Anton Praetorius
Anton Praetorius (* 1560 in Lippstadt ; † December 6, 1613 in Laudenbach an der Bergstrasse ) was a German pastor, Reformed theologian, writer (especially witch theorist ) and fighter against witch trials and torture .
biography
Early years
His father was Matthes Schulze from Lippstadt. Around 1580 the son translated his name into Latin and called himself Praetorius from then on . At the age of 13 he experienced a witch trial with the use of torture, which made a great impression on him and made a decisive contribution to his thinking.
He married in 1584, became a teacher and in 1586 was appointed rector of the Latin school in Kamen . In 1585 his wife Maria gave birth to their son Johannes . In 1587 he became a Lutheran deacon in Worms and in 1589 second pastor at the Katharinenkirche in Oppenheim . In 1588 he had already joined Calvinism , which came closer to his understanding of the radicalism of Christ's message. He then became the first reformed pastor in Dittelsheim , where in 1595 he wrote the oldest description of the first large barrel in Heidelberg Castle . He extolled it as a symbol of the superiority of the Calvinist faith.
Theological writer
In his work De Pii Magistratus Officio in 1596, he called on the princes for a Bible-oriented renewal of church and nation according to Johannes Calvin's teachings. His introduction as the first Reformed pastor in Offenbach am Main (County Ysenburg-Büdingen) failed due to the determined resistance of the Lutheran congregation. In the same year his wife Maria died. He was then appointed by the Count of Büdingen and Birstein , Wolfgang Ernst, to be princely court preacher in Ysenburg-Birstein. In 1597 he married Sibylle Pistorius, the daughter of the pastor from Muschenheim / Lich . In the same year, the Birstein witch trial began his engagement against witch hunt (see below).
This was not his only life theme: with a catechism , the book House Talk and hymns , he also contributed to the implementation of the Calvinist denomination. In 1602 he took up the work De Sacrosanctis with a dedication for Count Simon VI. in the doctrinal dispute with the Lutherans about the Lord's Supper . In 1603 he described in a letter how he was arrested in Oberwöllstadt near Frankfurt am Main and imprisoned for several weeks. He had previously had a heated dispute there about the proclamation of the Virgin Mary shortly after the town was re-Catholicized by the Archbishop of Mainz. Only the personal intervention of his ruler of Heidelberg, Elector Frederick IV , saved him from prison.
Personal commitment against witch trials
In 1597 the population in Birstein (in the north of today's Main-Kinzig district ) demanded a witch trial against four women from Rinderbügen (now part of the city of Büdingen ). Praetorius was appointed a member of the witches' court by the count.
This marked the turning point in his life. He could not bear the torture driving innocent women to their deaths. He was reinforced in his view by a few others, e. B. by the teacher Johannes Cisnerus . With unprecedented impetus, Praetorius protested and did everything in his power to end the trial and to release the women. As the local pastor, he railed violently and successfully against the torture. Only one of the four prisoners was now alive: she was released. This is the only recorded case of a clergyman asking for an end to the inhuman torture during a witch trial - and succeeding. In the process files it says (see illustration of the text excerpt from the file):
"Because the pastor was violently there again to torment the women, so it was forbidden for this reason."
Literary fight against torture and witch trials
As a result of his vehement commitment to women, Praetorius lost his office as court preacher: Count Wolfgang Ernst dismissed him. In 1598 he became pastor in Laudenbach (Bergstrasse) in the Electoral Palatinate . From there he opened his literary fight against the witchcraft madness and inhuman torture methods - still completely under the impression of the witch trial in Birstein.
About 37 years before Johann Matthäus Meyfart's work Christian Remembrance, To Powerful Regents, and Conscientious Preedicants, like the hideous vice of witchcraft to be razed seriously, but to be discovered in pursuit of this and to act very modestly in bailiffs , Justus Oldekops Sylarum practica criminalium and Friedrich Spees Cautio criminalis , he published the book Von Zauberey vnd Zauberern Thorough Report under the pseudonym of his son Johannes Scultetus in 1598 . In nine chapters he dealt with the magical being, torture and the role of the authorities in the witch trial from a biblical point of view. Using arguments from the Bible, he distanced himself from Calvin's and Luther's calls to burn the witches and called for the abolition of torture . Praetorius referred u in his argumentation. a. to Hermann Witekind , who in 1585 had published the book Christlich bedencken vnd reminder of witchcraft under the pseudonym Augustin Lercheimer von Steinfelden .
In 1602, in a second edition of the Thorough Report, he took the courage to use his own name as an author. The third edition appeared in 1613 with a personal foreword, supplemented by a critical report by Lutheran theologians from Nuremberg from 1602. The new edition from 1613 became a non-denominational appeal against torture and witch trials.
The long list of the book's dedications shows that in Germany from Danzig to Westphalia to Rheinhessen there were some critics of the witch trials among theologians and distinguished public figures. Pastor Johannes Adam from the neighboring town of Heppenheim supported Praetorius on February 16, 1613 with a dedication poem: “You read without worry!” With this he recommended the book to his congregation.
Theological justification
Anton Praetorius is one of the first radical opponents of the persecution of witches among the Reformed theologians. It comes from Calvin's central idea of the “double predestination ” (predestination of man for both good and bad ) to an absolute skepticism towards the belief in witches. He assumes that sorcery can only be an apostasy from God and a pact with the devil . But neither the devil nor the wizards have any power beyond their nature. Sorcery is punished by God but does not justify the death penalty by secular courts. With this, Praetorius attacks the core of the allegations of witchcraft: For him, magic cannot exist at all because it is "beyond human ability and against the natural order of God".
He uses the word of the Holy Scriptures as the only standard. Initially, his reasoning is based on the Old Testament . He only allows the death penalty specified there to apply to poisoners. But at the crucial point he starts from the New Testament and puts the meaning of Christ's forgiveness in the center: "As the apostle Paul says: We are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). From there it is more important to take preventive action against sorcery and witchcraft and to bring about a restoration of true Christian faith and behavior among the people through comprehensive educational measures and the participation of church councils.
Praetorius was apparently also convinced that sorcery was not an exclusively female phenomenon. In his books he speaks almost exclusively of magicians. Women as witches are only mentioned in passing.
In 1629 strangers brought out a fourth edition of his report on magic and sorcerers . One reason for this was the fierce disputes at the time about the possibility of the weather magic by witches, to which Praetorius commented in his book:
“All weather comes from God as a blessing or as a punishment according to his righteousness and none of it can be ascribed to the witches. In addition, the means that witches use to make the weather are utterly powerless. "
Criticism of the authorities, their officials and their methods
In his book, Praetorius criticized the behavior of the authorities in his book, which was unusually clear and harsh for the time:
"There must be an end to the tyranny that has hitherto oppressed many, because God demands justice."
He calls for an administration that is based on God's will:
“The highest lords should be taught in God, pious and an example. ... Christian authorities should hinder and punish the work of sorcerers in a Christian way and exercise mercy. "
Directly, relentlessly and sharply, he accuses the judiciary of the time:
“You are wrong. You are under the emperor's punishment because you are to be regarded as wanton and public killers and blood judges ! "
With drastic words he criticizes legal violations and cruelty of the lawyers:
"Those judges who lust for injustice and shed innocent blood will fall for vengeance in God's hand and plunge themselves into the lowest hell!"
He calls for defense attorneys and several, not just one, witnesses to conduct witch trials. All defendants must be treated equally. Here, too, he can refer to legal provisions of the Old and New Testaments.
Addressing the Torture
Praetorius not only attacks the current injustice of the state representatives, but also denies the secular penal authority the right to use inhuman procedures and punishments. Here he turns against torture in particular , which he rejects as unchristian and useless for establishing the truth and which he wants to have abolished:
“I don't like to see / that torture is needed.
- Because pious kings and judges in the first people of God did not need them:
- Because they arise through pagan tyrants:
- Because she is the mother of many and great lies
- Because it so often harms people.
- Because finally a lot of people / without civil judgment and law / yes, before they are found guilty / thus in prison: tortured today / dead tomorrow. "
ibid., p. 179:
"Also one does not find anything in God's Word of torture / embarrassing interrogation / and through violence and melting of denunciations /"
ibid., p. 182:
“Because then the embarrassing interrogation is so anti-Christian / so harsh / so dangerous / so harmful / and for that so serious and uncertain / it should not be used or permitted by Christian high authority.
The more someone tortures and lets torture / the more equally he does and becomes the tyrant. "
ibid., p. 235:
"At last it is certain / the devil does not feel the pain of torture / and is not driven away by it."
ibid., p. 239:
"You gentlemen and judges have brought the poor people through torture ... on the path of despair ...: Therefore you are guilty of their death."
He not only describes the injustice of the perpetrators, but also the effects of the prison system on the victims at the time and precisely observes its psychological and social consequences. His description, based on his own experience, of the prisons of witches and their torments is alarmingly accurate . Even their violent incarceration caused permanent emotional damage. He not only demands the abolition of torture, but also decent premises as prisons.
Overall, Praetorius is one of the first theologians who, based on their fundamental Christian convictions, grapples with the entire practice of torture of their time and rejects it legally and morally.
End of life and appreciation
Anton Praetorius was confronted with a lot of suffering and illness in his life. He survived a fiancée and three wives who gave him 11 children, almost all of whom died very early. The only surviving son, Johannes, studied theology in Heidelberg, but died at the age of 28.
Shortly before the end of his life, Praetorius' understanding of faith and God seems to have completely changed due to these personal blows of fate: This is what his speech “Nemo” (Nobody) suggests on the occasion of a wedding in Weinheim in 1613 .
Praetorius had been one of the leading Calvinists of his time for two decades. His German and Latin writings make it clear how he is constantly struggling to find his own point of view and show the changes in his convictions in life and belief. His books are characterized by a profound knowledge of the Bible. According to the dedications in his writings, he received support from personalities across Germany in his struggle to abolish the persecution of witches. His last address suggests how personal catastrophes at the end of his life made him doubt God's gracious providence.
Anton Praetorius died on December 6, 1613 at the age of 53 in Laudenbach / Bergstrasse in the rectory. On Sunday, December 8th, the pastor Reinhard Wolf from the neighboring community of Hemsbach held Praetorius' funeral.
In his address, he described in detail the life and work of his colleague from Laudenbach, but did not mention his literary and personal commitment to the witchcraft madness, witch trials and torture, which had attracted attention throughout Germany. He clearly distanced himself from this fight and indirectly criticized it.
Indications that Praetorius died as a reformed inspector or superintendent in Alzey in 1625 prove to be incorrect based on the information in Pastor Wolf's funeral sermon (published in 1614). This is a different person with the same name.
Praetorius' memorial day on December 6th is not included in the official Evangelical name calendar .
Several places and institutions have taken up the suggestion to commemorate Pastor Anton Praetorius: Laudenbach (Bergstrasse), Oppenheim, Birstein, Dittelsheim-Heßloch, Büdingen, Lippstadt and the Evangelical Church of Westphalia . In 2020, Hartmut Hegeler will show a poster exhibition about the life and work of Anton Praetorius in the House of City History in Kamen.
On the 400th anniversary of his death, Deutschlandradio dedicated the calendar sheet broadcast to him and WDR the Zeitzeichen.
Works
- Vas Heidelbergense , Heidelberg, October 1595 (There is only one copy of this work worldwide. The Latin poem is now translated by Burghard Schmanck - see below under Literature in the book: Anton Praetorius and the 1st Great Barrel of Heidelberg)
- De pii magistratus officio (poem about the duties of Christian princes, dedicated to Wolfgang Ernst, Herr von Ysenburg, Count von Büdingen and Birstein). Heidelberg, Druckerei des Christoph Löw, 1596 (The Latin poem is now translated by Burghard Schmanck - see below under literature in the book: Antonius Praetorius - From the church reformer to the fighter against witch trials and torture in the Wetterau. De Pii Magistratus Officio - The pious minister Mandatory)
- Main part (catechism) of Christian religion samples the meanest little prayers / and a number of questions / young and old to know about the path of bliss necessary and sufficient: Before churches and schools of the upper and lower Graff and rulership Isenburg / improved and increased. Printed to Lich in the Graffschektiven Solms / By Nicolaum Erbenium. 1597. fragment
- House talk, in which it is briefly clear and thoroughly understood what needed to be known of true Christian acquaintance and godly change ... , Lich 1597. Text excerpt 2.1 MB PDF
- Thorough report of magic and sorcerers / therein hostile and shameful foresight of these cruel people / and how Christian authorities encounter them / hinder / suspend their work and punish / bure and may be possible ... briefly and properly explained. By Joannem Scultetum Westphalo-camensem. Printed in Lich / in the Graffschaft Solms by Nicolao Erbenio. 1598 (Johannes Scultetus is a pseudonym for Anton Praetorius)
- Clarissimo juris utriusque Doctori Domino Jano Grutero Sponso. Wedding poem for Jan Gruter, (translated by Burghard Schmanck) 1601
- Thorough report by magic and sorcerers: briefly and properly explained by Antonium Praetorium , printed in Lich / 1602
- De Sacrosanctis Sacramentis novi foederis Jesu Christi (doctrine of the sacraments on the Lord's Supper and baptism), printer: Wolgangus Kezelius and Conradus Nebenius, Lich 1602 (translated by Burghard Schmanck - see below under literature)
- Nemo Ad Desideratissimas […] Nuptias […] 15. Iunii. , 1613 (German: Nobody comes to the long-awaited marriage [...]; a wedding poem ). Lancellotus Heidelberg (There is only one copy of this work worldwide. The Latin poem is now translated by Burghard Schmanck in the book "Anton Praetorius and the 1st Great Barrel of Heidelberg" - see below under literature)
- Of magic and sorcerers / thorough report. Printed in 1613 at Heydelberg / by Johann Lancellot / In laying Andreae Cambier. Copy of the text. 1.3 MB PDF
- Thorough report. , Printed in 1629 at Franckfurt am Mayn / by Johann Niclas Stoltzenbergern / In Verlag Johann Carl Unckels
- Several handwritten letters
literature
- Reinhard Wolf (Reinhardus Guolfius): Christian funeral sermon at the funeral of the venerable Wol-scholar Mr. Antonii Praetorii Lippiano – Vestphali, past pastor of Laudenbach an der Bergstrasse. Held on the 8th Decembris Anno 1613. Heidelberg 1614 (the funeral address of the colleague as a contemporary print).
- Hartmut Hegeler : Anton Praetorius, fighter against witch trials and torture. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the life's work of a Protestant pastor. Self-published, Unna 2002, ISBN 3-9808969-4-3 .
- Hartmut Hegeler: Antonius Praetorius. From church reformer to fighter against witch trials and torture in the Wetterau. De Pii Magistratus Officio. About the god-fearing ministerial duty, right and authority in the worship of God and the churches to be renewed according to the prescription of the word of God. = Duty of the pious official. Original writing from 1596 to Wolfgang Ernst, Count von Büdingen. Translated by Burghard Schmanck. Edited and published by the Geschichtswerkstatt Büdingen, Joachim Cott. History workshop Büdingen, Büdingen 2006, ISBN 3-939454-11-7 .
- Hartmut Hegeler: Funeral sermon for Pastor Anton Praetorius. Fighters against witch trials and torture, held by Pastor Reinhard Wolf. With a foreword by Regional Bishop Ulrich Fischer . Edited and published by the Büdingen history workshop. 2nd, expanded edition. History workshop Büdingen, Büdingen 2007, ISBN 978-3-939454-19-9 .
- Hartmut Hegeler, Stefan Wiltschko: Anton Praetorius and the 1st large barrel from Heidelberg. Writings of the fighter against torture and the persecution of witches concerning Heidelberg, Heppenheim, Weinheim, Dittelsheim, Ilvesheim and the Rhine-Neckar area. The Latin texts were edited and translated by Burghard Schmanck. 2nd, improved edition. Verlag Traugott Bautz, Nordhausen 2007, ISBN 978-3-88309-405-2 .
- Hartmut Hegeler: Pathetic newspaper from the harmful thunderstorm in Lautenbach an der Bergstrasse , by Anton Praetorius, Laudenbach 1612. Storm in Laudenbach and the surrounding area. Bautz, Nordhausen 2018, ISBN 978-3-95948-322-3 .
- Klaus Holzer: On Praetorius: The persecution of witches - Poetry and Truth , in: Kamener Köpfe , February 13, 2016.
- Heidrun Munzert: "I strongly accuse the right wizards". Anton Praetorius' fight against sorcery. In: Gudrun Litz, Heidrun Munzert, Roland Liebenberg (Hrsg.): Piety - Theology - Piety Theology. Contributions to European Church History. Festschrift for Berndt Hamm on his 60th birthday (= Studies in the History of Christian Traditions. Vol. 124). Brill, Leiden u. a. 2005, ISBN 90-04-14335-1 , pp. 497-517.
- Walter Niess: witch trials in the county of Büdingen. Protocols, causes, background. Self-published, Büdingen 1982.
- Antonius Praetorius: De Sacrosanctis Novi Foederis Iesu Christi Sacramentis. A Reformation doctrine of the sacraments from 1602 on the most holy sacraments of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. (In genere et in specie tractatus perutilis, undecim homiliis solide, methodice, perspicue absolutus, et nunc primum in lucem, ad Dei Opt. Max. Gloriam, et Sanctorum aedificationem, prodiens). Edited and translated by Burghard Schmanck. Bautz, Nordhausen 2010, ISBN 978-3-88309-550-9 .
- Klaus A. Vogel: Where language ends. Anton Praetorius' report on torture and the problem of "selective empathy". In: Markus Meumann, Dirk Niefanger (ed.): A scene of bitter violence. Perception and representation of violence in the 17th century. Wallstein-Verlag, Göttingen 1997, ISBN 3-89244-234-7 , pp. 188-204.
- Karl Friedrich Ulrichs : PRÄTORIUS, Anton. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 7, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-048-4 , Sp. 906-907.
Web links
- Publications by and about Anton Praetorius in VD 17 .
- Anton Praetorius: From magic and sorcerers Thorough report. In: Facsimiles of the German legal dictionary . 1613 .
- Anton Praetorius: From magic and sorcerers Thorough report. In: historicum.net . 1613 (in excerpts).
- Anton Praetorius: From magic and sorcerers Thorough report. In: Digitale-sammlungen.de. 1629 .
- Anton Praetorius: From magic and sorcerers Thorough report. In: dibiki.ub.uni-kiel.de. 1629 .
- Anton Praetorius: De Sacrosanctis Sacramentis. University and State Library of Saxony-Anhalt, 1602 .
- Anton Praetorius: De sacrosanctis, Homilia quinta: De infantibus ante baptismum mortuis. (PDF 824 kB) Burghard Schmanck, 1602 (Latin).
- Literature by and about Anton Praetorius in the catalog of the German National Library
- Hartmut Hegeler: Anton Praetorius - Fighter against witch trials and torture. In: anton-praetorius.de. May 4, 2008 .
- Jürgen Michael Schmidt: Praetorius, Antonius. In: historicum.net. February 20, 2001 .
- Anton Praetorius: Antonius Praetorius: persona - opera - secundaria. In: Bibliotheca Augustana .
- Maren Gottschalk: December 6th, 1613 - anniversary of the death of Pastor Anton Praetorius. (mp3 audio, 14:18 minutes) In: WDR broadcast “ZeitZeichen”. December 6, 2013 .
- Hartmut Hegeler: Praetorius Anton: Fighter against witch trials and torture. In: theology.de.
- Birger Menke: Victims of the witch hunt: In the name of Praetorius. In: Spiegel Online . February 13, 2012 .
- Hartmut Hegeler: Praetorius, Anton: The Protestant Pastor Anton Praetorius - With the Bible against torture and witch trials. In: Reformiert Online. 2011 .
- Anton Praetorius and the Witch - Children's book by schoolgirls (video)
- Video about the life of Anton Praetorius on the 400th anniversary of his death
- Words from Pastor Anton Praetorius against torture
- Video Birstein Anton Praetorius Weg
- Video Laudenbach memorial stone Anton Praetorius
- Video Laudenbach an der Bergstrasse Protestant church and former rectory of Praetorius (back right)
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ AP report, 1613, p. 217.
- ↑ Video Laudenbach former evangelical rectory
- ↑ see on this: City archivist von Alzey, Herr Karneth: “Witches, witch hunts and a supposed Alzeyer critic: Antonius Praetorius”, Alzeyer Geschichtsblätter 30 (1997), pp. 37-76
- ^ Anton Praetorius in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated November 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Video Laudenbach memorial stone Anton Praetorius
- ↑ Rev. Manuela Rimbach-Sator unveiled the plaque at Anton Praetorius House ( Memento of 12 November 2013, Internet Archive ), Allgemeine Zeitung
- ↑ Rudi Stephan pupils recall the persecution of witches. Unveiled plaque to honor a pastor from Dittelsheim. In: Nibelungen Kurier, June 25, 2013 (accessed April 28, 2016).
- ^ Evangelical Church Dittelsheim-Heßloch, June 23, 2013. Unveiling of a memorial plaque at the rectory for Pastor Anton Praetorius (1560–2013), fighter against witch trials and torture, on the 400th year of death. (PDF; 4 MB), accessed on April 28, 2016
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated November 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Newsletter of the Evangelical Church District Soest, No. 130, May 2015. PDF
- ↑ Praetorius: Fighters against witch trials and torture ( Memento from November 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Anton Praetorius poster exhibition in Kamen 2020
- ↑ http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/anton-praetorius-glaeubig-gegen-die-hexenverbrnung.871.de.html?dram:article_id=271170
- ↑ http://www.wdr5.de/sendung/zeitzeichen/praetorius106.html
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Praetorius, Anton |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German pastor, theological writer of the Calvinist movement and fighter against witch trials and torture |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1560 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lippstadt |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 6, 1613 |
| Place of death | Laudenbach (Bergstrasse) |