John Wycliffe lived
almost 200 years before the Reformation, but his beliefs and
teachings closely match those of Luther, Calvin and other Reformers.
As a man ahead of his time, historians have called Wycliffe the
"Morning star of the Reformation."
Born in the 1300s,
Wycliffe criticized abuses and false teachings in the Church. In 1382
he translated an English Bible--the first European translation done
in over 1,000 years. The Lollards, itinerant preachers he sent
throughout England, inspired a spiritual revolution.
the Lollardy movement was short-lived. The Church expelled Wycliffe
from his teaching position at Oxford, and 44 years after he died, the
Pope ordered his bones exhumed and burned. Intense persecution
stamped out his followers and teachings. It would be hundreds of
years before men like Martin Luther resurrected the reforms of which
Wycliffe dreamed. ~From: