One of the most influential people of his time, John Wycliffe, was born into a large family of Saxon origin that spread out over the areas, now known as, Wycliffe-on-Tees. He was born in Ipreswell, Yorkshire, England, around 1324; he died on December 31, 1384, in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, England. As a child, his education was close to home; eventually he attended Oxford and became an English scholastic philosopher, theologian, lay preacher, translator, reformer, and professor at Oxford University. Known for being opinionated, Wycliffe had many doctrines and theologies which were shaped around the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Bradwardine’s book, “On a Cause of God against the Pelagians”. He was born in an era where religion went hand-in-hand with most aspects of life, so we can only assume that he was born into a Christian family. Wycliffe was willing to die for what he believed in, and although he was not excommunicated, after his death he was declared a heretic by the Council of Constance, and his body was exhumed from consecrated ground, burned into ashes, and cast into River Swift, by orders of Pope Martin V, in 1428.
Some people now refer to John Wycliffe as the “Morning star of the Reformation”. This is due to the fact that John Hus, who was influenced by Wycliffe’s teachings, greatly impacted Martin Luther, who was the cause of the Reformation centuries later. Unfortunately, John Hus was burned at the stake, along with many of Wycliffe’s other followers known as “Lollards”, after being declared a heretic. The name “Lollards” was given to followers of Wycliffe as an offensive nickname by Pope Gregory XI; eventually, the Lollards became quite fond of their nickname.
Wycliffe studied at Oxford around 1345, where he too...
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...l. Wycliffe was right in another one of his teachings, the Church can survive without a visual Pope, many Christians do not seek advice from the Pope, instead they ask advice from God, who, as Wycliffe said, is our Spiritual and true Pope. Without Wycliffe’s teachings and his conscientious effort into translating the Bible, many Christians would still have to rely on the message of the Pope, which as we now know, is not always a good thing. Today, the Wyclif Foundation, which is named in John Wycliffe’s honour, is a foundation committed to translating the Bible into languages spoken everywhere in the world. He has given us the freedom to know God personally, and shaped the beliefs of many reformers after him, Martin Luther included. Just as his ashes continue to spread throughout the waters, his teachings and ideas continue to spread all throughout the world today.
With the hindsight of the 1960s, it is easy for us to view how influencers of the era have reformed and revitalised the Christian tradition to a great extent. Because of this hindsight of the 1960s, an era in which the zeitgeist was full of intellectuals, poets, musicians and authors, we can see the traditions of Christianity were considered to be backward to a world that was changing in terms of beliefs and ethics as society embraced these social reforms. The statement then clearly reflects Pope John XXIII and his impacts on Catholicism. Pope John XXIII recognized these changes and through his leadership, the impacts he had on Christianity had a substantially large influence over the Catholic Church as he ultimately altered the Christian tradition by creating the Vatican II. By doing so, he adjusted traditional Church Scriptures (ressourcement), involved himself with promoting ecumenicalism and also interfaith-dialogue as well as becoming engaged in the modern world (aggiornamento), therefore meeting the needs of the evolving society by revitalising the old traditions.
MACCULLOCH, D. Tudor Church Militant: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation. London, Penguin Books, 2001.
Archbishop William Laud had a significant impact on the history of Great Britain during King Charles I’s reign. Archbishop Laud had his own agenda while serving the king. Many thought Laud’s plan was where he went very wrong. One aspect of Archbishop Laud’s plan was to better establish the church and clergy of England, Laud’s downfall was his desire to promote churchmen. Laud wanted to see churchmen back in political power. To many people during this time, the promotion of churchmen seemed to contradict the triumph the Protestant community had over the clergy. This control is what the English Reformation was...
John Wycliffe was known for the first Bible translating from Latin into the English language. The Catholic Church condemned him for the translating of what we know as the King James version of the bible. The bible was translated again in later years by others.
The first Christians who challenged the doctrines of the Catholic Church had already pleaded their cases long before Martin Luther, the acclaimed founding father of Protestantism, ultimately broke away from the Catholic Church. Prior to the Reformation and official formation of Protestantism, many philosophers, theologians, and logicians who led the inquiry for greater knowledge and education, spoke out against the doctrines of the Catholic Church. Peter Abelard, John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, and Peter Waldo were all great masterminds of the Middle Ages who contributed to the fall of the domineering Catholic Church and the rise of Protestantism. Although they were deemed as heretics, they set precedents for future reformers and gave cultural importance to their new beliefs and ideas.
... urges and argues for the need for re-evolution of Laud career and achievements. According to Kevin Sharpe, “Laud is too often depicted from the standpoint and propaganda of enemies. His own letters and speeches, even more his sermons and treatises, remain inexplicably neglected” (1983). He goes on by arguing that at his trial he denied that he was an Arminian, one can argue that Laud was a pro-Arminian. Sharpe argues that Laud truly believed in the Church of England, and he was seeking peace and unity in the church. Sharpe points out, “Laud had much in common with them (Puritans). Like the puritans he sought an upright and well-educated clergy; like them he was virulent against popery, hard against clerical failings and intolerant lay profligacy” (1983). Sharpe concludes his essay by arguing that Laud’s name was blacken because he tried to reverse the Reformation.
At Oxford Wycliffe was known for being an English theologian, philosopher, church reformer, and promoter of the first complete translation of the Bible into English (Wycliffe). He was not able to get his doctorate of theologian until 1372 because of periodic eruptions of the Black Death (Wycliffe). He because the most recognized theologian in all of Europe. Oxford was later blamed for Wycliffe’s actions (History). In 1374 he finally received the Crown of rectory of Lutherworth, with which his name is forever connected. There he lived continuously after his expulsion from Oxford in 1382, there he wrote his later works and collected his friends and missionaries (Trevelyan, 170). Throughout his lifetime, five papal edicts were issued for his arrest. Since England was distancing itself fr...
All of Europe used to be united under one religion, Catholicism. Europe started inching away from Catholicism during the 13th - 15th centuries. The church leaders started to only think about money and the power they held, instead of the real reason they were supposed to be there, God. This caused an uprising of people who no longer wanted to be a part of the Catholic church, nicknamed Protestants because they protested the ways of the catholic church. The Protestant Reformation was caused by corruption in the church, Martin Luther and John Calvin’s ideas, and the clergy and their preachings.
Martin Luther and John Calvin as Religious Leaders of the Reformation Martin Luther became an Augustinian Monk in 1505. He spent two years studying Scripture before being ordained as a priest. In 1510, Luther was sent to Rome and was shocked by the spiritual laxity. After finishing his theological doctorate, he became a professor at Wittenberg, in 1515, Luther became the district vicar.
with his 95 Theses. A strict father who most likely did not accept “no” as an
During the reign of King Richard II "England was experiencing her first serious outbreak of heresy for nearly a millennium." This widespread heresy, known as Lollardy, held the reformation of the Catholic Church as its main motivation, and was based upon the ideas of John Wyclif, an Oxford scholar. "All kinds of men, not only in London but in widely-separated regions of the country, seized the opportunity to voice criticisms both constructive and destructive of the present state of the Church." While commoners protested and pressed for reform, going so far as to present their manifesto, the "Twelve Conclusions," to Parliament, members of the royal household were protecting John Wyclif and his ideas, John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, and Joan of Kent, the widowed Princess of Wales, "by whose influence he was protected from ultimate disgrace (such as excommunication)," were Wyclif's supporters and protectors.
Wycliffe's influence was never greater than at the moment when pope and antipope sent their ambassadors to England in order to gain recognition for themselves. This “Great Schism ” in the church in 1378 provided a judicious turning point for Wycliffe. Wycliffe preached acceptably in London in support of moderate disendowment, but the alliance with Gaunt led to the displeasure of his ecclesiastical superiors, and he was asked to appear before them in February 1377. He wrote his 33 conclusions, in Latin and English. He had stat that dominion was founded in fortune. Wycliffe was asked to give the king's council his opinion on whether it was legal to withhold traditional payments to Rome, and he responded that it was. Wycliffe was also an plead for translation of the Bible into the slang. It is said that on this occasion Wycliffe minister to as theological counsel to the government, composed a critical tract dealing with the tribute, and defended an unnamed monk over against the conduct of the government and
The Reformation was a decisive period in the history not only for the Catholic Church, but also for the entire world. The causes of this tumultuous point in history did not burst on the scene all at once, but slowly gained momentum like a boil that slowly festers through time before it finally bursts open. The Reformation of the Church was inevitable because of the abuses which the Church was suffering during this period. At the time of the Reformation, a segment of the Church had drifted away from its mission to bring Christ and salvation to the world. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Church had gradually become weaker because of abusive leadership, philosophical heresy, and a renewal of a form of the Pelagian heresy.
The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century is one of the most complex movements in European history since the fall of the Roman Empire. The Reformation truly ends the Middle Ages and begins a new era in the history of Western Civilization. The Reformation ended the religious unity of Europe and ushered in 150 years of religious warfare. By the time the conflicts had ended, the political and social geography in the west had fundamentally changed. The Reformation would have been revolutionary enough of itself, but it coincided in time with the opening of the Western Hemisphere to the Europeans and the development of firearms as effective field weapons. It coincided, too, with the spread of Renaissance ideals from Italy and the first stirrings of the Scientific Revolution. Taken together, these developments transformed Europe.
Though there was no driving force like Luther, Zwingli or Calvin during the English Reformation, it succeeded because certain people strived for political power and not exactly for religious freedom. People like Queen Elizabeth I and Henry VIII brought the Reformation in England much success, however their reasons were based on self-gain and desire for political power.