Nicolaus Zaff the Elder

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Nicolaus Zaff the Elder , also Nikolaus Zaff, (* around 1620 in Sils in the Engadin ; † after 1677) was a Swiss Reformed clergyman and doctor .

Life

Nicolaus Zaff attended the Schola Tigurina in Zurich from 1638 to 1644 . The following year he passed his exams and became tutor of the Althann family . On June 3, 1648 the Evangelical-Rhaetian Synod accepted him in Splügen , which allowed him to work as a pastor in the Free State of the Three Leagues . First he attended the academy in Geneva , where he was matriculated on April 29, 1649. In the same year he took over the pastoral position in Sils in the Engadin. At the same time, he was hired as a notary and community clerk. Before or in 1651 he gave these two offices over to his brother Johannes.

In 1651 Zaff went to Venice to support the secret Reformed community there as a pastor, but this was associated with problems. Among other things, the Reformed worship was temporarily banned by the Lutherans. Since May 9, 1654, he can be proven as a student at the University of Padua . In later letters, Zaff describes himself as a doctor of medicine; he probably obtained this degree at the same university.

After 1668 he worked as a doctor in Venice. Shortly afterwards he was able to take over the secret congregation as pastor again. In addition, he worked as a diplomat , which is likely to be the reason that he returned to his homeland Graubünden in 1672 and took over the community in Castasegna . Three years later he was back in Venice, taking care of Protestant preachers from Hungary who had been sentenced to galley punishment . Thanks to Zaff's help, they could be released on February 11, 1676.

As a reward for this he received 100 ducats . He thanked him for this in a letter dated November 21, 1676 and in the following year he received the New Testament in Hungarian as a further gift . This is the last known of his life; when he died is unknown.

Works

  • Theses de actuali Dei providentia (Zurich 1645)

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Zaff, Nicolaus the Elder
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zaff, Nicholas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss reformed clergyman and physician
DATE OF BIRTH around 1620
PLACE OF BIRTH Sils in the Engadin / Segl
DATE OF DEATH after 1677