John Hus Essay

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Pages: 2

The Moravian church’s roots developed primarily from the teachings of John Huss. Britannica Academic writes that it is a “Protestant church founded in the 18th century but tracing its origin to the Unitas Fratrum (“Unity of Brethren”) of the 15th-century Hussite movement in Bohemia and Moravia.” Also added “Into this background of the conciliar movement the Czech native reform movement, both prior to and under the leadership of John Hus, must be integrated. The Czech reform was not conciliar in its basic character, but primarily stressed moral virtues.” Before that, the Hussite movement, which was promoted, saw a diversification of this belief into these areas after the death of John Huss. This diversity would continue to create division …show more content…
Protestant believers were later persecuted, and many traveled abroad, avoiding detection and reprisal, continuing to hold onto their Hussite beliefs. In the early eighteen-hundreds “a young Saxon Pietist and landowner, Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, agreed to provide sanctuary for a group of Moravian refugees, inviting them to settle on his estates.” This location would later be known as “Herrnhut ['Lord’s Watch’].” Zinzendorf would take a more pronounced and significant role in this church as time proceeded on, as became necessary. Zinzendorf was the godson of Lutheran minister J.P. Spener, who sought to revive the body of believers. Though Zinzendorf did not originate the Moravian ways, but that of Pietism, he desired to help those believers destitute because of oppression and mistreatment. Zinzendorf, not only provided refuge for these believers but also became the leader and the catalyst of the Moravian church to grow and become distinct in and of itself. In his heart for ministry, Zinzendorf, desiring to provide peace with surrounding Lutherans, and indeed, at one point in time became a Lutheran minister but was a short time later excommunicated because the beliefs were not in line with that specific