On Simony

A critical edition of Jan Hus's O svatokupectví (On Simony), edited by Václav Novotný and published by J. Otto in Prague in 1907. The treatise, written c. 1413 in Czech, is a sustained attack on simony in the Church, arguing that the buying and selling of spiritual goods — from sacraments and benefices to papal indulgences — constitutes heresy. Hus draws heavily on scripture and canon law, and on the earlier anti-simony arguments of John Wycliffe, to condemn the corruption of the clergy from parish priests to the papacy. This edition includes Novotný's introduction and critical apparatus.