Christian History Home > Issue 3 > From the Archives: In the Year of Death, Wycliffe Wrote to Pope Urban VI
From the Archives: In the Year of Death, Wycliffe Wrote to Pope Urban VI
This translation from the Latin appears in The Prosecution of John Wyclyf by Joseph H. Dalmus, published by Yale University Press. 1952. Used by permission.
posted 7/01/1983 12:00AM
Wycliffe had been summoned to Rome by Pope Urban VI. Using Wycliffe’s poor health as an excuse, the king blocked the summons and Wycliffe wrote the following letter to the Pope. It was written just months before Wycliffe’s death on New Year’s Eve, 1384.
“I am happy to reveal fully to anyone and especially to the Roman pontiff the faith I hold, for I suppose if it is orthodox, he will graciously confirm this faith and if it be erroneous he will correct it. But I submit that the gospel of Christ is the body of the law of God, that Christ, indeed, who directly gave this gospel, I believe to be true God and true man, and in this the law of the gospel excels all other parts of Scripture. Again I submit that the Roman pontiff, inasmuch as he is Christ’s highest vicar on earth, is among pilgrims most bound to this law of the gospel. For the majority of Christ’s disciples are not judged according to worldly greatness, but according to the imitation of Christ in their moral life. Again, from out ... To view this item, you must be a member of ChristianHistory.net.
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