Agnosticism / Atheism: What's Hot Now: Biography: Wycliffe, John

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Biography: Wycliffe, John Nov 17th 2011, 10:03 John Wycliffe Back to Last Page >     Glossary Index>  Related Terms • Reformation • Lollards   Name: John Wycliffe Dates: Born: 1328 in the North Riding of Yorkshire Died: December, 1384 (stroke) Condemned as Heretic: 1380 & 1382 Biography: John Wycliffe was an English church reformer whose ideas would eventually play an important role in the Protestant Reformation. That it was Luther and not Wycliffe who actually sparked the Reformation may be attributed to the differing social and political contexts in which they worked. Wycliffe started from the basic premise which would later inspire the Protestants, namely that the Bible was superior to the papacy, to priests, and to any human institution. Wycliffe also argued that everything was literally "owned" by God - not simply all material objects, but also all offices and positions. Thus, when someone failed to use their office properly, they no longer deserved to retain it. This, then, was the position that most of the church was in and Wycliffe believed that most of those who held church offices needed to be replaced with more spiritual and less corrupt people. Another doctrine of Wycliffe's which would later be taken up by Protestants was that of transubstantiation. Like other reformers, Wycliffe believed that Christ's presence in the Eucharist was spiritual rather than physical - thus, the Eucharist is more symbolic than literal. The Church condemned Wycliffe as a heretic in 1380 and again in 1382. The Bible he created, the first literal translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible into English, was more a work of his followers than him but tradition still tends to attribute it to Wycliffe. It, of course, was also condemned by the Church and burned whenever it was found. Wycliffe dreamed of a national, English church which was run by the English kind and which addressed the needs of the English people, something which would not actually occur until the 16th century. Wycliffe's followers eventually became known as Lollards. Also Known As: none Alternate Spellings: Wyclif, Wycliff, Wiclif, Wicliffe Common Misspellings: none Related Resources: What is Christianity? What are the various Christian groups, denominations, sects and heresies? What are some key concepts in Christian theology? What are some of the most important events in Christian history? All of this and more are covered in the Christianity FAQ. What is the Philosophy of Religion? Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself, rather than the truth of any particular religion. What is Theism? What is the difference between monotheism and monolatry? Between pantheism and panentheism? How about between animism and shamanism? Or theism and deism? What the heck is henotheism? What is Religion? A system of human beliefs, ideals and practices which is harder to define than it may at first appear. Read more about how dictionaries, scholars and others have tried to define and explain religion. Back to Last Page >     Glossary Index>

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