The Christian, on the other hand, but notably the Christian, have persistently sought to make their Bible speak all languages at all times. It is a curious fact that a Book written in one tongue should have come to its largest power in other languages than its own.
Middle English Bible Versions and John Wycliffe
So far as we know, the first complete English Bible was due to the influence and activity of John Wycliffe (c. 1330-84), an eminent Oxford theologian, called the "morning star of the Reformation" because of the religious convictions that he developed and propagated.
THE WYCLIFFE BIBLE OF 1382: John Wycliffe Was a Champion of the Bible
Why did most people have virtually no access to the Bible in John Wycliffe’s time? What was the impact of the Wycliffe Bible? How did the clergy react to Wycliffe and his movement? Of what are we convinced, and how does this strengthen our faith? How does God’s Word deepen our love for him?