Philosophy and Politics in the Thought of John Wyclif (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series) [Hardcover]

Stephen E. Lahey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2003 | ISBN-10: 052163346X | ISBN-13: 978-0521633468

John Wyclif was the fourteenth-century English thinker responsible for the first English Bible, and for the Lollard movement--persecuted widely for its attempts to reform the church through empowerment of the laity. This study argues that John Wyclif's political agenda was based on a coherent philosophical vision ultimately consistent with his earlier reformative ideas. Several of Wyclif's formal, Latin works proposed that the king should take control of all church property and power in the kingdom, a vision close to what Henry VIII was to realize 150 years later.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] careful and erudite study.... Recommended." Choice

Book Description

John Wyclif was the fourteenth-century English thinker responsible for the first English Bible, and for the Lollard movement - persecuted widely for its attempts to reform the church through empowerment of the laity. Several of Wyclif's formal, Latin works proposed that the king ought to take control of all church property and power in the kingdom, a vision close to what Henry VIII was to realise 150 years later. This book argues that Wyclif's political programme was based on a coherent philosophical vision ultimately consistent with his earlier reformative ideas.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (April 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052163346X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521633468
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,873,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lahey is a college professor of Classics and Religious Studies with a special research interest in Medieval Theology and Philosophy. He wrote a dissertation on John Wyclif that was published as Philosophy and Politics in the Thought of John Wyclif, and then he wrote a survey of Wyclif. You can buy them both here on Amazon! It's so easy! I'll bet Amazon already has your information, so you won't even have to get up and get your wallet. Or purse. Wherever you keep your credit cards.
John Wyclif would likely not approve of me writing books about him, and then hawking those books on the internet. Lahey is very comfortable with that.
Lahey is also a priest in the Episcopal Church of the U.S.A. He frequently sneaks medieval ideas into his sermons, but is more a fan of liturgy than of preaching.
Lahey is a veteran of the U.S.Navy Hospital Corps in the U.S.M.C., but doubts that this has much to do with his research in late medieval theology, save for his distinct appreciation of the horrors of medieval combat experienced by the Hussites who later fought the Empire for Wycliffite ideals. His present research includes translation of Wyclif's Trialogus, and research into Wyclif's influence on the Hussite Revolution.