John Wycliffe and his followers occupied a central role in the history of Bible translation as they did the massive task of translating the holy book from English to Latin. Their work was one of the earliest attempts at making the Scriptures available to the common masses of England. Latin was the language of the Church and the clergy in the 14th century, and it was not simple for ordinary men and women, particularly those who were not Latin-educated, to read and understand the teachings of the Bible. Wycliffe and his supporters were strongly of the opinion that God's Word could not be reserved for the Church's elite but was for everyone, from the field workers toiling in the fields to the ox driver who guides his oxen.
Much of this translation was meant to have taken place at Oxford, which was where Wycliffe had already been working as a scholar and theologian. A group of dedicated people, who had the same vision as Wycliffe, undertook the arduous job of translating the Latin Vulgate Bible into English. Their motivation was to have the Christian religion preached among the populace so that individuals could have a personal connection with the Scriptures with the help of no mediators. They believed that personal contact with the Word of God would allow individuals to seek spiritual truth and guidance on their own.
Wycliffe's conviction that the Bible should be accessible to all believers was a revolutionary idea in its time, as it directly contradicted the official stance of the Church. The Papacy believed that only the clergy possessed the wisdom and authority to accurately interpret the Scriptures. According to Church doctrine, enabling common men to read and interpret the Bible themselves could lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretation, and even heresy. Church authorities feared that if individuals were given the freedom to interpret the Scriptures for themselves, then the authority of the clergy would be challenged and the power of the Church over religious doctrine would be undermined.
Despite the opposition, Wycliffe and his followers proceeded with the belief that divine truth should not be monopolized by favored people but freely accessible to all. English Bible was a move to break down walls that isolated the laity from the clergy, so they could form a more immediate and personal relationship between the believers and God.
Not surprisingly, these efforts were strongly opposed by the Church. Wycliffe's writings and translation activities were declared to be heretical, and the Church endeavored to stifle his impact. Even posthumously, his disciples, the Lollards, kept on disseminating copies of the English Bible, making sure that his work did not subside.
The impact of Wycliffe's work was profound, opening the door for later translations and ultimately the mass production of the Bible in English. His belief in the availability of Scripture would continue to shape reformers like William Tyndale and Martin Luther, shaping the course of Christian history for centuries to come.
