John Wycliffe

=== Career in education ===

Wycliffe completed his arts degree at [[Merton College, Oxford|Merton College]] as a junior fellow in 1356.<ref>Davison, Jon (1995). ''Oxford – Images & Recollections'', p. 261. {{ISBN|1-86982499-7}}.</ref> That same year he produced a small treatise, ''The Last Age of the Church''. In the light of the virulence of the plague that had subsided seven years previously, Wycliffe's studies led him to the opinion that the close of the 14th century would mark the end of the world. While other writers viewed the plague as God's judgment on sinful people, Wycliffe saw it as an indictment of an unworthy clergy. The mortality rate among the clergy had been particularly high, and those who replaced them were, in his opinion, uneducated or generally disreputable.<ref name=Murray/>

He was [[Master (college)|Master]] of [[Balliol College, Oxford|Balliol College]] in 1361.<ref>{{ cite web |title=Archives & Manuscripts |url=http://archives.balliol.ox.ac.uk/History/masters.asp |access-date=22 August 2009 |publisher=Balliol College |place=Oxford }}</ref> In this same year, he was presented by the college to the parish of [[Fillingham]] in [[Lincolnshire]], which he visited rarely during long vacations from Oxford.<ref name=Estep/> For this he had to give up the headship of Balliol College, though he could continue to live at Oxford. He is said to have had rooms in the buildings of [[The Queen's College, Oxford|The Queen's College]]. In 1362 he was granted a [[prebendary|prebend]] at [[Aust]] in [[Westbury on Trym, Bristol|Westbury-on-Trym]], which he held in addition to the post at Fillingham.

His performance led [[Simon Islip]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], to place him in 1365 at the head of [[Canterbury Hall]], where twelve young men were preparing for the priesthood. In December 1365 Islip appointed Wycliffe as warden<ref name=Budd/> but when Islip died the following year his successor, [[Simon Langham]], a man of monastic training, turned the leadership of the college over to a monk. In 1367 Wycliffe appealed to Rome. In 1371 Wycliffe's appeal was decided and the outcome was unfavourable to him. The incident was typical of the ongoing rivalry between monks and secular clergy at Oxford at this time.<ref name="Estep">{{ cite book |last=Estep |first=William Roscoe |year= 1986 |title=Renaissance and Reformation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dUENoh0ey4QC&q=john+wycliffe&pg=PA59 |access-date=26 October 2019 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0802800503 |via=Google Books }}</ref>

In 1368, he gave up his living at Fillingham and took over the rectory of [[Ludgershall, Buckinghamshire]], not far from Oxford, which enabled him to retain his connection with the university. Tradition has it that he commenced his translation of the Bible into English whilst sitting in a room above what is now the porch in Ludgershall Church.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Wycliffe in Ludgershall |url=https://ludgershall.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/history-of-ludgershall-part-4.pdf}}</ref> In 1369 Wycliffe obtained a bachelor's degree in theology, and his doctorate in 1372.<ref name="Roberts">{{ cite web |title=John Wycliffe and the Dawn of the Reformation |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-3/john-wycliffe-and-dawn-of-reformation.html |access-date=26 October 2019 |website=Christian History &#124; Learn the History of Christianity & the Church }}</ref>  In 1374, he received the crown living of [[St Mary's Church, Lutterworth]] in [[Leicestershire]],<ref name="Urquhart">[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15722a.htm Urquhart, Francis. "John Wyclif." ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''] Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 28 July 2015</ref> which he retained until his death.