The unsuppressible power of the Scriptures' message became quite evident in England during the fourteenth century. Near the end of the century, English, rather than French, was once again becoming the language spoken by the upper classes, and portions of the Bible began to be translated into English.
Yet at the time this occurred, the general populace was forbidden to own the Bible. Literacy was extremely limited. Church doctrine and practice began to be criticized by a few scholars and members of the clergy who felt the Church was deviating from the actual message of the Bible.
One of the great reformers of this time was John Wycliffe (or Wyclif). He spent much of his life at Oxford University and became deeply engaged in the conflicts between the Church and the state regarding ecclesiastical rights and spheres of authority. The church hierarchy found him a challenging antagonist. As their differences increased, he appealed boldly to the Scriptures as the final authority. This led him to begin plans for translating the Bible and forming a group of preachers to bring the message of the Bible directly to the people. He left Oxford in 1381 and returned to the parish of Lutterworth in Leicestershire, England. Here the translating work began.
