dale. Some of its phraseology is still evident in Bibles used today. Through this translation, Wycliffe has been ranked with Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton as a maker of the English language. As the leading teacher of his day, professor of Oxford University, outstanding philosopher, skillful debater, and accomplished states man and theologian, he has been called “ the flower of Oxford scholarship” and “ the morning star of the ref ormation.” Yet his sermons were simple, and he was a good pastor, beloved by his people. He was protected from the pope by Oxford University and John of Guant, finally dying of natural causes while ministering to his congregation. The writings of Wycliffe bore fruit in the ministry of John Hus in Bohemia. Hus began his public life as a professor at the University of Prague, later becoming dean of the theological faculty, and finally pastor of Prague’s popular Bethlehem Chapel where he preached in Bohemian. His sermons were fervent and simple, revealing a thorough knowledge of the Bible and leav ing lasting impressions on the congregation. His re forming activities began when the University con demned Wycliffe’s writings. When he first condemned some of the bad conditions in the church, especially clerical immorality, he was supported by Prague’s arch bishop. Soon, however, he was forbidden to preach and finally went into exile. Under promise of safe conduct, Hus attended the Council of Constance in 1414. He arrived safely but was imprisoned in miserable condi tions despite Bohemia’s protests. He was brought before the council on June 5, 1415, but was not allowed to explain his doctrines. He refused to recant unless con vinced by the Word of God, and on July 6 was con demned as a heretic, degraded from the priesthood, and delivered to the secular authority for burning at the stake. While Christ was the center of his faith and the Bible was his sole norm for faith and practice, Hus was more concerned with practice than with doctrine. Girolamo Savonarola was born in northern Italy in 1452 and died in Florence in 1498. He entered the Dominican order without his parents’ knowledge, be cause he feared they would oppose him. His first preach ing effort was a failure and his congregation soon dwin dled. Discouraged, he withdrew from public life for six years of prayer and study. He emerged from this seclu sion as a prophet whose message revolved around three main themes: the church will be scourged; the church will be renewed; all will be done quickly. He was soon recalled to Florence by Lorenzo de Medici who wanted the best for his people even though he did not agree with the prophet. When Lorenzo died, Savonarola was instrumental in introducing a Hebrew theocracy to Florence. Because of his attacks upon evils within the church, Savonarola was offered a cardinal’s hat by the pope, but the reformer refused. Though ordered to keep silent, he continued preaching with the support of the city until the pope threatened to confiscate the mer chants’ property. Savonarola’s undoing was brought about by one of his friends who offered to undergo the ordeal by fire. The city looked forward to the ordeal with anticipation, but when the city fathers called it off, Savonarola was blamed. In his last sermon, preached in March 1498, he admitted his faults and willingness to die for them. On May 23 he was burned at the stake with two faithful friends. He ranks among Christian ity’s most outstanding preachers with a natural gift for oratory, imagination, and simple language. His theology was Catholic, but he introduced many Protes tant ideas because of his knowledge of the Scriptures. He was a forerunner of Luther and the inspiration of the English reformer, John Colet.
greatest saints. His early years were spent in a carefree, sinful manner of life occasionally marked by periods of conviction and reformation. His life was changed per manently, however, following a terrible fever which almost claimed his life while he was serving as a sol dier in the papal army. His burden for the poor caused him and his followers, the Franciscans, to go about the countryside, preaching and doing good. His preaching was not new, but he spoke with compelling conviction. His great social concern led him to encourage and assist the suffering serfs and to minister to the lepers. His main concern, however, was the conversion of his hearers. The medieval period was also one of great theologi ans, the schoolmen. Then, as now, there were heretics among them, such as Abelard who denied the orthodox doctrines of the Trinity and atonement, and yet who was perhaps the most popular of all those theologians during his lifetime. More enduring and influential, however, were such orthodox men as Anselm and Aquinas, to name just two of this impressive list. One looks back with a smile upon the appointment of Anselm to the archbishopric of Canterbury in 1093, but the nomina tion was most distasteful to the theologian. The posi tion had been vacant for four years, because the king wanted to prey upon the clergy. Probably it would have remained vacant except that the king became seriously ill and did not wish to die without having someone minister to his soul. But his illness was not fatal and, after he recovered, he harassed Anselm with lawsuits. However, we are primarily interested in Anselm’s theo logical contributions. He made significant ones in the doctrines of sin and free will, but the capstone of his work was his treatment of the doctrine of atonement, set forth most fully in his book Why the God Man? Here he set forth more clearly than any before him that atonement could be made only by the God-man, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, he based the necessity of the atonement in the holiness of God, thus making the death of Christ absolutely necessary for man’s salvation. The most famous schoolman was Thomas Aquinas. At the tender age of five, he was sent to the famous monastery of Monte Cassino to be educated. At the age of seventeen, without the knowledge of his parents, he entered the Dominican order. As an instructor in Bible, theology, and philosophy, he taught in most of the Ital ian universities as well as elsewhere. He was indiffer ent to worldly and ecclesiastical honors, preferring in stead his scholarship and writing. His lectures were profound, but his sermons were so simple that even the most uneducated could understand them. His lectures and compositions were begun with prayer; and when he found problems too great for his understanding, he sought the Lord’s wisdom upon his knees. His most famous literary composition was the Summa Theologiae, still a standard theological work of the Catholic church and probably the greatest attempt at a complete science of theology. A survey of the medieval church would not be com plete without reference to three of the reformers before the Reformation. In England was Wycliffe, who was born in 1328 and died in 1384. While he was a severe critic of the church, condemning its interest in worldly matters, its political power, and its temporal wealth, he was not a schismatic. He believed that the right of popes and bishops to rule depended upon their spiritual qualifications. He advocated a literal interpretation of the Bible and desired to give the Scriptures to the people in the vernacular. His translation, based upon sound principles, appeared in 1384 and remained the most commonly used Bible in England until the time of Tyn-
FEBRUARY, 1967
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