Friedrich Myconius

Friedrich Myconius, actually Frederick Mecum, ( born December 26, 1490 Lichtenfels, † April 7, 1546 in Gotha ) was a Lutheran theologian and reformer of Gotha.

Life and work

Educated in the deep religiosity of the Middle Ages, Myconius visited (this is the Hellenized form of his surname Mecum ) first school in the town of Lichtenfels. At the request of his parents, he moved in 1503 to the Latin school in Annaberg. At a meeting with Johann Tetzel, who was then a sub-commissioner of the Jubilee indulgences for the Teutonic Order in Livonia pervaded his native city, he called for a free drain. However Tetzel refused the suggestion. Then he advised the rector of the Latin school to enter the Franciscan monastery, which he did on July 14, 1510. The next day he dreamed that the Apostle Paul bring him out of the wilderness to Christ. He then studied intensively the scholastic doctrine. After a transfer to Weimar Myconius was ordained a priest in 1516. In the presence of the Duke Johann the Steadfast and his son Johann Friedrich he held in the same year his first sermon at Pentecost. His inner theological fight was stopped by the visit of Martin Luther in 1518. Inspired by the ideas his sermons were always sharper and called the displeasure of his monks out. He was suspected of heresy and monitored. He was sent to Eisenach in 1522 and from there to Leipzig; then he was taken as a prisoner of the enemy luther Duke Georg 1524 Annaberg.

He escaped captivity by fleeing to the Electorate of Saxony. At Easter he preached in Zwickau and in July in beech wood, where he received a large inflow from the neighboring communities. In August 1524 he was commissioned by Duke John, a preacher at Gotha. There, the conditions in the churches and schools by the Gotha Pfaff storm were disordered. Myconius proceeded to organize them and gave out a church and school rules. In 1524 he taught in the Augustinian convent school. During the Peasants' War, he was able to prevent damage in Gotha, he confronted by the farmers. Despite all this, he stayed out of the political affairs of the Peasants' War and received help from Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon, the writing came into contact with him.

Its importance was reinforced by the later Elector Johann Friedrich of Saxony 1526/27 as a preacher to Cologne and Dusseldorf, the capital city of Jülich -Cleves - Berg, accompanied, as this is married to Sibylle von Jülich -Cleves -Berg. Passing through, he also held in Paderborn, the first recorded gospel sermon in the episcopal city. On his third trip with Johann Friedrich Myconius preached in the Düsseldorf castle. The Franciscan Johann Haller contradicted him. On the Düsseldorf market, there was a disputation, in the course of Haller, the opinion Myconius joined. Myconius gave his written representation of action and defense in pressure.

Visitations of the Church circles were carried out on the initiative of Luther in the Saxon Kurlanden at which Myconius 1526 participated in the Official Tenneberg to 1528 /29 in the offices Eisenach, Gotha and Weimar. He also took part in the Marburg Colloquy in 1529, participated in the Wittenberg Concord in 1536 and at the meeting in Schmalkalden 1537. His work as a reformer led him in 1538 to England, where he negotiated with the theologian Henry the VIII of the Augsburg Confession. However this was not successful and he returned six months later returned to Saxony. There, the introduction of the Reformation in Annaberg successful and together with Caspar Cruciger designed the Elder, he worked on the introduction of the Reformation in the Duchy of Saxony. He also participated in the negotiations in Frankfurt and Nuremberg in 1539 and the Hagenauer Colloquy 1540.

His constant efforts had an effect on his body. Since 1539, he had a trachea suffering due to tuberculosis. This robbed him of his voice, so that he could no longer preach. After he was unable to articulate vocally, he devoted himself to the Constitution of fonts. In his Historia reformationis flowed a lot of personal experience. After the aggravation of his illness, he died on April 7, 1546 in Gotha.

Others

In Gotha today reminds the State normal school " Friedrich Myconius ", located next to the former Augustinian monastery, to the reformer. In addition, the mid-19th century the square behind the Augustinian church Myconiusplatz was named.

Since 1997, the Myconiusmedaille for special volunteer commitment to the social, cultural, economic or environmental terms is awarded annually by the City Council of Gotha. Since 2002, the medal is also endowed with 1,500 euros. After the honorary citizenship of the Myconiusmedaille is the highest award of the city.

The grave stone Myconius ' was transferred to the abolition of the old churchyard in 1874 in the Church of St. Augustine, where he is admitted to the right of the altar in the wall. The first part of his written by John Stigel inscription is in Greek, the second in Latin. The translation of the Greek reads: "This earth has the efficient Thuringian Friedrich Myconius hidden, which was the origin after a Frank. He has the light of the Gospel set fire to the Gothaern were, and God-fearing he lived eleven Olympiads and the rest. " Second, part Latin translation reads: " This stone covers the remains of the pious Myconius, under whose leadership, Gotha, you the grace of Christ was exhibited. Through teaching and way of life that has left you an example. This look, Gotha, as a great honor. "

Works

• " A friendly exhortation and comfort to all the friends of God word in Annaberg " comfort letter to Anna Berger, Zwickau 1524
• " Offense and defense " The Düsseldorf disputation, 1527
• Preface to Luther's Galatians, 1535
• " The Widderteufer empty and mysterious " d Justus Menius, Wittenberg 1530
• " How to teach the simple and particularly the sick in Christianity ," Wittenberg 1539
• "Historia reformationis " ed. of E.S. Cyprian, Leipzig 1715, Neudr ed. O. Clemen, Leipzig 1915
• Co-authors: From d fragrant and playi. Ointment, 1543
• Letters: Paul Scherffig: Letters of Myconius at Justus Menius. In: Contributions to the Thuringian Church History 4, 1939, 177-254.
• Hans -Ulrich Delius (ed.): The correspondence of FriedrichMyconius ( = writings on church and History of Law 18/19). Tübingen 1960.