Wednesday, April 15, 2026

It is the 15th of April 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You might have to just take my word for it: Bohemia circa 1400 would have been a heck of a place to experience. Fans of Reformation theology might be able to place Jan Hus around this time. He was the so-called “forerunner” of the Reformation who was put to death in a manner many expected for Martin Luther a century later. Let me tell you about this place and time and how it intersects with one of the truly remarkable and understudied figures in Church history.

It was around the year 1400 that the Papal Schism had produced two popes- and even three for a time- Rome, Avignon, and then in Pisa. Not only was the leadership of the Western Latin church in peril, there were figures like Wycliffe in England and Hus in Bohemia agitating for popular reforms from liturgy and scripture in the vernacular. Was there a connection between these Western and Eastern outposts of Europe? Yes- in fact, we can find the link in the person of Anne of Bohemia. Anne was married to Richard II of England (of Shakespeare fame, later). The Arrangement was made by the pope in Rome attempting to make allies against the “other” Pope in Avignon. But little did that Pope know that Anne of Bohemia would come to England, become influenced by the work of Wycliffe, and then set up a pipeline between the university at Oxford and the university at Prague.

So with the connection made, who was the courier? Who took Wycliffe’s work and introduced it to the Bohemians? He was Jerome of Prague- wildly underappreciated- he is the link between Wycliffe and Hus and these two movements, which will be precursors to the Reformation of the next century.

Jerome was born around 1365 in Prague and studied at the university, where he came under the influence of Hus. But Jerome, despite his indebtedness to Hus (more on that in a second), was both fiery and infected with wanderlust- he was constantly on the move. Jerome would travel from Russia to Jerusalem and from Budapest to Heidelberg, Cologne, and eventually Oxford. The pattern seems familiar- he would show up in a new town, dazzle with his brilliance and oratory until his calls for reform stepped on the toes of the wrong authority.

He would be especially upset with the antipope John XXIII, who made a crass grab for cash when he authorized the sale of indulgences (yes, a very similar issue to Luther and the Reformation in the next century).

While he was constantly on the move, he did keep in touch with his old professor Hus and promised that if he was ever in trouble, he would come to his aid. And, if you know the story- the Council of Constance in 1415- this is exactly what happened. Hus was called to defend himself, albeit under imperial protection. But the protection didn’t keep its word, and Hus was imprisoned. Hearing about this, Jerome made the ill-advised decision to go to Constance. And so, it was on this, the 15th of April in 1415, that Jerome went to that town on the Bodensee to defend his friend. He did so by placarding the town overnight with calls to release Hus. As Jerome attempted to flee the town after the righteous vandalism, he was caught. While imprisoned, he saw Hus burnt at the stake, and he himself would disavow both Wycliffe and Hus before coming to himself the following year- recanting his prior recantation- he supported the calls for Communion in both kinds (bread and wine, not just the bread as had been the practice) and Scripture and worship in the common tongue. For this, he was put to death in May of 1416. He’s not just Hus’ footsoldier- this is often the impression given in the scant literature. Instead, he was a scholar and a layman, a traveler and loyal friend whose proclivity for debate would lead to his notoriety and death.

Today we remember the “other” Bohemian- Jerome of Prague and his own “night of the placards”- the 15th of April in 1415 as he came to the aid of his imprisoned professor before both Hus’ and his own executions.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Matthew 12:

38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 15th of April 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who wonders if three days and three nights would put the crucifixion on Thursday? Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man surprised as anyone to hear about the schism and Avignon papacy in the news recently, huh.. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.