Jerome of Prague

Jerome of Prague ( Jeroným Pražský in Czech, 1379 - May 30th, 1416) is one of the principal supports and the closest friends of Jan Hus. It is born in a rich person family from Prague. After obtaining, in 1398, of its diploma of the university of Prague, it undertakes to travel: 1402 sees it with Oxford in England, where it recopies the Dialogus and the Trialogus of John Wyclif. He becomes a burning defender of the realism (as opposed Nominalisme). From there, its attraction for the wyclifism and realism bring only troubles to him. In 1403, it goes to Jerusalem, in 1405 with Paris. There, he undertakes his magistère but Jean de Gerson expels it university. In 1406, it continues its studies with the Université of Cologne, then, a little later within that of Heidelberg.

Prague, where it returns to study in 1407, is not more accessible: it sets out again the same year for Oxford from where, once again, it must leave. Between 1408 and 1409, it is in Prague. In 1410, a speech précautionneusement in favor of the philosophical sights of Wyclif will be worth to him troubles, four years later with the Council of Constancy. In March of the same year, a papal bubble against the theses of Wyclif is published and, shown to defend the theses of the English theologist, Jerome is imprisoned with Vienna but succeeds in escaping and joined Moravie. The bishop of Cracow the excommunicates then.

Of return to Prague, it defends Jan Hus publicly. In 1413, it resides near the courses royal of Poland and large-ducal of Lithuania, making a strong impression from its eloquence and its knowledge. In Cracow, he is publicly questioned as for his adhesion with the forty-five articles which the enemies of Wyclif had extracted from its work and which they hold for heretics. Jerome declares that it them rejète overall.

When, on October 11th, 1414, Jan Hus leaves for the Concile Constancy, Jerome ensures it of his support and that, if necessary, it would assist from his friend. He holds word and arrives on April 4th, 1415 at Constance. Contrary to Jan Hus, it does not profit from imperial safe conduct and his/her friends enjoignent it to leave the city and to turn over to Bohemia. It is however arrèté on the way of the return, with Hirschau and put in prison at Sulzbach from where it is immediately off-set towards Constance. There, on May 23rd, 1415, it compared for escape bid (with a quotation to appear, which had been emitted in its absence and which it had not been able to take knowledge). July 6th, 1415, his/her friend Jan Hus is burned alive.

Its judgment is predetermined by its adhesion with the theses of Wyvlif and its admiration for Jan Hus. Its imprisonment is so strict that it falls ill. He sees himself forcing to retract with the public sessions of the Council, September 11th and 23rd 1415, he abjures publicly and Wyclif and Hus. The same weakness, makes him write, in Czech, with king de Bohême and the university of Prague of the letters where he writes that “from full sound liking”, he came to the conclusion that Jan Hus is an heretic and that its death on roughing-hew it was right. This docility does not involve its release for as much. Its lawsuit proceeds May 23rd and 26th 1416. The second day of its lawsuit, it abjures its preceding abjuration and, consequently, on May 30th, 1416, it is condemned for heresy and is burned in the tread.

The attachment of Jerome to the catholic faith was sincere and deep. More than on the basis of its support for the theses of Wyclif or its friendship towards Hus, it is undoubtedly because of its formidable scholarship and its eloquence that the Church condemns Jerome in whom it sees a formidable criticism of his own degeneration.

References

, itself drawn from Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia off Religious Knowledge , 1914

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