“Sparks of Truth”: I. S. Prokhanov and the Bohemian Reformation

Abstract

Among the admirers of Hus and the Hussites abroad was the president of the All-Russian Evangelical Christian Union, Ivan Stepanovich Prokhanov (1869-1935), who visited Czechoslovakia in 1924. During his six-week stay, he studied the Hussite movement with some care and on 1 April was ordained by an association of Czechoslovak Baptists who had named themselves after Petr Chelčický (?1390-?1443), a theologian of the Hussite period, who asserted the separation of church and state and practiced baptism on profession of faith. Since Prokhanov had many international connections, what factors may have motivated him to seek ordination from this group in particular? This paper presents a basic sketch of the contributions of Jan Hus and Petr Chelčický and describes how the Bohemian Reformation became a central part both of the historical narrative of the nation of Czechoslovakia and of the identity of Baptists. It concludes with an examination of Prokhanov’s own reflections on the meaning of these historical figures and events for the Russian evangelical movement.