John Wycliffe

c. 1328 – December 31, 1384

Theologian & Proto-Reformer

The Morning Star of the Reformation

Biography

English theologian and professor at Oxford, known as the 'Morning Star of the Reformation.' He produced one of the first complete English translations of the Bible and challenged papal authority.

Faith & Testimony

Wycliffe taught that Scripture alone is the supreme authority for Christian life and doctrine — anticipating sola scriptura by 150 years. He trained lay preachers (Lollards) to spread the gospel in common English. The church declared him a heretic posthumously and exhumed his bones to burn them.

Sources

Wycliffe — Wikipedia — Proto-Reformer and Bible translator
Wycliffe's Bible — Wycliffe Bible Translators — Wycliffe supervised the first complete English translation of the Bible from Latin (1382)
On Civil Dominion (De Civili Dominio) — Wycliffe's influential treatise arguing that the church's authority should be limited and that Scripture alone is the supreme authority