John Wycliffe Research Paper
The Morning Star of Inspiration
John Wycliffe was a 14th-century English philosopher, theologian, and religious reformer, whose egalitarian ideas and beliefs laid the foundation for the Protestant Reformation. As Peter W. Williams notes in the World Book Advanced, Wycliffe was born sometime between 1320 and 1330 A.D. in Yorkshire, England, and was educated at Balliol College, University of Oxford (Williams). According to Alessandro Conti in his entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, John Wycliffe was trained in the “scholasticism of the medieval Roman Catholic Church,” and became disillusioned with ecclesiastical abuses (Conti). He challenged the Church’s spiritual authority and sponsored the translation of the Christian Scriptures into English. Although the church condemned him as a heretic, John Wycliffe, the so-called “Morning Star of the Reformation”, was influential not only during his lifetime in areas from politics to religion, but also after his death when his ideas and teachings inspired the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation (Lambert 43).
Wycliffe was famous for his involvement in ecclesiastical politics throughout his lifetime. He received a doctorate in theology in 1372 and taught philosophy at Oxford, while nominally serving as a priest in a succession of parishes (Williams). As LaTourette states in his book A History of Christianity, Wycliffe gained prominence in 1374 during a prolonged dispute between Edward III, King of England, and the papacy over the payment of a certain papal tribute. Both the King and Parliament were reluctant to pay the papal levies. Wycliffe wrote several pamphlets refuting the Pope's claims and upholding the right of Parliament to limit church power (663-664). Furthermore, LaTourette states that King Edward appointed Wycliffe to a commission that conferred with papal representatives at Bruges, Belgium regarding the differences between the Crown and the papacy in 1375. The conference failed, but Wycliffe won
John Wycliffe was a 14th-century English philosopher, theologian, and religious reformer, whose egalitarian ideas and beliefs laid the foundation for the Protestant Reformation. As Peter W. Williams notes in the World Book Advanced, Wycliffe was born sometime between 1320 and 1330 A.D. in Yorkshire, England, and was educated at Balliol College, University of Oxford (Williams). According to Alessandro Conti in his entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, John Wycliffe was trained in the “scholasticism of the medieval Roman Catholic Church,” and became disillusioned with ecclesiastical abuses (Conti). He challenged the Church’s spiritual authority and sponsored the translation of the Christian Scriptures into English. Although the church condemned him as a heretic, John Wycliffe, the so-called “Morning Star of the Reformation”, was influential not only during his lifetime in areas from politics to religion, but also after his death when his ideas and teachings inspired the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation (Lambert 43).
Wycliffe was famous for his involvement in ecclesiastical politics throughout his lifetime. He received a doctorate in theology in 1372 and taught philosophy at Oxford, while nominally serving as a priest in a succession of parishes (Williams). As LaTourette states in his book A History of Christianity, Wycliffe gained prominence in 1374 during a prolonged dispute between Edward III, King of England, and the papacy over the payment of a certain papal tribute. Both the King and Parliament were reluctant to pay the papal levies. Wycliffe wrote several pamphlets refuting the Pope's claims and upholding the right of Parliament to limit church power (663-664). Furthermore, LaTourette states that King Edward appointed Wycliffe to a commission that conferred with papal representatives at Bruges, Belgium regarding the differences between the Crown and the papacy in 1375. The conference failed, but Wycliffe won
Cited: LaTourette, Kenneth S. A History of Christianity. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1953. Print. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania, 1995. Print. "Religion and Philosophy: Overview." World Eras. Ed. Norman J. Wilson. Vol. 1: European Renaissance and Reformation, 1350-1600 “Smyth, J. Paterson, and J.M. Stone. “Wycliffe Translates the Bible Into English.” A.D. 1382. The Great Events by Famous Historians, Vol 7. Harrogate, TN: The National Alumni, 1926.World Book Advanced Williams, Peter W. “Wycliffe, John.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web. 14 Nov.