This great 14th century Reformer paved the way for men such as John Calvin and Martin Luther with his judicious and thought provoking writings. Not content to swallow the church’s teaching without critique, Wycliffe upheld the primacy of the Word of God and appealed to every believer with his encouraging words. In these writings, Wycliffe opens up to his readers a corrective to the abusive power that the church wielded at the time. In 1382 Wycliffe finished his translation of the Bible from the Latin into English in order that the people of England might revel in God’s own Word. Having opposed the ominous power the pope might have over the state, Wycliffe was routinely condemned and after his death his ashes were exhumed and burned. Even though his books were burned, his followers were many and constantly proclaimed the Word of God to the people.
