John Wyclif Quotes
John Wyclif was an English scholastic philosopher, theologian, and reformer, often called the morning star of the Reformation. Master of Balliol College and a doctor of theology at Oxford, he developed in his metaphysical writings a strongly realist theory of universals and a doctrine of dominion grounded in grace, on which lawful possession depends on righteousness. The quotes below are attributed to John Wyclif, organized by topic.
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John Wyclif on God
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Attributed to John Wyclif:
“Scripture is the highest authority for every Christian.”
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Attributed to John Wyclif:
“The Bible should be available to every plowman in his own tongue.”
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Attributed to John Wyclif:
“A church that hoards wealth has forgotten its Lord.”
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“There was good reason for the silence of the Holy Spirit as to how, when, in what form Christ ordained the apostles, the reason being to show the indifferency of all forms of words.”
Latin statement in De Quattuor Sectis Novellis , as translated in Typical English Churchmen (1909) by John Neville Figgis, p. 16
John Wyclif on Life
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“Crown and cloth maken no priest, nor emperor's bishop with his words, but power that crist giveth; and thus by life have been priests known.”
As quoted in Typical English Churchmen (1909) by John Neville Figgis, p. 15
John Wyclif on Politics
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Attributed to John Wyclif:
“Lawful dominion depends on righteousness; without grace, there is no true title.”
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“This Bible is for the Government of the People, by the People, and for the People.”
General Prologue to the Bible translation of 1384, as paraphrased in Lincoln at Gettysburg : An Address (1906) by Clark Ezra Carr, p. 75;
John Wyclif on Truth
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Attributed to John Wyclif:
“Universals are real before they are in things, and in things before they are in our minds.”
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“I believe that in the end the truth will conquer.”
Statement to the Duke of Lancaster (1381), as quoted in Champions of the Right (1885) by Edward Gilliat, p. 135 | Variant: I believe that in the end truth will conquer. | As quoted in Great Voices of the Reformation : An Anthology (1952) by Harry Emerson Fosdick, p. 37