Wyclif's ideas caused a major upheaval both in the country of his birth and in the Bohemian area of central Europe; that upheaval affected theological, ecclesiastical and political developments from the late 14th to the early 16th centuries. Some of those ideas were transmitted orally through Wyclif's university teaching in Oxford, and in his preaching in London and Lutterworth, but the main medium through which his message was disseminated was the written word, using the universal western language of Latin. The papers in this collection look at aspects of that dissemination, from the organization and revision of Wyclif's works to form a summa of his ideas, the techniques devised to identify and make accessible his multifarious writings, the attempts of the orthodox clerical establishment to destroy them, through to the fortunes of his texts in the Reformation period; manuscripts written in England and those copied abroad, mostly in Bohemia, are considered. Although most of the papers have been published previously, a new edition of the important Hussite catalogue of Wyclif's writings is provided, and three lengthy sections contribute new material and additions and corrections to previous listings of Wyclif manuscripts.
Biography
Professor Anne Hudson, Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, UK.
’... the book is a monumental study of the evolution, dissemination, influence, and survival of his Latin writings. This vast resource brings together in one volume Hudson’s work of almost four decades ... an essential resource for scholars interested in any aspect of Wyclif’s career, thought, and remarkable output.’ English Historical Review ’Each of these studies stands on its own, but a successful effort has been made to draw them together into a book that has, in every sense, an integrity of its own.... Of the quality and importance of this work it is scarcely necessary to speak.’ Catholic Historical Review
