A collection of vernacular preaching from the Bohemian reformer
Selected Sermons gathers a portion of the preaching of Jan Hus (c. 1372–1415), the Czech priest, theologian, and reformer active in Prague in the early fifteenth century. Hus preached in both Latin and Czech, but his vernacular sermons, delivered at the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague, were central to his public influence. The works in this collection reflect his role as a popular preacher who addressed moral and ecclesiastical reform to a broad urban audience.
The sermons are primarily expository and pastoral, drawing on Scripture and the Church Fathers. Their general subject is the call to Christian living, repentance, and the reform of a clergy and church that Hus saw as corrupted by wealth, worldliness, and abuses of authority. He emphasized the authority of the Bible, the importance of preaching, and the duty of Christians to follow Christ rather than human traditions that contradicted Scripture. The sermons also carry a strong moral and social critique, directed at the sins of both laity and clergy, including simony, greed, and hypocrisy.
The significance of these sermons lies in their connection to the broader Hussite movement. Preaching at Bethlehem Chapel was a key vehicle for spreading reform ideas in Prague before Hus’s excommunication and execution at the Council of Constance in 1415. The sermons show how theological and moral reform was communicated beyond the university setting, shaping lay piety and contributing to the religious tensions that led to the Hussite wars. As a collection, they represent an important example of late medieval vernacular preaching and of the reform currents that anticipated the Protestant Reformation.
