Kaspar Eberhard

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Kaspar Eberhard painted by Lucas Cranach the Younger (excerpt from a full-length representation in the city church of Wittenberg)

Kaspar Eberhard (also Caspar ; born March 21, 1523 in Schneeberg , † October 21, 1575 in Wittenberg ) was a German Lutheran theologian and educator .

Life

Eberhard attended school in his hometown and enrolled at the University of Wittenberg in June 1543 . Here he heard from Philipp Melanchthon, among others, and saw Martin Luther in the last years of his life. After he had completed his studies, he went to Schneeberg as a teacher in 1545, where he made the acquaintance of Johannes Mathesius , with whom he was to remain a close friend throughout his life. Returning to Wittenberg, Eberhardt acquired the degree of Magister on September 18, 1548 under Melanchthon's chairmanship , took over the rectorate of the school in St. Joachimsthal on March 21, 1549 and directed the school's fortunes. On January 19, 1552 he married Magdalena, the daughter of the Joachimsthal judge Wolf Creuzer. The marriage was concluded by Mathesius and both subsequently became mutual godparents.

Although Mathesius praised him as a good mathematician and an expert in Greek and he was considered an elegant humanist, Eberhard wanted to devote himself to theological tasks and was ordained by Johannes Bugenhagen on May 23, 1554 for a pastor's office in Gottesgab , in Wittenberg . In this function he accompanied Melanchthon to the Naumburg Convention and to Leipzig. Melanchthon recognized Eberhard's special talent as a Hebrew teacher and proposed him in 1558 as Paul Eber's successor as professor of the Hebrew language at the Wittenberg University when he took over the Wittenberg parish office. That did not happen, however, instead he moved as pastor to Halle (Saale) in the same year , went a year later as pastor to Wolkenstein and was appointed superintendent and consistorial assessor to Meißen in 1564 . After he had acquired the degree of licentiate on May 26, 1570 , he received his doctorate in theology on May 29, 1570 in Wittenberg . As such, he took part in the negotiations on the Torgau Articles in 1574 and distinguished himself as an Orthodox Gnesiolutheran . As a result of the Torgau resolutions, all Philippists from the University of Wittenberg were expelled as cryptocalvinists . This created a large void in the university's faculty.

First of all, the Elector August von Sachsen sent Eberhard and Paul Crell to Wittenberg in 1574 with the task of closing this gap. Eberhard took over the office of Friedrich Widebrand as pastor of the city ​​church Wittenberg , thus became general superintendent of the Saxon spa district and also took over a theological professorship at the University of Wittenberg. However, the changes were not without problems. Above all the students, who did not agree with the profound changes, vented their displeasure. However, Eberhard didn't have much time for changes. A protracted illness seized him and his household. After spending ten months in Wittenberg, he died shortly after his sister's death.

Eberhard put together a collection of Luther's dinner speeches, which is lost today. He filled the blank pages with recipes of dishes that he collected and expanded with what the new era offered. The text “Christum humilem & altum”, which contains sermons of the Passion, is known from his work, and there are also a few other sermons that have been published. Eberhard is the first representative of Lutheran Orthodoxy in Wittenberg, which should become a center of the same in the aftermath.

Six sons were born from his marriage. Known are Johann Baptist Eberhard, who became superintendent in Herzberg, and Caspar Eberhard the Younger, pastor in Naustadt , who both also followed the life of a theologian. The son Christoph Eberhard, Philipp Eberhard and Anastasius Eberhard are also known

literature

  • Veronika Albrecht-Birkner : Pastors book of the church province of Saxony. Volume 2. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2004, ISBN 3-374-02134-4 , p. 389.
  • Irene Dingel , Günther Wartenberg (Hrsg.): The Theological Faculty Wittenberg 1502 to 1602. Contributions to the 500th anniversary of the founding year of Leucorea. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2002, ISBN 3-374-02019-4 .
  • Insa Christine Hennen: Forbilde the herd. Johannes Bugenhagen and his successors in Wittenberg. Exhibition catalog of the Bugenhagenhaus in Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Wittenberg / Leipzig 2007.
  • Helmar Junghans : Directory of the rectors, vice-rectors, deans, professors and castle church preachers of Leucorea from the summer semester 1536 to the winter semester 1574/75. In: Irene Dingel, Günther Wartenberg (ed.): Georg Major (1502–1574). A theologian of the Wittenberg Reformation. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2005, ISBN 3-374-02332-0 , pp. 235–270.
  • Christian Gottlieb Jöcher : General scholarly lexicon . Part 2. Gleditsch, Leipzig 1750.
  • Heinz Scheible (ed.): Melanchthon's correspondence. Critical and annotated complete edition. Volume 11: People A – E. Frommann-Holzboog, Stuttgart et al. 2003, ISBN 3-7728-2257-6 .

Remarks

  1. ↑ A sermon Bey der Leich und Verbey des Vnnd Hochgelarten Mr. Caspar Eberharten of the holy writings Doctorn and Professorn / Pfarherrn zu Wittenberg on October 22nd, 1575. by M. Martinum Oberndœrffer / Professorn vnd Castle Preachers there. Printed in Wittenberg / by Clemens Schleich and Antonium Schœne. Anno 1575.
  2. ^ Johann Baptist Eberhard (also Theodosanius; * 1552 (1557) in Gottesgab; † September 25, 1585 Herzberg (Pest)), 1564 kurf. Ls. St. Afra Meißen, 1570 Uni. Wittenberg, Uni. Leipzig, Uni. Jena, September 3, 1577 Mag.phil. University. Wittenberg, December 13, 1579 ord. Wittenberg, 1579 Rev. Wartenberg (Silesia), 1580 Diak. Oschatz, 1584 Sup. Herzberg, m. 1580 with Dorothea Friedel (* 1562), To. d. Sup. Oschatz Bartholomäus Friedel cf. Pfb. KpS, Vol. 2, p. 390.
  3. ↑ Caspar Eberhard the Younger (* December 17, 1558 in Wolkenstein; † 1615) probably studied in Rostock and was then pastor in Redefin / Mecklenburg. See the entry by Casparus Eberhardt Wolkensteinensis in the Rostock matriculation portal and Gustav Willgeroth : The Mecklenburg-Schwerin Parishes. Volume 2. Wismar 1924/25, p. 913, fn. 26.
  4. ↑ enrolled winter semester October 5, 1574 Uni. Wittenberg cf. AAV II p. 250
  5. ↑ ibid
  6. ↑ ibid
personal data
SURNAME Eberhard, Kaspar
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eberhard, Caspar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Lutheran theologian and educator
DATE OF BIRTH March 21, 1523
PLACE OF BIRTH Schneeberg
DATE OF DEATH October 21, 1575
Place of death Wittenberg