Lollardismo john wycliffe biography

Lollardismo john wycliffe biography: English: John Wycliffe (also Wyclif, Wycliff,

Denying any special status to the priesthood, Lollards thought confession to a priest was unnecessary since according to them priests did not have the ability to forgive sins. However, while it is beneficial to confess to a good priest, it is perilous to confess to a bad one. They considered praying to saints and honouring of their images to be a form of idolatry.

Oaths, fasting and prayers for the dead were thought to have no scriptural basis. They had a poor opinion of the trappings of the Catholic Church, including holy water, bells, organs, and church buildings. They rejected the value of papal pardons. While by no means a central statement of belief of the Lollards, the Twelve Conclusions reveal certain basic Lollard ideas.

The first Conclusion rejects the acquisition of temporal wealth by Church leaders, as accumulating wealth leads them away from religious concerns and towards greed. The fourth Conclusion deals with the Lollard view that the Sacrament of the Eucharist is a debatable doctrine that is not clearly defined in the Bible. Wycliffe's stand concerning the ideal of poverty became continually firmer, as well as his position with regard to the temporal rule of the clergy.

Lollardismo john wycliffe biography: It was initially led by John

Closely related to this attitude was his book De officio regis, the content of which was foreshadowed in his 33 conclusions. This book, like those that preceded and followed, was concerned with the reform of the Church, in which the temporal arm was to have an influential part. From onwards, Wycliffe devoted himself to writings that argued his rejection of transubstantiationand strongly criticised the friars who supported it.

Then the English hierarchy launched proceedings against him. The chancellor of the University of Oxford had some of the declarations pronounced heretical. When this was announced to Wycliffe, he declared that no one could change his convictions. He then appealed — not to the pope or the ecclesiastical authorities of the land, but to the king.

Lollardismo john wycliffe biography: The Lollards, as those who

He published his great confession upon the subject, and a second writing in English intended for the common people. The revolt was sparked in part by Wycliffe's preaching, carried throughout the realm by "poor priests" or "poor preachers" appointed by Wycliffe, and mostly laymen. A contemporary record claims local sympathetic knights would force local people to hear the preaching, sometimes acting as armed guards in the parish church to prevent disputation.

InWycliffe's old enemy William Courtenaynow Archbishop of Canterbury, called an ecclesiastical assembly of notables at London. During the consultations on 21 May an earthquake occurred. The participants were terrified and wished to break up the assembly, but Courtenay declared the earthquake a favourable sign, which meant the purification of the earth from erroneous doctrine, and the result of the " Earthquake Synod " was assured.

The former had reference to the transformation in the sacrament, the latter to matters of church order and institutions. It was forbidden from that time to hold these opinions or to advance them in sermons or in academic discussions. All persons disregarding this order were to be subject to prosecution. To accomplish this, the help of the State was necessary, but the Commons rejected the bill.

Print this page Critics of the Church John Wyclif and his Lollard followers were the first recognised critics of the established church since the fifth century. Wyclif was born in Yorkshire in the s - he was a theologian at Balliol College, Oxford, and a 'realist' who believed that one's knowledge is derived from within rather than through the senses.

He rejected the Roman church, preferring a church comprising the body of the elect with all authority derived from the scriptures - 'lordship depended on grace' - and he denied transubstantiation and believed in the spiritual Eucharist rather than the physical one. Because of his beliefs, Wyclif wanted the church reformed and its wealth removed.

The Lollards who followed Wyclif derived their name from the medieval Dutch words meaning 'to mutter' probably reflecting their style of worship, which was based on reading the scriptures. They represented a general but very limited, minority reform movement. His ideas were current among intellectual circles, at least among the so-called "Lollard knights," several of whom lollardismo john wycliffe biography among Chaucer's acquaintances see The Riverside Chaucer, p.

Wycliffe was brought to trial in though nothing much came of it, since he was so strongly backed by powerful supporters in the courts of both John of Gaunt and the Kingand he and his doctrines were formally condemned in by Pope Gregory XI, who ordered that he be arrested. But his order was never carried out. Finally in the Archbishop of Canterbury condemned him and his writings, but Wycliffe himself was undisturbed and continued to write until his death in