John Wycliffe (c. 1320–1384) - Icon Profile | Alexandria
John Wycliffe (c. 1320–1384) was an English theologian, philosopher, and early reformer whose challenges to Church doctrine and hierarchy laid groundwork for later Protestant movements. Born in Yorkshire and educated at Oxford, Wycliffe became a master at Balliol College and one of the leading scholars of his time.
Wycliffe initially rose as a scholastic philosopher, writing on metaphysics and logic, but gradually turned his focus to ecclesiastical abuses and theology. By the 1370s, he was sharply criticizing the wealth and political power of the Church, arguing that Scripture—not the Pope—should be the ultimate authority in Christian life.
His most radical contribution came through sponsoring the first complete translation of the Bible into Middle English, enabling laypeople to access the Scriptures directly. Though Wycliffe himself may not have translated much, his circle of followers—the “Lollards”—carried the work forward and disseminated it widely.
Condemned posthumously as a heretic, Wycliffe’s writings were banned and his remains exhumed and burned by Church authorities. Yet his call for vernacular scripture and critique of clerical corruption anticipated and influenced Martin Luther and other reformers, earning him the title “Morning Star of the Reformation.”