Theologian John Wycliffe (1320-1384) translated the Bible into English in the 1380s, assisted by his Lollard followers. Nearly a century before the invention of the printing press, dozens of copies had to be handwritten by scribes.
Wycliffe was a graduate of Oxford University. His interests included natural history and mathematics as well as religion. A reformer critical of the established Catholic Church, he believed the church had lost its soul to riches, and that to serve its followers, it should stay poor and avoid amassing property. His critics accused him of blasphemy and heresy for these views, as well as for translating the Vulgate Bible into common language. Nearly 50 years after his death, the Pope had his remains disinterred, destroyed, and dumped into the river. Over 150 years later, English scholars produced the King James version of the Bible, by which time having a Bible in English was no longer controversial. The King James version is still popularly used today, noted for the power and beauty of its poetic language.