Why Poor Priests Have No Benefices

John Wycliffe (c. 1320-1384)

A three-part defence of itinerant poor priests who refuse to hold church livings, arguing from Scripture and patristic example that simony, the corruption of the benefice system, and the duty to preach freely make such refusal a matter of conscience. Written near the end of Wycliffe's life, it articulates the ecclesiological foundation of the Lollard preaching movement and its challenge to the institutional church.

16 min total · 3 chapters