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CHURCH HISTORY OVERVIEW

THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES - 14th CENTURY

John Wyclif (1330-1384) is given the honourable title as the Morning Star of the Reformation. He was an Oxford scholar and by 1370 had become its leading theologian and philosopher. During a time when the Roman Church owned one third of the land in England, and was exempt from English taxation, Wyclif was nominated by King John to negotiate with Papal authorities over a reduction in Papal taxation on English clergy in 1374.

In 1377 the Pope condemned eighteen of Wyclif's published statements about ecclesiastical corruption and immorality. In 1378 Wyclif's life was spared due to a rival Pope arising and claiming the Holy See. He battled with the existing Pope for supremacy and wasn't interested in pursuing anything else. With such a major crisis for the Papacy its authoritative grip over the clergy was seriously weakened. In this climate, the King no longer required the services of Wyclif.

English Bishops loyal to Rome, however, despised Wyclif. During these tumultuous times Wyclif published some radical ideas against the Papal system. His most notable publication was The Truth of Holy Scripture, which he wrote in 1378. This was first time someone had gone beyond criticising the conduct of the Church's leadership, and was now attacking its doctrines.

What Wyclif did was lay the foundation for the Reformation by stating that the Bible had ultimate, unique and sufficient authority for the Christian in this life. This was a direct attack against the authority of the Papacy that claimed "tradition, canon law, councils, and the papacy" had more authority than the Scriptures. Wyclif continued his attack on the papacy when he wrote "The Power of the Papacy" in 1379. In this publication he labels not just bad popes as antichrist, but the actual papacy itself. He also went on to condemn the doctrine of Transubstantiation, which was first promulgated in the twelfth century.

Wyclif's leadership influence was initially manifested in a group of men he trained known as Lollards (which was a derogatory nickname meaning "mumblers", given to them by their persecutors). These men where trained to preach from the Scriptures to the people of England. Initially the nobility were among the Lollards, but when the persecution intensified against them it was mainly comprised of the lower classes. The effect of the Lollards was felt for at least another three centuries. And some of the initial Lollards were Bohemian students studying under Wyclif at Oxford. Upon their return to Bohemia (former Czechoslovakia) they spread the ideas of Wyclif. This influenced a Czech cleric, John Hus.

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