Caspar Elogius

Caspar Elogius (also: Caspar Loy ; Caspar Eulogius ; Caspar Elogii ; Caspar Elogij ; * June 24, 1530 in Breslau ; † March 23, 1593 in Kieslingswalde ) was a well-known Lutheran preacher in Silesia and in the County of Glatz .

Life

Nothing is known about the origin of Magister Caspar Elogius and his studies. His wife Esther died on December 10, 1562 at the age of 33 and was buried in the Marien-Magdalenen-Kirche in Breslau. After his theological training, Elogius worked first in Nimptsch and then in Frankenstein . On October 3, 1563, the Habelschwerdter council called him to the local parish. Since the right of patronage was at the church when the Bohemian king who Glatzer confirmed Governor John George of idols the appeal, although the dean John protested Kirsten about it.

Elogius' work fell into the difficult time of the Reformation , in which Schwenckfelder , Anabaptists , Lutherans and Catholics separated and fought against each other. Under Emperor Maximilian II , however, the Lutheran Church was able to develop relatively freely, so that Lutheran preachers were also appointed to other town and village churches in the county. Elogius made great contributions to the spread of Lutheranism, but also fought against the Catholic Church as well as the Schwenckfelder and the Anabaptists. He excluded the Schwenckfelder from both political and spiritual community life because, in his opinion, they despised scripture and the sacraments .

In 1576 the Dechant from Glatzer complained to the Archbishop of Prague Anton Brus von Müglitz about Elogius, whom he accused of insulting the Catholic Church and complained about his dispensing practice in matters of marriage. In the same year there were also arguments with the Schwenckfeldern pursued by Elogius. In an anonymous letter to the Habelschwerdter council on May 20, 1576, they announced revenge for the abuse and threatened to set Habelschwerdt on fire if Elogius was not removed from office by Michaelmas (= September 29) . Although the mentioned date had passed without the threat being implemented, the Governor of Glatz, Christoph von Schellendorf, allowed himself to be intimidated and on December 28, 1576 appointed Magister Georg Eising as pastor of Habelschwerdt. It may have played a role that Elogius' protector, Emperor Maximilian, was no longer alive. Elogius left Habelschwerdt on May 3, 1577 and went into exile in Schlaupitz near Reichenbach .

In a letter that Elogius wrote to the Archbishop of Prague on May 2, 1577, he complained about the activities of the Schwenckfelds and emphasized that he had been commissioned by the Emperor Maximilian to "completely exterminate the Schwenckfeld sect". At the same time he demanded that the Schwenckfelder should no longer be admitted to public office and should be ousted from the cities.

Three years later Elogius returned to the County of Glatz and in 1580 became pastor in Kieslingswalde near Habelschwerdt. There he worked for another 13 years. After his death, his former parish in Habelschwerdter paid him homage : two days after his death, his body was transferred from Kieslingswalde to Habelschwerdt and buried there in the parish church in front of the high altar, where an epitaph remembered him, with great sympathy from both parishes .

Works

After the death of Emperor Maximilian II, Elogius wrote a funeral sermon, which was published by Michael Peterle in Prague's New Town. In it he praised the House of Habsburg and emphasized that the Lutheran subjects were also loyal supporters of the Bohemian king. The title picture of the writing demonstrates the power of the Habsburgs. It is not known if he delivered the sermon in his church or if he wrote it just for print. The funeral sermon was published in two editions:

• Funeral sermon on Maximiliani the other most powerful, and pious Roman emperor wither and despair. By Caspar Elogii Wratiss. Prague, Michael Peterle Publishing House, 1576.
• Funeral sermon about Maximiliani of the other, most powerful, and pious Roman kayser, death and despair. To see in it as in a cronica, What from the beginning of the world, bit on this deceased Emperor Maximilianum, and now ruling Roman Emperor Rudolphum, for changes that fell in all four Emperors, and whatever the end of all Christianity, with this Imperial corpse and should be mindful of desires. By M. Caspar Elogij VVratiss. Prague in Newstat, Verlag Michael Peterle 1577, with title woodcut.

literature

• Arno Herzig , Małgorzata Ruchniewicz : History of the Glatzer Land . Hamburg-Wrocław 2006. ISBN 3-934632-12-2 , pp. 103-107