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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

When exams are over . . . thanks!
Meg

 

From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Andrew Larsen
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 5:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] John Wycliffe scripture and more

 

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Meg,

            I've sent you what I think is my final edit of that article.  Enjoy.

 

Andrew E. Larsen

On Apr 29, 2011, at 12:10 PM, Cormack, Margaret Jean wrote:



medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Dear Andrew,

Thanks! I don‘t suppose you have an electronic version of your  article you could send me (while I try to order this for our

library)?
Meg

 

From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Andrew Larsen
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 4:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] John Wycliffe scripture and more

 

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Now home.  I discuss Wyclif's death briefly in my "John Wcylif, c.1331-1384" in A Companion to John Wyclif, Late Medieval Theologian, ed. Ian Christopher Levy, (Brill, 2006), p. 62.

            The incident comes from Thomas Gascoigne's Loci i Libri Veritatum.  He records John Horn's sworn testimony, given in 1441 (so Horn must have been in his mid-20s when he was assisting Wyclif).  He says the stroke happened on Dec 28th, although Walsingham dates it to Sept 29th (St Thomas Becket's Day).  The stroke left him paralyzed and unable to speak.  

            Unfortunately, when I was writing the article, I didn't happen to note the details of the occasion when Horn offered this testimony, so I can't answer your question.  It was about 30 years after Wyclif had been condemned, and more than a decade after Wyclif's body had been dug up and thrown in the Swift River, so there was no doubt by that point that he was a heretic and must therefore have come to a bad end. 

            It's also worth reporting that dying from a stroke fits what we know of Wyclif's last years in general.  He seems to have been in poor health, had trouble getting around, and (IIRC) one source describes him as having a wasted appearance.  

            While we might be skeptical about the veracity of Horn's statement, I think it's fair to say that the Wikipedia entry is reasonably correct on this point (certainly more correct than the date of his birth; the mid-1320s is at least a half-decade too early).  

            Incidentally, if you want more info about the authorship of the Wycliffite Bible, Mary Dove's article in the Companion to John Wyclif is a good place to start.  

 

Andrew E. Larsen

On Apr 28, 2011, at 2:00 PM, Cormack, Margaret Jean wrote:




medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Dear Andrew,

Thanks! I´d love the details. Especially the circumstances of the oath (for whom was he swearing it?)

Meg

 

From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Andrew Larsen
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 2:46 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] John Wycliffe scripture and more

 

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Wycliffe is generally thought to have died in 1384 of a stroke suffered during his celebrating the mass. The claim come from a man who was W's assistant (W had suffered a stroke about 2 years earlier and hired the assistant as a result); about 40 years after the incident, he related the story under oath. He claimed that W was struck down during the elevation of the Host and lingered in agony for three days before dying. 

     The claim is obviously suspect, given the symbolism involved, but there is nothing inherently impossible about it. My guess is that W suffered his stroke during or after a service and his assistant embellished the story a little as time went by. 

      I can give more details when I get home, if you would like them. 

Andrew E. Larsen 


On Apr 28, 2011, at 12:27 PM, "Cormack, Margaret Jean" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Greetings all,

                       I´ve been grading exams all morning, and am bemused as to the source of misstatements/downright errors that are not

            even found on Wikipedia. My queries for the list are,

            1) Is it true (this IS in Wikipedia) that W. died of a stroke while celebrating Mass? What is the source for this?

2) It is my understanding (contra Wikipedia, which quotes all sorts of sources from the early 20th century) that, although Wycliffe emphasized the authority of the Bible, he was not himself involved in its translation into English, and that extant translations associated with the Lollards are of unknown authorship? (The entry on  Wycliffe´s Bible actually looks much more accurate than the entry for Wycliffe himself)

3) again in connection with the Bible, did W. lay special emphasis on the New Testament?

Thanks in advance,

            Meg

           

PS There was a program on Public Television recently on bible translators into English – did anyone see it? Based solely on the

ads, I considered it not worth viewing, and it would seem to be a possible source but for the fact that my students don´t watch PBS, though perhaps they might have seen it on Discovery or History channels.

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Andrew Larsen

"But for three years I had roses, and I apologized to nobody."

Alan Moore--V for Vendetta

 

 

 

 

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