John Wycliffe Quote

The laity ought to understand the faith, and since the doctrines of our faith are in the Scriptures, believers should have the Scriptures in a language familiar to the people, and to this end the Holy Ghost endued them with knowledge of all tongues.

John Wycliffe

The laity ought to understand the faith, and since the doctrines of our faith are in the Scriptures, believers should have the Scriptures in a language familiar to the people, and to this end the Holy Ghost endued them with knowledge of all tongues.

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About John Wycliffe

John Wycliffe (; also spelled Wyclif, Wickliffe, and other variants; c. 1328 – 31 December 1384) was an English scholastic philosopher, Christian reformer, priest, and a theology professor at the University of Oxford. Wycliffe is traditionally believed to have advocated or made a vernacular translation of the Vulgate Bible (into Middle English), though more recent scholarship has minimalized the extent of his advocacy or involvement for lack of direct contemporary evidence.: 7–8 
He became an influential dissident within the Catholic priesthood during the 14th century and is often considered an important predecessor to Protestantism. His theory of dominion meant that men in mortal sin were not entitled to exercise authority in the church or state, nor to own property. Wycliffe insisted on the radical poverty of all clergy.
Wycliffe has been characterised as the "evening star" of scholasticism and as the morning star or stella matutina of the English Reformation.
Certain of Wycliffe's later followers, derogatorily called Lollards by their orthodox contemporaries in the 15th and 16th centuries, adopted a number of the beliefs attributed to Wycliffe such as theological virtues, predestination, iconoclasm, and the notion of caesaropapism, with some questioning the veneration of saints, the sacraments, requiem masses, transubstantiation, monasticism, and the legitimacy or role of the Papacy. Wycliffe's writings in Latin greatly influenced the philosophy and teaching of the Czech reformer Jan Hus (c. 1369–1415).