The Religious Thoughts Of Wycliffe And Their Influences

This thesis discusses the religious thoughts of Wycliffe from such aspects as his life , the era background, his reformational thoughts, the influence of those thoughts, etc. Wycliffe lived in a time of great transformation in the English society; At that time, the English nation as well as the national consciousness was formed preliminarily, and the commercial economy was also improved. Nevertheless, the development of England was fettered by the Pope's control; authority and prestige of the Pope were decreasing gradually. People were eager to get rid of the Pope's control. Thus the religious thoughts of Wycliffe came into being. Wycliffe presented "Dominion By Grace". He claimed that the property of the church should be confiscated, the tedious ceremony should be abolished by force, "national honest and cheap church" should be set up, and several aspects of "taking the body theory" should be denied.These thoughts have produced far-reaching influences on every aspect of the English society and have offered the theoretical foundation for the reformation of Britain and Continental Europe.In a word, Wycliffe's thoughts have set free the people's thoughts and pushed forward the development of religious reformation thereafter. Wycliffe was the morning star of the reformation.