The Diary of John Wycliffe

April 30th, 1384

Dear Diary,

I completed my translation of the Bible last night, dotting the final i’s and crossing the final t’s, from the Vulgate to my native English.[i] My following has grown tremendously over the last decade, and so many Englishmen now understand the failings of the Catholic church.[ii] The church is far too luxurious and the corrupt clergy only seek to enrich themselves instead of committing to the tenants of Christ. The church should simply give up its earthly possessions and return to faith.[iii]

I believe fully, after my extensive and rigorous translation of the bible, that there is no scriptural support for the papacy and the monastic orders. My followers believe likewise. I’ve seen the schism in the church, and I am firmly of the opinion that the papacy itself is far too powerful, and the church should be beneath the authority of the monarchy.[iv] All this contention over the true pope is scripturally irrelevant. Some of my followers have begun to espouse the view that the papacy simply should not exist, and my scriptural understanding certainly doesn’t oppose this reading.

-J.

Wycliffe was one of the forerunners of the protestant reformation and the leader of a heretical group known as the Lollards. Among Wycliffe’s most notable positions were iconoclasm (belief in the destruction of devotional images), attacking the veneration of saints, rejecting Catholic rituals like the eucharist, and questioning the existence and power of the papacy.[v] Though England supported the pope in Rome, members of this committee might find Wycliffe’s arguments resonate with their own beliefs or influence the beliefs of their political opponents.

Wycliffe completed and promoted the first translation of the bible into English and inspired many of the pre-protestant movements, including the Hussites (a sect that followed the teachings of Czech theologian Jan Hus to decry indulgences[vi]), the Waldensians (a French sect that preached a doctrine of poverty[vii]), and the Friends of God (a German sect that criticized the corruption of Catholicism[viii]).[ix]

Sophia Weng

Assistant Director

[i] “John Wycliffe.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed January 26, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Wycliffe.

[ii] “Lollardy.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, December 20, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lollardy#:~:text=In%20the%20Diocese%20of%20London,and%205%20burnings%20of%20Lollards.

[iii] “John Wycliffe.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 22, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wycliffe.

[iv] “Caesaropapism.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, December 24, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesaropapism.

[v] “John Wycliffe.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed January 26, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Wycliffe.

[vi] “Jan Hus.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 25, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Hus.

[vii] “Waldensians.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 15, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldensians.

[viii] “Friends of God.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, December 28, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends_of_God#Beliefs.

[ix] “John Wycliffe.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 22, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wycliffe.

Best,

Sophia Weng

Assistant Director

Sources

[1] “John Wycliffe.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed January 26, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Wycliffe.

[1] “Lollardy.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, December 20, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lollardy#:~:text=In%20the%20Diocese%20of%20London,and%205%20burnings%20of%20Lollards.

[1] “John Wycliffe.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 22, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wycliffe.

[1] “Caesaropapism.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, December 24, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesaropapism.

[1] “John Wycliffe.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed January 26, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Wycliffe.

[1] “Jan Hus.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, January 25, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Hus.