John Wycliffe 1324-1384
Age of the Reformation I
The PrePre-Reformation
Errr…
Errr…John
Wyclife
Wyclif,
Wyclif, Wyclyf,
Wyclyf, Wyclyffe
Wiclif,
Wiclif, Wiclef,
Wiclef, Wicliff,
Wicliff,
Wycleff,
Wycleff, Whyteclyve,
Whyteclyve, Wyclyve
+ about 10 more versions
John Wycliffe 1324-1384
John Wycliffe 1324-1384
• Morning Star of the Reformation
• Well educated, spent most of life at Oxford and
was master of Canterbury Hall
• 1366 with the kings blessing he began rebuking
Papal authority
• 1377 Comes before the Tribunal of William
Courtenay and leaves under the protection of
the Duke of Lancaster
• Pope Gregory XI orders Wycliffe to prison, but
dies the year after, and the Papal Schism starts
• 1380 Wycliffe founds the “pore priests”
priests” oxford
graduates who go out preaching many without
ordination
• 1382 Courtenay becomes Archibishop of
Canterbury and holds the Earthquake Synod
• 24 articles of Wycliffe’
Wycliffe’s were condemned
John Wycliffe 1324-1384
John Wycliffe 1324-1384
• Wycliffe loses King Richard II’
II’s favor, is
kicked out of Oxford and all his books are
burned
• Wrote the Trialogus
• Denounced Indulgences as “an abomination of
desolation in the holy place”
place”
• Was summoned to Rome, but refused saying he
submits only to Christ’
Christ’s authority
• Finished his English paraphrase of the bible
based upon the Vulgate
• 1382 suffers a stroke resulting in minor
paralysis
• 1384 has another stroke and dies in church
• 1413 Lateran decrees his books should be
burned
• 1429 Council of Constance orders him
Exhumed and burned, scattering his ashes
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John Wycliffe 1324-1384
John Wycliffe 1324-1384
5 main themes in his teachings
The Nature of the Church
1. The Nature of the Church
2. The Fallacy of the Papacy
3. The Priesthood
4. The Falsity of Transubstantiation
5. The Use of Scripture
• A universal Church comprised of the Elect
• All those who believe in Christ belong,
regardless of their position with the RCC
• The Peoples’
Peoples’ head is Christ
• The concept of church vs. Church
John Wycliffe 1324-1384
John Wycliffe 1324-1384
The Fallacy of the Papacy
The Priesthood
• totum papale officium venenosum
• “The Papal office is wholly poisonous”
poisonous”
• The Rock is Peter and all people
• Mocked the “most holie fadir”
fadir”
Priests Absolution was only meritorious if they
themselves were absolved
• Celibacy is good but sinful if mandatory
• No such thing as utilitarian sin
• AntiAnti-friar
• “Fides est summa theologia”
theologia” – Faith is the
entirety of theology
John Wycliffe 1324-1384
John Wycliffe 1324-1384
Falsity of Transubstantiation
The use of Scripture
• Communion was meant figuratively
• No transubstantiation without
transaccidentiation
• “Super omnia vincit veritas rationis”
rationis”
• The truth of reason will triumph over all
• Council of Toulouse 1229 forbid the bible to
Laymen
• Is the absolute authority
• It has one Literal meaning
• Must be accessable to ALL
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Lollards
• A.K.A. Wycliffites
• Came from the term lolium – tares or lullen –
to sing
• Based in England they were lumped with other
heretics like the Beghards
• Suppressed/Martyred during the Inquisition
• 1st Generation wasn’
wasn’t willing to be martyred,
the later ones were
• Against: forced celibacy, transubstantiation,
pilgrimages, image worship, priestly confession,
indulgences, mitres,
mitres, oil, incense, and war
John Huss 1369-1416
• John Jon Jan Hus Huss
• A.K.A. “The Goose”
Goose”
• Lived in Bohemia, preached in Bethlehem
Chapel in Prag(ue)
Prag(ue)
• Was very wycliffean,
wycliffean, following & “borrowing”
borrowing”
many of his teachings
• Crusade was called against Naples and
Indulgence sellers came to Prag
• Huss publically burned Papal Bulls
John Huss 1369-1416
John Huss 1369-1416
• He was Excommunicated, Interdicted, and
Exiled
• During exile he traveled around Bohemia
protected by various nobles
• Wrote De Ecclesia – mostly copied Wycliffe
• Declared the Pope is not to be obeyed if he is a
sinner
• Oct 11, 1414 Huss is promised safe conduct by
Emperor Sigismund to the Council of Constance
• Huss is falsely charged with escaping and
imprisioned next to the latrines, becoming sick
• He is transferred to the control of Sigismund
and imprisoned along with exex-pope John XXIII
• The council declared the cup forbidden to laity,
Huss disagreed
• Is given a public kangaroo trial and condemned
• His books are forbidden and burned
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John Huss 1369-1416
Hussites
• He is declared Heresiarch and his soul is
condemned to hell by the council
• He declares “and I commit myself to the most
gracious Lord Jesus”
Jesus”
• He was turned over to Sigismund in order that
he be executed
• May 30, 1416 is burned at the stake, all the
while singing loud praise to God
• Followers of Huss split into two main groups
the Taborites and Calixtines
• Popular revolt occurred in Prag after the
burning of Huss
• Council of Constance condemns the followers of
Huss and newly elected Pope Martin V calls a
crusade against Bohemia
• The crusade was repelled and the Hussites
invaded Germany
• Council of Basel made peace in 1431, but the
Taborists were unhappy
Fullness of time for the
Reformation
Hussites
• A 22,000 person slaughter occurred in Prag and
the Taborists were defeated by the catholic
sympathetic Calixtines
• Calixtines existed until 1629 when they were
crushed by Ferdinand
• Unitares Fratres – the Bohemian Bretheren:
Bretheren:
moved to the countryside, rejected catholic
sacraments, oaths, war, military service,
purgatory and unworthy priests
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Renaissance
Rise of Intellectualism
Printing Press
Immoral Papacy
Nationalism
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