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History and Evolution:
By William E. Steinman:
Part 98, John Wycliffe:
February 7, 2005:
I will take time out from the silliness, debauchery, and mayhem of English kings to take a look at John Wycliffe (1324 - 1384). There is some disagreement about the actual date of his birth. It is given variously as ranging between 1324 and 1329. So what? Although not often noticed by history, Wycliffe was one of the first reformers of the Catholic Church. Luther and Calvin were not even born when Wycliffe began his campaign in England against the papal excesses. In fact, Wycliffe's work predates the beginnings of the Renaissance.
Not much is known about this guys earlier life. He was born into a rather well off family of Yorkshire with a huge property holding there. Hence, we might not think of him as a likely reformer. We do know he was bright enough to get to Oxford and earn a doctorate in theology. At this time some other famous folks were the heavy hitters of Oxford. Among them were Roger Bacon and William of Ockham. In fact, Wycliffe came under the influence of Ockham's nominalism. Ockham you may recall was one of the earlier troublemakers and dissenters against the orthodox mossback religious views of his time.
Wycliffe did well in his studies of law, history, science, math, and theology. As a result he impressed people and was given responsible positions. He was, at various times, master of Balliol College at Oxford and head of Canterbury Hall. He was considered a standout theologian and became Chaplain to no less than King Richard II. Somewhere along the way, between 1366 and 1372, he earned his doctorate in theology. That allowed him to become a lecturer on systematic divinity.
There were some strange goings on in the church at this time. It seems Pope Clement V was pals with king Philip IV of France. So, in 1309 Clement decided to move the Holy See from Rome to Avignon in France. This resulted in a great deal of English tax revenues ending up in France. Well, you got to know the English folks were annoyed by that. Other factors did not help much. It seems about 1/3 of the real estate in England was owned by the church. In addition the church was exempt from taxes. What the Englishmen saw then, was a corrupt papacy living large in France off of the backs of the English taxpayers. This was truly the stuff of vigorous dissent.
Sure enough, there was a national resentment against the church in the English countryside. It turns our Wycliffe was in the right place and had the right know how to do the dissenting. He became the man of the hour, so to speak. He began to acquire the persona of a patriot and reformer and he began to advocate reform. At the least, he wanted a spiritual revival within the church. That is apparently why he began to write.
In 1376 he wrote, "On Civil Dominion." In that he demanded a moral base for church leadership. He wanted to throw out what he called immoral clerics and take away their property. He said it was okay for the church to use and possess properties, but not to own them. That the church did not use the property for the glory of the church was sufficient reason for the civil authority to disposes the clerics. Wycliffe was well read in English and ecclesiastic law and he based his criticisms on concepts spelled out by Edward I and Edward III. That put him on pretty solid ground with the local folk.
In 1378 Wycliff got the pope's attention by attacking the papal authority. He opposed the authority of the pope, and insisted that Christ and the Bible alone were the only authority for the believer. To make sure the people understood that, he began a translation of the New Testament into English. In 1380, he finished that. A bit later in 1382, his assistant finished the translation of Old Testament, Well, for sure Gregory X condemned him. Not to worry. Wycliffe was under the protection of good old John of Gaunt. He continued to study and write.
Along the way he expounded some pretty heavy stuff. He contested the catholic doctrine of the transubstantiation. This doctrine states that the bread and wine of the communion are transformed into the actual flesh and blood of Christ in the hands of the priest. Wycliffe also went against the notions or purgatory, papal infallibility, and that old favorite, the selling of indulgences. Well, that got him condemned in London and he decided to get out of town. He went to Leicestershire and became the parish pries in Lutterworth. He wrote several important tracts in his life.
One such tract was "The truth of the Sacred Scriptures." In that he made his case that even the pope had to prove himself through faith. He said the bible was sufficient as the instrument for salvation and no other nonsense was needed. He also makes the point that anyone has a right to read the bible, not just clerics. Implied in this, of course, is the notion that anyone has aright to interpret the bible. He was getting pretty close to heresy in that.
Not deterred he also wrote "The Pope's Power." In this work his point is, the position of pope is not an appointment by God, but by men. Not only that, but the pope's authority does not extend into secular matters, nor does his power come from his position. Any power he can exercise must come out of his morality and character. A Pope that does not follow Christ is, in fact, an Antichrist. Oh boy! Can we feel the hot breath of the inquisitor?
It was in "Apostate" written in 1379 where he spelled out his position on the transubstantiation issue. In another work, "The Eucharist," he carries on his objection to this doctrine and attacked Thomas Aquinas. Wycliffe's position is that the bread and wine are just a sacrament in memory of Christ, not a literal thing at all.
I have briefed just a small sample of his works. They are worth
a great deal more time to those interested. It is clear that his
work made a number of clerics angry and paved the way for the
Reform in England. Though condemned, Wycliffe was not imprisoned
or punished in his lifetime. He actually died of a stroke in 1384.
One of his followers was not so lucky. A fellow named John Huss
was burned as a heretic a few years later.
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