance (in P-Labbe, 'Concilia,' Vol. XVI, 1731). Good biographical material is contained in Denis, F., 'Huss et la guerre des Hussites' (1878); Liitzow, F. H. H., 'Life and Times of Master John Hus' (New York 1909); Lea, H. C., 'History of the Inquisition' (Vol. VIII, New York ; Creighton, M., 'History of the Papacy' (1897).