John Wycliffe

John Wycliffe was born in 1328 to a land—owning English family. His life can be understood best in three stages. During the first stage of his life, Wycliffe was involved at Oxford. Although he began as a student,he eventually became Master of Balliol College. In order to pay for his studies, Wycliffe accepted an ecclesiastical office, which enabled him to continue his education at Oxford until 1371. During this period he became well recognized as a philosopher and theologian. Also, near the end of this time, Wycliffe became known for his radical views on church governance, which asserted Christ as the head of the church and insisted that ungodly leaders have no rightful authority.

The second stage of Wycliffe's life was between 1371 and 1378.During this time, Wycliffe spoke out against the unprecedented wealth of the Catholic Church, which at the time was exempt from taxes. As a result of his threatening teachings, Wycliffe relied heavily on the protection of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. However, when King Edward III died in 1377, the duke's power was significantly reduced. In addition, in 1378 the Great Papal Schism (during which there were three rival popes at one point) began, and the church was more easily manipulated. This meant that the English government did not need as much support from the teachings of Wycliffe. As a result, even at this early stage of the English Reformation, the primary reforms were prompted more from political than theological reasons. This motivating factor continued to permeate throughout the English Reformation in subsequent years.

The third stage in Wycliffe's life began in 1378 and ended with his death. With less demand on his public services, Wycliffe was able to get back to his studies. As his ideas became even more radical in the eyes of the church, he was dismissed from Oxford and retreated to Lutterworth. While there, Wycliffe devoted his time to writing and preaching. It was during this time that he began translating the Bible into English from the Latin Vulgate,one of his greatest contributions to the reformation. Wycliffe lived in Lutterworth until he suffered two strokes, the first in 1382 and the second in1384, which resulted in his death.

Strangely enough, Wycliffe's story does not end with his death. On May 4, 1415, at the Council of Constance, Wycliffe was declared a heretic. In 1428, 44 years after Wycliffe's death, Pope Martin V commanded that the body of John Wycliffe be exhumed and publicly burned. After this took place,his ashes were thrown into the River Swift, which ran through Lutterworth.

Some of John Wycliffe's important works include:The Truth of Holy Scripture—which upheld the Bible as the standard of authority for which all others are tested,including the pope; The Power of the Pope—which illustrated that the papacy was an office established by man, not God; and On the Eucharist—which denied the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation (that the elements of the Lord's supper change literally into the body and blood of Christ).