Johannes Mathesius

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Johannes Mathesius
Monument to Mathesius in Rochlitz

Johannes Mathesius , also Johann Mathesius (born June 24, 1504 in Rochlitz , † October 7, 1565 in Sankt Joachimsthal , Bohemia ) was a German pastor and Lutheran reformer.

Life

A Rochlitz child

Mathesius was born on June 24th ( St. John's Day ) 1504 as the third son of Councilor Wolfgang Mathesius in Rochlitz . He was baptized in the Petrikirche, and his home was at Bleichplatz on the Mulde. His godparents were friends of the family, including Thomas Neumann, the city's mayor. The mother, Christine, nee Scheuerfuß, came from not far away Mittweida . Mathesius had three brothers with whom he grew up: Lukas, who later studied in Bologna and obtained his master's degree, Burckhard, who obtained a baccalaureate in Leipzig and became a teacher and rector of the Sebaldus School in Nuremberg, and Wolfgang. Since the mother died early, the grandmother Juliane Scheuerfuß in Mittweida took over the upbringing.

At home, Mathesius said he learned the Ten Commandments, faith and the Our Father through his father. Later in life he remembered his parents and grandparents with great respect, for he was brought up with "serious admonitions" but also with heartfelt love. At the age of six he attended the Rochlitz local school and learned "Latin grammar, the Sunday gospels and church chants". Up to the age of eight he also had a private tutor.

From the age of ten, his father prepared him for a mining profession. For this purpose he was employed as an assistant clerk in the newly founded Rochlitz collieries Junkerberg and Vogelsang. So the boy developed a sense of and love for nature and made his first mineralogical and botanical studies. However, the mine fell into disrepair in 1517, making the wealthy father impoverished. Then Johannes moved back to Mittweida to live with his grandmother. His father died on January 1, 1521. According to his son, a reckless "quack" caused his death. The young man was seized by wanderlust and, following the custom of the time, he wanted to follow the schools as a traveling student .

Apprenticeship and wandering years

In 1521 Mathesius made his way to Nuremberg , where he lived with relatives and attended a Latin school. During this time he made a living as a choir singer. The flourishing urban culture of Nuremberg made a big impression on him. The pupil moved in the sphere of influence of famous contemporaries such as Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) or Adam Kraft (1493–1558). Two years later he emigrated to Ingolstadt and studied at the then famous university theology . However, as early as 1523 he had to give up his studies due to lack of money.

Several professional activities followed: first in Munich in the service of a private library and then as a private tutor and educator at Odelzhausen Castle (aristocratic residence in the Dachau district ) with the widow Sabine von Auer. The decisive moment in Mathesius' life came when he read Martin Luther's sermon on the good works , one of the Reformation writings from 1520. It put him on the path to the Reformation . "From this I first learned the beginning of Christianity, praise God," he said later. In Bruck near Fürstenfeld he found another opportunity to study Luther's teachings in the house of Pastor Zacharias Weichsner.

In order to get to know the reformer personally, Mathesius left Bruck and arrived in Wittenberg on May 21, 1530 after a difficult hike . On the following Saturday he heard Luther preach about the nature and power of holy baptism , which made a deep impression on him. Mathesius matriculated on May 30th at the Wittenberg University . He stayed in Wittenberg for three years and attended the lectures and sermons of all the great academic teachers, including Philipp Melanchthon , Johannes Bugenhagen , Justus Jonas the Elder and Caspar Cruciger the Elder . Above all, however, he studied with Luther himself. These studies were made possible by a scholarship from his home town of Rochlitz. Mathesius diligently dealt with theology and philosophy , dialectics and rhetoric . Furthermore, his love for the natural sciences led him to the lecture halls of astronomers and naturalists. In addition to theoretical and scientific training, Mathesius also kept an eye on practical ecclesiastical training. In the Wittenberg Castle Church , which often reminded him of his hometown, as the floor was covered with Rochlitz porphyry , he heard Luther preach. But even now Mathesius could not finish his studies again because of lack of money. Instead, he took a job as a teacher at the Altenburg high school.

Mathesius in Joachimsthal

Church of St. Joachim and St. Anna in Joachimsthal, the first Lutheran church in Bohemia

Because of his pedagogical talent and his extensive knowledge of theology as well as language and real-life subjects, Mathesius was employed in 1532 as rector of the Latin school in the up-and-coming silver city of St. Joachimsthal ; he took office on March 15, 1532. During his eight years of management, the humanistic institution flourished. Despite his love of teaching, Mathesius moved to Wittenberg for the second time as a student in 1540. He obtained the financial means through the support of grateful parents of one of his students. Now Mathesius became Luther's table companion and a narrator of the Reformer's table speeches, which he recorded for two years. Luther liked the humble and talented student and tried to make a good preacher out of him. Melanchthon became his formative teacher and close friend during this time. Mathesius felt connected to the Wittenberg University all his life . He was an ardent contributor to religious renewal. On September 23, 1540 he acquired the degree of master's degree in the liberal arts and was ordained by Luther himself on March 29, 1542 for his spiritual office. The year before he had already been called to be a deacon in Joachimsthal .

In April 1542 Mathesius moved into Joachimsthal, where he initially worked as a preacher and from November 25, 1545 as a pastor until the end of his life. As a preacher, he was very effective. His personality, his extensive knowledge and his open-mindedness brought him great reputation far beyond his community. Under his leadership, Joachimsthal developed into a model Protestant congregation in Bohemia. In his sermons he repeatedly referred to the mountain town and brought in his joy in nature, his powers of observation and his interest in classical antiquity.

As he taught, so too lived. He remembered his duties daily. With great patience, he did not give up even if his work did not want to bear the real fruits. Despite all piety, he loved "decent, happy sociability". Often friends and neighbors were invited to dinner in cheerful company in his house. Mathesius maintained an intensive correspondence with many important men, such as Paul Eber , Melanchthon and others. Melanchthon visited him twice in Joachimsthal and wrote him no less than a hundred letters.

family

On December 4, 1542, Mathesius married Sybilla Richter († February 23, 1555), a daughter of the Joachimsthal miner Paul Richter. Five sons and three daughters are known of the couple's children:

  1. Hieronymus Matthesius, pharmacist in Hirschberg
  2. John (1544–1607)
  3. Paul (1548–1584)
  4. Eutichius (January 17, 1552, † December 24, 1565)
  5. Kasper (* late 1553 / early 1554, † 1570)
  6. Sybilla, married to Felix Zimmermann
  7. Christine, married to Johann Franck (son of Kaspar Frank)
  8. Magarethe

Luther's life

Today Mathesius' name is primarily associated with his portrayal of Luther's life . This work, originally a series of seventeen sermons, appeared for the first time in 1566, the year after his death, under the title Historien / Von des Ehrwirdigen in Gott Blessed thewren Manns Gottes / Doctoris Martini Luthers / anfang / lehr / Leben vnddie / Everything tidy der Jarzal after / how all things have happened at every time / by the old man M. Mathesium / and everything for [before] his happy end made in the Nuremberg printing house Vom Berg Erben as well as with Ulrich Neuber. Subsequently, especially in the late 17th and 18th centuries, it was frequently re-edited and critically edited in 1906 (by Georg Loesche, who also wrote an extensive biography of Mathesius). It is an important source for the scientific biography of Luther, but due to the personal proximity of the author to Luther, it is still of general interest.

Other editions (selection):

  • Sermons about the histories of the venerable [...] M. Luther's beginning, teaching, life and death . With two pictures. Edited by [Achim von] Arnim , undated [Berlin: Maurer], undated [1817] (71 pages).
  • Life of Dr. Martin Luther. With three illustrations and a foreword by Dr. Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert . Seventh, unchanged edition / new edition, Gotha: Schloeßmann, 1871 (VI, 94 pages).
  • ' D. Martin Luther's Life in Seventeen Sermons. Edited by Georg Buchwald (Reclams Universal-Bibliothek. Vol. 2511/2514), Leipzig: Reclam, undated [1889] (434 pages).
  • Mathesius' sermons on Luther's life . With explanations. Presented to the evangelical people by Georg Buchwald. Book decoration by E. Laiblin, Stuttgart: Rocholl, 1904 (XIV and 249 pages).
  • Luther's life in sermons. Ed., Explained and introduced by Georg Lösche (Selected works. Ed. By Georg Lösche. Vol. 3 / Library of German writers from Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Vol. 9), Prague [u. a.]: Tempsky [u. a.], 1898 (XXI, 563 pp.).
    • Luther's life in sermons . After the original. Critical edition with commentary by Georg Loesche]. Second improved and enlarged edition. (Selected works. Volume 3 / Library of German writers from Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Volume 9), Prague: Calve, 1906 (XXIV, 619 pp.).
  • Luther's life after Johann Mathesius. [Ed. by Karl Henninger] (Schaffstein's green volume. Volume 70), Cöln am Rhein: Schaffstein, 1917 [reprint approx. 1920] (100 pages).

Other works (selection)

  • Sarepta or Bergpostill, Sampt of the Joachimßthalischen short chronicles , Nuremberg 1562 ( digitized )
  • A sermon of consolation that those who fell asleep in the Lord come together with joy , Nuremberg 1565 ( digitized version )
  • Historia of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, God's and Mary's Son , 2 parts, Gerlatz, Nuremberg 1568
  • From the school of Elise, the great prophet of God , sermon, Thorn 1584 ( digitized version )
  • Passionale Mathesij , 1587
  • Sÿrach Mathesij Das ist, Christian, didactic, comforting and funny explanation and exposition of the beautiful house book, so the white man Syrach brought together and written , 3 parts, Leipzig 1588–1589 ( digitized version )
  • Homiliae Mathesii, That is: Explanation and thorough explanation of the First and Other Epistles of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians: Two hundred three and sixty sermons ... divided , Leipzig 1590 ( digital copy )
  • Oeconomia or report on the Christian household ( digitized version of the Tübingen 1672 edition )
  • Funeral speeches . Second edition (Selected Works. Volume 1 / Library of German Writers from Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Volume 4), Prague [u. a.]: Tempsky [u. a.], 1908.

Remembrance day

literature

Web links

Commons : Oeconomia or Report on the Christian Household  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Johannes Mathesius  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Hans Volz: The Luther Sermons of Johannes Matthesius (Sources and research on the history of the Reformation. Volume 12), Leipzig 1930.
  2. ^ Johannes Mathesius in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
personal data
SURNAME Mathesius, Johannes
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mathesius, Johann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German pastor and Lutheran reformer
DATE OF BIRTH June 24, 1504
PLACE OF BIRTH Rochlitz
DATE OF DEATH October 7, 1565
Place of death Sankt Joachimsthal , Bohemia