Bible Translators Celebrate 700th Anniversary of John Wycliffe

June 7, 2024141 views0

Bible Translators Celebrate 700th Anniversary of John Wycliffe

2024-06-07T10:35:15+01:00

By Church News

Wycliffe Bible Translators celebrates the 700^th anniversary of the birth of John Wycliffe, the man who first translated the Bible into English.While the anniversary is a celebration, it also acts as a reminder of the 1 in 5 who still lack access to a Bible in the language they know best.James Poole, Wycliffe Bible Translators’ Executive Director, said, “John Wycliffe’s commitment to translating the Bible into the language that people know best was revolutionary. 700 years later, the passion for Wycliffe’s vision of a world where everyone can know Jesus through the Bible continues to burn brightly.”John Wycliffe is a pivotal figure in history. His groundbreaking work of providing the first English translation of the Bible continues to resonate across the globe.Despite so much progress to date in worldwide Bible translation, much work remains. An estimated 1.5 billion people representing over 6,000 languages are still waiting to receive the Bible in the language they understand best. Wycliffe Bible Translators is committed to all people having access to the Bible.Thought to have been born in 1324 in Hipswell, Yorkshire, John Wycliffe was a theologian, scholar and reformer. His passion for making the Scriptures accessible to ordinary people led him and his team to undertake the monumental task of translating the Bible from Latin into English by hand. Wycliffe believed that everyone should have direct access to God’s word.He faced great opposition from the church at the time for his translation, ideas and teaching, but his conviction was strong and was not deterred.Also Read: Late Jerry Savelle’s Last Book Released