During John Wycliffe's life, he was not called down for translation of the scripture into English. He was called down because translation of the scripture began to change and alter his views and teachings with regard to the then Catholic Church. John Wycliffe's primary wrong was that he appealed to of the authority of the Bible, instead of giving deference to the authority of the existing Catholic authority and Pope. It wasn't until after his death in 1384 that "the church" declared in 1408 the province of Canterbury declared it an offense punishable by imprisonment to be convicted of reading Wycliffe's translation. In 1414 a law was enacted requiring all persons found reading the Bible in English to "forfeit land, catel, life, and goods from their heyres for ever." That same provincial synod decreed " that henceforward no unauthorised person shall translate any portion of Holy Scripture into English, or any other language, under any form of book or treatise ; neither shall any such book or treatise, or version made either in Wycliffe's time or since, be read either in whole or in part, publicly or privately, under the penalty of the greater excommunication, till the said translation shall be approved either by the bishop of the diocese, or, if necessary, by a provincial council." This was in an effort to contain what they felt were subversive teachings to the detriment of the authority of "Christ's Holy Vicar - the Pope." However, the seeds of what became known as "The Reformation" had begun.
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (October 28,1466? – July 12, 1536) was the next in succession to the English Bible's formation. While he did not translate a direct Greek-English version, his development and desire of mastery of Greek laid the foundations for others. A Dutchman by birth, he entered monastical life due to severe poverty. He went on to accept a post as secretary to Henry of Bergan, Bishop of Cambray because of his proficient knowledge and use of Latin. From there he attended the University of Paris. In 1499, while in England, Erasmus was particularly impressed by the Bible teaching of John Colet. This prompted him, upon his return from England, to master the Greek language, which would enable him to study theology on a more profound level and to prepare a new edition of Jerome's Bible translation.
He was an early proponent of religious toleration, and enjoyed the sobriquet "Prince of the Humanists"; he has been called "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists." He prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament, which was to be considered the language of the scholars.
His works were censored by the Catholic Church and he argued with Luther. They raised questions that would be influential in the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation. Erasmus lived through the Reformation period and was contemporary with Martin Luther, John Calvin, William Tyndale, and Ulrich Zwingli. Yet, while he was critical of the Church, he did not join the cause of the Reformers and remained committed to reforming "the Church" from within. He also held to the concept of free will, which some Reformers rejected in favor of the "doctrine of predestination." His middle road approach disappointed and even angered scholars in both camps. Though unlike them, he chose to remain with the "Catholic Church" because he detested dissenting as against the law of God.
It is said of Erasmus, that he laid the egg of the Reformation and Luther and others hatched it. It is interesting that he chose the road of moderation, when so many were for total dissent. Much can be owed to him and his desire to master the original languages of the scripture, and of his overall attitude. In an age of anger and rebellion, he stood out commanding not only the learning, but the application of the scripture's teaching.
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