John Wycliffe: The Morning Star of the Reformation
... the Gospel of Christ is the whole body of God’s law…
Key words
- The Reformation: the 16th-century religious ideas and activity in Europe that resulted in Protestant Churches being established
Wycliffe made the Reformation possible.
- Papacy: the position or authority of the pope
They wrote about the private life of the pope, not his public life in the institution of the papacy.
- Compelled: having to do something, because you are forced to or feel it is necessary
He felt compelled to report the incident.
- Chaplain: a Christian official who is responsible for the religious needs of an organization
The prison chaplain patiently listened to the prisoners complaints.
- Sacrament: an important religious ceremony in the Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church has seven sacraments.
Read the article to find the answers
- What did John Wycliffe accuse Rome of?
- Who was he chaplain to?
- Did the Pope in Rome have the authority to demand money from the King of England?
- What did the Roman Catholic Church want to do to Wycliffe?
Wycliffe's Bible
In the 14th century, the Bible was only available in Latin, the language of the Church at that time. John Wycliffe, an English theologian and professor at Oxford University, believed that the Bible should be accessible to all people, not just the clergy. He was the first person to translate the Bible into Middle English, making it more accessible to the common people.
Wycliffe's efforts laid the groundwork for later translations of the Bible into English, such as the work of William Tyndale and the King James Version. His views on the beliefs and practices of the Church also influenced the Protestant Reformation, earning him the title 'Morning Star of the Reformation'.