Wycliffe's Bible facts for kids
The Wycliffe's Bible is the name given to a group of Bible translations into Middle English. These translations were guided by John Wycliffe and appeared between about 1382 and 1395. Even though they were not officially approved, these Bibles became very popular. In fact, Wycliffe's Bible texts are the most common handwritten books from the Middle English period. More than 250 copies of the Wycliffe Bible still exist today.
Contents
Why Wycliffe's Bible Was Important
These Bible translations were a big reason for the Lollard movement. This movement happened before the Reformation. The Lollards disagreed with many of the main teachings of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church tried to stop the spread of Wycliffe's Bible. In the early 1400s, King Henry IV, Archbishop Thomas Arundel, and Henry Knighton created very strict laws. These laws were some of the toughest religious censorship laws in Europe at that time. However, copies of the Wycliffe Bible made before 1409 (when the ban started) were still used widely by both church leaders and regular people.
How the Bible Changed Over Time
Wycliffe's Bible was updated in different stages. These updates helped make the language closer to the English spoken at the time. The first translation followed the Latin word order very closely. This was different from how English sentences are usually put together.
Here's an example:
- Latin Vulgate: Dixitque Deus fiat lux et facta est lux
- Early Wycliffe: And God seide, Be maad liȝt; and maad is liȝt
- Later Wycliffe: And God seide, Liȝt be maad; and liȝt was maad
Later English Bibles
After Wycliffe's Bible, William Tyndale translated the Bible into a more modern form of English. He was also the first to use original Greek texts for his translation. Tyndale faced many challenges because of his work. He was pursued for many years and eventually arrested near Brussels in 1535. He was tried, found guilty, and faced severe punishment, being put to death. His body was later burned.
Related pages
Images for kids
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John Wycliffe reading his translation of the Bible to John of Gaunt. John's wife and child are also depicted, along with poets Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower. c. 1859
See also
In Spanish: Biblia de Wycliffe para niños
