John Wyclif

A hero of the Reformation.' 'The translator of the first Bible in English.' 'A father of modern-day evangelicalism.' 'One of the greatest Englishmen who ever lived.' John Wyclif has been called all these things, yet how close are such claims to reality? In the first major biography of Wyclif to be published for almost a century, G. R. Evans seeks to bring the man out of the shadows and to assess clearly the mythology that has grown up around him. Fourteenth-century Oxford, where Wyclif spent most of his life, forms the backdrop to the story. The author recreates the world of this great medieval university town with clarity and detail, providing a comprehensive insight into what it was like to live, study and teach there. As Wyclif became embroiled in debate and controversy, he developed his ideas about Scripture, authority, the Eucharist and the abuse of power - ideas that eventually led to his condemnation by the Church. After his death in apparent failure and isolation, a movement emerged in his name, and Europe moved inexorably onwards to the tumult of the Protestant Reformation. John Wyclif goes to the heart of the mythology, separating fact from fiction and allowing a truer, more faithful image of Wyclif to emerge. For all those interested in English and European history, it is an absorbing read.