SIXTEEN POINTS ON WHICH THE BISHOPS ACCUSE THE
LOLLARDS
(late 14th c. From Anne
Hudson, Selections from English Wycliffite Writings [
These are the points that are put
by bishops' ordinaries to men who they call Lollards:
o
The
first: the bread or the host on the altar, consecrated by the priest, is truly
God's body, but it is the same bread in nature that it was before.
o
The
second: that shrift [confession] of mouth is not necessary for the health of
the soul, but rather sorrow of heart [contrition] does away every sin.
o
The
third: that no one is bound to tithe in the manner now used by the church;
rather such tithes and offerings by the law of God should be dealt to poor
needy folk.
o
The
fourth: that there is no pope, nor has there been one since the time of Saint
Peter the pope.
o
The
fifth: that neither the bishop's nor the pope's curse [i.e., excommunication]
binds any man, unless he be first cursed by God.
o
The
sixth: that neither pope nor bishop may grant any pardon, but the least priest
has as much power to grant such pardon as the pope.
o
The
seventh: that there should be but one degree alone of priesthood in the church
of God, and every good man is a priest and has the power to preach the word of
God.
o
The
eighth: that neither the pope may make laws, nor the bishops
constitutions, and that no one is bound to keep such laws and constitutions
made by bishops or popes.
o
The
ninth is that it is against the law of God that bishops and other prelates of
the church should have temporal possessions, for by God's law they should go on
foot preaching the word of God.
o
The
tenth: that is that priests were not ordained to say masses or matins, but only
to teach and preach the word of God.
o
The
eleventh: that it is not lawful to pray to Saint Mary or other saints, saying
the litany or other prayers, but only to God ought men to pray.
o
The
twelfth: that neither cross nor images painted or graven in the worship of God
or any other saints in the church should be worshipped, and, though a man saw
before him the same cross whereon Christ suffered death, he should not worship
it, for, as it is said, all who worship the cross or images are cursed and do
idolatry.
o
The
thirteenth: that it is not rewarding or lawful to go on pilgrimage.
o
The
fourteenth: that it is not lawful to maintain lights in the church before the
crucifix, nor before any other image.
o
The
fifteenth: that it is not lawful to slay any man, neither in judgment nor out
of judgment, neither Saracens nor pagans, by battle as knights do when they
assail the holy land, for it is said in the gospel that thou shalt not kill.
o
The
sixteenth: that exorcisms done in the church, such as the hallowing of the
water, bread and salt, and ashes and such other things, is simply the craft of
necromancy, which is the worshipping of the fiend.
Whoever
shall see these sixteen points, let him be well aware that in each of them is
hidden truth and falsehood, and whoever grants all, grants much falsehood, and
whoever denies all, denies many truths. Therefore know
well this that, when a conjunction is made, though there be many truths, if it
affirm a falsehood, it shall be denied altogether; falseness is so venomous.
True
Christian men should answer here advisedly, truly and meekly to the points and
articles that are put against them: advisedly so that they speak not
unknowingly, truly that they speak not falsely, and meekly that they speak not
proudly in their answer, and then there shall be grace in their speaking or
answering by the help of Christ. For Christian men should believe that the
sacrament on the altar is truly Christ's body sacramentally and spiritually,
and in more manners than any earthly man can say among us. For Christ who may not lie said, showing the
bread that he held in his hand, "This is my body." And therefore says
Jerome in his epistle to Hedibiam, "Hear we, the
bread that Christ broke and gave to his disciples to eat was his own body, for
he said 'This is my body,' and so by our belief it is both Christ's body and bread
of life." An so God forbade that we should say that this blessed sacrament
were only bread, for that would be a heresy, as it would to say that Christ is
man and not God. But we say that it is both bread and Christ's body, right as
Christ is both God and man, as Saint Austin says. And Saint Hillary says,
"The body of Christ that is taken from the altar is figural since bread
and wine are seen without, and it is true and literal since Christ's body and
blood are believed to be within."
2.
Also we grant that confession of mouth is needful to all who have been
counseled by God to make it meekly. But
yet true contrition is more needful, because without confession of mouth may a
sinful man be saved in many a case, but without true contrition of heart may no
sinful man of discretion be saved. Therefore the common law says, as authority
witnesses, "The will of a man is rewarded, not the work: will is in
contrition of heart, and work is in shrift of mouth. Therefore it is certain, clearer than light, that sins are forgiven by contrition of heart."
Therefore true contrition is the essential part of penance, and confession of
mouth is the accidental part. But
nevertheless confession of heart done to the high priest Christ is as needful
as contrition.
3.
Also we grant that men may be held and bound, by the bond of man's law and
counsel not contrary to God's law, to pay tithes and offerings to curates in
the true manner now used, for the end that the curates do their office as God
has commanded them. And if they live as
curates should, and spend the goods of the church for God's worship in
themselves and other poor people, then are the tithes paid to the poor men and
the needy, for they themselves are poor.
4.
Also we believe that our lord Jesus Christ was and is chief bishop of his
church, as Saint Peter says, and shall be unto the day of doom. And we suppose that there have been many holy
fathers, since Saint Peter's time--although this name "pope" is not
mentioned in God's law--as Saint Clement, Saint Cletus, and many others. And so we grant that the pope of
5.
Also we grant that neither bishop's curse nor pope's may bind any man in the
reckoning of God, unless that binding accord with the bond of God. And if a man is unrightfully cursed by the
pope or the bishop for God's cause, if he suffer it patiently, he shall fare
much better because of the curse, and those that curse shall fare much worse,
for, as Saint Austin says, "I say not this foolhardily, that if any man is
cursed wrongfully, it shall sooner harm him that curses, than him who suffers
this curse, for the Holy Ghost does not put the pain of such a curse to any man
undeserved.
6.
Also we grant that the pope and bishops may lawfully and meritoriously grant
such pardons and indulgences as are grounded in holy writ, and that in three
manners. One is that they may by their
office pronounce or show the will of God, how he forgives sin, and that true
pronouncing is forgiving by their office of priesthood. In the second manner
they may forgive and release penance foolishly enjoined to men and foolish oaths
and bonds that men have bound themselves with, and that is called indulgence or
dispensation. And in the third manner they may forgive trespass that men have
done against them as much as lies in them, an so it is understood that Christ
says in the gospel, "Forgive, and it shall be forgiven to you"; and
thus whatever sins they shall forgive, they are forgiven, and whatever they
loose upon the earth, it shall be loosed in heaven. Nevertheless sale-pardons that smack of
simony make both the granter and him who buys it accursed of God.
7.
Also we grant that the state of priests should be one in true unity, and the
order is all one regarding the substance both in the pope and bishops and
simple priests, but their degrees are diverse, both higher and lower. And as
God has granted them the keys of power and of knowledge of his law, so all
priests in office have the same power of the order of priesthood. But some exceed in power of jurisdiction and
in excellence of the keys of knowledge. And although unlearned men may live
well and be and wise men, yet they are not priests in office, nor are they
bound to preach in office, although they are priests spiritually, as say
Chrysostom and Lincoln, and so they may teach their wives, their children and
their servants to be of good manners.
8.
Also we grant that popes may meritoriously make laws and decrees, and bishops
constitutions, and kings statutes, so that the same laws and ordinances assist
men to keep the law of God, and then men may be held to keep them. And if they make any laws contrary to
Christ's law, men are as greatly bound to stand against those wicked laws as
they are bound to keep their good laws.
And therefore God says through Ezekiel the prophet, "Go not in the
commandments of your fathers, nor keep your judgments, nor be defouled in their idolatry; but keep my commandments and my
laws and my judgments."
9.
Also we grant that bishops accordingly with God's law may have temporal goods
and possessions in reasonable measure, so that they spend them as God's
almoners, and not hold them as worldly lords. For Christ says in the gospel,
"You shall not have lordships, as lords and kings of the people." And
Saint Peter says, "Do not have lordship in the clergy," and so,
whether bishops ride or walk, so long as they do well their office, they are
excused.
10.
Also we grant that priests were ordained by Christ to teach and preach to the
people, and not only that, but also to pray and to administer the sacraments of
God, and live well. And by good
ordinance of holy church they have been ordained by men to say both matins and
masses, in which are contained gospel and epistle and other books of holy writ,
for the end that they should after their reading declare it to the people in
the mother tongue. For Saint Paul says,
"I wish that all priests might speak in tongues," as are prayers and
lessons in Latin, "but more I wish that they would preach."
11.
Also we grant that it is both lawful and rewarding to pray to our Lady and to
all the saints, as long as the intent of our prayer be done principally for the
worship of God. And in our prayer we should not think that our Lady or other
saints may grant anything of themselves, but they know God's will and pray that
it full be done, and so their prayer is heard.
And likewise the litany is right good, if it be well used; but when
priests or religious sing the litany for pride, for hypocrisy or for
covetousness then they do not please God, but the fiend and the world, who are
they masters that they serve.
12.
Also we believe that neither the cross that Christ was done in upon, nor any
rood nor image made by man's hand should be worshipped as God, nor as
reasonable creatures, for whosoever worships them so does idolatry and is
cursed. But nevertheless the making of images truly painted is lawful, and men
may lawfully worship them in some manner, as signs of tokens; and that worship
men [may] do to them, if they love them and use them to that end that they are
ordained for, as clerks do with their books, without the oaths, prayers and
sacrifices and misbeliefs unlawfully done to them.
13.
Also we grant that it is lawful and rewarding to go on pilgrimage heavenward,
doing works of penance, works of righteousness and works of mercy, and to such
pilgrimage all men are bound according to their power while they live
here. For the prophet says in the
Psalter, "Lord be thou not silent, for I am a stranger and a pilgrim as
all my fathers were." Such pilgrimage may we well do without seeking dead
images and shrines.
14.
Also we grant that it is lawful in measure to have lights before images, and to
hold torches before the altar, so that it be done principally for the worship
of God and not to the images, and other works of righteousness and mercy be not
omitted because of it. For Chrysostom
says, "Those who honor churches do a good work if they keep to other works
of righteousness." But men should just as well set such light in the
church though the images were not there, as though they were there, or else the
love that they give to images smacks of idolatry.
15.
Also we grant that it is lawful to slay men in judgment and in battles, if
those that do it have authority and permission of God. And if they slay any
man, christian or heathen,
against the will of God, they are accursed and break the law of God. And so it is likely that few or none are now
slain by the authority of God.
16.
Also we grant that hallowing of holy water, of bread, salt and ashes is lawful,
for they are devout prayers and blessings, and therto
is no exorcism done on holy bread but a prayer as good as our grace, and not
all exorcisms are craft of necromancy and working of the fiend; for Christ and
his apostles used the office of an exorcist in the casting out of fiends for
man's salvation. And nevertheless, those
that set their belief that every drop of holy water does away a sin, and take
no heed how holy water is a token that we have evermore need of repentance in
holy church all the while we live, are foully beguiled.