Simon Grynaeus
Simon Grynaeus (* 1493 in Veringendorf; † August 1, 1541 in Basel ) was a Reformed theologian, reformer and humanist.
Life
Simon Grynaeus was born as Simon Griner 1493 in Swabia ( Veringendorf in Sigmaringen ). He attended the Latin school in Pforzheim with the teachers Nicholas Gerbel and Georg Simler. Here begins a lifelong friendship with Philip Melanchthon. On October 13, 1511 Simon Grynaeus enrolled at the University of Vienna, from which he MA. Here he makes the acquaintance of the humanist Vadian.
After that, he is head of a Latin School in Buda, where there was a large number of German settlers. From the conservative clergy distributed to Grynaeus goes to Wittenberg, where he is enrolled in April 1523. 1524 Grynaeus was appointed Greek professor at the University of Heidelberg, where his reformatory setting is not shared his knowledge is absolutely necessary,. When Hermann leaves his Latin professor von dem Busche, Grynaeus is requested also to take on this. In Heidelberg Grynaeus away from Martin Luther's Supper opinion. He approaches the position of Huldrych Zwingli - among other things, influenced by a meeting with Andreas Bodenstein 1524 - on.
In 1525 he disputed with Johannes Brenz about his new positions. While the Reichstag in 1529 he visited Speyer and renewed his friendship with Melanchthon. At the same time he gets with Johann Fabri together. 1529 is by the Basel City Council, which was influenced by John Oecolampadius and the Mayor of Basel Jakob Meyer zum Hasen Grynaeus ' favor, brought in as Greek professor at the university. Since the mid- twenties he had gained not only as a teacher but also as a skilled investigator in questions of old manuscripts a call. In 1526 he confided to some of his materials tracked Sebastian Muenster, who used it to support the Frobensche publication of the " Hebrew Grammar" of Elijah Levitas.
Especially in the field of printing Froben excited Simon Grynaeus stir when he five of the long-lost books of Livy ( urbe From condita ) had come in September 1526 in the library of Lorsch Abbey rediscovered and Froben, who received them in his Liviusausgabe 1531. Grynaeus started its activity in Basel with a lecture on Aristotle's Rhetoric, at the same time he tries to find an explanation of the New Testament.
Erasmus of Rotterdam supported him by force, even though he is not enthusiastic about Grynaeus religious beliefs. Grynaeus translated Erasmus for some Chrysostom - Homilies on 1st Corinthians, helping the Frobendruckerei in the edition so that the output can go to press in 1530. Erasmus written for Grynaeus ' Aristotle Greek edition ( printed in May 1531 Johannes Bebel ) a preface.
1531 takes Grynaeus with the publisher Bebel a trip to England to track down ancient manuscripts and prepare for printing. Through the prefaces and dedications to Charles Blount in Livy and John More in Aristotle by Bebel, but also letter of recommendation from Erasmus, the two were well prepared for the trip. They visited friends of Erasmus in Cologne, Antwerp, Ghent, Calais and London. On June 6, 1531 Grynaeus meets in London to Henry VIII; He also made contact with Reginald Pole, Thomas Cranmer, Thomas More and John Claymond, director of the Corpus Christi College, Oxford. This allowed Grynaeus to take a number of manuscripts to Basel to edit them, especially by Proclus. The relocated in 1531 Bebel was Proclus John Clement dedicated to the Greek Euclid printed by Jacob Herwegen ( 1533) was Cuthbert Tunstall ( 1474-1559 ) devoted a mathematician and lawyer who later became Bishop of London and Durham, and Grynaeus Latin translation of Bebel Plutarchedition ( 1534) Cranmer was finally dedicated.
In his Greek edition of the Elements of Euclid ( Editio princeps of the Greek text ) he used two manuscripts. One from Venice to it by the local French ambassador Lazare de Baif had provided (today Codex Marcianus 301), and a code of Paris from the 16th century, the presented him the doctor and humanist Jean Ruel available (Codex Paris gr 2343 ). The comment to the elements of Proclus he had of Claymond from Oxford.
Grynaeus has thought about devoting Froben Latin Plato ( 1532), for which he had revised Ficino's translation, Thomas More. 1534 finally he devoted Walder Greek Plato John More, although Thomas More was not there more Chancellor. These and other of Grynaeus initiated and prepared editions, as Herwagens source collection to the discovery of the New World " Novus orbis " ( 1532) demonstrate that Grynaeus " posterasmianische " Publication trends strongly influenced in Basel, like Melanchthon in Wittenberg.
Shortly before the July 25, 1531, after the " colloquy " with the Baptist Hans Meyer Pfyster in Bern meets on July 13, 1531 Grynaeus again in Basel and begins in accordance with its interests to the students the logical and scientific writings of Aristotle to read. Shortly before his death he gave a lecture on the Organon of Aristotle. 1534 left Grynaeus with approval of the City Council, who had been asked by Duke Ulrich of Württemberg and Ambrose Blarer, Basel, to look after the reform of the University of Tübingen. On July 13, 1535 he returned to Basel.
The invitation of the Grynaeus and Blarers to Württemberg shows the effort Ulrichs, Zwinglian and Lutheran to hold gleichmermaßen in the country. Grynaeus Quick looked in Tübingen before a controversy about the sacrament, which he sought irenic and settle in the dialogue between Lutherans and Zwingli Strasbourgers by Martin Bucer model. It came to a colloquium on 28 May 1535 Tübingen to a compromise on the basis of Luther's input in Marburg, Zwingli had indeed rejected. But the Lutheran party was bigger and gradually Württemberg was very Lutheran. As in Württemberg Grynaeus tried in Switzerland to the unification of the Protestant churches. He worked at the First Basel Confession of 1534 and at the Confessio Helvetica prior to / Second Basel Confession of 1536.
After his return from Tübingen was clear that he was the spiritual head of the Basel church, for Myconius asked him more often for advice. 1536/37 he was Dean of the Faculty of Arts, to be Rector ended with his death on May 1, 1541. While the Berne Synod of 1537 Grynaeus defended the Strasbourg position against the attacks of the Lutherans and renewed his personal relationship with John Calvin, which he helped prepare his return to Geneva in 1541. Calvin then devotes his letter to the Romans from 1539 Grynaeus. The relationship between Old Believers and Protestants to his heart. So he represents about Basel on the colloquy in Worms 1540/41.
In Basel, he assisted Oswald Myconius in his confrontations with the Basel city council and the university, which demanded that the clergy must demonstrate academic degrees. Grynaeus advocated the freedom of the pastors of the authorities, he was here for the first time with his opinion against his friend Amerbach. Finally, the position of the Council and University won - but the conflict was boiling up again and again. Maybe the choice Grynaeus ' rector of the University of Basel in 1541 was a sign of revival.
Since his stay in England the ratio Grynaeus ' had suffered greatly to Erasmus. Grynaeus demanded in view of Warhams health and age, a one-time payment of a sum in lieu of annual payments to Erasmus and when he told of his successes, he had effected in compliance with Erasmus, this got upset. Grynaeus seems to be in England not to have behaved particularly tactful, especially what religious matters were concerned. After public criticism of Erasmus and his English host Thomas More criticized his behavior. Simon Grynaeus ' inability complex issues will be addressed with tact and mentioned elsewhere also by his friend Martin Bucer.
During his reception at Henry VIII Grynaeus was asked to obtain Protestant positions on the matter of the divorce of Henry from Catherine of Aragon. In August 1531 Grynaeus sent a first shipment of letters to London, containing the positions of Oecolampadius, Paul Phrygio, Wolfgang Capito, Zwingli and Bucer, who supported all more or less moderate the king's concerns. In October he sent after the positions of Melanchthon and Luther, which turned out not quite so positive.
Exactly why Erasmus is so hostile acted against Grynaeus at once is unclear, but with the divorce affair, it seems to have had nothing to do since Erasmus these negative letters of Thomas More, the Grynaeus concerned, published together with a font, namely De praeparatione ad mortem, which was Thomas Boleyn is intended. It may yet be that Grynaeus was present when Erasmus in Froben in Basel, died 1536. Simon Grynaeus was married twice, he had a son and died on 1 August 1541 the plague.