Augustine's De civitate dei in John Wyclif and Thomas More

T. R. examines A.'s influence on the ecclesiology of Wyclif and More. Though Wyclif admitted that the Church contained sinners here on earth, the real Church for Wyclif was the Church of the 'predestined' elect. The true 'invisible Church' contains only the elect. Wyclif certainly oversimplified A.'...

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Bibliographic Details
Author:Thomas J. Renna
Pages:261-271
Language:English
Format:Essay
Topic:- Works > De civitate Dei
- Influence and Survival > The Middle Ages (430-1453) > Influence on the various authors and writings > [Thomas More]
- Influence and Survival > The Middle Ages (430-1453) > Influence on the various authors and writings > John Wyclif (1328-1384)
Parent Work: Augustine: 'Second Founder of the Faith'
Status:Active
Description
Summary:T. R. examines A.'s influence on the ecclesiology of Wyclif and More. Though Wyclif admitted that the Church contained sinners here on earth, the real Church for Wyclif was the Church of the 'predestined' elect. The true 'invisible Church' contains only the elect. Wyclif certainly oversimplified A.'s city of God. The Lollards, as some of Wyclif's followers were called, influenced the English Church. Thomas More opposed the Lollards, especially their concept of the 'Church of the just'. More lectured on 'De civitate dei' some ten years before he wrote Utopia, but there is no discernable direct Augustinian influence on More's work.