A comprehensive study of the life, work, and ideas of one of the most influential figures in medieval England - John Wycliffe, the 'Morning Star of the Reformation'. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources and the latest scholarship, the book explores Wycliffe's controversial views on religion, politics, and social justice, and his impact on the English Church and society. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Wycliffe was known as the MORNING STAR of the Reformation; a star rising upon a new day. Wickliffe (or Wycliffe) was born in 1330 AD and died in 1384. He attended Oxford University, receiving his doctorate in 1372. Most of his life was spent teaching at Oxford, and studying God’s Word in Oxford’s extensive library. He was a brilliant scholar who mastered the late medieval scholastic tradition, and was recognized by John of Guant (The Duke of Lancaster) as one who was extraordinarily gifted in theology and preaching. Not only was he an able clergyman, but he was also involved in state affairs. Wickliffe performed diplomatic duties for the crown, and wrote extensively on supporting civil government. This is one of the few biographies that exist on the life of Wickliffe.

In a generation when Western Christendom was convulsed by crisis in its religious leadership and its kingdoms were divided in political rivalries, John Wycliffe stood out with his torrid denunciation of abuses in the Christian Church. More works have been written about him than any other medieval Englishman, and yet to explain what he sought to do or achieved paradoxically remains difficult. The greater part of his life was spent in a university career and academic disputation, and very little is known of the details of this period before he emerged into public affairs. For the last dozen years or so before his death, he became entangled in English ecclesiastical and secular politics, and in this career eventually gave his attention more exclusively to demands for the reform of doctrines and abuses. --from chapter 2