John Wyclif: Myth & Reality

by Evans, G. R.

• ISBN13: 9780830828357
• ISBN10: 0830828354
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-07-31
• Publisher: Intervarsity Pr

Summary

John Wyclif has alternatively been called hero and heretic, reformer and radical, guardian and gadfly. But the true tale of this most controversial of late-medieval Englishmen is far richer and more complex.In this first major biography of John Wyclif in nearly a century, G. R. Evans employs recent research to present a fresh, focused portrait of this pivotal historical figure. In doing so, she strips away the layers of legend that have obscured our view of the real Wyclif and places him within the features of his actual historical landscape.That landscape is the world of fourteenth-century Oxford, where Wyclif spent the majority of his life. Evans, one of today's leading historians of the era, vividly re-creates the scenery of this great medieval university town with clarity and detail, providing a comprehensive view of life and learning within its walls. It was here that Wyclif earned his reputation as one of the most learned and significant scholars of his day. And it was here that he developed his views regarding the Bible, the sacraments, ecclesiastical authority and political power--views that led to his eventual condemnation by the church.Informative, dramatic and compelling, this masterful biography of John Wyclif is required reading for all lovers of history--student and scholar alike.

Author Biography

G. R. Evans is Professor of Medieval Theology and Intellectual History at the University of Cambridge.

Table of Contents

Preface	9	(5)
Part I The Master of Arts
Chapter 1 Going to Oxford	14	(29)
i. From Yorkshire
ii. Wyclif arrives in Oxford
iii. The academic 'craft'
The idea of a university
iv. Town and gown
v. The religious orders in Oxford
The friars as educators
vi. The practicalities of student life
Finding somewhere to live
Teaching arrangements and pastoral care
What it cost to be a student
Chapter 2 A degree in the liberal arts	43	(24)
i. First principles
ii. Grammar
iii. Logic
a The old logic
b The new logic
c Modern logic
iv. Rhetoric
Topics
v. Mathematics and philosophy
Philosophy
Chapter 3 John Wyclif, Regent Master	67	(25)
i. Examinations and assessment
ii. Academic politics
The Chancellor
The Masters
The Proctors
Direct democracy: Congregations
Making the rules
iii. Pedagogical practice
Teaching methods: the lecturer's art
Books and set books
Lecturing on the book
The disputation
Wyclif publishes his first books
iv. John Wyclif, Fellow of Merton and Master of Balliol
Fellow of Merton College
Master of Balliol
Part II Ambition Thwarted
Chapter 4 A taste of parish life	92	(4)
Chapter 5 At the Queen's College	96	(3)
Ambitions for office
Chapter 6 John Wyclif, Doctor of Theology	99	(30)
i. The academic scene
Canterbury Hall
ii. The theology course
iii. The Sentences of Peter Lombard
iv. Bible study
Wyclif and the four senses
Truth and Scripture
University sermons and biblical exegesis
Chapter 7 Mixtim theologus: Wyclif and the law	129	(6)
Chapter 8 Consultant to Court and Parliament	135	(15)
Public life
The question of the Pope's right to exact taxation
The embassy to Bruges
Rewards
Part III The Troubles Begin
Chapter 9 Wyclif becomes notorious	150	(11)
i. The Good Parliament
ii. Wyclif the author
Chapter 10 Calling Wyclif to account	161	(20)
Fist-waving at St Paul's
Scheming for Wyclif's downfall
Determinationes
The papal bulls of 1377
Nineteen opinions
Oxford's official handling of its papal bull
What the Government did about the bulls of 1377
What the Church did about the bulls of 1377: the summons to Lambeth
Sanctuary
Chapter 11 Oxford's final condemnation	181	(15)
i. Academic freedom?
Academic freedom to pursue the truth
ii. What was Eucharistic orthodoxy?
iii. Barton's committee decides
10 May 1381
iv. The Peasants' Revolt
Part IV Coping with Failure
Chapter 12 Wyclif in retreat	196	(19)
Simony, apostasy, blasphemy
Lutterworth
Revising his writings
New writings
Wyclif's theory of Scripture
A new book on Scripture: the Opus Evangelicum
Wyclif's attempts at popular theology
Campaigning issues
The death of Wyclif
Chapter 13 Distilling Wyclif	215	(28)
i. Inward grace and outward order
a. What is the Church?
Predestination
b. The doctrine of ministry
c. The papacy
d. An inclusive Church and the private religions
e. Charism and order
ii. Popular and vernacular
a. The Englishing of the Bible
Glossing the Bible for ordinary people, and vernacular Bible study
b. Latin or English for preaching to the people?
c. Wyclif the popular preacher?
d. The minds of the laity and the popular campaign
Satire and social comment
Conclusion: The legend and the reality	243	(14)
Wyclif and the international scene
Oxford's equivocal verdict
Did Wyclif start a movement?
The Lollard label
Envoi
End notes	257	(38)
List of abbreviations	295	(3)
Select bibliography	298	(12)
Index	310