Jacob Coler

Jacob Coler (actually Jacob Köhler ; * 1537 in Greiz , Vogtland , † March 7, 1612 in Güstrow , Duchy of Mecklenburg ) was a Lutheran theologian , provost of Berlin and superintendent of Güstrow.

Jacob Coler, posthumous copper engraving by Fridrich 1751

Life

He was the son of Jacob Coler, superintendent in Greiz and a former Augustinian brother and fellow student of Luther . After attending school in Greiz, Zwickau and Freiberg , Coler enrolled at the University of Frankfurt (Oder) in 1554 , where he obtained his master's degree in 1559 . In the following years he held collegia (lectures) there and was involved in 42 disputations . In 1564 Coler became a member of the Faculty of Arts.

In that year he was appointed pastor by the council of the town of Lauban in Upper Lusatia . After a year Coler had to give up the position again because he had refused to allow a Catholic monastery bailiff as a godfather at a baptism. He became pastor in Adelsdorf in the Duchy of Liegnitz in 1566 and in the city of Wohlau in 1567 , there at the instigation of Duke Georg von Liegnitz and Wohlau . There, too, there were theological disputes with other Protestant views (Calvinists, Anabaptists, Schwenckfeldians), which even took him to prison for four weeks.

In 1573 Coler became pastor in Neukirch in the Duchy of Jauer . In the following year there were two theological disputations with the theologian Matthias Flacius , which brought Coler a lot of attention. In 1575 he was appointed teacher of the Hebrew language at the University of Frankfurt, where he was appointed full professor of the Hebrew language the following year after obtaining his doctorate .

In 1577, Elector Johann Georg von Brandenburg brought him as provost at the Nikolaikirche in Berlin, at the same time as assessor and consistorial councilor . In 1580 Coler signed the formula of the Concord . During this time he could not accept a call to Leipzig as a professor for the Hebrew language , as the elector Johann Georg did not allow this. Coler was one of the collaborators of the three-volume Hebrew Bible edition published by Elias Hutter from 1587.

In 1599 Jacob Coler was appointed superintendent in Güstrow by Duke Ulrich von Mecklenburg . He turned down offers for a professorship for theology in Nuremberg-Altdorf and the position of superintendent in Lübeck in the next few years and died in 1612 at the age of 75 in the office in Güstrow.

Coler was married three times. Theologian Johannes Coler is one of his ten children .

literature

• Lothar Noack, Jürgen Splett: Bio Bibliographies. Brandenburg scholars of the early modern period - Mark Brandenburg with Berlin-Cölln 1506–1640. Berlin 2009. pp. 58-72 .
• Adolf Schimmelpfennig:  Coler, Jakob . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1876, p. 401 f.

Web links

• Works by and about Jacob Coler  in the German Digital Library
• Publications by and about Jacob Coler in VD 16 .
• Publications by and about Jacob Coler in VD 17 .
• Literature about Jacob Coler in the state bibliography MV