Many of the heretical sects were not very far off from the teachings of the Catholic Church, but rather, differed in one or two respects from the dogmas of the faith.
The Lollards created quite an uproar in their time, though their views would not appear that radical in the current day and age. Lollards disagreed with transubstantiation, the presence of Christ in the bread and wine in the sacrament of the Holy Mass. And they also felt that the people should be allowed to read the scriptures in English rather than Latin.
John Wycliffe and the Formation of the Lollards
If this is all beginning to sound a bit familiar, it’s because it is. John Wycliffe, who was an essential part of the heretical Hussite movement, was also behind the Lollards.
History shows, however, that the Hussite movement was much bigger and more successful than the Lollards. In the chronicles of heretical movements, the Lollards never really got the kind of support that would be needed from influential members of society to give their movement credibility.
An ordained priest himself, John Wycliffe is credited with translating the majority of the bible into English. Because he didn’t live to complete it, having spent so much of his time in prison during his life, colleagues of his from Oxford University ended up finishing the translation when he died.
The Lollards were formed by John Wycliffe in 1380 A.D. as a group of itinerant preachers who would speak in any place they were welcomed. As a result, they preached in markets, churchyards, private homes and even in the fields in the country.
One of the reasons that John Wycliffe upset the church was because his translation of the entire bible into English was a direct confrontation to the Church belief that only trained clergy could preach from the actual scriptural texts.
Wycliffe, himself, was arrested many times in his life and spent time in prisons for his work. But other Lollards who picked up the "torch" (so to speak) of the new itinerant sect of preachers were actually declared to be not only heretics, but criminals, in the laws enacted by Henry IV,
Several Lollard leaders were not only imprisoned, but burned at the stake.
The Lollards faded out in 1431 A.D. after the last of the small group slowly disappeared into history.
Heresy According to the Early Church Fathers
The early Church fathers found the heresies which denied the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus in Holy Communion or the divinity of Jesus Christ to be amongst the most disturbing.
The Lollards denied transubstantiation, and this warranted the wrath of the Fathers of the Church. "He has forsaken the way of his own vineyard and wandered in the tracks of his own husbandry. Such are the sects that deserted the primitive church. Now he who has fallen into heresy passes through an arid wilderness, abandoning the only true God. As a result, he is destitute of God," according to (Clement of Alexandra) A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers.
Another sect which has been kept very alive in mythical legends are the Knights Templar and another group which shocked the world was the Luciferans.
Sources:
- Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics, by Charles S. Clifton.
- A Catholic Dictionary, by William E. Addis and Thomas Arnold, M.A.
- Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Dr. Ludwig Ott.
- A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present, by Bernhard Lohse.
- The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 - 1870, by Philip Hughes.
- A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, Edited by David W. Bercot.
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