The Antichrist and the Lollards: Apocalypticism in Late Medieval and Reformation England

This study examines expectations of imminent judgment that energized reform movements in late-medieval and Reformation Europe. It probes apocalyptic vision of the Lollards, followers of the Oxford professor John Wycliff (1384). The Lollards repudiated the medieval church and established conventicles despite officially sanctioned prosecution. While exploring the full spectrum of late medieval apocalypticism, this work focuses on the diverse range of Wycliffite literature: political and religious treatises, sermons, biblical commentaries, and trial records to reveal a dynamic strain of apocalyptic discourse. Curtis Bostick asserts that 16th-century English apocalypticism was fed by vibrant, indigenous Wycliffite well springs. The rhetoric of Lollard apocalypticism is analyzed and its effect on carriers and audiences is investigated, illuminating the rise of evil in church and society as perceived by the Lollards and their radical reform programme.