John Wickliffe - Burnt His Bones

Imagine being so hated and reviled that 41 years after your death your bones were dug up, burned to ashes and thrown into the river in the hope that the memory of your name and doctrines would perish.

Before there was John Knox and Calvin and Luther there was John Wickliffe. (1324-1384)

Education
Most of his life was spent learning and teaching at Oxford's extensive library and was recognised by The Duke of Lancaster as one with extraordinary gifting in theology and preaching.

Controversy - Take 1 - Against Rome
Many of the popes, bishops, priests and clergy were extremely lazy living off the squalor of the Roman Catholic church. John Wickliffe was the first to vehemently oppose them. In reaction the Roman Catholic church issued a "Papal Bull" against him at Oxford to be stepped down and requested that he stand before another hearing which charged him of heresy.

Controversy - Take 2 - The Mass
Unlike many other heretics who would have been hung John Wickliffe was a politically asteemed man and in many ways protected so he next attacked the Mass. Rejecting the transubstantiation and the clerical power of priesthood.

Controversy - Take 3 - AntiChrist
John Wickliffe was one of the first to publicly label the Pope the Antichrist and the church of Rome the whore of Babylon. For the love of God they taught was Universal (define:catholic) in direct opposition to Gods true love.

Controversy of Controversies - Translating the Bible from Latin into English
The bible was read and recorded in Latin so that only the Priests and scholars could understand. It was John Wickliffe who first translated the Latin Vulgate to English and was the first to place the bible into the hands of the people.

Revival - Heralding the Great Awakening
Under Luther and Knox, then Whitefield and Edwards came revival. In my opinion it was John Wickliffe who was heralding these events when the word of God was preached and taught for the first time by many of John Wickliffe's lay preachers who would preach to the peasants and commoners far and abroad distributing the Bible.

Died a Peaceful Death
The Roman Catholic church perhaps from disunity never caught up to John Wickliffe to burn him at the stake. He died from 2 strokes at the ripe old age of 60 (great for back then) (1384)

Burning John Wickliffes Bones
The church of Rome could have no greater fear then the truth of the scripture being in the hands of the people. 41 years later John Wickliffes body was dug up and they burnt his bones to ashes and cast them into the river.

For Further Reading
John Wickliffe Starting the Reformation - A Puritans Mind
An Account of the Life and Persecutions of John Wickliffe - Fox's Book of Martyrs
Profiles in Reform – John Wycliffe – Part 1
"John Wickliffe is known as the morning star of the Reformation"