Studies in the Transmission of Wyclif's Writings

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.

Contents: Introduction: Wyclif's works and their dissemination; From Oxford to Prague: the writings of John Wyclif and his English followers in Bohemia; The Hussite catalogue of Wyclif's works; Cross-referencing in Wyclif's Latin works; The development of Wyclif's Summa Theologie; Wyclif's Latin sermons: questions of form, date and audience; Accessus ad auctorem: the case of John Wyclif; Trial and error: Wyclif's works in Cambridge,Trinity College MS B.16.2; Wyclif and the North: the evidence from Durham; Peculiaris regis clericus: Wyclif and the issue of authority; Poor preachers, poor men: views of poverty in Wyclif and his followers; The king and erring clergy: a Wycliffite contribution; Notes of an early 15th-century research assistant and the emergence of the 267 articles against Wyclif; Which Wyche? The framing of the Lollard heretic and/or saint; Wyclif texts in 15th-century London; The survival of Wyclif's works in England and Bohemia; Appendices; Indexes.

Professor Anne Hudson, Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, UK.