Johann Friedrich Mayer (theologian)

Johann Friedrich Mayer ( born December 6, 1650 in Leipzig, † March 30, 1712 in Stettin) was a German Lutheran theologian.

Life and work

Johann Friedrich Mayer was the son of Johann Ulrich Mayer and his wife Ursula Sophia Brown. He attended the University of Leipzig and received on 21 April 1666, a bachelor degree and on January 30, 1668 the degree of Master of Arts at the Faculty of Philosophy. He went after the University of Strasbourg, where he was at Balthasar Friedrich Salzmann and Balthasar Bebel devoted to the theological studies to 1670.

In Leipzig he was on 13 February 1671 Bachelor of Theology inclusion in the Faculty of Theology of the University of Leipzig. On January 29 In 1672 he was preacher Saturday in his hometown and in the same year superintendent in Leisnig. On May 29, 1673 became a licentiate and doctorate was on October 19, 1674 as a doctor of theology. On November 27, 1678 he became the pastor and superintendent in Grimsby, but he wanted to pursue the academic path, because it did not fill the position in Grimsby. Mayer had made ​​a name as a writer of pamphlets against syncretist, Arminians and Papists parish during his official activities.

Following a decision of the Saxon Upper Consistory in Dresden, he was appointed on 12 May 1684 in the fourth theological professorship at the University of Wittenberg. Here he worked alongside Abraham Calov, Johann Andreas and Johann Quenstedt German man and knew that is bound to the chair position of the second preacher at the Castle Church in Wittenberg, and in addition, the administration of the electoral fellows. Already in his inaugural address, he called for under the Note on Philip Jacob Spener's Pia desideria that theology to overthrow it and take care of speculation piety.

Mayer, who had been rector of Wittenberg University in the winter semester of 1684 was, in his private life with his wife quarrel serious offense, which ended with a then rare divorce. This affected Mayers Wittenberg effectiveness and meant that you agreed to his appointment as senior pastor of the St. Jacobi Church in Hamburg in 1686 quickly. Spener was active in divorce proceedings as an expert witness, which led to a deep and lasting rift between Mayer and Spener, especially since this denied him two upcoming professor in Wittenberg. Mayer should evolve in the sequence as a representative of Lutheran orthodoxy to one of the fiercest opponents of Spener.

Infamous was a violent quarrel which broke out 1692/93 under the Hamburg Senior Pastors on the admissibility of pietistic conventicles. Mayer rejected this as Pietism from a total vehemently while Johann Heinrich Horb, the senior pastor at St. Nicholas, they advocated, supported by Abraham Hinckelmann, the senior pastor at St. Catherine's, and Johann Winckler, the senior pastor at St. Michael's. Mayer sat down by first and ensured Horbs deposition; according to Mayer's departure was the rather mediating Winckler senior clergy of the Hamburg Ministry.

In his work in Hamburg Mayer also developed a lively epistolary exchanges with representatives of his time. He was at the Hamburg Academic Gymnasium active, briefly held a professorship at the University of Kiel and was appointed Senior Church of Holstein. In addition, he was named 1691 King Charles XI. of Sweden to Oberkirchenrat the German lands under Swedish rule. In 1698 he worked as a consistory of the abbess of Quedlinburg, Anna Dorothea of Saxe- Weimar and mediated in theological matters in Berlin.

As he he was promoted to a main agent of Lutheran orthodoxy as controversial theologian in Hamburg, offered Charles XII. of Sweden him after the death of Konrad Tiburtius Rango on May 11, 1701 the post as General Superintendent of Swedish Pomerania, which he received on 12 August. He was connected with the Office of Professor of Theology Faculty of the University of Greifswald, pastor and superintendent at the City Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Prokanzler University and chairman at the Greifswald consistory. Building on its already extensive scale library and art collection Mayer developed in Greifswald an extensive literary activity.

Mayer participated in the organizational tasks of the university and was in 1701 and 1705 its rector.

He dealt with the history of Pomerania, intending to call a learned society to life. Here it but the events of the Great Northern War intervened. Loyal to his Swedish Lord, he should hold to Peter the Great and Augustus the Strong in St. Nicholas Church a prayer service in which he was asked for the permanent expulsion of his Swedish employer after the invasion of enemy forces on 25 January 1712. This enabled him so excited that he suffered a stroke. He laid down on the basis of this event, all the offices and went to Stettin, where he died of another stroke.

JFMayer married on May 29, 1673 Sabina Catharina Welsch, the daughter of the Leipzig professor of medicine Gottfried Welsch; his son Johann Abraham Mayer later became a professor of medicine in Greifswald. 1686 the marriage was divorced again.

Importance

Mayer, who brooked as strictly orthodox Lutherans no differences in faith, wanted to establish itself as a religious fanatic sole representative of Lutheran orthodoxy in the period of Late orthodoxy. The fact that this hardened position of Orthodoxy legitimacy foundations withdrew, he did not recognize. Due to the rigid attitude, the currents of rationalism and foresight could unfold, but never was his goal well.

Book and art collections

Mayer built on an extensive book and art collection. His library was one of the largest private libraries of the early 18th century. To his art collection included a show synagogue, an extensive collection of medals and numerous pictures, including portraits of Cranach's Wittenberg reformers. According to Mayer's death his library was sold at auction. The pictures remained first predominantly owned by the family and were auctioned off at the end of the 18th century. A Rubens copy of Mayer's collection now hangs in the church of New Churches.

Writings

Self writings (selection)

Mayer has 281 journals published in print, so that only a selection can be performed.

  • Museum ministri ecclesiae
  • L. de electione Pontificis Rome., Hamburg 1700
  • Historia versionis Germanicae Bibiorum Lutheran
  • Historia synodorum Gryphiswaldensium
  • De side baronii & Bellarmini ipsis Pontificiis ambigua
  • Ecclesia Papaia Luterane patrona & cliens
  • Biblotheca Biblica, Greifswald 1702
  • Chrysostom Lutheranus, Wittenberg 1686
  • Ves and found again child of God
  • Hamburgischer Sabbath
  • Hamburg Nineveh
  • Biblotheca scriptorum Theologiae moralis so with Strauchens Theologiae moral, Greifswald 1705
  • Eclogues evangelicae
  • First fruits of eloquence
  • Worthy Communicant
  • Warning for an incorrect Eyd
  • Praying Child of God
  • Repentance and Prayer Proverbs
  • Protestant angels
  • Repetition of the holy Sabbath work
  • Gottgeheiligte early hours; Leipzig in 1706 by Nicolaus Thürmann
  • Lanx satura lucubrationum philologicarum, Strasbourg 1669
  • Image King Charles XII, Greifswald 1708

Letters

  • Cross Waldi cal weeks sheet. 1744. ( Reproduce extracts of Mayer's correspondence)
  • Handwritten letters Mayers to Johann Albrecht Fabricius. In: State and University Library Hamburg. Discount Reimarus M. 7-55.
  • Handwritten letters Mayers on G. Spizel. In: State Library of Augsburg.

Others

  • Johann Carl Dähnerts " Pomeranian Library ". Vol 2, Greifswald 1753, pp. 405-424, 445-459, 525-535 Vol 3, Greifswald, 1754. Pp. 41-58, 83-93.
  • Kurt Detlev Möller: John Albert Fabricius 1668-1736. In: journal of the Association for hamburgische History Vol 36 (1937 ), pp. 1-64, esp here p 43
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