Finishing the work that John Wycliffe started.
This year marks 700 years since the birth of John Wycliffe, whose translation of the Bible would allow English speakers to read God's words in their native tongue for the first time. However, the celebration of this historical event will also serve to draw attention to the reality that a fifth of the world still lacks access to the Bible in their first language.
While there has been much progress in worldwide Bible translation, there is still a great deal of work to be done. Around 1.5 billion people speaking over 6,000 languages are yet to have seen a Bible that is written in their most familiar tongue, but Wycliffe Bible Translators is working to ensure all people have access to the Bible.
Thought to have been born in 1324 in Hipswell, Yorkshire, Wycliffe was a theologian, scholar, and reformer. He remains a key historical figure today, and the impact of his legacy is still felt in the lives of countless people in the present day. His conviction that everyone should be able to read the Word of God for themselves, rather than rely on the church's messaging, saw him stand firm against the full authority of the church in his mission to translate the Bible from Latin into English. CT.
