John‏ Wycliffe

Born around the 1320s in Yorkshire, John Wycliffe became an Oxford scholar, philosopher, and theologian at a time when the church held enormous power over everyday life. He argued that Scripture should stand above church hierarchy and that Christian teaching ought to be rooted more closely in the Bible.

Wycliffe is especially associated with the movement that promoted the Bible in English. Although the exact parts he translated himself are debated, his circle was closely tied to the first complete English Bible tradition connected with his name. His teaching also questioned wealth and corruption in the church, and his followers became known as Lollards.

His views were controversial, and church authorities condemned many of them during and after his lifetime. Even so, his writings and reforming spirit had a lasting influence on religious history, and he is often seen as an important forerunner of the Reformation.