John Wycliffe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Wycliffe
|
|
|---|---|
Copy of an anonymous portrait of Wycliffe
|
|
| Born | c. 1328 Hipswell, Yorkshire, Kingdom of England
|
| Died | 31 December 1384 (aged 56) Lutterworth, Leicestershire, England
|
| Alma mater | Merton College, Oxford |
|
Notable work
|
Wycliffe's Bible |
| Era | Medieval philosophy |
|
Influences
|
|
John Wycliffe (born around 1328 – died 31 December 1384) was an English thinker, church leader, and Bible translator. He was a professor at the University of Oxford. Wycliffe became a very important person who disagreed with the Catholic Church in the 1300s. Many people see him as a key figure who came before the Protestant Reformation.
Wycliffe questioned the special power of the clergy (church leaders). He also thought that the Church had too much wealth and showed off too much. He believed that the Bible should be translated into the common language of the people. This way, everyone could read and understand it for themselves.
It is believed that Wycliffe helped translate the Bible from Latin into Middle English. This version is now known as Wycliffe's Bible. He likely translated parts of the New Testament himself. His helpers probably translated the Old Testament. This Bible was finished around 1384.
Wycliffe's followers were later called Lollards. They believed many of Wycliffe's ideas. These included questioning the worship of saints and the power of the Pope. The Lollard movement, like some others, helped set the stage for the Protestant Reformation. Wycliffe is sometimes called the "morning star" of the English Reformation.
His writings in Latin had a big impact on the Czech reformer Jan Hus. Hus's execution in 1415 led to the Hussite Wars.
Contents
Life and career
Early years
John Wycliffe was born in a village called Hipswell in England. This was around the 1320s. His family had lived in Yorkshire for a long time.
He started his education near his home. We don't know exactly when he first went to Oxford University. But he was there around 1345. The Black Death, a terrible plague, reached England in 1348. This event deeply affected Wycliffe. He saw it as a sign that the church needed to change.
Time at Oxford
Wycliffe finished his first degree at Merton College, Oxford in 1356. He wrote a short book that year called The Last Age of the Church. He thought the world might end soon because of the plague. He believed the plague showed that many church leaders were not good enough.
He became the head of Balliol College, Oxford in 1361. He also became a priest in a parish called Fillingham. This meant he had to give up being head of Balliol College. But he could still live and study at Oxford.
In 1369, Wycliffe earned a bachelor's degree in theology. He then got his doctorate in 1372. In 1374, he became the priest of St Mary's Church, Lutterworth. He stayed there until he died.
Involvement in politics
In 1374, Wycliffe was part of a group sent by the English government. They went to Bruges to talk with the Pope's representatives. They discussed disagreements between the King and the Pope. After returning, Wycliffe began to share his ideas more widely.
He wrote a major work called De civili dominio ("On Civil Dominion"). In this book, he argued that the King should take back all church property. He believed the Church had become too sinful and should live in poverty. Many nobles, like John of Gaunt, agreed. They also thought the clergy had too much wealth and power.
Disagreements with the Church
Wycliffe was called before the Bishop of London in 1377. The exact reasons are not fully known. But John of Gaunt and other supporters came with Wycliffe. A crowd gathered, and arguments broke out between the bishop and Wycliffe's friends. The meeting ended without a clear decision.
On 22 May 1377, Pope Gregory XI sent official letters against Wycliffe. These letters said that 18 of Wycliffe's ideas were wrong and dangerous. But King Edward III died soon after, and the letters arrived late. Wycliffe was asked by the King's council if it was right to stop payments to Rome. He said it was.
Wycliffe was later called to Lambeth Palace to defend himself. But the queen mother, Joan of Kent, sent a message. She told the bishops not to make a final decision about Wycliffe. The bishops, who were divided, simply told him to stop talking about the disagreements.
Wycliffe then wrote more, explaining his ideas to ordinary people. Many people, including some nobles, supported him. Pope Gregory XI died in 1378, which stopped further action from Rome for a time.
Wycliffe's attacks on the Pope became stronger. He believed the Church should be poor. He also wrote that the King should have power over the priests.
From 1380 onwards, Wycliffe focused on rejecting the idea of transubstantiation. This is the belief that bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ during Mass. He also strongly criticized the friars who supported this idea.
The "Earthquake Synod"
In 1381, Wycliffe clearly stated his views on the Lord's Supper. He said that no one could change his beliefs. He appealed directly to the King, not to the Pope.
When Wycliffe started to question the traditional teaching of transubstantiation, he lost support. Even John of Gaunt stopped backing him.
Around this time, the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 happened. Wycliffe's "poor priests" had spread his ideas about wealth. They criticized both church and noble property. Although Wycliffe did not support the revolt, some of his followers did.
In 1382, William Courtenay, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, called a meeting in London. During the meeting, an earthquake happened. Some people were scared and wanted to stop. But Courtenay said it was a sign from God to cleanse the earth of wrong ideas. This meeting became known as the "Earthquake Synod."
At this synod, 24 of Wycliffe's ideas were declared wrong. Ten were called heretical (against church teaching). Fourteen were called erroneous (mistaken). It was forbidden to teach these ideas. The King issued a decree allowing the arrest of those who held these views.
Wycliffe's most active helpers at Oxford were banned. But Wycliffe himself still had some support from the court and Parliament. He was not excommunicated or removed from his church position at that time.
Wycliffe wanted to replace the existing church leaders with "poor priests." These priests lived simply and preached the Gospel to everyone. These traveling preachers spread Wycliffe's teachings across England. They were called "Lollards," a name that became a badge of honor for them.
Death and later actions
In his last years, before his death in 1384, Wycliffe argued that the Bible was the only true guide for Christians. He said the Pope's claims were not based on history. He also believed that monks were corrupt.
Wycliffe returned to Lutterworth. He continued to write against monks and the Pope. On 28 December 1384, he had a stroke while saying Mass. He died a few days later.
After his death, laws were passed against Wycliffe's followers in 1401. In 1408, it became a crime to translate the Bible into English without permission.
In 1415, the Council of Constance declared Wycliffe a heretic. They ordered his writings to be burned. They also said his body should be removed from holy ground. This order was carried out in 1428. His bones were dug up and burned, and his ashes were thrown into the River Swift.
Works
Wycliffe believed the Bible was the only true guide to God's truth. Because of this, he worked to translate the Bible into English. While he is given credit, we don't know exactly how much he translated himself. But it was his idea, and his leadership made it happen.
He translated the New Testament, which was easy to read. His friend Nicholas of Hereford translated the Old Testament. Wycliffe's younger helper, John Purvey, revised the whole Bible in 1388.
About 150 copies of this translation still exist today. This shows how widely it was used in the 1400s. Because of this, Wycliffe's followers were often called "Bible men."
Some of Wycliffe's other important works include:
- The Last Age of the Church (1356)
- De Logica ("On Logic") 1360
- De Civili Dominio (1377)
- De Ecclesia ("On the Church") 1379
- De Eucharistia (On the Eucharist") 1379
- Objections to Friars (1380)
Doctrines
Wycliffe believed that the Bible was the only reliable guide to God's truth. He said that all Christians should follow the Bible, not just the teachings of popes and priests. He also thought there was no Bible reason for the Pope to have so much power.
He believed in an "invisible church" made up of those chosen by God to be saved. This was different from the "visible" Catholic Church. To Wycliffe, the true Church included everyone who was destined for heaven.
Wycliffe's early writings supported the power of the government. By 1379, he clearly stated that the King was more important than the priests. He also spoke out against selling indulgences, which were payments to reduce punishment for sins.
Wycliffe was one of the first to say that the Bible alone was the highest authority for what Christians should believe and how they should live. This idea became a main principle of the later Reformation.
Against monasticism
Wycliffe strongly criticized the monastic orders, calling them "sects." He wrote many books and sermons against them.
In his 1380 work Objections to Friars, he called monks "pests of society." He said they were enemies of religion and only cared about money. He wanted to get rid of monasteries completely. He believed they went against the Bible and hurt the Church.
Views on the papacy
Wycliffe's influence was strongest when the Pope and an antipope (a rival pope) were both trying to get support. In 1378, Wycliffe gave his opinion to Parliament. He said that criminals who sought safety in churches could still be arrested. This idea pleased the government.
In his last six years, Wycliffe wrote many attacks on the papacy. He even started to see the Pope as the Antichrist. However, some of his writings were more moderate.
Basic ideas in philosophy
Wycliffe was a very important English philosopher and theologian in the 1300s. People said he was one of the best philosophers and unmatched in his academic skills. He spent a lot of time studying philosophy. His first book, De Logica (1360), looked at the basics of religious philosophy. He thought studying logic helped understand the human mind better.
A key idea for Wycliffe was "divine Lordship." This explored the relationship between God and everything He created. He believed that all authority came from God. He also thought that mistakes in understanding big ideas (universals) caused all sin in the world.
Wycliffe preferred thinkers like Plato and Augustine over Aristotle. He believed in realism, which means that general ideas (like "beauty") exist independently. This was different from nominalism, which said these ideas were just names.
Sacraments
John Wycliffe rejected the idea of transubstantiation. He also said that the sacrament of confession (confessing sins to a priest) was against the Bible.
Legacy
Wycliffe played a huge part in getting the Bible translated into English. This made it possible for ordinary people to read it. He also greatly influenced Jan Hus, another reformer.
Several places and groups are named after him:
- Wycliffe Global Alliance: A group that works to translate the Bible into every language.
- Wycliffe Hall, Oxford: A theological college in England.
- Wycliffe College, Toronto: A religious school in Canada.
- Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire: A private school in England.
The Church of England remembers John Wycliffe on 31 December.
Images for kids
-
William Frederick Yeames, Wyclif Giving "The Poor Priests" His Translation of the Bible
-
Portrait of John Wycliffe by Bernard Picart, showing the burning of his works (1714)
-
Burning Wycliffe's bones, from Foxe's Book of Martyrs (1563)
-
John Wycliffe portrayed in Bale's Scriptor Majoris Britanniæ 1548.
-
John Wycliffe at work in his study
-
A stained glass window in Wycliffe College Chapel, Toronto
See also
In Spanish: John Wyclif para niños
- John Bankin
- Ecclesiae Regimen
- General Prologue of the Wycliffe Bible
- Lollardy
- William Tyndale
