Valuable answers for valid questions about world religions, cults, worldviews and the Christian church
This site contains over 130 pages of free content in articles, videos and audio – it might be faster to use our search function to find what you are looking for
The Unity of the Brethren was comprised of followers of the reformer (pre-reformation) named John Hus (c. 1370-1415). Hus was a Czech Catholic priest who was martyred by the Roman Catholic Church for espousing and teaching the same reformation principles of John Wycliffe, in fact, Hus’ crime was that he was a “Wycliffite”. Hus was burned at the stake for his objections to the authority of the Pope. While on the stake, Hus would utter his famous last words which some feel were inadvertently prophetic, “They will roast a goose now (for ‘Huss’ means ‘a goose’), but after a hundred years they will hear a swan sing, and him they will endure”. The swan they would hear 100 years later was the voice of Martin Luther.
Hus’ theological positions of reform would continue long after his death, beginning with the formation of the Unity of the Brethren or “Unitas Fratrum” which would form just after his martyrdom at the Roman Catholic Council of Constance in 1415. Despite Hus’ martyrdom, the small group continued to practice apart from Catholicism and enjoyed some growth long after Hus’ death. Under intense persecution from the Czech monarchy themselves, many of the UOB movement fled the country and eventually joined the “Moravian” movement. A few years after Hus’ execution, his followers split into various factions, including the moderate Utraquists and the radical Taborites. The Unity represented a third way, seeking a more spiritual and pacifist approach than the militaristic Taborites while being more reform-minded than the Utraquists.
The Unity of the Brethren then formally organized around 1457 in Kunvald, Bohemia, under the leadership of Brother Gregory (Řehoř), a nephew of Archbishop Rokycana. In addition to John Wycliffe’s Lollards, they were also influenced by the Waldensian tradition of the early reformer Peter Waldo nearly 200 years earlier in addition to the writings of Peter Chelčický, a Czech reformer who emphasized nonviolence and simple livin
The Unity of the Brethren faced severe persecution at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly after the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 when the Catholic Counter-Reformation intensified in Bohemia causing many members fled or went underground.
Jan Amos Comenius (1592-1670), a bishop of the Unity would take on leadership of the group as they slowly transitioned to Moravia. Comenius became renowned as an educational reformer and is considered the father of modern education.
In the 1720s, refugees from the Unity found sanctuary on the estate of the Pietistic Lutheran Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf in Saxony, where they established the community of Herrnhut. This led to the renewal of the Unity as the Moravian Church (Moravian Brethren), which became a significant missionary movement in the 18th century.
The Unity of the Brethren and later the Moravian Church Pietists were one of the earliest Protestant churches (predating Luther by 60 years!) Along with the Lollards of Wycliffe and the Waldensians of Peter Waldo, The UOB/ Moravian Church formed an important bridge between early medieval reform movements and the Protestant Reformation introduced by Martin Luther.
It was this group and its early emphasis on worldwide mission that would profoundly impact the genuine conversion of John Wesley and the formation of his pietistic denomination known as the Methodists.
No one receives eternal life and eternal presence with God (from Whom all good things come – James 1:17), by belonging to the right church, denomination, world religion, or by having a particular world view. Rather only those who trust in the Lord Jesus (preached by the Apostles in the Bible) for their own sin. We will not trust in a Savior for sins that we either don’t believe we have or that we think aren’t deserving of hell. But the Bible says that ALL have sin and the wages of that sin is eternal separation from God (death). The good news is that the Bible says that you can know that YOU have eternal life. Click the button below to see if you are genuinely saved from your sins according to the Bible: