Johannes Amandi

Johannes Amandi, also Johannes Amandus , (* around 1470 in Westphalia  ?; † 1530 in Goslar ) was a German theologian of the 16th century and reformer.

Live and act

Amandi is said to have worked as an indulgence preacher, but this seems questionable. The only thing that is certain is that he was a priest in Holstein. He must have caught up with the ecclesiastical political reformation of the 16th century at an early stage . When Martin Luther recommended him to his Grand Master Albrecht in 1523, he was already married and gave his first sermon on the 1st of Advent in the old town church in Königsberg , after Georg von Polentz had given him a legitimation.

He had little love for theological science, but was a gifted preacher who easily inspired the crowd. His letters show a certain demagogic streak. It could not have been completely harmless to the Order of the Land if it had not had a strong counterweight in Johann Briessmann and Paul Speratus from the start .

In his dispute with the other preachers, he demanded in a presumptuous way the practice of church discipline. Amandi emphasized that he was in agreement with the guilds and accused Speratus of seeking too much the favor of the powerful. The Königsberg chroniclers therefore call him a “pack maker” between the council and the community. In the spring of 1524 he allegedly caused the crowd in Königsberg to storm the monastery through careless speeches . He is also said to have demanded the abolition of the jurisdiction of lay judges, whereupon the regent expelled him from the country and he received from the council 20 marks for allowance on the trip.

He came to Stettin via Danzig and Stolp and was taken prisoner in Garz. When he was released, he came to Wittenberg and was interrogated by Luther on April 26, 1526. On Luther's assignment, he was given a pastor's post in Goslar , where he was introduced by Nikolaus von Amsdorf . His colleague there was Anton Corvinus , who defended him against all hostility. However, despite all this, the passionate preacher has been accused of many. Hermann Hamelmann and David Chyträus have a lot to report about its effectiveness in Pomerania and Goslar. It is undeniable that he pioneered the Reformation in the lower strata of the people.

literature

• Adolf Brecher:  Amandus, Johannes . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 1, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1875, p. 389.
• Hugo Duensing:  Amandus, Johann. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 1, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1953, ISBN 3-428-00182-6 , p. 240 ( digitized version ).
• Albert Hauck: Real Encyclopedia for Protestant Theology and Church. Volume 1, pp. 313 and 434. Academ. Pressure u. Publishing House , Graz 1969, OCLC 718807542 .
• Joachim Schmid: Amandus, Johannes. In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck , Dieter Lent et al. (Ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon - 8th to 18th century . Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2006, ISBN 3-937664-46-7 , p. 41 .