May 17, 1382

The air outside was light and fresh, and the city bustled about as usual. There was nothing to tell that this spring day would be different from any other spring day in the past. But the air was heavy with tension inside the meeting hall of Blackfriars, London. Eight bishops and thirty-seven other officials gathered into the room. One man, the Archbishop of Canterbury, cloaked in red, purple and gold, sat as judge. One man, the plain and frail professor and preacher, John Wycliffe, stood as one...