History of the English Bible: question two

That is correct!

Athanasius is a very important figure in church history. I encourage you to read more about him, especially about his defense of the deity of Christ against the heresy of Arianism. If you would like to do more reading about him and the canon, please see the links below. Check them out now or bookmark this page to return easily later.

Icon of Athanasius

Further Reading/References
367 Athanasius defines the New Testament, Christian History Institute
Athanasius, Theopedia
The Canon of Scripture, Bible Research
Athanasius of Alexandria, ntcanon.org

For centuries the word of God was not available to many in their native tongue. The Scriptures where primarily kept by the Roman Catholic Church and were in Latin. There were small portions put in English in these centuries, but it was not until the 1380’s that a complete copy was produced in the English of the day.

TIMELINE
1380’s AD: The first (hand written) English copy of the whole Bible is produced under the leadership of John Wycliffe. His translation was from the Latin and not from the Hebrew or Greek manuscripts.

John Wycliffe, an English statesman and professor at Oxford, had disagreements with the Roman Catholic Church over different political and doctrinal matters.  As to the doctrinal disagreements, an article contributed to by Thomas E. Martin Junior on britannia.com states:

“He challenged a number of Roman Catholic doctrines with arguments which centuries later would echo during the Protestant Reformation. He spoke out against the monastic system, the sale of indulgences for the forgiveness of sins and the doctrines of baptismal regeneration and transubstantiation. He proclaimed predestination and salvation by faith alone, in a time of great fear and superstition.”

Wycliffe also believed that the people should be able to have access to the Bible in their own language. He worked with his followers to translate the Bible out of Latin and into the English of the day. His preaching against the Church and his views about the Bible earned him much disdain from the Church. He was eventually excommunicated but not physically harmed. After he was excommunicated, he continued his work and Bibles that had been copied by hand went forth by men who shared his beliefs.

After Wycliffe’s death, these brave men continued to preach and carry the word of God to many under threat of death. Some suffered the fate of being burned at the stake. What were they called?

A. Hussites
B. Lollards
C. Waldensians
D. Jebusites

Find Out! (then hit your back button to return)
Part VI: John Wycliffe, The Virtual Bible Museum