Lollards

This is a revival movement within Christianity during the late medieval England. The group was composed of followers of John Wycliffe, a University of Oxford Philosopher whose religious views of anti clericalism and anti-Roman Catholic practices shaped the thoughts of later 16th century protestant Reformation.

The name “Lollard” originated from the middle Dutch “Lollaert” which is taken as “mumbler” and used to describe some European groups that were noted for pious pretensions with heretical belief.

Origin Of The Group

In 1330's, John Wycliffe began to teach his theological terms that opposed to Catholicism.  He argued against some of the doctrinal belief of the Roman Catholic that include the transubstantiation, scriptural justification of the papacy etc. He maintained that the church must base its practices on the Holy Scriptures alone rather than floating on the traditions of men. He identified the Pope as the anti-messiah that was proposed in the Holy Scriptures.

The views of Wycliffe earned him opposition from the Roman Catholic forces who accused him of preaching heresy as well as retiring him from his service at the University of Oxford in 1378.

As he was never imprisoned or killed by the church authority, he continued teaching and writing of his views until his death in 1384.

The Lollard emerged as a group through the activities of his followers and colleagues at Oxford led by Nicholas of Hereford.  The movement sooner began to spread outside the Oxford and been embraced by merchants, low clergy and townspeople.  The influence attracted some royal knights and few members of the House of Commons to the movement.

The group was alleged to influence the spark of the anticlerical undercurrents of the “Peasant Revolt” of 1381.

Persecution Of The Group

As England was intact to Roman Catholicism at the 14th century, the church at the territory rose against the activities of the Lollard.  In 1382, William Courtney the archbishop of Canterbury forced the group to renounce their belief and conform to Roman Catholicism.

When King Henry V mounted to the throne in 1399, he became aggressive over the activities of sects that blew their tune against Roman Catholic ideologies. In 1401, the first English edict was passed and it spelt for burning of heretics.  This law affected the Lollard group that recorded the first casualty in the person of William Sawtrey who was burned some few days before the edict was passed.

The persecution of the group continued to 1414 when Sir John Oldcastle led a “Lollard Rising” that was swiftly defeated by King Henry V. The uprising affected the group negatively as it stripped it with its political relevance in Medieval England.

Later Revivals

In early 16th century, the latter Lollard revivals began as it was preserved by tradespeople, artisans and clerical adherents.  The group's tradition helped to define protestant reformation and the king Henry VII's anticlerical during the English Reformation.

Views Of The Group

The Lollard composed what it termed as the “Twelve Conclusions” that it presented to the parliament of 1395.  Some of the conclusions directed that the church of England had become subservant to her “stepmother - the Great Church of Rome”. It pointed that the priesthood of the church was not the one instituted by Yahoshea Meshiyach and his apostles.

Other conclusions include that the clerical celibacy breeds unnatural lust and that the “feigned miracle” of transubstantiation lures men to idolatry.  It maintained that the hallowing of church bread, alters and vestments were related to necromancy.

The conclusion stood against the prayers of the dead, offering to images, confessions to priests, pilgrimages, vow of chastity by nuns, unnecessary arts and crafts that are disguising and wasteful etc.

The group compelled the priests to focus on teachings based on scriptures and for the general members to have assess to the scriptures in their native languages.  The Lollards were credited as the first group that translated the Bible into English language.  The translation was effected by Nicholas of Hereford and revised by Wycliffe's secretary – John Purvey.

Conclusions

The Lollards was a radical religious movement within Christendom that sought for return to the primitive root of the messiah's assembly.  These effort called for intense activities of Lollards, severe reprisals that it received from the mainline Christianity as well as its influence towards Christian protestant reformations.

By this religious efforts, the group is commended based on their attempts to raise the consciousness of the Medieval age on issues relating to reformation and resistance to the Pagan Roman Church. But the efforts of the movement to reach to the traditional Yahoshean principles  was not achieved because it relied on the majority of the Pillars of Christendom that were opposite to Yahosheanity.

Though, many people followed the sect and it equally influenced Protestantism in later centuries but it is never the accurate way of Yahoshea Meshiyach and his disciples.  The Lollards observed doctrines and creeds that were opposites to the principles of Yahosheanism.