John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe (also spelled Wyclif, Wycliff, Wicliffe or Wiclif) is sometimes considered a forerunner of the Reformers of the 16th-century Reformation. His exact impact on the movement that began more than a century after his death is difficult to gauge, but his work clearly had some influence on Jan Hus, who in turn influenced Martin Luther. Wycliffe used realism to formulate his views, attacking the worldliness of the church and papal dominion. He believed the source of truth was in scripture and not in the many mystic traditions that had arisen through the centuries.
Educated at Oxford, where he earned a degree in divinity and became a regent master in arts, Wycliffe took a post as a vicar before he became embroiled in politics and began to openly criticize the Church. The resulting difficulties with his ecclesiastical elders were compounded by his association with John of Gaunt (the second son of Edward III), who manipulated Wycliffe to his own political ends. At the same time, this relationship may have helped save him from any serious censure. In the last years of his life he continued to write prolifically and spearheaded the movement to produce the first complete English translation of the Bible, which resulted in two separate editions.
After his death Wycliffe was condemned as a heretic and his teachings were suppressed, but the popular movement of Lollards kept his theories alive. How much personal involvement Wycliffe had in the formation of Lollardy is uncertain, but there is no doubt that Lollards made his teachings the basis of their philosophy.
The correct year of Wycliffe's birth is unknown. Sources vary widely, placing it anywhere from 1320 to 1330.
Important Dates
Died: Dec. 31, 1384
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