History of Protestantism History of Protestantism Protestantism originated from work of several theologians starting in the 12th century, although there could have been earlier cases of which there is no surviving evidence. Any prominent dissent was subject to persecution by the Roman Catholic Church, and thus attempts to change anything in the Catholic Church were kept isolated or effectively eradicated up to the 16th century. One of the early Protestant Reformers was John Wycliffe, an English theologian and early proponent of reform in the 14th century. His followers, known as Lollards, spread throughout England but soon were persecuted by both the Catholic Church
Wycliffe College, Toronto college's building and then to the college itself. To ensure its long-term viability, Wycliffe College began considering various forms of union with the University of Toronto towards the end of the 19th century. Wycliffe College became affiliated with the University of Toronto in 1885 and federated in 1889. Wycliffe College had a close association with the Anglican Church of the Epiphany in Parkdale. The church's founding rector, the Rev. Bernard Bryan, had been one of the nine men who constituted the first class at Wycliffe in 1877. This connection continued in 1959 when the Church of the Epiphany's rector, the