Matthew Praetorius

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Matthäus Prätorius (Matthaeus Praetorius, * around 1635 probably in Memel ; † 1704 in Weyherstadt ) was a Protestant pastor, later a Catholic clergyman. He emerged as an Irish theologian as well as a historian and ethnographer of his home region.

Life

Matthäus Prätorius was probably born in Memel in the Duchy of Prussia as the son of the Lutheran pastor Christoph Prätorius, who was in office at the town church of St. Johannis from 1631 to 1673 . It is assumed that he grew up bilingual (German / Lithuanian ), which particularly qualified him for the pastor's office in a Lithuanian-speaking community. Prätorius studied at the University of Königsberg and Rostock , and from 1661 worked for three years as adjunctus ministerii with pastor Johann Lehmenn the Elder. Ä. at the Lithuanian Church (Landkirche St. Jakobus) in Memel , then from 1664 as pastor in Niebudszen near Gumbinnen . In 1684 he converted to the Catholic Church in Oliva . He was ordained a priest and in 1688 became pastor in Strasburg in West Prussia , later provost in Weiherstadt in Kashubia .

Writing activity

theology

Title page of the Tuba Pacis

Praetorius suffered from the conflict between the Christian denominations and developed a plan to restore unity, which he presented to the theological faculty of the University of Königsberg in 1682 , received back in 1684 with a negative comment by Melchior Zeidler and published in 1685 (he had converted in 1684):

Tuba Pacis ad universas dissidentes in Occidente ecclesias, sive discursus theologicus de unione ecclesiarum romanae et protestantium necnon amica compositione controversiarum fidei inter hosce coetus, in Dei OM quam maximam gloriam universae JC ecclesiae bono exhibitus

"Peace trumpet to all the differently teaching churches in the West, or theological treatise on the unification of the Roman and Protestant churches as well as on a friendly settlement of religious disputes between these communities, for the greatest possible honor of the Most High God and for the good of the whole Church of Jesus Christ"

Zeidler's rejection was followed by further negative reports from the Lutheran side. But the Roman Congregation for Doctrinal Investigation ( Congregatio Romanae et universalis inquisitionis ) also rejected the project and put Praetorius' book on the index on April 17, 1687 .

Matthäus Praetorius campaigned against witch trials . An appeal from 1701 against ongoing proceedings has been handed down.

history

Title page of the 1871 edition of the Deliciae Prussicae

His main historical work Deliciae Prussicae or Preussische Schaubühne is similar to the work of Christoph Hartknoch , with whom he initially worked closely. However, Praetorius' work contains far more immediate ethnographic information pertaining to the indigenous Lithuanians and Prussians . His work remained unpublished for a long time. One reason was the unequal scientific level of his extensive material, another was the rejection of his person in Protestant Prussia after its conversion. The Deliciae were recognized in their documentary value only after 200 years and were printed in excerpts (1725, 1731, 1871, 1936, 2003). A complete, annotated edition in seven volumes with the original German text (but without a facsimile) and a Lithuanian translation was started in Lithuania in 1999 and four volumes have been published by 2011.

Works

  • Scutum Regium, 1685
  • Orbis Gothicus, 1688–1689
  • Mars Gothicus, 1691
  • Deliciae Prussicae, or Prussian Schaubühne, 1698 - handwriting.
  • Matas Pretorijus // Matthaeus Praetorius. Prūsijos įdomybės, arba Prūsijos regykla // Deliciae Prussicae or Prussische Schaubühne. Edited by Inge Lukšaitė and Vilija Gerulaitienė. Vilnius: Pradai. Vol. 1 (1999); Vol. 2, ed. by Ingė Lukšaitė with the assistance of V. Gerulaitienė, M. Čiurinskas, I. Tumavičiūtė, Vilnius: Lietuvos istorijos instituto Leidykla, (2004); Vol. 3, produced. Ingė Lukšaitė with the collaboration of M. Girdzijauskaitė, S. Drevello, J. Kilius, M. Čiurinskas, (2006); Vol. 4, produced. by Ingė Lukšaitė with the assistance of V. Gerulaitienė, J. Kilius, T. Veteikis, Vilnius: Lietuvos istorijos instituto Leidykla, (2011). ISBN 9986-776-82-1 (for all 7 volumes)

literature

  • Willam Pierson: Introductory preface by the editor. In: Matthäus Prätorius' deliciae prussicae or Prussian Schaubühne. In literal extracts from the manuscript edited by Dr. William Piersson. A. Duncker's Buch-Verlag, Berlin, 1871, pp. I-XV.
  • Ingė Lukšaitė: Matthäus Prätorius - historian of Prussian culture. Life, work and scientific creation , Matas Pretorijus // Matthaeus Praetorius. Prūsijos įdomybės, arba Prūsijos regykla // Deliciae Prussicae or Prussische Schaubühne. Edited by Ingė Lukšaitė and Vilija Gerulaitienė. Vilnius: Pradai. Vol. 1 (1999), pp. 85-140; same: Matthäus Prätorius and the second and third books of his work 'Deliciae Prussicae' , op. cit., Vol. 2, pp. 25-43.
  • Nijolė Strakauskaitė: Simon Dach and Martin Ludwig Rhesa in the Lithuanian context. Annaberger Annalen 20, 2006, no. 14

Web links

Commons : Matthäus Prätorius  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Friedwald Moeller, Old Prussian Protestant Pastor's Book from the Reformation to the Expulsion in 1945 , Hamburg, 1969, pp. 93–94
  2. ↑ See the entry of Matthäus Prätorius' matriculation in the Rostock matriculation portal
  3. ↑ Friedwald Moeller, as above, p. 94
  4. ↑ Friedwald Moeller, as above, p. 103
  5. ↑ Nijolė Strakauskaitė: Simon Dach and Martin Ludwig Rhesa in the Lithuanian context . Annaberger Annalen, 20.2006 H. 14 (PDF; 107 kB)
  6. ↑ Index 1704
  7. ^ John William Pierson , foreword to the edition of the Deliciae Prussicae in extracts , Berlin 1871; there also information on the biography of Praetorius
  8. ↑ Matthäus Prätorius, Deliciae prussicae or Prussische Schaubühne in verbatim excerpts from the manuscript ed. by William Pierson, Berlin: Duncker's Buch-Verlag, 1871, 152 p .; Wilhelm Mannhardt, Letto-Preussische Götterlehere, Riga, 1936, pp. 524–604; Baltų religijos ir mitologijos šaltiniai // Sources of the Baltic religion and mythology, vol. 3, produced. by Norbertas Vėlius, Vilnius: The science and encyclopaedia publishing Institute, pp. 107–323
personal data
SURNAME Praetorius, Matthew
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Praetorius, Matthew
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Protestant pastor, Catholic clergyman
DATE OF BIRTH around 1635
PLACE OF BIRTH uncertain: Memel
DATE OF DEATH around 1704
Place of death Weyherstadt