John Purvey
Encyclopedia
John Purvey was one of the leading followers of the English theologian and reformer John Wycliffe
during the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. He was probably born around 1361 in Lathbury, then in Buckinghamshire
, England
. He was ordained a priest in 1377 and was a great scholar in his own right. However from around 1382 he lived with Wycliffe at Lutterworth, Leicestershire
, and became, along with Nicholas of Hereford and John Aston
, one of Wycliffe's most devoted disciples. It was at Lutterworth that Purvey undertook, probably with Wycliffe's concurrence if not at his suggestion, to revise the 1382 English translation of the Bible
done by Wycliffe and Nicholas of Hereford. The primary purpose of the revision was to make the translation more readable as the 1382 translation was a verbatim rendering of the Vulgate
, with little consideration for the language differences between Latin
and English
.
He was probably in the midst of this undertaking when Wycliffe died in 1384. From Lutterworth Purvey then moved to Bristol
, a city that was well known at the time for its sympathies with Wycliffe and his followers. There, in 1388, he finished his revised version of the Bible, whilst also preaching across the country as one of the poor preachers which Wycliffe had organised before his death. Due to his preaching he came under increasing scrutiny by the religious authorities and by 1390 he was imprisoned. Nonetheless he continued to write various works, including commentaries, sermons and treatises condemning the corruption of the Catholic Church
. By 1401 he was brought before convocation
and, unable to face death by burning, like that of William Sawtrey
, he submitted to the authorities and returned to orthodoxy
, confessing and revoking his heresies
.
Afterwards Purvey was left alone and by the end of 1401 he was inducted to the vicarage of West Hythe in Kent
. But, like other followers of Wycliffe who had recanted, he was ill at ease at his betrayal. In 1403 he resigned his living and during the next eighteen years he preached wherever he could. His resumption of preaching eventually led him, in 1421, to being imprisoned once more by the then Archbishop of Canterbury
, Henry Chicheley. No date of his death has been found but there is reason to believe he was living until at least 1427. Apparently some handwriting of his appears on a manuscript containing a memorial to Cardinal Beaufort, who was not raised to the cardinalate until 1427.
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe was an English Scholastic philosopher, theologian, lay preacher, translator, reformer and university teacher who was known as an early dissident in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. His followers were known as Lollards, a somewhat rebellious movement, which preached...
during the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. He was probably born around 1361 in Lathbury, then in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was ordained a priest in 1377 and was a great scholar in his own right. However from around 1382 he lived with Wycliffe at Lutterworth, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, and became, along with Nicholas of Hereford and John Aston
John Aston (preacher)
John Aston or Ashton , was one of John Wycliffe's earliest followers.-Life:Aston is described as M.A. and 'scholar' in theology at Oxford, and, according to Anthony à Wood, was a member of Merton College...
, one of Wycliffe's most devoted disciples. It was at Lutterworth that Purvey undertook, probably with Wycliffe's concurrence if not at his suggestion, to revise the 1382 English translation of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
done by Wycliffe and Nicholas of Hereford. The primary purpose of the revision was to make the translation more readable as the 1382 translation was a verbatim rendering of the Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
, with little consideration for the language differences between Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
He was probably in the midst of this undertaking when Wycliffe died in 1384. From Lutterworth Purvey then moved to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, a city that was well known at the time for its sympathies with Wycliffe and his followers. There, in 1388, he finished his revised version of the Bible, whilst also preaching across the country as one of the poor preachers which Wycliffe had organised before his death. Due to his preaching he came under increasing scrutiny by the religious authorities and by 1390 he was imprisoned. Nonetheless he continued to write various works, including commentaries, sermons and treatises condemning the corruption of the Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. By 1401 he was brought before convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
and, unable to face death by burning, like that of William Sawtrey
William Sawtrey
William Sawtrey was an English Roman Catholic priest who was executed for heresy.Sawtrey was born in Norfolk, England. He was a follower of John Wycliffe, the leader of an early reformation movement called Lollardy. Sawtrey was a priest at two churches, St...
, he submitted to the authorities and returned to orthodoxy
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
, confessing and revoking his heresies
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
.
Afterwards Purvey was left alone and by the end of 1401 he was inducted to the vicarage of West Hythe in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. But, like other followers of Wycliffe who had recanted, he was ill at ease at his betrayal. In 1403 he resigned his living and during the next eighteen years he preached wherever he could. His resumption of preaching eventually led him, in 1421, to being imprisoned once more by the then Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, Henry Chicheley. No date of his death has been found but there is reason to believe he was living until at least 1427. Apparently some handwriting of his appears on a manuscript containing a memorial to Cardinal Beaufort, who was not raised to the cardinalate until 1427.