Cornelius Falconissa

Cornelius Falconissa , also called Cornelius [pastor] t [h] o westrum († 1548 or 1549 in Westrum ), was a clergyman at the Westrum church and one of the 21 Jeverland pastors who wrote to the Augsburg resident in 1548 at the instigation of the landlady, Miss Maria Interim expressed.

Falconissa's biography is only passed down very fragmentarily. His confession, De belydynge edder confessionn , kept in the library of the Jever high school, has been preserved in full.

Life

Westrum Church - Falconissa's place of work

The sources are silent about the date of birth and the origin of Cornelius Falconissa. His last name, which he used in two letters addressed to the Jever rule , suggests that he was the son of an otherwise unknown Falco . This assumption is reinforced by the fact that Falconissa in his “Confession” names the Dutch Baptist Menno (1496–1561), who is usually referred to as Menno Simons or (less often) Menno Simonszoon (German: Menno Simonssohn ), Menno Simonissen .

According to Rolf Schäfer, further remarks in the “Confession” indicate that Falconissa was probably of Dutch origin. For example, he uses some Dutch vocabulary (for example yst for right ; wetholders for councilors) and theologically on the question of the Lord's Supper mainly deals with the representatives of the Melchioritic movement who - apart from their founder Melchior Hofmann - came from the Netherlands. In this context, Falconissa expressly names the already mentioned Menno Simons, David Joris , Jan van Leiden and Jan van Batenburg . Andreas Karlstadt and Huldreich Zwingli he seems not to have known. His knowledge of Martin Luther is also of a rather superficial nature. The fact that Cornelius Falconissa introduces himself in his “Confession” with the title Seer ( seer ) is also reminiscent of Jan van Leiden, the king of the Anabaptist Empire of Münster , who had also acquired this official title, but - according to Falconissa - one because of his use of weapons Committed "blasphemy". "The question arises," - according to Rolf Schäfer - "whether he [Falconissa], as a religious refugee, did not have to evade the imperial persecution of heretics in the Netherlands after his rejection of the papacy."

What is certain is that Falconissa was a pastor in Westrum in the first half of the 16th century. In addition to the letters already mentioned, the published list of Westrum pastors provides information on this. In this chronological list he is mentioned as Cornelius under number 2. His predecessor in office is a certain "Mr. Johann", his successor "Hero Ricklefs". A “1548” in brackets is given as the year of his service.

The fact that Cornelius Falconissa was married emerges from the document 1095 in the document book of Jever and Kniphausen . It bears the date "1547 May 5" and refers to an order of the Jeverschen mistress Fräulein Maria and her chancellor Remmer von Seediek . After that, Falconissa was to rebuild a dilapidated house that belonged to his wife and was located "at the west end of the churchyard [in Jever]" between the houses "Hans von Ossborch" and "Pieter Cremer". But the Westrum pastor lacked the financial means. He therefore sold the ruin to Cremer, the owner of the neighboring property and then mayor of Jever.

How long Falconissa worked as a clergyman in Westrum can be indirectly deduced from his petition to the Jever rule and from a handwritten comment made by the Hohenkirchen vicar Hermannus Heronis under Falconissa's "confession". The content of the input makes it probable that Falconissas began service around 1540. He died - as can be deduced from the handwritten note mentioned - in the winter of 1548/1549. The "number of souls" in the Westrum parish was only 88 in the 16th century and thus far below the average for the Jeverland communities. In his “petition” to the Jever rule, dated December 25, 1540, Falconissa did not blame the small number of members for the deplorable state of the church treasury. He referred to a survey “at oldt unde junck” that he had carried out “nu up Winachsdach na dat sermon ”. After that the small parish would not have suffered any hardship in earlier times. But after the "salige juncker buoys " had moved or sold part of the parish church land without the knowledge and consent of the responsible church game people , the current maintenance problems would have arisen . Therefore, Miss Maria and her chancellor should see to it that the community gets their goods back.

Falconissa's Confession

Beginning of the confession

Falconissa's confession is entitled: Jhesus chrystus vnse hope. 1 Thimo 1. De belydynge edder confessionn des Seers dorch gnade tho Vestrum . It was written towards the end of 1548. The reason for this was an appeal made to the Jeverland clergy by the Jeverland ruler Fräulein Maria and her chancellor Remmer von Seediek.

Falconissa's writing has been compiled into an anthology with the confessions of 20 other Jeverland clergymen and the Confessio jeverensis . It can be found in the library of the Mariengymnasium in Jever and has the signature XI C b 1 . Further information on the anthology can be found at Rolf Schäfer, who published and translated the collected manuscripts, some in Latin and some in Low German, for the first time. The text and translation can be found in his book Die Jeverschen Pastor Confessions of 1548 , published in 2012 on the occasion of the Augsburg Interim, on pages 143 to 582.

background

The Reformation movement reached Jeverland around 1526/1527 . In charge was the Jever pastor Heinrich Kremer († 1540), who introduced the evangelical sermon on his own initiative, distributed the Lord's Supper in both forms and finally married. In 1531/1532 the Jever mistress gave up her initial resistance to the Reformation - probably under the influence of her Chancellor Remmer von Seediek. In 1532 she issued a mandate that ordered the Reformation to be carried out in her domain. Remmer von Seediek was commissioned to draw up church regulations for the Jeverland.

In 1548, after his victory over the Schmalkaldic League , Emperor Charles V issued the so-called Augsburg Interim . This imperial law was intended to regulate church conditions temporarily. A general council was envisaged to eliminate the doctrinal differences between Old Believers and supporters of the Reformation movement and to prepare the reintegration of Protestants into the Catholic Church .

The interim was transported to Jever by an imperial messenger in August 1548 and received by the sovereign Maria. On Monday, November 12th, 1548, the Jeverland clergy gathered them in the castle and presented the interim for acceptance. Since the assembly could not decide on a clear vote, they were given a three-week period of reflection and at the same time given the task of drafting a personal statement. Four points in particular should be dealt with here: the interim itself, the Articles of Faith of the Apostolicum , the sacraments and traditional religious ceremonies.

Form and structure

Falconissa's “Confession” is reminiscent of “a passionately delivered sermon” (Rolf Schäfer). It contains haunting appeals and interspersed prayers. Fictitious conversations with speech and counter-speech alternate with strongly accentuated warnings. The frequent use of biblical quotations reveals a "diligent and long-term Bible study " by the author. An acrostic poem for the term INTERJM and an allegorical interpretation of the apocryphal Susanna script are particularly noticeable in Falconissa. They are not used in the other confessions of Jeverland.

Falconissa did not add any chapter headings to his writing, which was probably produced in a very short time. According to Rolf Schäfer, four main points can be identified in addition to a “pre-sent formula of modesty ”, a detailed dedication to Miss Maria and her court, and an afterword to the Jeverland officials . These include (1) Falconissa's remarks on right-wing worship , (2) the aforementioned acrostic, (3) a relatively short statement on infant baptism and (4) a broad-based statement on the Lord's Supper .

content

Falconissa's acrostic

In terms of content, the “confession” of the Westrum preacher is not so much a precise answer to the questions asked by Miss Maria, but rather a presentation of Falconissa's theological knowledge. The questions asked serve him as keywords for an original presentation of his spiritual insights, for which he claims the authority of a “ Seers dorch gades gade tho Vestrum”. The apparently humble self-description in the opening part of the text as a “despised and lowly person”, uneducated and of simple writing, “dat dar nycht gesettet ys na klockheyt des flesches edder werlts wyse” also testifies to a strong self-confidence, as it does not connect him with anyone Less than the apostle Paul , who also did not consider himself wise and knowing.

Miss Maria - according to Falconissa in his detailed dedication - can be compared to the Old Testament King Joschija (approx. 647–609 BC). Like this one in Israel, in Jeverland she saw to it that the reforms of worship services were initiated, for the continuation and completion of which God would like to give her the necessary wisdom and assertiveness. He compares himself in this connection to the high priest Hilkiah , of the ark had found the original ordinances of God ( 2 Kings 22.8 to 10  EU ) and they sent the king. Falconissa's letter to “ywer gnade unde yw beuelhebbers” comes from the (new) ark of God, namely the New Testament, and shows what the divine service instituted by Christ consists of. This has a threefold nature; it is (1) worship through the devotion of one's own body ( Rom 12,1f  EU ), (2) worship to one's neighbor ( Jak 1,27  EU ) and (3) worship as an everlasting sacrifice of praise for God ( Heb 13,15f  EU ). The last-mentioned Bible passage in particular shows that the divine service is not about a time-limited event, but about an "eyn ewych laueoffer".

literature

• Rolf Schäfer (Ed.): The Jeverschen pastor confessions 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburg Interim , Volume 168 in the series Contributions to historical theology . Mohr Siebeck Verlag , Tübingen 2012, ISBN 978-3-16-151910-9 , pp. 73-79 (biography of Falconissas); 408–448 (Falconissa's statement on the Augsburg Interim)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gustav Rüthning: Urkundenbuch of Jever and Kniphausen , Volume VI of Oldenburgische Urkundenbuch , Oldenburg 1932 documents no. 1024 (p. 434 f.); 1095 (p. 473)
2. ↑ Cornelius Falconissa: Jhesus chrystus vnse hope. 1 Thimo 1. De belydynge edder confessionn des Seers dorch gades gnade tho Vestrum , Westrum 1548; printed and translated by Rolf Schäfer (ed.): Die Jeverschen Pastorenbekentnisse 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburg Interim , Tübingen 2012, pp. 409–449; see also Rolf Schäfer (ed.), Die Jeverschen Pastorenbeständignisse 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburger Interim , Tübingen 2012, p. 73
3. ↑ Rolf Schäfer (Ed.): The Jeverschen Pastor Confessions 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburger Interim , Tübingen 2012, p. 75 f.
4. ↑ Rolf Schäfer (Ed.): The Jeverschen Pastor Confessions 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburger Interim , Tübingen 2012, p. 76
5. ↑ Hans Warntjen (ed. On behalf of the Oberkirchenrat): The Preachers of the Duchy of Oldenburg from the Reformation to the Present , III. Volume (with appendix), Oldenburg 1980, p. 45 in the appendix, column I.
6. ↑ Gustav Rüthning: Urkundenbuch of Jever and Kniphausen , Volume VI of Oldenburgische Urkundenbuch , Oldenburg 1932, p 473
7. ↑ On Heronis, see Rolf Schäfer (Ed.): Die Jeverschen Pastorenbekentnisse 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburg Interim , Tübingen 2012, pp. 51–59
8. ↑ The petition that Falconissa wrote at the beginning of his service in Westrum assumes the death of Boing of Oldersum (November 1540). This means that the time of his commencement of work can only be set after this date; see Gustav Rüthning: Jever and Kniphausen Document Book , Volume VI of the Oldenburg Document Book , Oldenburg 1932, p. 434 f.
9. ↑ In the note it says: “Hic obiit diem antequam haec scripta perficerentur.” (German: He died on the last day before these writings [= collection of Jever's pastor's confessions] were completed); quoted from Rolf Schäfer (Hrsg.): The Jeverschen Pastorenbekentnisse 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburg Interim , Tübingen 2012, p. 73 f.
10. ↑ The average size of the community in Jeverland in the 16th century was about 440 souls; see Rolf Schäfer (Hrsg.): The Jeverschen pastor confessions 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburg Interim , Tübingen 2012, p. 24 (table). - This information is a number calculated from various factors.
11. ↑ Boing von Oldersum died on November 12, 1540.
12. ↑ Gustav Rüthning: Urkundenbuch of Jever and Kniphausen , Volume VI of Oldenburgische Urkundenbuch , Oldenburg 1932 S. 434 f. (Certificate 1024)
13. ↑ ( 1 Tim 1  EU )
14. ↑ Rolf Schäfer (Ed.): The Jeverschen Pastor Confessions 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburger Interim , Tübingen 2012, pp. 135-138
15. ↑ Rolf Schäfer, Joachim Kuropka, Reinhard Rittner, Heinrich Schmidt: Oldenburgische Kirchengeschichte , Oldenburg 1999, pp. 216-219
16. ↑ Rolf Schäfer (Ed.): The Jeverschen Pastor Confessions 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburger Interim , Tübingen 2012, p. 12 f.
17. ↑ Rolf Schäfer (Ed.): The Jeverschen Pastor Confessions 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburger Interim , Tübingen 2012, p. 76 f.
18. ↑ Translation: Seer by God's grace in Westrum
19. ↑ See 1 Corinthians letter, chapter 2, verses 1–5 ( 1 Cor 2 : 1–5  EU )
20. ^ Translation: "Your Grace and Government Officials"; Rolf Schäfer: The Jeverschen Pastor Confessions 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburg Interim , Tübingen 2012, p. 413
21. ^ Translation: "an eternal praise offering"; Rolf Schäfer: The Jeverschen Pastor Confessions 1548 on the occasion of the Augsburg Interim , Tübingen 2012, p. 415