Johann Hüglin

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Johann Hüglin
Born before 1490 (Lindau am Bodensee)
Deceased May 10, 1527 (Meersburg)
Holiday May 10 ( Evangelical calendar of names )
Patron saint The Protestant Church rejects the concept of patron saints. Hüglin is the namesake z. B. for the Johannes-Hüglin-Weg in Meersburg.

Johann Hüglin , also Johannes Hüglin , Hans Hüglin , Johannes Heuglin , Johann Heuglin , Hanns Heuglin , Johannes Hügelin , Johannes Hügli , Johann Hügli , Johann Heuglein or Johann Heugelin , in English sometimes John Heuglin , in French according to Jean Heuglin , in Dutch Jan Heuglin Written (* before 1490 in Lindau (Lake Constance) ; †  May 10, 1527 in Meersburg ), was Frühmessner (pastor) in the parish village of Sernatingen on Lake Constance (today Bodman-Ludwigshafen , then part of the imperial city of Überlingen ). He is considered an evangelical martyr .

Life

Johann Hüglin was born the son of a shearer in Lindau. He received the post of early messenger in Sernatingen and at the beginning of the Peasant Wars he campaigned for the farmers in his community. In the Überlingen area, generally on the north bank of Lake Constance, the uprising assumed considerable proportions; the “Bodenseer” were the third organized bunch of farmers after the “Baldtringers” and the “Algeuers”.

The peasant revolt was put down in 1526. Emperor Charles V ordered that clergymen who had joined the Reformation or the peasant uprising should be severely punished. During this time of denunciations and accusations, Hüglin, possibly from Überlingen pastor Dr. Johann Schlupf (term of office 1506–1527), reported as a heretic. Johann Hüglin was arrested by the Überlingen authorities along with three other clergymen who, like Hüglin, had spoken out positively about the Reformation and charged with alleged involvement in the peasant uprising and Reformation activities before the court of the Bishop of Constance . The preliminary investigation in Sernatingen was carried out by the Überlingen councilor Kaspar Dornsperger. The official report to the bishop's court master, Hans von Fridingen in Meersburg , contained, among other things, the accusation that Hüglin ate meat on days of fasting even though there was no need. He was also accused of inciting the farmers with heretical and seditious speeches in the inn.

The other arrested persons renounced the Lutheran doctrine and were released after a short imprisonment in Meersburg , while Hüglin, against whom the most serious allegations were made, was interned in one of the towers of the Meersburg Castle. He denied some allegations and admitted others concerning his evangelical teachings. Despite attempts to persuade the episcopal vicar general and Dominican Wendelin Fabri (lifetime around 1465–1533) and the preacher monk Antonius Pirata, as well as torture, he did not allow himself to be persuaded to express himself negatively about Martin Luther's teaching or to confess to allegations he made of himself had instructed. The bishop's scholars tried unsuccessfully to convince him with alleged biblical arguments. Hüglin was also interrogated personally by the bishop of Konstanz, Hugo von Hohenlandenberg , who resided in the castle .

On February 10, 1527, Hüglin's sister Katharina, the wife of the goldsmith Ulrich Heim, who lived in Baden in Aargau , had the Baden mayor and council write a petition to the bishop in order to obtain Hüglin's release.

On May 6, 1527, the city council banned the last Roman Catholic preachers from their activity in Constance. The bishop's crackdown may be related to what was going on over which he had lost control.

process

On the Friday before Jubilate , May 10, 1527, Johann Hüglin was brought to public trial on the Meersburg market square. For this purpose, a scaffold had been specially erected there. It was chaired by the auxiliary bishop in Constance and titular bishop of Ascalon Melchior Fattlin (term of office 1518–1548), who was dressed in a solemn chasuble; the ecclesiastical councils of the episcopal consistory were also present: to the left of the auxiliary bishop the abbot of Petershausen , Gebhart II. Dornsperger (term of office 1526–1556), to the right of the abbot of Kreuzlingen and papal executor Peter Babenberg (term of office 1497–1545), furthermore Wendelin Fabri, Oswald Wendelin, Antonius Pirata, Peter Speyser, meanwhile episcopal vicar general, and the Meersburg pastor Christoph Golter. The episcopal bailiff of Meersburg, Kilian Reichlin von Meldegg (died 1529) acted as secular judge. To the accusation by a notary that he was a heretic, Hüglin replied that he did not teach and hold anything other than the teaching of Christ and Paul and that he could only be convinced on the basis of the Bible if he was wrong. He was instructed to only answer “yes” or “no”, since it was not proper to speak about such things in front of the people. Hüglin then called out to God for help. The plaintiff then read the indictment in German.

Charges

The 21 charges that arose from the torture were:

  1. Rejection of any authority
  2. Doctrine of Christian freedom, rejection of tax payments
  3. Rejection of all sacraments except baptism and the Lord's Supper
  4. Rejection of work justice
  5. Rejection of fasting and other church customs
  6. Reading of the writings of Martin Luther, including On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church and one on the Psalms, also reading of works by Johannes Bugenhagen
  7. Listening to Lutheran and non-Lutheran sermons, although the Lutheran ones would have appealed to him more
  8. Possession of the translation of the New Testament of Martin Luther, in which he made hundreds of falsifications of the divine word
  9. Disregard of feast days with the exception of Sunday and Marian feasts
  10. Rejection of the doctrine of the sacrifice of the Mass
  11. Approval of the chalice communion
  12. Rejection of celibacy , he was only unmarried out of fear of the authorities
  13. Rejection of the doctrine of purgatory
  14. Assisted in writing the Twelve Articles of the Insurgent Peasants
  15. Writing letters in support of the uprising, including to Johann Benkler , the leader of the Hegauer heap of farmers
  16. Rejection of requiems and seasons
  17. Allowing the removal of images
  18. Rejection of council resolutions
  19. Talks with Lutheran preachers about the peasant articles, which he approved of
  20. Rejection of the gospel and church statutes and ordinances
  21. Lack of belief in the effectiveness of soul masses

defense

In his defense, Hüglin argued that

  • (to 1) he called the peasants to obedience to the authorities during the uprising, which the Bible also teaches and what he himself adhered to towards the bishop
  • (2) by the freedom of the Christian he only meant freedom of conscience; in his written request for the remission of tax payments for the peasants, at their insistence he only accepted an offer from the Ueberlingen council, which was made in the event that the Sernating farmers would not join the uprising; he wanted to protect the authorities and not support the uprising; only God knows whether he has sinned thereby; but he trusts in God's forgiveness
  • (3) He considered the other sacraments apart from baptism and the Lord's Supper to be dispensable, since one could also be saved without, for example, having received the last unction or ordination or being married, as the Roman Catholic Church also teaches, but he called does not call for the abolition of the dispensable sacraments

Hüglin's clever argumentation embarrassed the court, so his speech was interrupted at this point by the vicar's request not to “dispute” but to answer in Latin, with only “credo” (I believe it) or “non credo “(I don't believe it); But he did not comply with this, since he said that both sides must always be heard, otherwise his words would be falsified, and he invoked divine and imperial law. He emphasized that he should not be condemned on the basis of his personal faith, but only on the basis of his teaching; even Annas had condemned Christ not because of his faith, but because of his teaching. He warned his judges not to judge too quickly lest they incur the wrath of God. He continued that

  • (go to 3) he said under torture that his view of the sacraments was based on the Bible, not on Luther's opinion
  • (4) He was of the opinion that good works were only delusions if they were not born of faith, as Christ himself taught
  • (5) he ate meat permitted on fasting days out of an emergency; But everyone only has to answer to God on this question because of his conscience; but he does not reject the good customs
  • (6) he had received the Lutheran scriptures in question from the pastor of Bodman three years ago and did not consider mere reading to be a crime, the Bible itself said: Check everything
  • (7) He did not consent to Lutheran sermons because they were from Luther, but because he believed their statements to be true and in accordance with the Word of God; he was not taught enough to judge them according to other criteria
  • (8) Although he had a translation of the New Testament by Luther, he did not notice any translation errors in it, nor had he made any changes to the Word of God himself
  • (9) He does not reject the holidays, but their abuse for unchristian amusements
  • (10) He was only following Paul's teaching when he said that Christ was sacrificed only once, namely on the cross, and that no further sacrifice was necessary, and that he was a doctrine of the Lord's Supper that goes beyond what follows from the words of institution, refuse
  • (11) He advocates the administration of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper in both forms, as this follows from the words of Christ and also from the writings of Paul that it is the will of God
  • (12) He did not in fact consider celibacy necessary
  • (13) he has no definitive opinion on the subject of purgatory; he follows the teaching of the Bible, which says nothing about it, and does not want to contradict the Council of Nicaea ; under the torture he had already said that it was already a purgatory for him
  • (on 14 and 15) the text he wrote for the peasants was merely a petition to which the council of Überlingen asked
  • (16 and 21) the existence of purgatory cannot be proven and therefore no sacrifice is necessary for the dead.

Hüglin burst into tears, as did some of the spectators at the hearing, with which he drew the vicar's mockery. Hüglin said that he himself was not worth laughing at, but that the vicar should laugh at himself because he did not know what he was doing. The vicar blushed. Hüglin asked the court not to judge too quickly and again pleaded with God for help and the bystanders for intercession. He closed his defense speech by surrendering to the will of God, which is his hope and confidence.

Interrogation of witnesses

Then the witness interrogation followed. When the two witnesses were supposed to be sworn in, Hüglin refused, he trusted that they would tell the truth. So the swearing-in was waived. The second witness stated that he had heard some of the alleged statements from Hüglin, but in the form that he had stated in his answers in court.

judgment

Although the charge could not be proven, Hüglin was condemned by the vicar in Latin as a heretic, a sinner against the church and a destroyer of the faith. His priesthood was stripped from him. He was also handed over to the secular authorities, represented by Reichlin von Meldegg. A ritual to withdraw the priesthood followed:

Hüglin was brought before Auxiliary Bishop Fattlin by the notary, who ordered in Latin that Hüglin should put on a priestly robe and then bring him up again. Hüglin prayed aloud while dressing appropriately, thanking God that he had kept himself a pious priest; Then he spoke psalm words: "In you, Lord, I have hoped." Fattlin took off his priestly robe, stepped away from him and insulted him. Then his head was shaved. Then his fingers were scraped off with a knife to symbolically remove the chrism of his ordination. Afterwards, the auxiliary bishop asked the worldly authorities for mercy for Hüglin in his own name and that of several abbots, in accordance with the usual formalities.

Subsequently, von Meldegg charged Hüglin as a seducer, rebel and heretic and, as a secular judge, formally sentenced him to death by burning.

execution

Obertor in Meersburg with houses on the city wall

After the verdict, Hüglin is said to have looked at the sky and called out loud:

"Oh God forgive you people, you don't know what you're doing!"

(Compare the crossword Lk 23,34  LUT and Alexandre Roussel .) Those present are said to have burst into tears. He is also said to have said:

"Praise and thanks be to you, eternal God, that you have honored me, for the sake of your holy name, to suffer death and torture on this day."

Hüglin thanked a handwritten chronicle of the city of Lindau and the leaflet by Johannes Stumpf given in the chapter "Literature", according to everyone who had looked after him, and also to the bishop for the good food that had been given to him in prison. Afterwards he is said to have prayed for forgiveness for his executioners.

He was then led through the upper gate to the place of execution outside the city walls, where he is said to have spoken psalms. Johann Hüglin is said to have sung the Gloria in excelsis , the Te Deum laudamus and the Magnificat at the stake, as is also reported by Jan Hus ; his last word is said to have been:

"Jesus!"

Quote

Propagandist allegory of the sola scriptura principle

"I want to stick to what the scriptures say."

(See also sola scriptura .)

reception

Early Effects and Claims

Before the persecution of Anabaptists began in 1527, the trial of Hüglin was, alongside the trials of Caspar Tauber , Heinrich von Zütphen and Leonhard Kaiser, one of the last four inquisition trials against Lutherans in the Holy Roman Empire , which ended with a death sentence and received nationwide attention. Gustav Schwab suspected that Hüglin's fate contributed to the successful spread of the Reformation in Lindau.

Opponents claimed after Hüglin's death that he had last revoked and asked that a funeral mass be held for him. They even claimed that Hüglin had sexual intercourse with his mother.

Two well-known pamphlets and their reception

Two pamphlets were soon published on the Hüglin case, one of them in four editions. Johannes Stumpf described the events from a Protestant point of view in Scripture

Warhieft hystori of the pious train and marterer of Christ Johannes Hügelin vonn Lindow, then for the sake of christian warhait was burned by the bishop of Costentz zu Merspurg on the ten days of mayens in five hundred siben and twenty gestures jar

(Link to the free online version in the “Literature” chapter), which appeared in four editions and was written as an eyewitness report. It was the oldest printed report. According to this pamphlet, the articles to which Hüglin had committed himself in his trial corresponded essentially to the basic theological convictions of the Lutheran Reformation.

Heinrich Bullinger quoted this pamphlet in his Reformation History, which he completed in 1567, moving the event forward to 1526 and creating an inaccurate connection to the Baden disputation by accusing the Roman Catholic side of not wanting to negotiate seriously, and hinting at it that Ulrich Zwingli's life would have been endangered there. He was probably starting from a winged saying that speculated that Zwingli would have felt the same way a year earlier in Baden; the error probably resulted from the large time lag. In 1840, Leopold von Ranke incorporated Bullinger's mistake into his German history in the age of the Reformation .

Johannes Kessler took over the essentials from the pamphlet in his Sabbata, Ludwig Rabus quoted it as early as the 16th century in his Historien der Martyrer, later it appeared in Johann Jacob Ulrich's Miscellanea Tigurina . The mayor of Constance based his diocese chronicle on the script. These sources, as well as the still preserved letter of appeal from Hüglin's sister, confirm that 1527 was the year of events. Writings by Walchner and Vierordt on the subject can be found in the “Literature” chapter.

Peter Speyser and Christoph Golter, who were involved in the process, described the events in

Warholds responsibility for dz lugenhracht Schmachbuechlin so in short days it went out because of Hannsen Heüglins von Lindaw woelcher then wmb his revolting heretical and false empty will to Moerspurg on Lake Constance was spent on the ten days of meyen in siben and twentieth year

(published by Ulrich Morhart the Elder in Tübingen, probably in 1527) from a Roman Catholic point of view. According to this document, Hüglin asked for a corporal punishment that was not fatal. This work was not reprinted. The difference in circulation supports the popular belief that anti-Lutheran pamphlets have been less popular.

Was Hüglin (co-) author of the Twelve Articles?

Whether Hüglin was a co-author of the Twelve Articles of the Peasants has been discussed controversially; Alfred Stern argued, for example, in a paper from 1868 (see chapter “Literature”) that Hüglin's defense speech showed that he had only written down the requests of the Sernatinger farmers that the Überlingen council had requested, and which were not known Twelve Articles, but a writing of local importance that perhaps only a few hundred people were aware of. As criteria for the twelve articles, Stern cited the number of twelve, the pressure and the authorship by a political leader of the peasants, none of these criteria were applicable to Hüglin's articles. It is not unusual for a pastor to write petitions for peasants, as he was the best literate. Stern said that Hüglin would have admitted it if he had been the author of the well-known Twelve Articles.

As early as 1841, Wilhelm Zimmermann admitted in his General History of the Great Peasants' War that Hüglin had only written down the requests of the Sernatinger farmers, but that one of the main demands of the Twelve Articles, the annulment of death (Article 11), was already contained in the Sernatinger articles, and that the oldest edition of the Twelve Articles was still petitioned. It is therefore possible that the corresponding demand from Hüglin's Sernatinger Articles was incorporated into the twelve articles of all farmers.

Honors

The Johannes-Hüglin-Weg in Meersburg and the Johann-Hüglin-Weg in Bodman-Ludwigshafen are named after Johann Hüglin, as is the Johannes-Hüglin-Saal of the Protestant parish Ludwigshafen am See (today's name of Sernatingen).

Remembrance day

May 10 in the Evangelical Name Calendar .

Before the introduction of the official name calendar, the day of remembrance was already listed in:

  • Theodor Fliedner : Book of Martyrs . Kaiserswerth 1849/1859, Volume 4, pp. 1399-1404
  • Ferdinand Piper : Protestant calendar . In witnesses to the truth . Berlin 1874/1875, Volume 1, pp. 14-25
  • Prussian Evangelical Upper Church Council: Calendar of names for the German people . Berlin 1876
  • Jörg Erb : The Cloud of Witnesses , Kassel 1951/1963, Volume 4, pp. 508-520

A day of remembrance on a different date was found in:

literature

Web links

Wikisource: Johannes Heuglin in Meersburg  - sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mention of Johann Schlupfs in the Südkurier
  2. ↑ Mention of Wendelin Fabris in the catalog of incunabula of the Heidelberg University Library etc.
  3. ↑ Wendelin Fabri on Beauchesne editeur (French)
  4. ↑ Wendelin Fabri worked in Lindau after completing his studies and was in contact with Archduke Ferdinand, the brother of Charles V.
  5. ^ Bernd Moeller : Luther Reception. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2001, ISBN 3-525-55443-5 , p. 229 ( limited preview in the Google book search).
personal data
SURNAME Hüglin, Johann
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hüglin, Hans; Heuglin, Johann; Heuglin, Johannes; Heuglin, Hanns; Hillin, Johannes; Hügli, Johannes; Hügli, Johann; Heuglein, Johann; Heugelin, Johann; Heuglin, John; Heuglin, Jean; Heuglin, Jan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Protestant martyr
DATE OF BIRTH before 1490
PLACE OF BIRTH Lindau (Lake Constance)
DATE OF DEATH May 10, 1527
Place of death Meersburg