Andreas Hoffrichter

Andreas Hoffrichter (* around 1490 ; † spring 1541 in Wertheim ) was a German Reformation theologian. As the successor to Johann Eberlin von Günzburg , he was from 1531 until his death superintendent (bishop) in the county of Wertheim and dominion of Breuberg .

Life

Training in Wittenberg, Augustinian prior in Münnerstadt

Nothing is known about Andreas Hoffrichter's birthday and place, his origins and years of youth. He must have entered the Augustinian hermit monastery in Munich before 1509 , as he was appointed lecturer ( reading master ) by Aegidius von Viterbo , prior general of the Augustinian hermits, on June 7, 1509 . On November 20, 1512 matriculated he at the University of Wittenberg . On November 18, 1513, he was promoted as a pater (ordained priest) from the baccalarius sentenciarius to the third class of training to become baccalarius formatus . At the beginning of September 1515 he received his doctorate in theology from Martin Luther , together with Tilomannus Schnabel , Iohannes Pictor ex Lippia Vestphalia (?) And Melchior Mirisch .

In 1518, Aegidius von Viterbo appointed him as "magistrum Andream Munerstadensem" (Magister Andreas von Münnerstadt) in second place for the upcoming provincial chapter of the Thuringian-Saxon order province . In 1519 he was prior of the Augustinian monastery in Münnerstadt and vicar of the provincial for the Franconian district. In a letter to the prior of the Augustinians in Würzberg, Petrus Weiglin, he bears the title “Professor of St. Theology". In 1520 he was reappointed by the Prior General of the Augustinian Hermits Gabriel of Venice to lead (third) the upcoming Provincial Chapter of the Thuringian-Saxon Order Province.

During his time as prior, reformatory efforts also took place in Münnerstadt. In 1525 the municipality of Münnerstadt wrote a letter of complaint to the Bishop of Würzburg and Duke of Franconia, Konrad II von Thüngen , in which they demanded a restructuring of the church and economic conditions in the Reformation sense. But on May 20, 1525, the Augustinian monastery and the court of the German rulers were plundered by a radical group who "plundered, redeemed and tore up what they found." At the beginning of July 1527, Hoffrichter sold a meadow for 80 guilders to the German House. Presumably this money was used to finance the planned escape from the monastery. On July 6, 1527, the court judge who was on the run was removed from his position as prior in the monastery in Münnerstadt and Andreas Moll was appointed as his successor. The new prior was commissioned to persuade the monks who had fled for whatever reason to return.

Superintendent in the county of Wertheim

It is not clear how and on whose recommendation Hoffrichter came to Wertheim. It is possible that this happened on the recommendation of Martin Luther, who was involved in the reformation of the church in the county by Count George II since 1522. Presumably the superintendent Johannes Eberlin, who had a close spiritual friendship with Count Georg II and who was responsible for the recruitment of the Protestant clergy, also stood up for him. As early as August 5, 1527, Hoffrichter was a pastor in Uettingen and shortly thereafter (from 1528) in Remlingen.

After the sudden death of Count Georg II in 1530 and the dismissal of superintendent Johann Eberlin at the urging of the bailiff Hund von Wenkheim, Hoffrichter was appointed pastor of Wertheim and superintendent in the county of Wertheim as his successor. This happened after he had protested in a letter to Count Michael II von Wertheim together with other new clergy against the arbitrary dismissal of his predecessor, whose departure in the letter as "on all interrogated, caused and accused chased out and violated “Is criticized. In a letter on May 8, 1530, court judge asked the count to release him from the verbal promise to take over from Eberlin. After Eberlin accepted the discharge on May 6th, 1530, Hoffrichter had verbally promised the "amptleut" to take over the pastor's post in Wertheim, despite the "complained conscience". Once again he stood up for Johannes Eberlin and insisted on remaining as a "caplan" pastor in Remlingen. But the removal of Eberlin was already a done deal and his position was vacant.

A letter of complaint dated November 23, 1530 shows that court judge had been pastor in Wertheim for "quite a while" (probably four months). In it he pointed out that he and his "family" could not feed on the money paid in advance and even live in poverty.

Whether and how Countess Barbara von Wertheim , who ruled as guardian regent from 1531, worked with Andreas Hoffrichter is not documented by sources. There is only a letter from the Countess dated October 30, 1531, in which she informed him that she had not yet found a “Latin schoolmaster”. The "German schoolmaster" should take over the lessons. Hoffrichter received the "order" from her to ask the parents to send the children to school from the "cantzell". This also shows that the countess and superintendent work closely together.

It is noticeable that in some of the letters mentioned, Andreas Hoffrichter also calls himself “caplan” or “unterdeniger caplan” in addition to the usual designation “Pastor of…”, which he prefixes his name. The term “superintendent” is not used publicly. It is unclear whether this is due to his monastic modesty (according to E. Langguth) or rather to the as yet unexplained official use of the title "Superintendent" in the county.

theology

No writings have yet been found on Hoffrichter's theological views. Only the seal he received on a letter dated May 8, 1530 to Count Michael II allows an interpretation. It represents a sickle on a three-mountain between the letters A and H. The sickle on the three-mountain is a reference to the dawning "Last Judgment" and shows Andreas Hoffrichter as a supporter of the then common view that the Reformation movement was in the " End story "is located. ("The Christianity of the Reformation knows that it is in the middle of the final story and eagerly awaits the day of Christ.")

During the Reformation, the spiritualists in particular referred to this apocalyptic interpretation of history and legitimized their position by tracing their authority back to the work of the Holy Spirit. Thomas Müntzer also saw himself as the “sickle of God”.

Seal of Andreas Hoffrichter 1530

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Erich Langguth: Unanimous in the new teaching: Dr. Johann Eberlin - Count Michael II. - Dr. Andreas Hoffrichter. The change in the rectory in Wertheim in 1530 . In: Historischer Verein Wertheim in connection with the Wertheim State Archives (ed.): Wertheimer Jahrbuch 1983 . Historical Association Wertheim e. V., Wertheim 1985, p. 91 .
2. ↑ "creature lector frater Andreas Hoffrichter provincie Saxonie" s. Adolar Zumkeller OSA: Documents and registers on the history of the Augustinian monasteries in Würzburg and Münnerstadt from the beginning to the middle of the 17th century . In: Theodor Kramer (ed.): Sources and research on the history of the diocese and bishopric of Würzburg . tape XVIII , second part of volume. Commission publisher Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg 1967, p. 694 (1099) .
3. ↑ Adolar Zumkeller OSA: Documents and registers on the history of the Augustinian monasteries in Würzburg and Münnerstadt from the beginning to the middle of the 17th century . In: Theodor Kramer (ed.): Sources and research on the history of the diocese and bishopric of Würzburg . tape XVIII , second part of volume. Commission publisher Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg 1967, p. 695 (1104) .
4. ↑ Adolar Zumkeller OSA: Documents and registers on the history of the Augustinian monasteries in Würzburg and Münnerstadt from the beginning to the middle of the 17th century . In: Theodor Kramer (ed.): Sources and research on the history of the diocese and bishopric of Würzburg . tape XVIII , second part of volume. Commission publisher Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg 1967, p. 696 (1106) .
5. ↑ Adolar Zumkeller OSA: Documents and registers on the history of the Augustinian monasteries in Würzburg and Münnerstadt from the beginning to the middle of the 17th century . In: Theodor Kramer (ed.): Sources and research on the history of the diocese and bishopric of Würzburg . tape XVIII , second part of volume. Commission publisher Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg 1967, p. 697 (1109) .
6. ↑ Adolar Zumkeller OSA: Documents and registers on the history of the Augustinian monasteries in Würzburg and Münnerstadt from the beginning to the middle of the 17th century . In: Theodor Kramer (ed.): Sources and research on the history of the diocese and bishopric of Würzburg . tape XVIII , second part of volume. Commission publisher Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg 1967, p. 697 (1110) .
7. ↑ Adolar Zumkeller OSA: Documents and registers on the history of the Augustinian monasteries in Würzburg and Münnerstadt from the beginning to the middle of the 17th century . In: Theodor Kramer (ed.): Sources and research on the history of the diocese and bishopric of Würzburg . tape XVIII , second part of volume. Commission publisher Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg 1967, p. 697 f. (1111) .
8. ↑ Adolar Zumkeller OSA: Documents and registers on the history of the Augustinian monasteries in Würzburg and Münnerstadt from the beginning to the middle of the 17th century . In: Theodor Kramer (ed.): Sources and research on the history of the diocese and bishopric of Würzburg . tape XVIII , second part of volume. Commission publisher Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg 1967, p. 699 (1114-1116) .
9. ↑ Adolar Zumkeller OSA: Documents and registers on the history of the Augustinian monasteries in Würzburg and Münnerstadt from the beginning to the middle of the 17th century . In: Theodor Kramer (ed.): Sources and research on the history of the diocese and bishopric of Würzburg . tape XVIII , second part of volume. Commission publisher Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg 1967, p. 701 (1117) .
10. ↑ Adolar Zumkeller OSA: Documents and registers on the history of the Augustinian monasteries in Würzburg and Münnerstadt from the beginning to the middle of the 17th century . In: Theodor Kramer (ed.): Sources and research on the history of the diocese and bishopric of Würzburg . tape XVIII , second part of volume. Commission publisher Ferdinand Schöningh, Würzburg 1967, p. 701 f. (1118) .
11. ^ Hermann Ehmer : History of the county of Wertheim . E. Buchheim, Nachf., Wertheim 1989, p. 103 ff .
12. ^ Thomas Wehner: Wertheim . In: Klaus Ganzer (ed.): Catholic life and church reform in the age of religious schism . tape 52 . Aschendorff, Münster 1992, ISBN 3-402-02973-1 , p. 220 .
13. ↑ Erich Langguth: Unanimous in the new teaching: Dr. Johann Eberlin - Count Michael II. - Dr. Andreas Hoffrichter. The change in the rectory in Wertheim in 1530 . In: Historischer Verein Wertheim in connection with the Wertheim State Archives (ed.): Wertheimer Jahrbuch 1983 . Historical Association Wertheim e. V., Wertheim 1985, p. 90 ff .
14. ^ Christian Peters: Johann Eberlin von Günzburg, approx. 1465–1533. Franciscan reformer, humanist and conservative reformer (= sources and research on the history of the Reformation, Volume 60). Gütersloh 1994, pp. 304f.
15. ↑ Erich Langguth: Unanimous in the new teaching: Dr. Johann Eberlin - Count Michael II. - Dr. Andreas Hoffrichter. The change in the rectory in Wertheim in 1530 . In: Historical Association Wertheim (Hrsg.): Wertheimer Jahrbuch . Historical Association Wertheim e. V., Wertheim 1985, p. 92 ff .
16. ↑ Erich Langguth: Unanimous in the new teaching: Dr. Johann Eberlin - Count Michael II. - Dr. Andreas Hoffrichter. The change in the rectory in Wertheim in 1530 . In: Historischer Verein Wertheim in connection with the Wertheim State Archives (ed.): Wertheimer Jahrbuch 1983 . Historical Association Wertheim e. V., Wertheim 1985, p. 98 f. (Letter) .
17. ↑ Erich Langguth: Unanimous in the new teaching: Dr. Johann Eberlin - Count Michael II. - Dr. Andreas Hoffrichter. The change in the rectory in Wertheim in 1530 . In: Historischer Verein Wertheim in connection with the Wertheim State Archives (ed.): Wertheimer Jahrbuch 1983 . Historical Association Wertheim e. V., Wertheim 1985, p. 101 f .
18. ^ Thomas Wehner: The Latin School in Wertheim from the Reformation to the Thirty Years War . In: Verlag des Historisches Verein Wertheim e. V. (Hrsg.): Publications of the historical association Wertheim . tape 5 . Wertheim 1993, p. 32 .
19. ^ Signature STA. Wertheim LGW Gem A, Rep 45 (Pastor's Matters) No. 22, with E. Langguth: Unanimous in the new teaching: Dr. Johann Eberlin - Count Michael II. - Dr. Andreas Hoffrichter. The change in the rectory in Wertheim in 1530 . In: Historischer Verein Wertheim in connection with the Wertheim State Archives (ed.): Wertheimer Jahrbuch 1983 . Historical Association Wertheim e. V., Wertheim 1985, p. 98 .
20. ^ Paul Althaus : The theology of Martin Luther . 7th edition. Gütersloh 1994, p. 353 .
21. ↑ Hans-Jürgen Goertz : Thomas Müntzer: Revolutionary at the end of times. A biography. Munich 2015, Section 8. "Princes, People and Resistance"