Hieronymus Weller

Hieronymus Weller (born September 5, 1499 in Freiberg ; † March 20, 1572 ibid) was a Protestant theologian and reformer .

Life

The "Freiberg Prophet", as his contemporaries probably called him, came from an old patrician family who owned several estates in the Plauen area , also provided mayors and councilors in Freiberg and enjoyed a high reputation. Jerome lost his father when he was ten years old. He attended the school in Naumburg and three years later was able to go to the Leucorea in Wittenberg .

At the age of 19 he was already a Baccalaureus . He could not stay in Wittenberg, however, but had to earn his living as a schoolmaster in Zwickau and Schneeberg . After seven years, his noble relatives gave him the opportunity to continue studying. During this time, the inner shock that a sermon Martin Luther caused in him falls .

In 1527 he went to Luther to be tutor for his children. While Luther was staying at the Veste Coburg , he was a support for his household. He spent a full eight years near him before he received his doctorate in theology . The doctorate took place in the presence of the English ambassador Barns, who was just in Wittenberg, on September 14, 1535.

The Reformation , which had meanwhile been carried out in his hometown, led to the establishment of a theological lecture there , which he took over in 1539. After Nikolaus Hausmann had worked here, it was not difficult for him to get an influential position. Justus Jonas the Elder and Georg Spalatin introduced him to the office on the occasion of the Meißnian church visit . His work at the grammar school and his correspondence were extensive.

Among other things, his interpretation of Luther's house table with the title De officio ecclesiastico, politica et oeconomico libellus pius et eruditus (1552), the first independent treatment of this catechism text , which is fundamental for an understanding of Luther's image of society, was remarkable . Numerous important preachers of the 16th and 17th centuries then followed Weller's example, such as Cyriacus Spangenberg , Aegidius Hunnius , Johann Arndt and Johann Conrad Dannhauer and many others. The German translation (1556) of this book by Valentin Winsheim was also printed several times.

Weller was in constant contact with Luther and Philipp Melanchthon . Nevertheless, he did not remain unchallenged. After giving lectures for 22 years and also issuing biblical explanations, he withdrew more and more, but still participated in all theological questions of the time. His intellectual legacy was published in two folio volumes in 1702 .

literature

• H. Nobbe: Hieronymus Weller. In: Journal of Historical Theology. 1870, pages 150-181
• Andreas Ledl: Lifelong learning as a reform program. New beginnings during the Reformation through Hieronymus Weller and Christoph Fischer. Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938203-50-7
• Religion Past and Present. (RGG) Vol. 5, p. 1270
• Christian Gottlieb Jöcher : Scholar Lexicon. Vol. 4, Col. 1879
• Georg Müller:  Weller von Molsdorf, Hieronymus . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 44, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1898, pp. 472-476.

Web links

• Hieronymus Weller: House panel laid out Nuremberg 1556, in Cinquecentine.de