Following their persecution
in the lower valleys,
00:00:19.65\00:00:22.18
the Waldensians
who moved up here
00:00:22.22\00:00:24.19
into the higher
valleys did not do so
00:00:24.22\00:00:26.65
to live life as hermits.
00:00:26.69\00:00:28.12
Number one, they
fled persecution.
00:00:28.16\00:00:30.09
But once they got here,
00:00:30.13\00:00:31.46
they tried to establish
as normal a life as possible.
00:00:31.49\00:00:34.76
And normal for them
was training missionaries
00:00:34.80\00:00:37.70
and training their young people
00:00:37.73\00:00:39.70
in how to study and
how to teach the Bible.
00:00:39.73\00:00:42.84
This here, The
College of the Barbs
00:00:42.87\00:00:45.31
stands today as just one example
00:00:45.34\00:00:47.98
of what would have
been numerous schools
00:00:48.01\00:00:50.35
that would have been
spread all over the valleys,
00:00:50.38\00:00:52.65
where they would teach
and train their young people
00:00:52.68\00:00:55.38
to be
missionaries throughout Europe.
00:00:55.42\00:00:57.35
Here in the
College of the Barbs,
00:01:05.83\00:01:08.10
is a Bible coffee table,
00:01:08.13\00:01:10.43
a place where the students
00:01:10.47\00:01:12.10
would have
painstakingly by hand,
00:01:12.13\00:01:14.80
written the Bible out
from beginning to end.
00:01:14.84\00:01:18.34
You see, the
Bible was very important
00:01:18.37\00:01:20.31
to the Waldensians,
00:01:20.34\00:01:21.68
they had it in
their own language.
00:01:21.71\00:01:23.38
It formed the basis
for congregational worship.
00:01:23.41\00:01:27.42
There was also
societies of young people
00:01:27.45\00:01:29.98
that would meet together
00:01:30.02\00:01:31.35
and will commit large
parts of the Bible to memory.
00:01:31.39\00:01:34.96
After studying here in
the colleges in the valleys,
00:01:41.76\00:01:44.93
the students would be sent out
00:01:44.97\00:01:46.87
to many of the
great universities
00:01:46.90\00:01:48.80
around Europe.
00:01:48.84\00:01:50.17
We know that
some of the countries
00:01:50.21\00:01:51.54
that they went to were England,
Scotland, France, Spain,
00:01:51.57\00:01:56.01
Germany, the Czech
Republic, Poland, Lithuania,
00:01:56.04\00:02:00.22
Bulgaria and Croatia.
00:02:00.25\00:02:02.32
And as they
went out as students,
00:02:02.35\00:02:03.89
they would study
00:02:03.92\00:02:05.25
whether to be a doctor, a nurse,
00:02:05.29\00:02:07.56
whether it was to be a lawyer,
00:02:07.59\00:02:08.92
they will study
various subjects,
00:02:08.96\00:02:10.46
but their main
purpose of going there
00:02:10.49\00:02:12.46
was to be an
undercover missionary.
00:02:12.49\00:02:15.33
They will take
the Bible with them,
00:02:15.36\00:02:17.07
they will also send
some missionaries out
00:02:17.10\00:02:19.23
who would just
go out as workers,
00:02:19.27\00:02:21.00
they may be travelling craftsmen
00:02:21.04\00:02:23.14
or travelling
artisans and tradesmen.
00:02:23.17\00:02:25.54
And they would also
take the Bible with them
00:02:25.57\00:02:27.94
and they would move and travel
to different parts of Europe.
00:02:27.98\00:02:31.21
They couldn't have
the Bible, it was illegal.
00:02:31.25\00:02:32.91
And so they
would take their coat,
00:02:32.95\00:02:34.55
and they would
unstitch the seam of their coat
00:02:34.58\00:02:36.92
and then just inside
the two layers of the coat,
00:02:36.95\00:02:39.49
they will put a
few pages of the Bible
00:02:39.52\00:02:41.62
and they would travel
00:02:41.66\00:02:42.99
with just a few
pages of the Bible,
00:02:43.02\00:02:44.43
not a whole copy.
00:02:44.46\00:02:45.86
And when they found
someone that they thought
00:02:45.89\00:02:47.80
was maybe
interested in the gospel,
00:02:47.83\00:02:50.43
they would take the Bible
00:02:50.47\00:02:51.90
out of the
stitches of their coat
00:02:51.93\00:02:53.87
and share the truth
of God's Word with them.
00:02:53.90\00:02:57.21
You know, maybe you're working
today in a doctor's office,
00:02:57.24\00:03:00.14
maybe you're working
as a nurse in a hospital,
00:03:00.18\00:03:02.81
maybe you're a
teacher in a school,
00:03:02.84\00:03:04.75
or maybe you're a
lawyer in some law firm,
00:03:04.78\00:03:07.12
you are not there
simply to collect a pay-check
00:03:07.15\00:03:10.12
to pay the bills.
00:03:10.15\00:03:11.49
You are there as a missionary,
00:03:11.52\00:03:13.12
God has put you there
for a specific purpose.
00:03:13.15\00:03:15.86
There may be
someone in your workplace
00:03:15.89\00:03:17.86
that God knows
only you can reach.
00:03:17.89\00:03:21.03
As students as well,
00:03:21.06\00:03:22.50
the first reason
why they went to study
00:03:22.53\00:03:24.37
was not to get the best degree.
00:03:24.40\00:03:26.70
But it was to be a missionary
00:03:26.74\00:03:28.24
in the great
universities in Europe.
00:03:28.27\00:03:30.51
You today may be a missionary,
in a great institution,
00:03:30.54\00:03:33.78
you are not there just
for academic excellence,
00:03:33.81\00:03:36.48
you are there also
to seek and find people
00:03:36.51\00:03:39.85
that you can
share the gospel with.
00:03:39.88\00:03:42.15
And the other thing we
learned from the Waldensians is
00:03:42.18\00:03:44.55
how important the
Bible was to them.
00:03:44.59\00:03:47.06
If they would
take just a few pages
00:03:47.09\00:03:49.52
and put it in their coats,
00:03:49.56\00:03:51.49
and then share it
with other people,
00:03:51.53\00:03:53.50
how much more should we
commit the Bible to memory?
00:03:53.53\00:03:56.56
How much more should we
commit the Bible to study,
00:03:56.60\00:03:59.40
that we would know God's
Word and be able to share it
00:03:59.43\00:04:02.14
wherever we are?
00:04:02.17\00:04:03.51
They stand
today, these Waldensians
00:04:03.54\00:04:05.57
as an inspiration to us
and may inspire us for service,
00:04:05.61\00:04:11.28
may inspire us for
study wherever we are.
00:04:11.31\00:04:14.25
In the early centuries,
00:05:08.34\00:05:10.24
Rome would lay
down the challenge,
00:05:10.27\00:05:12.84
either abide by how
we want you to live,
00:05:12.87\00:05:16.11
or leave your place of residence
00:05:16.14\00:05:18.85
and leave your place of worship.
00:05:18.88\00:05:20.85
And the Waldensians
treasured God's Word
00:05:20.88\00:05:23.79
more than they
treasured their home.
00:05:23.82\00:05:25.55
And so they would leave
and go up into the mountains.
00:05:25.59\00:05:28.82
Life would not
have been easy here
00:05:37.33\00:05:39.63
in the Waldensian Valley.
00:05:39.67\00:05:41.70
The children growing up
00:05:41.74\00:05:43.67
would have had to
learn very quickly
00:05:43.71\00:05:45.74
the lessons of self
sacrifice and self denial,
00:05:45.77\00:05:49.34
frugality, and economy.
00:05:49.38\00:05:52.01
Their parents treasured
00:05:52.05\00:05:53.82
these principles from the Bible,
00:05:53.85\00:05:56.08
and they wish to bestow
them upon their children.
00:05:56.12\00:05:59.05
They treasure them so much
that they retreated up here.
00:05:59.09\00:06:01.99
And here in the mountains,
00:06:02.02\00:06:03.39
they wanted to teach two things.
00:06:03.43\00:06:04.99
Number one, they
wanted to teach them
00:06:05.03\00:06:06.86
purity of life
based on God's Word.
00:06:06.90\00:06:09.43
And number two,
they wanted to teach them
00:06:09.46\00:06:11.90
to be a missionary
00:06:11.93\00:06:13.27
and take the
faith that they had,
00:06:13.30\00:06:15.17
and take it further afield
00:06:15.20\00:06:16.64
than just the
valleys in which they live.
00:06:16.67\00:06:18.84
And so they would
have schools up here
00:06:18.87\00:06:20.84
and they would
have places of worship
00:06:20.88\00:06:22.41
sometimes in caves
00:06:22.44\00:06:24.18
where they could
teach their children
00:06:24.21\00:06:26.21
and their young people
00:06:26.25\00:06:27.58
how they could go
out as missionaries
00:06:27.62\00:06:30.29
and share this message.
00:06:30.32\00:06:31.65
The Waldensians
fervently believe in the Bible.
00:06:44.57\00:06:47.37
They believe that
they should follow it,
00:06:47.40\00:06:48.97
and they treasured it.
00:06:49.00\00:06:50.91
The Waldensians believed
in the commandments of God
00:06:50.94\00:06:52.81
that had been
given through the Bible,
00:06:52.84\00:06:54.74
and they sought to keep them.
00:06:54.78\00:06:57.25
And they were often
persecuted for their faith
00:06:57.28\00:06:59.01
and had to retreat up to
the higher valleys and...
00:06:59.05\00:07:02.32
And here in this
place of worship,
00:07:02.35\00:07:04.85
it's just a cave.
00:07:04.89\00:07:06.22
Today, you come here,
00:07:06.25\00:07:07.59
you have to creep down
through the entrance to get in.
00:07:07.62\00:07:09.69
The rock walls are on each side.
00:07:09.72\00:07:12.33
But here in this cave,
it's almost a sacred spot.
00:07:12.36\00:07:14.60
It's a place
00:07:14.63\00:07:15.96
where they would
gather together for worship,
00:07:16.00\00:07:18.20
but also at times they
would gather together to hide
00:07:18.23\00:07:21.84
from the Roman soldiers.
00:07:21.87\00:07:23.24
To me, it's encouraging to know
00:07:33.08\00:07:34.42
that even when
they were scattered
00:07:34.45\00:07:35.78
in the mountains,
00:07:35.82\00:07:37.15
they would still find
time to worship together.
00:07:37.19\00:07:39.42
My belief is very important
that we today meet together
00:07:39.45\00:07:43.43
with fellow
believers and worship.
00:07:43.46\00:07:46.53
But the thing
that stands out to me,
00:07:46.56\00:07:48.16
here in this place of...
00:07:48.20\00:07:49.73
It's not that pretty
by earthly standards,
00:07:49.76\00:07:53.23
there's no gold plated
pulpit, there's no marble table,
00:07:53.27\00:07:57.74
there's just rocks, they're wet,
00:07:57.77\00:08:00.31
but it's the
quietness and the peace,
00:08:00.34\00:08:02.08
and the simplicity and
the purity of this place
00:08:02.11\00:08:05.81
that is striking.
00:08:05.85\00:08:07.38
Is that if these
Waldensians would gather here,
00:08:07.42\00:08:09.62
not just once, it
wasn't just a one off,
00:08:09.65\00:08:11.72
it may have been repeatedly,
00:08:11.75\00:08:13.19
it may have been over years
00:08:13.22\00:08:14.56
or may have been
even over decades
00:08:14.59\00:08:16.46
that they would gather together
to worship in caves like this
00:08:16.49\00:08:19.89
that are dotted
around these mountains.
00:08:19.93\00:08:22.43
For us church is so
comfortable or so convenient.
00:08:22.46\00:08:27.70
I've sat on a cold rock.
00:08:27.74\00:08:29.64
But often times in church,
we sit in nice comfy chairs.
00:08:29.67\00:08:32.41
The heating may be on,
00:08:32.44\00:08:33.84
it may just be
five miles from my house
00:08:33.88\00:08:35.68
or just down the road.
00:08:35.71\00:08:37.08
And yet sometimes we
think, "I'm not too keen to go."
00:08:37.11\00:08:40.58
And I think back to myself,
yourself, wherever we are.
00:08:40.62\00:08:45.35
We have a time
of relative peace,
00:08:45.39\00:08:47.39
a time of relative freedom,
00:08:47.42\00:08:49.26
where we can gather
together and worship.
00:08:49.29\00:08:51.86
Where we can
meet fellow believers,
00:08:51.89\00:08:53.56
and my appeal
00:08:53.60\00:08:54.93
is don't waste the opportunities
00:08:54.96\00:08:56.30
that you have.
00:08:56.33\00:08:57.67
Don't be so
comfortable or so convenient
00:08:57.70\00:09:00.94
that we miss the
opportunities that we do have.
00:09:00.97\00:09:04.21
God has given us
great opportunities now.
00:09:04.24\00:09:06.41
Let's take
advantage and use them
00:09:06.44\00:09:08.14
and take this message
to the world around us.
00:09:08.18\00:09:11.31
Whilst the Waldensians lived
00:10:01.70\00:10:03.03
on the Italian side of the Alps,
00:10:03.06\00:10:05.27
a group with similar
faith lived on the French side,
00:10:05.30\00:10:08.37
stretching
across southern France
00:10:08.40\00:10:10.27
from the Alps in the east
to the Pyrenees in the West.
00:10:10.31\00:10:13.94
They had the Bible
in their own language,
00:10:13.98\00:10:16.38
and they were a
freedom loving, industrious,
00:10:16.41\00:10:19.05
and prosperous people.
00:10:19.08\00:10:20.88
They were known
as the Albigensian's,
00:10:20.92\00:10:23.15
and like other groups
scattered around Europe,
00:10:23.18\00:10:25.79
they remain true to God's
Word and resisted attempts
00:10:25.82\00:10:29.52
to come under
the banner of Rome.
00:10:29.56\00:10:32.06
Some historians note
that have this movement
00:10:32.09\00:10:35.00
being allowed to grow unhindered
00:10:35.03\00:10:37.87
that the
Reformation would have started
00:10:37.90\00:10:39.60
in the 13th century
00:10:39.63\00:10:41.27
and not the 16th
and the base of it
00:10:41.30\00:10:43.74
would have been
in southern France
00:10:43.77\00:10:45.61
and not Germany.
00:10:45.64\00:10:49.68
In the early 13th century,
Pope Innocent III was reigning,
00:10:49.71\00:10:54.22
though he was
anything but innocent.
00:10:54.25\00:10:56.62
He surveyed the
landscape of Europe
00:10:56.65\00:10:58.49
at the time
00:10:58.52\00:10:59.85
and determined
that these groups,
00:10:59.89\00:11:01.66
however small,
needed to be exterminated
00:11:01.69\00:11:05.09
in order to preserve the church.
00:11:05.13\00:11:07.60
He issued an edict
00:11:07.63\00:11:09.16
that authorized the
killing of all such believers.
00:11:09.20\00:11:12.73
A crusade was launched
that became immensely popular
00:11:17.11\00:11:20.38
with the warriors
from northern France
00:11:20.41\00:11:23.08
as they no longer have to travel
00:11:23.11\00:11:24.98
all the way to Palestine.
00:11:25.01\00:11:26.72
But right here in
their own country,
00:11:26.75\00:11:29.25
they could attain
all the same benefits.
00:11:29.28\00:11:32.49
They were told that by killing,
00:11:32.52\00:11:33.99
they would wash away their sins,
00:11:34.02\00:11:36.12
that they were
entitled to the property
00:11:36.16\00:11:38.06
of those whom they
killed, and that when they died,
00:11:38.09\00:11:41.26
they would
immediately go to heaven.
00:11:41.30\00:11:44.00
All of this was
promised in return
00:11:44.03\00:11:46.43
for just 40 days of service.
00:11:46.47\00:11:49.17
One can only
imagine the type of people
00:11:49.20\00:11:51.97
who made at the armies
00:11:52.01\00:11:53.34
that came down
here to southern France.
00:11:53.38\00:11:55.98
Year after year from
1209 to 1229 for 20 years,
00:11:56.01\00:12:01.58
this crusade was waged
against the Albigensians
00:12:01.62\00:12:04.85
by Pope Innocent III.
00:12:04.89\00:12:06.89
During the first season,
00:12:11.46\00:12:13.23
the Crusaders
attacked and conquered
00:12:13.26\00:12:15.66
the city of Toulouse.
00:12:15.70\00:12:17.17
They then made their
way south in July of 1209,
00:12:17.20\00:12:20.94
to the city of Beziers.
00:12:20.97\00:12:22.90
As the forces were gathering
00:12:22.94\00:12:24.44
around the city
in large numbers,
00:12:24.47\00:12:26.64
the men made a
rush to attack them
00:12:26.68\00:12:29.04
before they had a
chance to fortify the camp.
00:12:29.08\00:12:31.65
It was in vain though,
00:12:31.68\00:12:33.01
and the assault was repelled
00:12:33.05\00:12:34.72
as they hurried
back to the city,
00:12:34.75\00:12:36.65
the Crusaders
mingled with the citizens
00:12:36.69\00:12:39.25
and made their way into the city
00:12:39.29\00:12:41.22
before they had a
chance to close the gates.
00:12:41.26\00:12:44.03
There was now a
problem, what would they do?
00:12:44.06\00:12:46.76
They were Catholic
Crusaders in the city,
00:12:46.80\00:12:48.86
alongside the Albigensians.
00:12:48.90\00:12:51.27
Upon consulting
the papal legate,
00:12:51.30\00:12:53.77
the reply was given,
00:12:53.80\00:12:55.87
"Kill all, kill all,
the Lord will know His own."
00:12:55.90\00:13:00.71
History records that
blood flowed like water,
00:13:07.18\00:13:10.65
as everyone in the
city was brutally murdered.
00:13:10.69\00:13:14.29
No one was spared.
00:13:14.32\00:13:15.72
Even those who sought refuge
in the church were cut down.
00:13:15.76\00:13:19.49
The population of the city
at the time was around 15,000.
00:13:19.53\00:13:23.06
But on that fateful day,
00:13:23.10\00:13:24.90
historians estimate
00:13:24.93\00:13:26.27
that around
60,000 people were here,
00:13:26.30\00:13:28.34
as people from the neighbouring
00:13:28.37\00:13:30.24
villages and towns had
come here seeking refuge.
00:13:30.27\00:13:34.21
After the
killing, before they left,
00:13:34.24\00:13:36.51
they set fire to the city,
00:13:36.54\00:13:38.25
burning
everything to the ground.
00:13:38.28\00:13:40.85
Not one house was left standing,
00:13:40.88\00:13:43.08
not one person was left alive.
00:13:43.12\00:13:46.05
Other towns and
cities in the area
00:13:46.09\00:13:48.32
would fall as well
00:13:48.36\00:13:49.76
suffering the
same gruesome fate.
00:13:49.79\00:13:52.46
Even though they
were not a race of people,
00:13:57.10\00:13:59.37
but rather a group
who shared the same faith,
00:13:59.40\00:14:02.00
the destruction
and systematic killing
00:14:02.04\00:14:04.54
has been compared in
some circles to genocide.
00:14:04.57\00:14:08.08
The prestige of the papacy
00:14:08.11\00:14:09.91
suffered
greatly during this time
00:14:09.94\00:14:11.88
as news of the slaughter
spread throughout Europe.
00:14:11.91\00:14:15.48
The Albigensians
00:14:15.52\00:14:16.85
were not totally
wiped out though,
00:14:16.89\00:14:18.42
and small pockets of them
did remain over the centuries.
00:14:18.45\00:14:22.16
Perhaps most tragic was
how the propagators linked
00:14:26.56\00:14:30.20
divine salvation with murder,
00:14:30.23\00:14:32.63
a dangerous combination
then, and still today.
00:14:32.67\00:14:36.57
We should never
allow religious extremism
00:14:36.60\00:14:39.21
to take away freedom of worship.
00:14:39.24\00:14:41.84
We must never impose
our beliefs on others,
00:14:41.88\00:14:44.61
nor allow others to
impose their beliefs on us,
00:14:44.65\00:14:48.28
no matter how true
one thinks they are.
00:14:48.32\00:14:50.92
No one has the right
to force their beliefs
00:14:50.95\00:14:53.99
on anyone else.
00:14:54.02\00:14:55.52
One thing that
God has given to us
00:14:55.56\00:14:58.23
is the freedom of choice.
00:14:58.26\00:15:00.00
The freedom to love
God in return for the love
00:15:00.03\00:15:03.10
that He has given to us.
00:15:03.13\00:15:05.07
May we be gracious
00:15:05.10\00:15:06.60
in how we share our
faith and our beliefs,
00:15:06.63\00:15:09.54
giving other people the
room to make their own decisions
00:15:09.57\00:15:12.71
as they are led individually.
00:15:12.74\00:15:14.61
The Magna Carta was
signed just over 800 years ago
00:16:13.47\00:16:17.87
here in Runnymede,
00:16:17.91\00:16:19.37
a document that would have
00:16:19.41\00:16:21.01
both civil and
religious importance
00:16:21.04\00:16:23.48
for England and
also for the whole world.
00:16:23.51\00:16:26.85
The backdrop to the
signing of the Magna Carta
00:16:26.88\00:16:29.48
was the growing tension
00:16:29.52\00:16:31.02
between the King of
England and the pope
00:16:31.05\00:16:33.15
over who had the authority
00:16:33.19\00:16:34.99
to appoint the bishops of London
00:16:35.02\00:16:36.62
and Canterbury.
00:16:36.66\00:16:37.99
At that time, the
King of England, King John,
00:16:38.03\00:16:40.40
was probably one
of our weaker kings.
00:16:40.43\00:16:42.96
The pope at that
time, Pope Innocent III
00:16:43.00\00:16:45.60
was probably one
of the stronger popes,
00:16:45.63\00:16:48.27
and in this battle,
the pope eventually won.
00:16:48.30\00:16:51.54
Because the king
was unable to count
00:16:51.57\00:16:53.58
on the support of the barons
00:16:53.61\00:16:55.04
because he had
conflict with them,
00:16:55.08\00:16:56.81
he eventually surrendered
to the papal legate in 1213,
00:16:56.85\00:17:01.25
even laying his
crown down at the feet,
00:17:01.28\00:17:04.29
in an act of submission.
00:17:04.32\00:17:06.45
He also agreed to
pay 1,000 marks per year,
00:17:06.49\00:17:09.96
and that should
any of his successors
00:17:09.99\00:17:12.16
break that agreement,
00:17:12.19\00:17:13.53
they would lose all
authority in the realm.
00:17:13.56\00:17:16.67
England was humiliated.
00:17:16.70\00:17:19.87
The barons was
stung in to action.
00:17:26.98\00:17:29.71
They would never
be slaves to the pope.
00:17:29.74\00:17:32.38
The issue of
national sovereignty
00:17:32.41\00:17:34.25
and the exchanging of money
00:17:34.28\00:17:36.05
for spiritual
benefits was at stake.
00:17:36.08\00:17:38.42
They feared and rightly so,
00:17:38.45\00:17:40.82
that this could be one
step in a course of events
00:17:40.86\00:17:43.73
that would lead the pope
00:17:43.76\00:17:45.09
to setting up who he
wanted to on the English throne,
00:17:45.13\00:17:48.76
overreaching his
authority into national matters.
00:17:48.80\00:17:52.63
These were some
of the main reasons
00:17:52.67\00:17:54.47
why Magna Carta was signed
on the 15th of June, 1215.
00:17:54.50\00:17:59.54
The first clause stated,
00:18:07.18\00:18:08.85
"The Church of
England shall be free
00:18:08.88\00:18:11.55
and hold her rights entire
and her liberties in violate."
00:18:11.59\00:18:15.72
This issue would rumble
on for the next 150 years,
00:18:15.76\00:18:20.40
and the money due to be
paid to Rome lapsed over time
00:18:20.43\00:18:24.13
and became sporadic.
00:18:24.17\00:18:25.97
This was one of the main reasons
00:18:26.00\00:18:28.10
of John Wycliffe's
early disagreements with Rome.
00:18:28.14\00:18:31.51
Another key
aspect of the Magna Carta
00:18:38.01\00:18:41.28
was the basis of
law that it set up.
00:18:41.32\00:18:44.09
That the king and the law makers
00:18:44.12\00:18:46.19
were subject to the same
law that they themselves wrote.
00:18:46.22\00:18:49.82
That those accused
were granted the right
00:18:49.86\00:18:52.19
to be tried by a
jury of their peers.
00:18:52.23\00:18:55.16
These among many other clauses
00:18:55.20\00:18:57.33
form the basis
of law and justice
00:18:57.37\00:19:00.17
as we know it today.
00:19:00.20\00:19:01.87
Many of the
principles of Magna Carta
00:19:01.90\00:19:04.31
form the basis of
the US Constitution
00:19:04.34\00:19:06.88
and the Bill of
Rights in America.
00:19:06.91\00:19:09.14
In fact, this monument
here was paid for by the ABA,
00:19:09.18\00:19:13.65
the American Bar Association.
00:19:13.68\00:19:16.42
Today, there are four
remaining original copies
00:19:16.45\00:19:20.06
of the Magna Carta,
00:19:20.09\00:19:21.59
one in the Lincoln Castle,
00:19:21.62\00:19:24.06
one in St. Mary's
Cathedral in Salisbury,
00:19:24.09\00:19:27.66
and two in the British Library.
00:19:27.70\00:19:31.53
The principles of Magna
Carta, which live on today,
00:19:31.57\00:19:35.20
stand to us as a testament
00:19:35.24\00:19:36.91
that we should
cherish our civil liberties,
00:19:36.94\00:19:39.77
that we should
protect our civil liberties,
00:19:39.81\00:19:42.91
and that we should use
the time that we have now
00:19:42.94\00:19:46.38
in the spreading of the gospel
00:19:46.41\00:19:48.28
while we have
the ability to do so.
00:19:48.32\00:19:50.39
Welcome to Lutterworth,
the workplace of John Wycliffe
00:21:04.63\00:21:08.90
and the place where he
did his most significant work.
00:21:08.93\00:21:12.80
John Wycliffe has
often been referred
00:21:12.83\00:21:14.87
to as the Morning
Star of the Reformation.
00:21:14.90\00:21:18.27
The Morning
Star is a term coined
00:21:18.31\00:21:21.08
to describe
either a planet or a star
00:21:21.11\00:21:24.08
that appears
shining brightly in the sky
00:21:24.11\00:21:27.22
just before sunrise.
00:21:27.25\00:21:29.45
John Wycliffe
lived around 150 years
00:21:29.48\00:21:33.05
before Martin
Luther, John Calvin, Zwingli
00:21:33.09\00:21:36.39
and the later English reformers.
00:21:36.42\00:21:38.49
But the work that he did
00:21:38.53\00:21:39.89
was key in
paving the way for them.
00:21:39.93\00:21:42.96
He was a reformer
before the term became popular,
00:21:43.00\00:21:47.14
standing alone
00:21:47.17\00:21:48.50
as the voice of
change in his generation,
00:21:48.54\00:21:51.04
and in calling
people back to the Bible.
00:21:51.07\00:21:53.48
Educated at Oxford University,
00:22:01.35\00:22:04.12
he was a scholar and
an unrivalled debater.
00:22:04.15\00:22:07.49
It was whilst he was a
student that he first incurred
00:22:07.52\00:22:10.59
the displeasure of Rome
in denouncing the friars
00:22:10.63\00:22:13.90
and their lazy lifestyle.
00:22:13.93\00:22:15.80
He was a champion of
civil and religious liberty.
00:22:15.83\00:22:19.90
And John Wycliffe
was the first in his era
00:22:19.93\00:22:22.57
who coined the term
Antichrist in reference to Rome.
00:22:22.60\00:22:27.28
The Archbishop of
Canterbury received from Rome,
00:22:27.31\00:22:30.88
a papal bull to investigate
the writings of John Wycliffe.
00:22:30.91\00:22:35.22
But due to his
standing at Oxford University,
00:22:35.25\00:22:38.15
and the goodwill he
had amongst the people,
00:22:38.19\00:22:40.52
this was never followed through.
00:22:40.56\00:22:43.06
Perhaps a key event
that helped John Wycliffe
00:22:43.09\00:22:46.46
was the Papal Schism of 1378,
00:22:46.49\00:22:49.86
where there were two popes
00:22:49.90\00:22:51.47
that each claim
to be the right pope.
00:22:51.50\00:22:54.80
And so amidst this confusion,
00:22:54.84\00:22:57.04
John Wycliffe was left
in a state of relative peace
00:22:57.07\00:23:00.28
to carry on the work
that he was called to do.
00:23:00.31\00:23:03.24
John Wycliffe
was a great believer
00:23:12.29\00:23:14.52
in the ministry of preaching.
00:23:14.56\00:23:16.56
He trained men who
were known as the Lollards
00:23:16.59\00:23:19.53
and sent them out
all over the country
00:23:19.56\00:23:22.30
preaching the gospel.
00:23:22.33\00:23:24.20
But his greatest achievement
00:23:24.23\00:23:26.03
was the
translation of the Bible.
00:23:26.07\00:23:28.24
Today, we might not
grasp the gravity of this.
00:23:28.27\00:23:31.74
But back then,
00:23:31.77\00:23:33.11
to read the Bible in
the language of the people,
00:23:33.14\00:23:35.81
as opposed to the
Latin was seen as heresy,
00:23:35.84\00:23:39.21
something that was forbidden
and viewed as dangerous.
00:23:39.25\00:23:43.08
A church leader
in Wycliffe's day,
00:23:43.12\00:23:45.52
commenting on his
translation, said these words,
00:23:45.55\00:23:49.56
"And so the gospel
pearl is thrown before swine
00:23:49.59\00:23:53.23
and trodden underfoot,
00:23:53.26\00:23:54.93
and that which
used to be so dear
00:23:54.96\00:23:57.00
to both clergy and
laity has become a joke.
00:23:57.03\00:24:00.60
And this
precious gem of the clergy
00:24:00.64\00:24:03.20
has been turned into
the sport of the laity."
00:24:03.24\00:24:06.84
Wycliffe though
declared plainly,
00:24:06.88\00:24:09.34
Christ and His apostles
00:24:09.38\00:24:11.01
taught the
people in the language
00:24:11.05\00:24:12.91
best known to them,
00:24:12.95\00:24:14.85
it is certain that the
truth of the Christian faith
00:24:14.88\00:24:18.15
becomes more evident
the more the faith is known.
00:24:18.19\00:24:22.22
Therefore, the doctrine
should not only be in Latin,
00:24:22.26\00:24:25.46
but in the common tongue.
00:24:25.49\00:24:27.60
John Wycliffe completed
00:24:32.13\00:24:33.50
the first
translation of the Bible
00:24:33.54\00:24:35.50
into the English
language from the Latin Vulgate.
00:24:35.54\00:24:38.57
It was not a translation
that was without fault,
00:24:38.61\00:24:41.48
but this Bible shed light
00:24:41.51\00:24:43.35
where previously there
had been only darkness.
00:24:43.38\00:24:46.45
The Bible once read
could do only one thing,
00:24:46.48\00:24:49.88
pierce through
the spiritual darkness
00:24:49.92\00:24:52.29
that was covering
England and Europe at the time,
00:24:52.32\00:24:55.62
the beams of light
began to shine now,
00:24:55.66\00:24:58.86
the revolution that
would be the Reformation
00:24:58.89\00:25:01.43
would become unstoppable.
00:25:01.46\00:25:03.40
Today we have the
Bible easily accessible.
00:25:03.43\00:25:06.77
And today I
want to challenge you
00:25:06.80\00:25:08.37
to commit to read
God's Word every day,
00:25:08.40\00:25:11.31
to spend time in His word
00:25:11.34\00:25:13.27
because as the psalmist says,
00:25:13.31\00:25:14.98
"The entrance of
thy words gives light."
00:25:15.01\00:25:17.48