Wycliffe's Bible

Long ago, people made a special book. It was a Bible in English. Most books were in Latin. This helped people read it.

Some books were very plain. They used words in a strict way. Other books were easier to read. They used more natural English.

Many people used these books. Some were for rich people. They had pretty pictures. Others were for church leaders.

One book sold for a lot of money. It was worth over a million dollars!

These books are very old now. They help us learn about the past.

Long ago, people made special books called Wycliffe's Bibles. These were the first full Bibles in English. Most holy books at that time were in Latin. These English books helped more people read the stories.

There are two main types of these books. The first is the Early Version. It follows the Latin words very closely. This can make the English hard to read. The second is the Later Version. This version uses more natural English. It is easier to understand.

Many people owned these books. Some were made for rich people. They had pretty art and fancy letters. Other books were for church leaders to use in Mass. Some books were even used by nuns.

Historians study these books to learn about the past. They used to think only certain groups owned them. Now, we know many different people used them. One copy of a Wycliffe Bible sold for a very large sum. It cost over one million dollars!

Caption: A Wycliffe Bible in the British Library. Caption: John Wycliffe reading his work to John of Gaunt.

Wycliffe's Bible is a very important group of books from the Middle Ages. These books are the earliest known literal translations of the entire Bible into Middle English. For a long time, most holy books were written in Latin. This meant that many people could not read them in their own language. These English translations changed how people connected with religious stories. They appeared over a period of time between 1382 and 1395. Historians still study these texts to understand how people lived and believed.

There are two main ways these books were written. The first is called the Early Version. This version was very literal, which means it followed the Latin word order very closely. Sometimes this made the English hard to understand or even meaningless. The second way is called the Later Version. This version was more idiomatic, so it used more natural English. Many more copies of the Later Version exist today. Some books even mixed parts of both versions together. Scholars think the Early Version might have been a rough draft for the Later Version.

People have many ideas about who actually wrote these books. For a long time, many thought the theologian John Wycliffe wrote them all. He studied at the University of Oxford. Some believe he worked with a team including John Purvey and Nicholas Hereford. Others thought the books were made for a group called Lollards. Some even thought the books were meant to go against the Catholic Church. However, modern historians now think these ideas might not be entirely certain. They suggest the books were used by many different kinds of people.

We know a lot about these books from the manuscripts that survive. There are over 250 Wycliffite manuscripts still around today. Only 20 of these are complete Bibles. Many other copies only have parts, like the New Testament. About 40 percent of these manuscripts have special lists for church readings. Some were made to be very beautiful for rich people. These fancy copies had bright colors and decorated letters. Some were even owned by kings and dukes, like Henry VI or Henry VII. One copy was even sold at an auction for $1,692,500 in 2016.

These books show us how the English language was changing. In the 14th century, the way people spelled and spoke was shifting quickly. The translators worked from the Latin Vulgate, which was the standard text. They did not use Greek or Hebrew to help them. This shows how much they relied on the Latin version. These Bibles helped bridge the gap between formal Latin and everyday English. They paved the way for later famous translations like the King James Version. Studying them helps us see how ideas spread through reading.

Wycliffe's Bible refers to a sequence of Middle English Bible translations. These translations were based on the Latin Vulgate, which was the standard text for Western Christianity. They appeared between approximately 1382 and 1395. This work is significant because it represents the earliest known literal translations of the entire Bible into the English language. For centuries, the history of these texts was surrounded by intense debate. Historians once believed these books were created specifically to promote the ideas of the theologian John Wycliffe. Other theories suggested they were made for Lollards to use in secret meetings. Today, scholars view these connections with more caution and nuance.

The translations are divided into two distinct textual families. The first is the Early Version (EV). This version is characterized by a highly literal approach to the Latin text. The translators often followed the exact word order and syntax of the Latin Vulgate. Because of this, the EV can sometimes be difficult to read or even unintelligible in English. Some scholars believe the EV served as a textual preparation for the second type of translation. This second type is known as the Later Version (LV). The LV is generally more idiomatic, meaning it uses more natural English phrasing. While the LV takes more liberties with the Latin, it was never accused of being misleading in the way later translations were.

There is much discussion regarding the specific people who produced these texts. While the name Wycliffe is central, he may not have written the entire sequence personally. Some evidence suggests a team of scholars worked on the project. This team might have included individuals like John Purvey or Nicholas Hereford. One surviving manuscript contains a note mentioning Nicholas Hereford. This suggests the translation process involved multiple contributors over time. Some theories propose that the Oxford Franciscans might have even been involved in the creation of the Early Version. The production of the text was a complex, collaborative effort rather than the work of a single author.

We can learn a great deal about these books from the surviving manuscripts. There are over 250 known Wycliffite manuscripts in existence today. However, only 20 of these are complete Bibles. Many of the remaining manuscripts contain only the New Testament. Some manuscripts are even more specialized, such as gospel harmonies or concordances. About 40 percent of the manuscripts include tables of lections. These tables provided lists of specific Scripture readings for use during the Mass. This indicates that the books were often used for professional religious purposes rather than just private reading.

The social use of these Bibles has also been re-evaluated by modern historians. In the past, it was often assumed these books were primarily for the "unlearned" or the poor. However, evidence shows that the production of these Bibles peaked during a time of sophisticated use by the clergy. Many manuscripts were highly decorated and intended for aristocratic or clerical patrons. Approximately 40 percent of the manuscripts were illuminated with beautiful art. These fancy copies were owned by high-ranking figures, including Henry VI and Henry VII. Some versions were even used in the prayer books of aristocratic nuns.

The technical process of the translation reveals the constraints of the era. The translators worked directly from the Latin Vulgate without access to the original Greek or Hebrew texts. They followed the arrangement found in the standard Paris Bible. The manuscripts also show the linguistic shifts occurring in the 14th century. Because Middle English was changing rapidly, the rigid Early Version eventually required the more flexible Later Version. Some manuscripts even combine books from both versions. This mixing shows that there was no single, uniform way that these texts were copied or distributed.

Beyond the Bible itself, the Wycliffite movement produced various forms of religious literature. This included the "Glossed Gospels," which were heavily supplemented with commentary. In these versions, the commentary could make up more than 90 percent of the total text. These glosses often explored multiple, figurative meanings within the scripture. Other associated works included the Floretum, which was a collection of historical interpretations. These various texts helped create a broad body of Middle English literature. They represent a major step in the development of the English language and religious study.