Wycliffe Controversies

Dr. John de Wycliffe (1324?-1384) is an important person in the history of the Bible and Bible translating. Are the Wycliffe Bible versions based upon Old Latin Texts close to the Received Text or are they closer to Alexandrian Texts that influenced Jerome’s Latin Vulgate? In addition, many other questions have been raised in the literature such as who were Wycliffe’s close associates that participated in the work; where and when did the Lollards that were associated with him originate; and many other controversies. Modern scholars have called into question Wycliffe’s participation in translating and whether he translated any of the Wycliffe Bible. Was his curate or secretary, John Purvey, a Lollard as well as a writer of the prologue and a translator and of the Late Version of the Wycliffe Bible? This work is an attempt to bring attention to the questions and contradictions in the literature. This book does not solve all the problems and questions. It is an endeavor to itemize the controversies and suggest some answers. Dr. Williams’ work will present the significant conflicts in current and past literature in one place so that researchers and interested students will have a starting point.