As I said books that are protested or banned get my attention and books that are burned, that really raises my curiosity. John Wycliffe was such an author. His books were first banned and later burned. One of his crimes was translating the Bible into English again predating the King James Bible.
John Wycliffe’s followers were known as Lollards, possibly a derogatory nickname given to those without a formal education. The name was likely given to them because of one central tenant that the Lollards and Wycliffe held; that of a lay priesthood. While Wycliffe was a highly educated man he believed that pious layman had the power to perform sacraments. Meaning the common man could perform the work of the Church and serve as priest. Piety or holiness was the qualifier not station or education. That directly challenged the Church’s authority. Wycliffe suggested, in his writings, the commissioning of laymen whose task would be to teach scripture in a person’s native language throughout the land. One writer of the 15th century refers to them as “Biblemen”
Lollards met in small groups seldom more than 10 and recruitment was from those they interacted with socially; family, neighbors, and from the work place. Such was their effectiveness in reaching the people that a contemporary said “every second man that you meet is a Lollard”. They had no bishop, no formal leadership, no fine colleges, no formal doctrine, and mostly no buildings. They read scripture together in English, discussed its meaning, and taught their children to pray in their own language rather than Latin.
Both the Church of England and the Catholic Church opposed the Lollards. John Wycliffe was considered such heretic by the Church that 50 years after his death the Church exhumed his body, burned it and his books, and cast the ashes in the river. The man was dead, long gone, no longer preaching contrary to church doctrine, and the Church thought it necessary to dug up his remains and burn them!
I would love to live a life so effective that my detractors erase all my writings and think it such an insult that they dig up my bones to burn them, 50 years after I am have lost the need for them. Besides, I like that method of being burned at the stake a whole lot more than Tyndale’s experience.
Speaking of believers Peter said “You are a royal priesthood….” Am I fulfilling that roll? What kind of minister am I being to those around me? What needs am I catering to?
Yep, I could be friends with these guys…Tyndale said I am the church, Wycliffe said I can and should do the work of the church, the Lollards showed I can be effective and win half the country by working in the lives of just the people I know. These guys give a whole new meaning to the slogan… “Army of one”
David
