Matthias Flacius

Matthias Flacius ( called Illyricus ( the Illyrians ), actually Matija Vlačić or Vlacich, occasionally Matthias Franković; * March 3, 1520 today Labin) on the southeast coast of Istria in Albona ( † March 11, 1575 in Frankfurt am Main ) was a Lutheran theologian.

Life

Flacius acquired in Venice a thorough classical education. Instead, as originally planned to enter the Franciscan Order, he went in 1539 to Basel, then to Tübingen and in 1541 to Wittenberg. Here Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon were his teachers. Him as an associate professor of the Hebrew language was in 1544 provides that he knew by the end of 1545 to March 1549. He also acquired on February 25, 1546 the academic degree of Magister and took place on May 1, 1546 inclusion in the Senate of the Faculty of Arts.

As Melanchthon had in 1548 approved the so-called Leipzig articles, authored Flacius of Magdeburg from various polemics against him and his school (so-called Adiaphoristischer dispute ). In the 1550s to Flacius sat apart among other things with Kaspar Schwenckfeld. The main point was the importance of the word of God. These Flacius wrote the scripture from the Holy Scriptures and their effect / resist Caspar Schwenckfeld ( 1553). He also began work on the Magdeburg Centuries, of which the Protestant church historiography has been shaped decisively. Flacius but was probably only organizer of the work, the main authors his colleagues at the Saint -Ulrich - and -Levin Church, Johannes Wigand and Matthew Judex.

In his historical studies Flacius worked in this period closely with Georg Cassander and Cornelis Wouters ( Cornelius Gualterus ) ( 1512-1582/84 ). 1554 to 1555 he stayed with them in Cologne. How these two Flemish scholars stood Flacius - usually under a pseudonym mail sender - in lively correspondence with Kaspar von Niedbruck.

When he was appointed professor at the strictly Lutheran University of Jena in 1557 and became superintendent, he fought back immediately with his colleagues there the Philippine ecosystems or Saxon so-called " synergism ". He developed the on behalf of the Duke of Saxony's government formulated a creed against all deviations from the Lutheran doctrine called Konfutationsbuch ( Solida Confutatio et condemnatio praecipuarum corruptelarum, sectarum etc., 1559 ) back. As occurred at the University of Jena with Viktorin Striegel himself a defender of synergism caused Flacius his arrest, but was at a colloquium in Weimar no condemnation enforce Strigel.

In the so-called Osiandrian dispute Flacius was at least in substance on the side of Melanchthon. By participating Flacius took the synergistic controversy in violence.

1561 Flacius was just as Simon Musaeus, Johannes Wigand and Matthew Judex deprived of his office in Jena. Flacius first went to Regensburg, and later to Antwerp, where he was forced to flee to Strasbourg. There, however, he finally fell with the clergy in such a violent dispute that the Council in 1573 expelled him from the city. Because of his views expressed in Weimar view that the original sin of man's essence belongs, he has now been accused by the strict Lutherans of Manichaeism and until his death sold everywhere.

The word " lout ", within the meaning of boor or lout, first appeared in 1611 when Hellwig and Matthias Flacius and his heavily debated disputes in which he was " like a lout aufführte " returned.

His son Matthias ( Illyricus ) Flacius became a professor at the University of Rostock.

Student

From the followers Flacius were in the gnesiolutherischen disputes various confessions formulated about

• The Magdeburg Confession (Confessio Magdeburgensis ) of 1550; 9 signatories, including Nicholas of Amsdorf, Nicolaus Gallus (Hahn ), Dr. Johann Kittel and Johann Baumgart,
• Catechism of Regensburg in 1554 by Nicolaus Gallus; flacianischen his followers Mag Joshua Opitz, Jerome Haubold, Mag Jerome Peristerius and Wolfgang Eckel Four were expelled in 1573 from Regensburg,
• The Lüneburg article " 1561; many of the 15 signatories (which were, inter alia, Valentin Curtius, Paul von Eitzen, Joachim Westphal, Tilemann Hesshus, Joachim Mörlin, Martin Chemnitz, John Freder ) sat down in the subsequent period, however, of Flacius from,
• The Mansfeld Confessions of 1559/60, 1562 ( the 116 signatories included, inter alia, Jerome Mencel Mag, Mag Christoph Irenaeus, Johann Schellhammer, Cyriacus Spangenberg Mag and Andreas Lange) and 1565
• The Austrian Bekandnus of faith " of 1566 from Grafenwörth; 19 signatures, including Joachim Magdeburg (hence referred to as Confessio Magdeburgii )
• The Antorffische or Antwerp Confession of 1566/67; written by Matthias Flacius and Cyriacus Spangenberg, signed among others by Mr. Martin Wolf, Liz. Hermann Hamelmann, John Saliger and John Ligarius or
• The Reußisch - Schönburgische Confession " ( Confessio Ruthenea " ) of 1567, among the 34 signatories in Gera were Bartholomew Rosinus Mag, Mag Johann Opitz Tettelbach the Elder, Andreas Lange and Mr. Joshua..

After the death of Flacius his followers continued to lose support. 1575 were released after a public colloquy with Jacob Andreae in Lindau Tobias Rupp and Sebald Scheffler. Nevertheless, were particularly in Austria, not written some more flacianische confessions as

• The Austrian Einfeltig bedencken of 1580; signed by 28 ministers, including Josiah Udenius and Martin Wolf,
• The Lower Austrian repetitio of 1581; 40 signatories,
• The Upper Austrian Formula Veritatis 1582, much written by Jerome Haubold and Andreas Lange in Eferding under the protection of Rüdiger von Starhemberg; 11 been exiled signatories ( including Joachim Magdeburg ) and 28 signatories in Austrian municipalities (including Josiah Udenius, Martin Wolf), or
• The Lower Austrian Christian Bekandtnuß of 1582.

After the death of Rüdiger von Starhemberg 1582 were the followers Flacius in Austria no longer hold. The signatories of the Formula veriatis 1582 fell out in the aftermath. Cyriacus Spangenberg, who published in 1583 a critical writing against Joachim Magdeburg, supported inter alia by Christoph Irenaeus and Joshua Opitz, a refutation of Josias Udenius signed in 1584, inter alia, Philipp barbatus ( bearded man).

Works

• Antilogia Papae: hoc est de statu ecclesiae corrupto, et totius cleri Papstici perversitate. Basel 1555 (reprint by Edward Brown in Fasciculus rerum et expetendarum fugiendarum London 1690; digitized version of the library of the Monumenta Historica Germaniase )
• Catalogus testium veritatis, Basel 1556 ( digitized version of the Mannheim University Library (second, significantly expanded edition, Strasbourg 1562) )
• Clavis Scripturae Sacrae, Basel 1567
• Varia doctorum piorumque virorum de statu ecclesiae corruptu Poemata Wittenberg 1557
• Excitation and contribute to the editorship of the Magdeburg Centuries