The House of Wycliffe’s Patron is John Wycliffe, born in the 14th Century in England. Wycliffe attended the University of Oxford where he attained a formal education and became the master of the college but later resigned to take on the role of the church post. In 1363, Wycliffe left his church post to study at Oxford and earned a bachelor of divinity and a doctor of divinity in 1372. His education and experience in role in the church gave him the foundation to stand strong in his beliefs and incorporate great works.
Wycliffe stood firm in his belief that the church was too wealthy, which he believed contradicted the Word of God. His strong views and opinions often caused controversies. At one point in time, Pope Gregory XI issued five official orders against John Wycliffe later naming him “the master of errors.” Wycliffe fought to defend himself and argued that he would follow the sacred Scriptures and declared that the pope and church were second in authority to Scripture. He continued to study scripture and confronted conflicts with church teachings. One of his arguments was in regards to the doctrine of transubstantiation: “The bread while becoming by virtue of Christ’s words the body of Christ does not cease to be bread.” He also argued against private confession and claims that it was not ordered by Christ. Wycliffe continued to support the teachings of faith: “Trust wholly in Christ; rely altogether on his sufferings; beware of seeking to be justified in any other way than by his righteousness.” Knowing that every Christian needed access to the Scriptures, he took the essential step to translate the Bible from Latin to English.
John Wycliffe was involved in translating the Bible into English. He felt that it was important that scripture was the only authoritative guide to the truth about God. Wycliffe is responsible for the smooth translation of the New Testament and the whole Bible was revised by John Purvey in 1388. His translation of the Bible into English made it accessible to many people. Due to this, several institutions are named after John Wycliffe:
- Wycliffe Global Alliance
- Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
- Wycliffe College, Toronto
- Wycliffe College, Gloucestershire
So why Wycliffe? As believers, our only source of truth is from God’s Holy Word. John Wycliffe played a major role in ensuring that everyone could have access to the Bible. As students and young believers, we need to be reminded of what is true and righteous, and not let what we know is right be changed by society and the world. We need to constantly point each other to Scripture. We take for granted that we have access to the Bible on our devices, at our schools, and at our homes. Thanks to John Wycliffe we can focus on faith in Christ and trusting wholly in Him.
