By far the greatest impulse to literacy was the reformation of the Catholic Church on the matter of reading the BIBLE in the vernacular. David Daniell has written a great and the ONLY book worth reading on the translation of the BIBLE into English. It should be read with Christopher Hill's MILTON AND THE ENGLISH REVOLUTION.

John Wycliff was as popular as hell in his time, though he only 'inspired' translation into English by the Lollards. HE had royal protection because the government grew very tired of Church interference and lusted after Church wealth. His followers, starting around 1402, lost protection and became nice human torches. Daniell says there is a growing tendency because of 'ecumenism' to ignore that the Church is often DIRECTLY responsible for auto-de-Fe's. Wycliff is STILL a four letter word worse than "f---" in the Catholic Church because he started it all, thoroughly grounded it during his life so it would never die out, AND the Hussites took his Latin writings to Bohemia where they survived as opposed to England where his writings and history were so erased that people even now are unsure whether or not he had anything to do with English translation of the Vulgate (not Greek or Hebrew). In 1415, John Hus was given a safe conduct to the Council to express his views since the Hussites militarily were kicking Catholic butt in Bohemia and could not be suppressed. They were called "Ultraquists" because they served Communion in both kinds. When he got there, the Holy Council immediately revoked his safe conduct, tried him, and lit him up. They are deposed the three reigning Popes and elected an ex-pornographer by the name of PicclomenniPius II. The Hussites, absolutely infuriated, began to conquer the whole Holy Roman Empire, so the Church had to come to a final compromise with them anyway.

The Lollards in England, while they had royal protection, went about reading the BIBLE in English, teaching reading, and printing English versions, Most of these, after protection ceased, were destroyed, but the seeds had been firmly planted. Almost all of Wycliff's writings in England were destroyed, and studies of Wycliff NOT encouraged in the Anglican Church. But this is passive. Henry VIII and others after were very equivocal about a BIBLE in English, and even though there were good versions available either suppressed them or made them enormously expensive until the King James Version came out, Most Anglican Church hierarchy and government wanted to keep it in Latin. Luther and Calvin's insistence on private reading of the BIBLE and individual conscience making up its mind about it was the overwhelming force that A) got most people at least a little literate, and B) supplied vernacular versions to the English. Surprizingly, the Catholic Church turned an about face on the matter, had the BIBLE translated into vernaculars BUT DID NOT ENCOURAGE PRIVATE READING AND DECISION MAKING! Did not fight it, did not encourage it, and got the results they wanted.

The Catholic Church, it seems, still actively suppresses studies of Wycliff, their hatred goes so far. Only one serious study of Wycliff's writings as a whole has been published for English readers, luckily by Athony Kenny - NOW OUT OF PRINT! - and little has been translated into English although available in Latin for hundreds of years. Wycliff was called "The Morning Star of the Reformation." He was also "The Evening Star of Scholasticism". One of these, I've forgotten which, is called "Lucifer". You can find some Wycliff translated at the John Wycliff Society website, DE BLASPHEMIA in fact and the Pope and the Church hierarchy is the main target.

The reason why the English government and Anglican Church hated English translations were the Calvinist-style marginal commentaries. However, it is precisely these marginal comments that got more and more people to read since they guided them in their reading, 'simplified' the process of interpretation considerably. Does this mean everyone was becoming a Calvinist? No. Much of what Luther and Calvin said backfired upon them because of the brutal, sadistic, oppressive regimes they encouraged or set up. Calvin burned Michael Servetus at the stake personally. If people didn't like that shit from the Catholics and Anglicans, they didn't like it from the Lutherans and Calvinists either. How do we know? The total breakdown of censorship during the English Civil War. Jacob Boehme, only mildly persecuted by the Lutherans in Germany in the early 1600's (they were loosing steam because A) they were government toadies, and B) again, their viciousness at first actually horrified the normal, decent person) was translated by John Sparrow amongst others and, though obscure as hell and loaded down with alchemy, was not only popular as hell but those translations are STILL almost entirely the only ones available. Alchemy was extremely popular in England. Issac Newton was an Alchemist first, Bible commentator and apologist second, and something or other third. When censorship ceased, private reading of the BIBLE and the individual conscience making up its own mind, like reading itself, took off like wildfire with the quick and immediate result that ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE was A) completely dropped if not straightforwardly supported by the BIBLE; B) supposedly 'obvious' doctrines like Hell and Immortality since they were NOT unequivocally supported by the BIBLE became dropped by many, most notably John Milton; C) all the crazy doctrines to be found in the BIBLE glossalia, communal property, communal sex, and to a certain extent the equality of women with men were taken up by many. So what is one of the first things Oliver Cromwell does when he get control of government? Impose censorship. Milton and many others fight it. It is a public debate now and highly unpopular.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH HAS BECOME AN ENGLISH TRADITION NOW!!!!!

The Church hierarchy and government could never successfully put the cat back into the bag. And one lasting result the teaching of reading was essentially available to anyone who wanted it.

‘Sincerely’

Gary C. Moore
16th Feb 2004