Christoph von Utenheim

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Christoph von Utenheim (* around 1450; † March 16, 1527 in Pruntrut ) was Bishop of Basel from 1502 until his resignation in 1527.

Christoph von Utenheim was born into an Alsatian aristocratic family around 1450 . He studied theology and canon law in Basel and Erfurt . In 1473 or 1474 he was elected rector of the University of Basel . In 1475 he passed his doctoral examination in theology. The chapter of the diocese of Basel elected him on December 1, 1502 as the new bishop. In contrast to many of his contemporaries who misused the office of bishop as a means to increase the affluence and influence of their own family, Christoph von Utenheim seems to have taken his spiritual and pastoral duties seriously. His motto was: Spes mea crux Christi; gratiam, non opera quaero , which can be translated as: “The cross of Christ is my hope. I seek grace, not works. ”This was also the motto of Jean Gerson , an important French theologian of the 15th century. As the new bishop, he convened a diocesan synod in 1503 to reform the diocese. For this he also invited the famous humanist Jacob Wimpfeling . However, this attempt at reform was prevented by the cathedral chapter.

The failure of the first attempt at reform to change the grievances in his diocese did not prevent him from taking further measures to remind the clergy of their duties. In particular, he admonished her not to curl her hair with curling tongs, not to trade or otherwise cause riots in the churches, not to run pubs or to buy horse trade or stolen goods. In 1515 he invited Johannes Oekolampad to become a cathedral preacher in Basel. During this time, his zeal for reform was shown by his criticism of the custom of interweaving funny stories in the Easter sermons. In 1520 Oekolampad resigned from this post.

The episcopal authority was increasingly shaken under the sign of the emerging Reformation , which also gained more and more followers in Basel. Von Utenheim complained on January 26, 1524, together with the bishops of Lausanne and Constance, at the Synod of Lucerne about the dissolution of church unity. The three bishops presented a reform program, but it never came into effect. Finally resigned , he and resigned from his post on February 19 1527th He retired to Pruntrut, where he died shortly afterwards. He was buried in Delémont .

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predecessor Office successor
Kaspar of the Rhine Bishop of Basel
1502–1527 		Philipp von Gundelsheim
personal data
SURNAME Utenheim, Christoph von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Basel
DATE OF BIRTH around 1450
DATE OF DEATH March 16, 1527
Place of death Pruntrut