Johannes Grau

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Johannes Grau (* 1483 in Kronach ; † November 1559 in Weimar ) was a German Lutheran theologian.

Life

Grau came from a wealthy Kronach family who owned real estate. That created the conditions for him to study. He enrolled at the University of Cologne on October 22, 1505 , acquired the lowest academic degree of a baccalaureus and continued his studies at the University of Leipzig in 1511 . Returning to his hometown, he took a job as an apostle knife in 1519 and became an assistant to the local pastor Weigand von Redwitz the following year .

At that time he came into contact with the ideas of the Reformation , was enthusiastic about them and in 1522 married a citizen's daughter in Kronach. Since he had thereby violated celibacy , he was dismissed from his office and fled to Wittenberg , where he matriculated at the local university . In Wittenberg he met Martin Luther , who in 1524 managed to transfer Graus' confiscated goods back to him. Nevertheless he lost benefices in 1527, so that he received from Johann the permanent benefice of his foundation in Gotha for life.

In Weimar he played a major role in the education of the clergy, to whom he sought, among other things, to not live celibate. Since he himself was a role model with his marriage, difficulties were inevitable there. It was above all the Franciscans , who had had a convent in Weimar since the 1450s , who were bothering him. Nevertheless, he retained the upper hand in the dispute, the Franciscans were expelled from Weimar in 1533 and left the city.

As a theological representative of the evangelical camp, he took part in the Arnstadt Synod on March 6th and 7th, 1543. He wrote a report on the Augsburg Interim and the Leipzig Articles and contributed letters and original prints to the Jena Luther edition .

An oil painting by him from 1559 is in the St. Peter and Paul Church in Weimar.

literature

Web links

  • Thomas A. Seidel, Steffen Raßlof: Lutherland Thuringia. The Free State on the way to the Reformation anniversary "Luther 2017" p. 65 [1]

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dieter Berg (Ed.): Traces of Franciscan History. Chronological outline of the history of the Saxon Franciscan provinces from their beginnings to the present. Werl 1999, p. 173.277.
personal data
SURNAME Gray, Johannes
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Graw, Johannes; Groë, Johannes; Caesius, Johannes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lutheran theologian
DATE OF BIRTH 1483
PLACE OF BIRTH Kronach
DATE OF DEATH November 1559
Place of death Weimar