Albert Meyer (theologian)

Albert Meyer , also Meiger , Meygerius or Major , (* 1528 in Pellworm ; † on August 17 or 18, 1603 in Lindholm ) was a pastor.

Live and act

Albert Meyer was a son of Johann Meier (Meiger) († February 17, 1561) and his wife Wiebke Nielsen (she lived in 1581). The father, who came from Hamburg, had worked as a reformer on Nordstrand , had been a pastor in Pellworm in 1525 and in Rendsburg in 1532 . His brother, Samuel Meiger, was also a pastor, author, editor, and scholar. His sister Sara, who died before 1603, was married to Georg Boetius for the second time . His sister Elisabeth was married to the Provost Georg Peträus (Jürgen Petersen) from Tondern and the mother-in-law of Jacob Fabricius the Elder.

Meyer, who had been friends with Johannes Pistorius since his youth , studied theology with him from 1547 at the University of Copenhagen . With the support of King Christian III. he received his master's degree three years later . Christian III recommended that the university appoint Meyer as a mathematics professor, but the educational institution rejected this due to his lack of practice and reputation as well as his age. In the following years he obviously taught math subjects. On the title page of his disputation he bears the title of professor in the philosophy faculty.

Meyer was pastor in Keitum by 1552 at the latest and moved to Lindholm a year later. He quickly stopped thinking about going back to university. Around 1565 he attended Caspar Peucer's lectures at the University of Wittenberg , otherwise, despite some conflicts, he continued to work in his community until the end of his life. Among other things, parishioners accused him of clinging to magic. Meyer died of the plague according to the Lindholm village chronicle.

Importance as a theologian and scientist

Meyer probably enjoyed a high reputation as a theologian. In 1561 the Rendsburg magistrate said of him that he was the only person worthy of his father's successor. In 1576 and 1579 he represented Duke Hans von Schleswig-Holstein-Hadersleben in deliberations on the concord formula .

As a mathematician, Meyer participated in the surveying work for the dike in the Gotteskoog in 1564 . He also dealt with alchemy and astrology, which from his point of view were not at odds with religion, but aroused suspicion in his community.

The fact that Meyer dealt intensively with the polar regions for many years seems very strange. For this purpose he collected writings on Greenland . He wrote to Heinrich Rantzau that he was King Christian VI. should ask to appoint him as spiritual and secular ruler of the Nordic countries. In addition, the king should allow him to travel to Greenland on a planned expedition. Alternatively, he wanted money and the opportunity to visit Norway , Iceland , the Faroe Islands and all the “insulas borealis” he could reach for research purposes .

Works

Meyer wrote a sermon postil , but it did not appear in print. There was also a small handbook for travel that contained a systematic questionnaire in order to be able to describe the places and countries visited in detail. This work has been reprinted.

According to Anton Heimreich , Meyer probably wrote a historical song about the death of King Christian III. thematized. Heimrich was probably right in his assumption.

family

Before June 1553 Meyer married Caecilia Becker († March 22, 1559), who was a sister of his childhood friend Johannes Pistorius . In his second marriage, he married Catharina on November 12, 1559, whose father Friedrich Johannsen came from Niebüll and was dikemaster in Lindholm.

literature

• Dieter Lohmeier: Meyer, Albert . in: Schleswig-Holstein Biographical Lexicon . Volume 4. Karl Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster 1976, pp. 150–151-