Did you miss us? Well, we're back for the first full week of Lent Madness action! Hopefully you survived the past 24 hours with no voting -- we know it can be tough on the Lenten psyche.
One thing you may not know is that our Bracket Czar, Adam Thomas, wakes up early every morning to updated the online bracket. This is a great service to you, faithful voters, because he also posts links to all the previous battles. This will come in especially handy in subsequent rounds when you want to revisit those early rounds as you make an educated choice based on the all saintly write-ups.
In case you missed the news on Facebook or Twitter, Mechtild of Magdeburg easily swept past Isaac the Syrian on Saturday 77% to 23% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen. A few folks have lamented about the lack of close contests in the first round. This happens sometimes but...just wait.
John Wycliffe
“The morning star of the English Reformation,” John Wycliffe is best known for his translations of the Vulgate into Middle English and his attempts to reform church structures in England. A philosopher, theologian, professor, and translator, Wycliffe was condemned by the Council of Constance after his death—his bones were dug up and burned.
Born in England in the mid-1320s, Wycliffe centered his life and work at Oxford University—his intellectual home and frequently his physical address. He came of age during the Black Death, living through the upheaval caused by the plague. The dramatic changes caused by the Black Death prompted many cultural questions, and Wycliffe extended his questioning into theology and church organization. Wycliffe was drawn to the Platonist spirit of Augustine of Hippo—students frequently referred to him as “John of Augustine.” Under the influence of both Plato and Augustine, Wycliffe added his voice to a growing undercurrent in medieval theology that questioned the political power, the wealth, and control of the clergy embodied in the hierarchy based in Rome.
Contrary to popular belief, there was no official blanket ban on translating the scriptures into the languages of the common people. However, most of these texts either contained commentary clarifying Church teaching or were paraphrases written from the perspective of Church teaching. Wycliffe rejected any kind of clerical control and issued his new literal translation in order to separate the word of scripture from the Church’s interpretation of it. This position drew the wrath of church authorities and a condemnation by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Arundel.
Wycliffe protested the wealth and political power of the Church and advocated for a religious institution stripped of its wealth, lands, and titles that would be under the authority of the king and the nobles. Not surprisingly, theologically sympathetic, powerful nobles protected him from enemy clerics. Toward the end of his life, Wycliffe’s teachings against the conventional understanding of the sacraments, including the physical presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the necessity of confession, turned many of his former political allies against him.
Collect for John Wycliffe
Stir up in us, O God, the zeal for your Word that inspired your servant John Wycliffe that we, like him, may boldly challenge stifling systems and cling to the promises of your power and presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Moses the Black
Moses the Black was born in Ethiopia around 330. As a young man he left Ethiopia for adventures in Egypt. A servant to a wealthy Egyptian landowner, Moses surreptitiously stole from his boss, lining his pockets with the profits. When the man discovered Moses’ perfidy, he expelled Moses from his house.
Moses, a large and formidable man, gathered around him other bandits. Together they robbed and harassed people living in the Egyptian countryside. As he was fleeing the authorities, he took refuge among monks in Sketes, a desert community outside of Alexandria. Inspired by their contented piety, Moses converted to Christianity and renounced violence and carousing.
Sometime later, when four robbers assaulted the monastery, Moses stood his ground and tied up the would-be thieves, bringing them to the brothers to ask advice about the robbers’ punishment. He suggested that it would not be very Christian to repay violence with violence. The robbers were so moved by the compassion of the monks that they joined the monastery. On another occasion, Moses was summoned to a council to pass judgment on a brother. Going to council reluctantly, Moses carried a leaking jug of water into the meeting. His brothers were perplexed; Moses replied that his sins follow behind him but he did not see them and yet he was coming to judge another. The brothers were moved by this gesture and forgave the offending monk.
Moses ultimately became abbot of a community in the desert, and despite enduring racist stereotyping, he was later ordained a priest. In 405 he was warned of marauding Berbers plotting to attack his monastery. Moses sent all but a few of the monks from the monastery, insisting that the building and the brothers would not respond to any attacks with violence. “Those that live by the sword die by the sword,” he reminded his brothers. He and the remaining cohort of monks welcomed the bandits with open arms and were killed.
In his recounting of the ancient church, historian Salminius Sozomen remarked of Moses, “No one else ever made such a change from evil to excellence.” Moses is a shining example of the transformative power of the gospel and is the patron saint of nonviolence.
Collect for Moses the Black
Almighty God, whose blessed Son guides our footsteps in the way of peace: Deliver us from paths of hatred and violence, that we, following the example of your servant Moses, may serve you with singleness of heart and attain to the tranquility of the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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285 comments on “John Wycliffe vs. Moses the Black”
I voted for Wycliffe because he protested against the wealth and political power of the Church. His ideas were ahead of his time.
“No one else ever made such a change from evil to excellence.”
So may we all!
Like many others, I voted for Moses the Black because of his history of transformation and his total embrace of non-violence.
I'd never heard of him before this LM, but I was inclined to vote in his direction because of my concerns over John Wycliffe's rejection of the eucharistic presence and because of the way Wycliffe has often been used as a "poster boy" for anti-RC prejudice.
In your presentation of their histories, thanks for enabling me to vote FOR Moses the Black, rather than AGAINST Wycliffe.
I loved the dribbing water bucket story, too -- but the first line that caught my eye was "Inspired by their contented piety, Moses converted to Christianity and renounced violence and CAROUSING."
There might be hope for the rest of us, too, if we can renounce our carousing!
P.S. I'm going to confess I had a browser glitch -- and possibly voted twice, inadvertently. I hope this doesn't trigger a tweet-storm from the SEC!
Incredible commentaries!!!! I found Moses to my liking---non violence certainly speaks tous in our times. and his conversion demonstrates the possibilities of the workings of the Holy Spirit.
Moses the Black is one of the Desert Fathers named in The Conferences of St. John Cassian.
Another difficult choice! Voted for Moses in honor of those of us who have given up carousing (well, mostly) to follow Jesus!
Mossed.He fought off thieves when once was a thief. Then showed them the compassion that had been shown to him.
Ooh, a tough one! In the end I voted for Moses. Especially because his reformation wasn't obvious for him - he was a big tough guy who could so easily have kept his power and street cred. Instead he changed, STAYED changed, helped others to change, and in the end gave his all for what he believed.
As has been the case every day so far, I am grateful to all of you for sharing your insights and perspectives.
Great work; Can't wait to share with EfM group tomorrow. Moses is my choice.
Speaking truth to power vs. repentant non-violence & mercy. This is some pairing! I went with Wycliffe. He could easily have complacently gone with the flow. I have to tendency to hold in higher regard that which requires self-sacrificial initiative, as I find it fairly easy to sit on my hands and "be nice," even if it might be dangerous. Get up off my dumpa and crank the hierarchy? That's tougher for me. That, and post-truth. We need a modern Wycliffe, IMHO.
Wasn't Wycliffe's Bible translated in ways that were remarkably anti-authority for the Middle Ages and even centuries beyond? Weren't his translations disliked in high circles even a few centuries later because they were viewed as challenging the Divine Right of Kings?
I thought I'd learned that the King James Bible was written with much respect toward earthly monarchs, as contrasted with Wycliffe's translations that showed no special respect for national and regional rulers.
I voted for John because he was a voice for the inequities of his time and an advocate for social justice for his time.
I'm glad to learn of Moses the Black who indeed was a fine example of the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. I am curious how a black man could have been the victim of racism in a country of people of color. While I was prepared to vote for him simply because he's been grossly overlooked, I finally settled on Wycliffe based on the impact the lattr has had on Christianity through the ages.
Moses the Black! There is no way to peace; peace is the way. His story accurately describes the century and place he lived in, and the near impossibility of living in peace there. The story of the leaking jar makes sense if you recall that jars were carried on the backs of the carriers, and it thus parallels another, earlier from Egypt found in the Gospel of Thomas, saying 97: (97) Jesus said, "[What] the kingdom of the [father] resembles [is] a woman who was conveying a [jar] full of meal. When she had traveled far [along] the road, the handle of the jar broke and the meal spilled out after her [along] the road. She was not aware of the fact; she had not understood how to toil. When she reached home she put down the jar and found it empty." (translation by my friend Bentley Layton). A bit more mysterious than the story of Moses the Black, but there's always a residue of mystery in parables! Wycliffe for another time, maybe....
My name isZoey and I am six. I voted for John because he protested against politics and money in the church.
(Written by mum Kate. Thank you all for your warm welcome!)
Glad to hear from you again today, Zoey.
I didn't vote for John, because he wanted to give control of the church to the nobles. I guess that was a different time, when the only options seemed to be the church authorities or the nobles. Glad we live in a different time.
I voted for John because putting the Word into the hands of "ordinary" Christians was, and still is, like providing a door to unlimited awe, pondering, and worship! Wish I could vote for Moses as well but....no contest here.➕
As others have said, this is a tough choice. I wavered and finally voted for Wycliffe. He recognized power and money gathered in the church for the sake of the church, and not for the body of Christ, so to speak. It has been a struggle through the ages and is still among us; an on-going challenge and needed discernment in considering those who are elected to positions of authority. It starts in discerning the call of those seeking ordained ministry.
It seems all the candidates from the reformation era emote heavy, dark auras that resist the embrace of our Lenten madness. The bad guy gone righteous cant help but win votes, no matter how naive.
Moses the Black reminded me of Paul. Where are you, Moses the Black? We need you now in this nation of ours!!!
Please help bring peace. My vote is for Moses the Black!
I'm responding to Tim's comment about Adam getting up early every morning in Lent to work on this.... I suspect he is up early anyway! HELLO ADAM AND FAMILY! Big hugs from the Cooks in Scituate.
Moses the black's story was mostly traveling and I like that and the story also shows that people can change because Moses the black was first a bandit and then a monk.
John Wycliffe had me going until the last paragraph which stated that later in life he argued against the physical presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Sorry John. You lost me there.
Transformation trumps (no slur intended) translation!
I'm inspired by the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of Moses the Black, but one of my aunts has served as part of Wycliffe Bible Translators for almost forty years, so I voted for John the Translator this time and most likely I will have a chance to consider voting for Moses the Monk in the next round.
Oh and WBT also produces (or has produced in the past at least) an amazing cookbook, in addition to translating the Holy Scriptures into indigenous languages around the globe, some of which previously had no written form.
A tough choice - kind of like what do I do if Syracuse and Notre Dame are playing each other for a national championship. I finally went with Wycliffe.
Voted for Moses. On saturday we had a visit in our parish from f Jacques Mourad of Deir Mar Musa al-habashi (monastary of Moses the abbessinian (i e the black) in Syria. They very much live after his example: non violence, joy and hospitality.
Loves Moses. The compassion he had for others was moving. I voted for Moses.
It's March 7. Is something wrong with the website? This is yesterday's match-up.