Alexander Ales

Alexander Alesius (also: Aless; * April 23, 1500 in Edinburgh, † March 17, 1565 in Leipzig ) was a theologian and reformer.

Life and work

He initially studied at the University of St Andrews. When Patrick Hamilton brought reformist thought to Scotland, he should convince those in jail by the old faith. The result was the opposite. He also had to pay for his courageous appearance in prison, but managed to flee and escape on a German ship.

In 1533 he found himself in Wittenberg. From here, he tried to work towards Scotland. He put himself in a font for reading the Bible in the mother tongue and therefore wore a feud with John Cochlaeus from.

In 1535 he was appointed professor Thomas Cranmer to England, King Henry VIII brought a letter of Philipp Melanchthon, on whose recommendation he was appointed professor at Cambridge. Involved in theological disputes, he could not keep still in Cambridge in London and returned to Germany.

Elector Joachim II of Brandenburg appointed him as a professor at the University of Frankfurt (Oder) and took him in 1540 also for Colloquy at Worms ( 1540/1541 ) with. From 1543 professor at the University of Leipzig, he took part in the following years at the most important negotiations. He had joined primarily to Melanchthon and continued in the years when the Philippists were strongly attacked, his teacher loyalty. 1555 and 1561 he was rector of the University of Leipzig.

Basically, he had decided, and showed in the home firm character, but in a strange land, he was insecure and acted often contradictory. So there was, even after he had found peace in Leipzig, denied his ministry success. He had a series of great exegetical and dogmatic works written, but also intervened in the intra- Protestant disputes with polemical writings ( against Andreas Osiander, especially against the anti-Trinitarians Servet and Gentile ).

His grave stone is located since 1710 in the village church of Mölkau near Leipzig. That the grave stone after Mölkau came, may be associated with the grandson of Johann Friedrich Scipio, who had been there patron saint and founder of the Church. Alesius was buried at the cemetery in Zweinaundorf.

Works

• Alexandri Alesii Scotti Responsio Ad Cochlei Calumnias. . Wittenberg, 1534 (answer -sheet against John Cochlaeus ) urn: nbn: de: gbv :9 -g- 3090535
• De utilitate Missae et de vero usu & fructu coenae Domini ( c.1563, answer -sheet against Ruad Tapper ) digitized