John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe was an Oxford theologian and philosopher who mounted the most sustained intellectual challenge to the medieval Catholic Church from within England, earning him the posthumous title 'Morning Star of the Reformation.' Born around 1328, he became one of Oxford's leading scholars, known for his expertise in philosophy and theology. Wycliffe challenged the temporal wealth and political power of the Church, arguing that dominion was granted by God and could be forfeited by moral failure. More radically, he denied the doctrine of transubstantiation and rejected papal supremacy, insisting that Scripture alone was the supreme authority for Christians. He also commissioned or oversaw the first complete translation of the Bible into English (the Wycliffe Bible, c.1382-1395), believing that ordinary Christians should be able to read Scripture directly. His followers, contemptuously called Lollards, spread his ideas throughout England. Though Wycliffe himself died of natural causes in 1384, the Council of Constance (1415) condemned him as a heretic and ordered his bones exhumed and burned. His ideas directly influenced Jan Hus in Bohemia and, through Hus, the Protestant Reformation a century later.
- Lived: 1328 CE – 1384 CE
- Nationality: english
- Roles: religious_leader, philosopher
