Christian Chemnitz

Christian Chemnitz

Christian Chemnitz also: Chemnitius (born January 17, 1615 in Königsfeld (Saxony) ; † June 3, 1666 in Jena ) was a German Lutheran theologian.

Life

Chemnitz came from a family that had its origins in Pritzwalk in the Prignitz. Since 1287, the family provided sixteen mayors and councilors in the small town. With the Elector Brandenburg Vice Chancellor Matthias Chemnitz (also Kemnitz , 1535–1599) and several military men and theologians, people from the family emerged who worked beyond the borders of the town. The most important of the theologians was Martin Chemnitz , the brother of Christian's grandfather, the cloth maker in Schilda Matthäus Chemnitz. Even Christian's father Martin Chemnitz (* 1564 in Schilda, † May 1. ^{. Jul} / 11 May 1627 ^greg. In Königsfeld) took the profession of theologians. He studied from March 26, 1585 at the University of Wittenberg, where on March 19, 1588 he acquired the academic degree of a master's degree in philosophy. On December 10, 1592 he was appointed pastor to Königsfeld, which position he took up on January 3, 1593. Before this Martin Chemnitz seems to have stayed in Geithain because his wife Dorothea Jentsch († October 29, 1634 in Geithain) was the daughter of the local mayor and town clerk Johann Jentsch (also: Jentzsch).

Christian moved to Zeitz with his brother Christoph Chemnitz in June 1626, where he attended the local school. In May 1632 he left the educational institution with the farewell speech de laudibus musices and began studying at the University of Leipzig . However, he left Leipzig again because of the plague that raged there and went to the University of Jena on August 4, 1633 . Here he acquired his baccalaureate under Paul Slevogt in 1633 and on August 8, 1637, he was promoted to Master of Philosophy. He then continued to participate in the university's reading operations and became rector of the Jena city school on September 14, 1638. In 1643 he became a deacon in Weimar and in 1645 was promoted to archdeacon there. In 1652 he went back to Jena, where he had been coadjutor of superintendent Johannes Major since August 3rd . On August 31 of the same year he received his doctorate in theology and took on an extraordinary theological professorship at the University of Jena. After Major's death, he took a full chair at the theological faculty and was appointed superintendent there. In addition, he participated in the organizational tasks of the Salana. He was dean of the theological faculty several times and rector of the alma mater in the winter semesters of 1655 and 1659 .

Chemnitz is one of the milder representatives of the Lutheran orthodoxy of the 17th century. From this point of view he sat down u. a. with Angelus Silesius apart. Even if his exegetical, dogmatic and edifying works are outdated today, they remain valuable testimonies.

family

Chemnitz was married twice. His first marriage was on November 12, 1638 with Christina Kiesenhöfer (* May 24, 1620 in Jena; † May 22, 1657 ibid., Born May 24, 1657 St. Michael ibid.), The daughter of the Jena citizen and merchant Johann Kiesenhöfer († February 5, 1622 in Jena) and his wife Christina Geibert (also Geubert; † August 15, 1638 in Jena). The marriage resulted in 6 sons and 4 daughters. Christina died after the last delivery. On July 12, 1658, Chemnitz married Maria Gerhard, the daughter of Johann Gerhard and widow of the Gotha court doctor Dr. Johann Volck. There was a daughter from the marriage.

From the children we know:

• Johannes Chemnitz (born October 25, 1639 in Jena; † November 26, 1639 ibid.)
• Christina Chemnitz (born October 17, 1640 in Jena; † October 22, 1640 ibid.)
• Eva Chemnitz (born November 18, 1642 in Jena; † June 3, 1703 in Eisenberg) married on September 22, 1662 in Jena with the superintendent in Eisenberg Johann Friedrich Gerhard (born November 5, 1631 in Jena; † May 6, 1667 in Eisenberg), married to Matthias Jessen for the second time
• Dorothea Sophia Chemnitz (born September 2, 1645 in Weimar; † December 9, 1645 ibid.)
• Christian Chemnitz (* February 20, 1648 in Weimar; † March 20, 1648 ibid.)
• Johann Adam Chemnitz (* December 27, 1649 in Weimar; † January 13, 1650 ibid.)
• Anna Sophia Chemnitz (born January 14, 1651 in Weimar; † March 14, 1651 ibid.)
• Samuel Chemnitz (born May 10, 1652 in Weimar, registered March 2, 1656 Uni. Jena, Dr. med. 1677 (De extractione fetus mortui ex utero materno))
• Friedrich Chemnitz (born November 23, 1654 in Jena; † December 21, 1654 ibid.)
• Ernst Christian Chemnitz (born May 11, 1657 in Jena, enrolled January 1668 Uni. Jena hc)
• Sophia Susanna Chemnitz (* May 10, 1659 in Jena; † June 19, 1722) married October 31, 1681 to the rent master Johannes Probst (* October 23, 1642 in Zwenkau; † May 20, 1704 in Jena), the son of Zwenckauer Pastor Johann Probst, married. II with the language teacher in Jena Peter Provonsal († June 28, 1742 in Jena)

Works (selection)

• In me intuens pius esto, sermons about the deluge. Jena 1645
• Divine do not forget mine, or preaching of the 4th last things. Weimar 1649, Jena 1664
• Historiam Josephi in CX. Sermons. Erfurt 1653
• Introductionem in Latinitatem. Erfurt 1653
• Collegium Epistolicum Latinum. Leipzig 1654, Jena 1658
• Breve Examination of the causes, which D. Schefflern to the apostasy to the Rom. Church moved. Jena 1655
• Veritatem Religionis Lutheranae defensam. Jena 1655
• Collegium Disputatorium super Epist. ad Galat. Jena 1656
• Dispute. inaug. de Problemate: An Lutherani et Caluiniani in fundamentalibus fidei Articulis consentiant, quod negatur. Jena 1657
• De Persona of Jesus Christ. Jena 1657
• Disp. inaug. de tentationibus spiritual. Jena 1657 (President: Johann Tobias Major)
• Disp. IV. De arbore vitae. Jena 1657
• Methodum concionandi. Jena 1658, 1666
• De arbore scientiae boni et mali. Jena 1659
• De. S. Angelis. Jena 1661
• Breuem instructionem futuri Ministri Eccelsiae. Jena 1661
• Collegium Theologicum super Formulam Concord. Jena 1661
• Admonition and warning sermon Cathedral. VII. Trin. 1660. including prince. Command. Jena 1661
• Disp. inaug. de vera ac reali praesentia corporis et sanguinis Christi in Coena. Jena 1662 (Resp.Johann Friedrich Gerhard)
• Responsionem pro Gerhardo contra Vorstium. Jena 1663
• Disp. Theologicam de Fide Daemonum. Jena 1663
• Ulterior defensive dissertation. IV. Jena 1664
• Report and answer to D. Scheffler's Türcken-Schrift, also Nach-Schrifft. Jena 1664
• Report and answer to D. Scheffler's Kehrwisch. Jena 1664
• Report and answer to D. Scheffler's dream and triumph etc. Jena 1664
• Sermons de Extremo Judicio, Inferno etc. Jena 1664
• Damaged reason for faith and happiness etc. or report to Henr. Mart. Eccardi Bedencken on the theologian. Conversation 1661 with Cassel etc. Jena 1664
• Exercitationem de Esaui salute. Jena 1665
• Dissertation. de Persona et Libro Hiobi. Jena 1665
• De sensu Scripturae S .. Jena 1665
• Danck valet and memorial sermon. Jena
• Diss. De salute Salomonis. Jena 1666
• Disp. de tentatione sensus et inexistentiae fidei. Jena 1666
• Praelectiones Hutteri Compendium. Jena 1670
• Yenish hand book compiled by D. Gerharden. Jena 1674, 1687
• Exhortation and awareness sermon, including the report of the Yenish tumult. Jena 1677
• Investiture sermon. Jena

literature

• Johann Caspar Zeumer, Christoph Weissenborn: Vitae Professorum Theologiae, Jurisprudentiae, Medicinae et Philosophiae qui in illustri Academia Jenensi, ab ipsius fundatione ad nostra usque tempora vixerunt et adhuc vivunt una cum scriptis a quolibet editis quatuor classibus. Johann Felici Bieleck, Jena, 1711, p. 181 (theologians, online )
• Chemnitius (Christian). In: Johann Heinrich Zedler : Large complete universal lexicon of all sciences and arts . Volume 5, Leipzig 1733, column 2075 f.
• Christian Gottlieb Jöcher: General Scholar Lexicon, Darinne the scholars of all classes, both male and female, who lived from the beginning of the world to the present day, and made themselves known to the learned world, After their birth, life, remarkable stories, Withdrawals and writings from the most credible scribes are described in alphabetical order. Verlag Johann Friedrich Gleditsch , Leipzig, 1750, Vol. 1, Sp. 1861, ( online )
• Johann Gottlob Wilhelm Dunkel : Historical-critical news from deceased scholars and their writings. But especially those who in the very latest edition of the Jöcherische Allgemeine Scholars-Lexicon either completely passed over with silence, or at least are inadequately and incorrectly cited. Cörnerische Buchhandlung, Köthen and Dessau, 1757, 3rd vol., P. 466 ( online )
• Julius August Wagenmann:  Chemnitz, Christian . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1876, p. 116.