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Evening Prayer for Tuesday, December 31, 2024 (The First Sunday of Christmas; John Wyclif, Priest and Translator of the Bible into English, 1384).Psalm and Scripture readings (60-day Psalter):Psalms 149-150Song of Songs 8Luke 24:13-53Click here to access the text for the Daily Office at DailyOffice2019.com.Click here to support The Daily Office Podcast with a one-time gift or a recurring donation.
Morning Prayer for Tuesday, December 31, 2024 (The First Sunday of Christmas; John Wyclif, Priest and Translator of the Bible into English, 1384).Psalm and Scripture readings (60-day Psalter):Psalm 148Wisdom 11Revelation 22:6-21Click here to access the text for the Daily Office at DailyOffice2019.com.Click here to support The Daily Office Podcast with a one-time gift or a recurring donation.
Evening Prayer for Sunday, December 31, 2023 (The First Sunday of Christmas; Eve of the Circumcision and Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ; John Wyclif, Priest and Translator of the Bible into English, 1384). Psalm and Scripture readings (60-day Psalter): Psalms 149-150 Song of Songs 8 Luke 24:13-53 Click here to access the text for Morning Prayer at DailyOffice2019.com. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dailyofficepodcast/support
Morning Prayer for Sunday, December 31, 2023 (The First Sunday of Christmas; John Wyclif, Priest and Translator of the Bible into English, 1384). Psalm and Scripture readings (60-day Psalter): Psalm 148 Wisdom 11 Revelation 22:6-21 Click here to access the text for Morning Prayer at DailyOffice2019.com. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dailyofficepodcast/support
We often hear of medieval men like John Wyclif and Jan Hus as forerunners of the Reformation. That means they had many of the same questions and ideas as those who started and carried out the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. These men saw some serious problems in the church and wanted to fix them, but were they really forerunners, or Reformers in their own rights? And were they the only ones? What happened to them and to their followers? How were the Bible and the Psalter used in those days? Explore these and many other topics with Trinity, Lucas, and Linus as they bring their questions to Dr. Audrey Southgate, lecturer in Medieval English at Lincoln College, Oxford, and teacher at Emmanuel Christian School. Show Notes: Book recommended by Audrey Southgate: Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History
A lo largo de la Edad Media podremos ver como surgirán diferentes movimientos heréticos por el continente europeo, pero en el siglo XII uno de ellos supondrá un auténtico dolor de cabeza para la Santa Sede: el catarismo o Iglesia de los Buenos Cristianos. Los cátaros fueron un movimiento religioso dentro del cristianismo que tenía unas creencias que los separaron de la Iglesia de Roma. Aunque los podremos encontrar por casi todo el continente arraigarán con mayor fuerza en el mediodía francés y el norte de Italia. Cuando se convirtieron en una verdadera amenaza para el catolicismo, el pontífice Inocencio III no tuvo más remedio que convocar una cruzada contra ellos. Si quieres saber más sobre otras herejías medievales: Pedro Valdo, John Wyclif y Jan Hus: https://academiaplay.es/antes-lutero-reformadores-medievales/ Sobre las Guerras Husitas: https://go.ivoox.com/rf/89588514 Si te gusta nuestro contenido podéis dejarnos un me gusta y un comentario, así nos ayudáis a seguir creciendo. También nos podéis apoyar a través de la pestaña «Apoyar» con una suscripción mensual. ¡Muchísimas gracias! Síguenos en: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElScriptorium TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elscriptorium?is_from_webapp=1&;sender_device=pc Telegram: https://t.me/ElScriptorium Contacto: scriptoriumpodcast@protonmail.com Bibliografía: - Mitre Fernández, E., Fernández, F.J., de Moxo, F. & Grande, C. (1985). Las herejías medievales. Cuadernos de Historia 16. - Mitre Fernández, E. (coord.) (2013). Historia del Cristianismo II. Mundo Medieval. Trotta. - Alvira Cabrer, M. (2009). “La Cruzada contra los Albigenses: historia, historiografía y memoria”. Clío y Crimen, 6, pp. 110-141. - Alvira Cabrer, M. (2000). “La Cruzada Albigense y la intervención de la Corona de Aragón en Occitania. El recuerdo de las crónicas hispánicas del siglo XIII”. Hispania, 206, pp. 947-976. - Alvira Cabrer, M. (1996). “El venerable Arnaldo Amalarico (h. 1196-1225): idea y realidad de un cisterciense entre dos cruzadas”. Hispania sacra, 48 (98), pp. 569-591. - Smith, D. (2014). “Los orígenes y el significado de la Batalla de Muret”. Revista Chilena de Estudios Medievales, 5, pp. 73-90. - Agustí, D. (2006). Los Cátaros. El desafío de los humildes. Serie Historia. - Gutiérrez Vidal, M. (2015). Herejía y represión en la Occitania del Siglo XIII: Catarismo y Cruzada Albigense. Universidad de Zaragoza. - Brenon, A. (2006). La verdadera historia de los cátaros. Martínez Roca. - Moore, R.I. (2014). The War on Heresy: Faith and Power in Medieval Europe. Profile Books. - Marvin, L. (2021). The occitan war: a Military and Political History of the Albigensian Crusade, 1209-1218. Cambridge Universiry Press. - Léglu, C., Rist, R. & Taylor, C. (2014). The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade: a sourcebook. Routledge. - Shirley, J. (2000). The songo f the Catahar Wars. A History of the Albigensian Crusade. Routledge Música: - “Danza Inglesa Siglo XIII” – Artefactum - “Credo, Rv 591, 3” – Vivaldi (Flavio Lanza) - “Gloria. Hymnus. Antifonario Mozárabe de la Catedral de León. Siglo X” – Eduardo Paniagua - “Requiem” – jbuvat - “We Hymn Thee, We Bless Thee” – Anónimo (Emiliyan Stankov) - “Lo Boier” – Patrick Lenk. - “Kyrie” – Piotr Pawlowski - “The crusader’s return” – Zero Porject - “Their Rules, Our Hearts” – Wolfuneral - “Catulli Carmen CI – Requiem” – Aufklarung - “The Hundred Years War” – Gregoire Lourme - “Bach Choral 8 Solo Choir” – Madi Composer - “Lord, Have Mercy” – Anónimo (Emiliyan Stankov) - “Saltarello I Siglo XIV” - Artefactum Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals
Morning Prayer for Saturday, December 31, 2022 (Saturday after the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Christmas Day; John Wyclif, Priest and Translator of the Bible into English, 1384). Psalm and Scripture readings (2-year lectionary; 60-day Psalter): Psalm 148 Song of Songs 8 Luke 24:13-53 Click here to access the text for Morning Prayer at DailyOffice2019.com. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dailyofficepodcast/support
Part 26 Reformation 3 - England Here We Come! We are now in England in the early 16th century! However Protestantism had commenced earlier in the 14th century with John Wyclif who we looked at back in episode 22. Wyclif was the 'Morning Star of the English Reformation', who had a great desire to ensure that the Bible was made available to everyone in their own language. So a strong evangelical protest started with Wyclif. King Henry VIII In the late 1520s King Henry 8th as head of the Roman Catholic Church in England, broke away from the Church in Rome. He broke away because he wanted a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, which Pope Clement VII refused to accept. Earlier, in the year 1521, Clement had recognised Henry as the 'Defender of the Faith' for his writings against Martin Luther. Pope Clement VII was known for his intolerance of Protestants and his main method of evangelisation was through coercion and force if necessary. In 1531 Henry prevented the English clergy from dealing with Rome under an Act of Parliament labelling this as treason. In 1534 Henry was made the 'Supreme Head of the Church of England' by the parliament. However he remained Roman Catholic in practice and doctrine. In 1532 made Thomas Cranmer the Archbishop of Canterbury – the clerical head of the Church of England. Reformation in England however continued unabated. Thomas Cranmer was a reformer and was helped by many of the Reformers driven from Europe by the Roman Catholic attacks on the Protestants. William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English and this made a significant impact. Edward VI (1547-1553) became the king at the age of 10, and ruled for 6 years. He was well trained by Cranmer. He allowed religious freedom, and he published with the help of Cranmer, the 1st and 2nd Prayer Books. Then there was a change back again! Mary Tudor "Queen Bloody Mary" (1553-1558). Mary was a fanatical Roman Catholic and set out to re-establish the Roman Catholic Church. She put to death many bishops including Cranmer. She marred Charles V son (Spain) to bring all of Christendom under Spanish power. In 1554, she resubmitted England to Papal authority. Queen Elizabeth (1559-1603). As a daughter of Henry VIII second wife, Anne Boleyn, she was not recognised by the Pope. She was not in full agreement with the Reforming Protestants, but maintained Protestant leanings. She influenced preparation of the 39 Articles of Communion, largely prepared by Cranmer, which were less reformed as a result. In 1559, she became 'Governor of the Church of England'. She defeated the Spanish Armada, with the help of Sir Francis Drake, who were attacking in order to bring England back under Spanish and Roman Catholic control. This strengthened the Protestant cause in England. The main issue in the 14th to 16th centuries, as we have seen was 'None but Christ saves'. That is, that the Gospel is good news for all of humanity. Nobody can earn their salvation, but rather salvation is a free gift from God for all those who choose to receive it. This is a far cry from the excesses of Church dogma to date and closer to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the early church. Tap or Click here to download/save this as an audio mp3 file
Morning Prayer for Friday, December 31, 2021 (Friday after the First Sunday of Christmas; John Wyclif, Priest and Translator of the Bible into English, 1384). Psalm and Scripture readings: Psalm 148 Wisdom 11 Revelation 22:6-21 Click here to access the text for Morning Prayer at DailyOffice2019.com. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dailyofficepodcast/support
Psalms 149 & 150; Song of Songs 8; Luke 24:13-53 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/christanglican-hotsprings/support
Psalm 148; Revelation 22:6-21; Benedictus es, Domine --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/christanglican-hotsprings/support
Día 337 | Diciembre 3 “Y en su caída serán ayudados de pequeño socorro; y muchos se juntarán a ellos con lisonjas.” Daniel 11: 34 Durante la edad media el número de mártires por la fe fue inmenso, pero también hubo muchos que fueron ayudados de “pequeño socorro” entre ellos encontramos a John Wyclif de Inglaterra del siglo XIV, Juan Huss y Jerónimo de Praga en el siglo XV. En el siglo XVI vemos el tremendo sacudón que se produjo en la vida política, económica, social y religiosa de Europa, que en su fase espiritual hizo posible la Reforma La palabra Mártir significa en griego “testigo” y la definición de un mártir es una persona que sufre persecución y muerte por defender una causa, generalmente religiosa. Su muerte se convierte en un testimonio de su convicción. Durante la edad media, millones de seguidores de Jesus fueron martirizados por su fe, pero ninguno de los murió sin antes sentir lo que dice Colosenses 3: 3 “Porque habéis muerto, y vuestra vida está escondida con Cristo en Dios.” Es maravilloso cuando entendemos los fragil de la vida en esta tierra y la seguridad de la vida eterna. Esto se entiende cuando vamos a la cruz del calvario y allí vemos la realidad como es. Cuando sabemos que nuestra vida está realmente protegida cuando está escondida en Jesús. Es decir que la valentía que los mártires demostraron era porque tenían la garantía que de su vidas no terminaban en la muerte física, sino que el mismo que había vencido la muerte al resucitar, también los resucitaria en el día final. Esconde tu vida escondida en Cristo y prepárate para ser un testigo de su amor al mundo. Soy Oscar Oviedo y este es el Devocional “Daniel en 365 días” Producido por el Ministerio One4Seven #Matutina #DevocionalMatutino #Daniel365 #One4Seven
Follow us on Twitter @UlmtdOpinions! In this episode, Mark and Adam tackle the massive second half of Medieval Philosophy. They look at the many schoolmen of Paris and Oxford, from Robert Grosseteste and St. Thomas Aquinas to William Ockham and John Wyclif. They also discuss their opinions on Catholic school teaching and their disapproval of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church as it stands today.
Psalm 148; Revelation 22:6-21; Magna et Mirabilia --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/christanglican-hotsprings/support
Anglicanismo, teologia eucarística, Reforma Protestante, sacerdócio universal de todos os crentes, história da igreja, autoridade das Escrituras, tradição cristã, razão, entre outros, são temas abordados nesse esposório especial que reflete sobre a biografia de John Wyclif, um anglicano que viveu quase dois séculos antes da Reforma Protestante. Bora conferir e compartilhar com a galera! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ancorabh/message
Psalms 149 & 150; Song of Songs 8; Luke 24:13-43 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/christanglican-hotsprings/support
The lecture given on February 24, 2020, at Guardian Angels Parish in KCMO, on the medieval theologian John Wyclif and his followers. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/controversies-in-church-history/support
Join us in learning about two influential medieval heretics, John Wyclif from England and John Huss from Bohemia. Both these men not only criticized (justifiably) certain abuses of the Church hierarchy, but also denied the validity of the hierarchy and the authority of the Church.
Teaching Outline: The Great Schism (1054) Filioque Authority Humbert vs. Michael The Crusades (1096-1291) Urban II Avignon Papacy (1309-1377) Unam Sanctum Papal Schism (1378-1417) Joan of Arc and The 100 Years War (1337-1453) Scholasticism (1100-1517) Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Monasticism - Benedictines (Formed 529) Franciscans (Formed 1209) Dominicans (Formed 1216) John Wyclif (1329-1384) John Hus (1369-1415) Saint Athanasius Church: https://www.saintathanasiusfc.com/ Further and Referenced Resources: Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley Church History Lectures by Ryan Reeves on YouTube The Davenant Institute The Calvinist International Minor Correction: Cathari thinking resurfaced in the 19th century
Dr. Rory Cox talks to Glenn about war and peace in the philosophical and theological works of the late medieval priest and professor John Wyclif. Support the show and help us reach our goal of producing episodes year-round by becoming a patron on Patreon. Join the conversation on the Claytemple Forum.
John Wyclif refutes nominalism and inspires the Lollard movement, which anticipated Reformation thought with its critique of the church.
Founders Day 2015 - Wyclif presentation by Dr. Sean Otto When the founders of Wycliffe College were deciding on that name, they no doubt thought of John Wyclif as a shining example of evangelicalism in an otherwise dark age in which the gospel lay hidden from the eyes of the laity. But was this the case? Who was this man after whom they renamed the Protestant Episcopal Divinity School? What did he stand for? Was he truly evangelical? The short answer is that it is anachronistic to speak of Wyclif as an evangelical in the 19th, 20th, or 21st – century understanding of the word. This lecture explores a much longer answer, one which explores various aspects of Wyclif’s theology, removing (to borrow a phrase from K.B. MacFarlane) “several layers of rich brown Protestant varnish” to unearth something of the man and his times, but leaves it to the listener to decide whether or not we can call Wyclif evangelical.
Six hundred years ago Anti-Pope John XXIII called the Council of Constance. It was an ecumenical council recognized by the Roman Catholic Church and began in November 1414. The main purpose of the Council was to end the Western Schism. In 1414 three Popes ruled the Catholic Church, Anti-Popes John XXIII and Benedict XIII and Pope Gregory XII. There were two other issues the Council addressed as well. The heretics John Wyclif and Jan Hus and the Lithuania-Teutonic Knight conflict. The Council of Constance lasted three and a half years and completed two of its objectives, while only partially addressing the third. At the end of the Council a new Pope would stand at the Head of the Catholic Church and the heretics were repressed and burned! The Lithuania-Teutonic Knight conflict would take a little longer to settle. Join us today as we look at the Western Schism and the lead up to the Council of Constance. We'll also look at the Council's actions regarding the heretics and the Teutonic Knights. Please send any comments or suggestions to podcast@medievalarchives.com If you are enjoying the podcast please considering leaving a rating on iTunes. Rate the Medieval Archives Podcast now! Listen to the episode now In this episode we discuss: Western Schism Heretics and Jan Hus Poland-Lithuania-Tuetonic Knight dispute And more... Get your free audio book from Audible.com at: http://www.medievalarchives.com/AudioBook Download the MP3 and listen to it on your favorite MP3 player. Subscribe to the feed so you do not miss a single episode. iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Download MP3 | RSS Feed The music was provided by Tim Rayburn. It is available at Magnatune.com
After Richard had broken the revolt in London at Smithfield it was time to tackle the chaos outside London. The Counter Revolution took something between 1,500-7,000 judicial executions, and did nothing to solve the breaches in a divided society. Also this week, a look at the state of the nation of the medieval English church, as we approach the story of John Wyclif and the Lollards.
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss John Wyclif and the Lollards.John Wyclif was a medieval philosopher and theologian who in the fourteenth century instigated the first complete English translation of the Bible. One of the most important thinkers of the Middle Ages, he also led a movement of opposition to the Roman Church and its institutions which has come to be seen as a precursor to the Reformation. Wyclif disputed some of the key teachings of the Church, including the doctrine of transubstantiation. His followers, the Lollards, were later seen as dangerous heretics, and in the fifteenth century many of them were burnt at the stake. Today Lollardy is seen as the first significant movement of dissent against the Church in England.With:Sir Anthony KennyPhilosopher and former Master of Balliol College, OxfordAnne HudsonEmeritus Professor of Medieval English at the University of OxfordRob LuttonLecturer in Medieval History at the University of NottinghamProducer: Thomas Morris.
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss John Wyclif and the Lollards.John Wyclif was a medieval philosopher and theologian who in the fourteenth century instigated the first complete English translation of the Bible. One of the most important thinkers of the Middle Ages, he also led a movement of opposition to the Roman Church and its institutions which has come to be seen as a precursor to the Reformation. Wyclif disputed some of the key teachings of the Church, including the doctrine of transubstantiation. His followers, the Lollards, were later seen as dangerous heretics, and in the fifteenth century many of them were burnt at the stake. Today Lollardy is seen as the first significant movement of dissent against the Church in England.With:Sir Anthony KennyPhilosopher and former Master of Balliol College, OxfordAnne HudsonEmeritus Professor of Medieval English at the University of OxfordRob LuttonLecturer in Medieval History at the University of NottinghamProducer: Thomas Morris.
The title of this episode of Communio Santorum is A Glimmer of Reform.I assume most listening to this are students of history, or—why would you be listening? Some like history in general. Others find a fascination with certain eras or moments of the past. Whatever your interest, every student recognizes that as time passes, things change. Sometimes that change is merely incidental to the thing changed, a cosmetic difference that does little to the substance. Other change is deep, fundamentally altering the thing changed; and in some cases, doing away with it altogether.Institutions and beliefs held for long periods can be swept away in a matter of days, while others abide for centuries without being touched.Jesus challenged the Guardians of Tradition of His day with the Parable of the Wine-skins. The point of the parable is that while truth doesn't change, the container it's put in and dispensed from will change, it MUST change. The rabbinic and Pharisaical Judaism of Jesus' day had become an inflexible complex of traditions that obscured the Spirit behind the Law. The Rabbis and Pharisees played an important role after the Babylonian Captivity in moving the Jews away from their age old tendency to idolatry. But their exaltation of tradition had become so rigid it ended up missing what the Law of Moses was intended to promote. Jesus came to cut through the thick vines of tradition and make a path back to God.Sadly, some seem to think the parable of the wineskins only referred to 1st C Judaism. They don't realize what Jesus said is an abiding truth with application to every age; including the Church. Historically, God births a fresh move of the Spirit and people are mobilized to maximize the effect of that movement. Spiritual inspiration builds a structure, a vehicle for the movement to take place in and through. But as time passes, man makes policies and procedures regulate the movement. They're needed so people can work together. Leaders want to ensure future members of the movement know where they came from and why. The problem is, those policies and procedures often become a limit, a line, a defining mark that says, “This is us, and beyond that line is NOT us. This is who we are; we are not that. This is what we do, we do NOT do that.”Traditions. à Which can be good and necessary for passing on values and identity; but can get in the way of hearing what else God might say.All of this is crucial to the next phase of Churchy History we're looking at. So bear with me as I use an illustration I hope makes all this clear.Let's say as a young Christian, I'm addicted to TV. I watch TV hours a day. What I watch isn't the issue – just that I spend way too much time on it. At church one day, while in worship, I'm convicted about the TV, so I decide to only watch an hour each night, and spend the rest of the time reading, visiting other Christians and volunteering at the local mission.I experience such amazing spiritual growth, I decided to forego TV altogether. After a couple months of astounding deepening, I get angry at all the time I wasted and come to loath TV. So I take it out to the dumpster and toss it. I now abhor TV and when invited over to a friend's house on the weekend, when he turns on the TV, I excuse myself and go home. As I drive home I grumble about how immature he is for watching TV. After that I use every opportunity I have to “encourage” others to turn off their TV's and spend that time in more profitable and God-honoring ways. Several of my friends see major spiritual progress and become equally energetic in their anti-TV crusade as I. We form a group that makes watching TV a test as to whether or not someone is a real follower of Jesus. Then something interesting happens. The loss of visual entertainment moves a couple in the group to suggest we start performing dramas that enact Biblical stories and faith lessons. An acting group forms that stages weekly plays. And three years later what's developed is a whole movement of TV bashers who've made mini-plays a part of their traditional church services.When someone in the group suggests they film one of their plays and put it on TV, he's kicked out of the church.The spiritual condition of the leadership of the Western European church had sunk abysmally in the 14th C. The papacy and its supporting mechanism had become little more than a political battlefield. When the papacy was split between three contenders, all claiming to be Peter's legitimate successor, it was a evidence things had gotten completely out of hand.It was time for reform; for a new wineskin to contain and dispense God's Grace and Truth.I want to be clear. While the upper echelons of Roman Catholic hierarchy had become hideously corrupt, thousands of local priests and monks continued to serve God faithfully. Don't forget that the original Reformers were members of the Roman church.The Babylonian Captivity at Avignon and the Great Schism of the Papacy that followed it revealed a grotesque abuse of power. The failure of the counciliar movement made it clear no real reform would come from within the Church. People believed the Pope was essential, not just for providing leadership of the spiritual realm, but as a means of sanctioning political rule as well. By the end of the 14th C, Europeans recognized that the Popes were often grossly self-interested, power-hungry despots. But they couldn't shake the assumption the Pope was the cornerstone of Christendom.It was two brave souls, an Englishman named John Wyclif, and a Czech named Jan Hus, who got the dialog rolling on what the Church is and ought to look like. Of course, they weren't the first to broach this important topic. Augustine had done back in the 4th C. His ideas shaped the Roman church's doctrine and polity. It was time to hold them up to the light of Scripture and see if they'd been properly interpreted and implemented.In a word, John Wyclif was a zealot. And, as is typical of zealots, there was no gray with him; it was all black or white. He was a polarizer. People either supported or opposed him. He left no room for no-opinion.There's considerable confusion about the real Wyclif because we know little about him. He had a habit of hiding himself under many pages of scholarly discourse. So we know what he believed but not much about him personally.His early life is hazy; we don't even know when he was born. He was brought up in North England but emerges from the fog when he became a student at Oxford. He attained a doctorate in 1372 and rose quickly as a leading professor there.The hot topic at that time was the nature of authority, specifically as it related to governance. Everyone knew authority comes from God, but the question was HOW it was conferred to men so they could rule.The majority-view said all authority was only just when it was bestowed by the Roman hierarchy. God entrusted the Pope with ‘catholic', that is universal dominion over all things and persons. So, any authority used by civil rulers not under the auspices of the Pope was unlawful and invalid.The minority-view said authority inhered in civil rulers as a work of God's general grace and was not officially bestowed by the Church. As long as a ruler remained within the scope of God's grace, his rule was legitimate. This group went further and said if such grace was the basis of rule by civil authorities, how much more was it necessary for spiritual leaders?Wyclif was in the minority and dove into the debate with an important addition. He said the English government had a divinely assigned responsibility to correct abuses in the church and remove from office those clergy who'd proven by immoral or unethical behavior to be abusers of God's grace. Wyclif went further, saying the State could even seize the property of corrupt church officials.Uhh – you can see where this is going for JohnW, can't you?In 1377, the Pope condemned Wyclif's teaching. But of course he didn't back down. It led to the kind of brouhaha that saw the Church condemn, not just Wyclif's teachings, but Wyclif himself. But powerful friends in England made sure no action was taken beyond threats.Wyclif's teaching on authority was one of the early doctrinal wedges that would eventually lead to the Reformation. It posited the idea of spiritual freedom for all followers of Christ because of God's grace, bestowed by Himself, in Himself, and through Himself, à not via the Church. Everyone, whether priest or layman is equal before God. Salvation doesn't bring someone into the Church so they can get to God, so much as it brings people to God, and so includes them in the Church. It's crucial we understand how radical Wyclif's ideas were, how revolutionary. What he proposed was a personal relationship between God and man; something modern Evangelicals take as a given.Because of this, it was God in the heart and mind of a person that qualified them to hold office in the Church. Character and Calling were everything. Based on what he found in the Bible, Wyclif said priests did NOT mediate salvation by conducting masses. How could they, He asked, if as it says in Hebrews, Jesus died once for sins? How could they, if Jesus is the ONE mediator between God and man? Wyclif's thoughts foreshadowed Martin Luther's doctrine of justification by faith alone. Both men dismantled the medieval barriers between God and man.Wyclif's doctrine of “authority bestowed by grace” was just the first of his theological hammer-blows delivered toward Roman doctrine. The decisive year of his reforming career was 1378, the same as the Great Papal Schism. Seeing the travesty of one pope excommunicating another, Wyclif ramped up his calls for reform.He spent a lot of time critiquing the Pope. He said, following the example of Christ and the Apostles, the Pope should be the shepherd of the God's flock and a preacher who brings men to Christ. His view left no room for the temporal power Popes. The papacy as a political force constantly striving for mastery over men by political means was absurd and detestable to Wyclif. He abhorred trappings of power and denounced the crass worldliness and luxury of some of Church hierarchy.Wyclif rather welcomed the Great Schism precisely because it made obvious to all the problems in the Papacy of the 14th C. But as the Schism went on and the rhetoric of church officials grew more intense, Wyclif became more determined to call for the dismantling of the Papacy.He listed the many ways Popes had departed from the simple faith and practice of Christ and His disciples. He scoffed at the idea that just because Peter died in Rome every bishop of Rome was above all Christendom. He reasoned, by that logic, Muslims might conclude their “sultan in Jerusalem,” where Christ died, was greater than the pope. No, Wyclif claimed, Christ alone is head of the Church and that headship is communicated through the Spirit of God working through the Word of God.Again, remember that Wyclif WAS PART OF THE ROMAN CHURCH at this point. This was an internal discussion, where there were many priests and bishops who found Wyclif's idea thoroughly Biblical. They might not be politically safe, but they were theologically sound.But when Wyclif's call for reform was met with resistance by those who could and should implement it, he took a fateful step. He passed from being an orthodox preacher of reform into a Protester; From Reformer to Protestant.His break with the papacy was part of a new idea he'd formed of the Church.Wyclif's concept of the Church was prescient in its foreshadowing of what John Calvin would later propose. Wyclif said the church was less a visible institution as it was an invisible body of the elect; men and women chosen by God to be saved. Their salvation was a work of God's sovereignty, and not subject to the ministrations of priests.Building on this, Wyclif challenged a whole range of medieval beliefs and practices: pardons, indulgences, absolutions, pilgrimages, the worship of images, the adoration of the saints, the treasury of merit, and the distinction between venial and mortal sins.He retained a belief in purgatory and extreme unction. He said if images increased devotion they need not be removed; and prayers to saints were not necessarily wrong. He considered confession to be useful if it was voluntary. We catch something of the spirit of his revolt when he declared that preaching was “of more value than the administration of any sacrament.”The standard Wyclif used in his evaluation of the practices of the Church was Scripture. He said, “Neither the testimony of Augustine nor Jerome, nor any other saint should be accepted except in so far as it was based upon Scripture.”He maintained the right of everyone to examine the Bible for himself: “The New Testament is of full authority, and open to the understanding of simple men, as to the points that be most needful to salvation.”But in all his protests and call for reform, Wyclif aroused no hostility like that sparked by his attack on the doctrine of transubstantiation¸ which lies at the heart of the Mass.In the Summer of 1380, he published twelve arguments against the idea that the bread and wine of were transformed into the literal, physical body and blood of Christ. He said the early church considered the elements as symbols of Christ's body and blood. So, Christ is present in the elements sacramentally, not materially. The point of the sacrament he said, was the presence of the PERSON Christ in the soul, not the body of Christ in the belly.Wyclif's denial of transubstantiation gave his enemies their opportunity. His support dwindled to just a few at Oxford. A council condemned his doctrines and forbade him lecturing. Then, William Courtenay, Archbishop of Canterbury, convened a council that condemned ten of Wyclif s doctrines, labeling them heretical. By 1382, Wyclif was persona non-grata at Oxford.He turned to the people for support. He called for the Bible to be produced in the language of craftsmen and peasants so they could read and study and see how far the Church had departed from its roots. He led a handful of scholars at Oxford in the translation of the Latin Bible into English and copied the methods of St. Francis and the friars by wandering around, preaching outdoors, anywhere people would listen.Wyclif sent out priests sympathetic to his cause to win the souls of the neglected. Clad in brown robes of undressed wool, without sandals, purse, or scrip, a staff in their hand, dependent for food and shelter on the good will of their neighbors, Wyclif's “poor priests” soon became a power in the land. Their enemies dubbed them Lollards, meaning “mumblers.” They each carried a few pages of Wyclif's English Bible and his tracts and sermons as they went throughout the countryside, preaching. The movement spread and soon, many became lay-preachers.Wyclif gained enough support that the authorities decided to not move against him. But his followers were hunted, expelled from Oxford, and forced to renounce their views. Wyclif, driven from the university, was left to end his days in peace at his parish at Lutterworth. He died there in 1384.