Erasmus Ritter (theologian)

Erasmus Ritter (* around 1481 in Bavaria ; † August 1, 1546 in Bern ) was a German - Swiss Reformed theologian and reformer.

Life

Ritter's place and year of birth are unknown. It is reported that he comes from Bavaria and worked as a preacher in Rottweil . The Council of Schaffhausen in 1523 summoned the orthodox Ritter, so he said to the Reformation occurring Dr. Sebastian Hofmeister counteracted this. Most of the citizens were already on the side of the Hofmeister. Ritter was unsuccessful even when he began to read the mass in German. In order to defeat Hofmeister with his own weapons, he read the Bible eagerly and became its advocate himself.

Now the initial opponents worked together. The abbot also converted the abbey into a provost's office with 12 capitulars and handed over the justice of the monastery to the council. The year 1525 brought setbacks. While Hofmeister was damaging the matter with his violence, Ritter behaved cautiously, strengthened by Ulrich Zwingli's encouragement. The situation in Schaffhausen was secure when Bern and Basel carried out the Reformation . Mass and celibacy were abolished. Ritter married the sister of the last abbot, who had previously been a nun.

Difficulties arose from the Anabaptists and from the tough position of Benedikt Burgauer , who was repelled by the imperative doctrine of the Lord's Supper . The citizens took sides in the dispute between their pastors , which broke out when the new church order was introduced. The two pastors were released. Ritter, who had represented Schaffhausen at the convent in Basel in January 1536, now went to Bern. There he achieved a theological change. He now met Johannes Calvin and took his direction, which gradually became more and more popular in German-speaking Switzerland .

literature

• Real Encyclopedia for Protestant Theology and Church , Volume 17, Page 39
• Julius August Wagenmann:  Knight, Erasmus . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 29, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, p. 767 f.
• Susanne Siebert:  RITTER, Erasmus. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 8, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-053-0 , Sp. 410-412.

Web links

• Literature by and about Erasmus Ritter in the catalog of the German National Library
• Winfried Hecht: Knight, Erasmus. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .