Petrus Praetorius

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Petrus Praetorius (born as Peter Richter , * 1513 ? In Cottbus , † June 7, 1588 in Danzig ) was a Protestant pastor and author of several theological writings and dramas.

Life

Praetorius' year of birth and its origin are unclear. In 1538 he matriculated as Petrus Iudex Cotbusiensis at the University of Wittenberg . On February 11, 1550 he acquired the academic degree of a master's degree in philosophy , was admitted to the Senate of the Faculty of Philosophy on May 1, 1552, and received his doctorate in theology on May 8, 1554 . On June 3, 1554 he was ordained in Wittenberg and then worked as a weekly preacher at the castle church in Wittenberg . In 1555 Praetorius was mentioned as a professor and one of the vice rectors of the university. Praetorius was close to Philipp Melanchthon , from whom he was praised in several letters to others.

In 1556, through Melanchthon's mediation, Praetorius became superintendent in Königsberg in the Neumark. He expanded the hospital system and had a new school built. In 1557 he traveled to the Worms Colloquium on behalf of Margrave Johann von Küstrin at Melanchthon's side . In 1558 he was present as a representative of Neumark at the Reichstag in Magdeburg.

After Praetorius had published a work on Luther's Small Catechism in 1563 , he was accused of crypto- calvinism and was accused of being closer to Melanchthon's theology than to Luther's. In 1564 he left the city after violent personal attacks against him.

In 1565 Praetorius was appointed superintendent in Zeitz , Saxony . In 1568 he took part in the Altenburg Colloquium. In 1574 he signed the Torgau Articles , but had to leave Zeitz in 1576, again on charges of crypto-calvinism.

In the same year Praetorius became the second pastor at the Marienkirche in Gdansk . There soon came violent theological arguments with his colleague Johannes Kittel , who accused him of Calvinist views. In 1586 both of them were banned from the pulpit by the city council.

In 1588 Petrus Praetorius died in Danzig. At the insistence of parts of the community, the coffin had to be opened again to show that the devil had not taken it.

Fonts (selection)

  • Brief reminder of the high articulation of the Incarnation and the birth of our Lord and Savior Jhesu Christ. Wittenberg 1558.
  • The beautiful and lovely Historia of the wedding Jsaac and Rebeccae from the first book Mosi Cap. 24. the youth too well put in a comedy form. Wittenberg 1559. (again 1579, 1590)
  • The Little Catechism Doctoris Martini Lutheri. For the youth and unity of the Christian community in Koenigsbergk for the same annual instruction, the fasting with a number of necessary questions was briefly and uniquely explained by Petrum Pretorium D. Wittenberg 1563 (again 1569).
    • Reprinted in: Johann Michael Reu: Sources on the history of ecclesiastical teaching in the Protestant Church in Germany between 1530 and 1600. Part 1, Vol. 3/2. Bertelsmann, Gütersloh 1927 (reprinted by Georg Olms, Hildesheim / New York 1976), pp. 188–202.
  • Assertio Orthodoxae doctrinae de persona Filii Dei, Domini nostri Iesu Christi, Antitrinitariorum blasphemiis opposita. Dantisci 1581.
  • De vnica Dei essentia, & tribus in eadem subsistentibus personis, Catholicae et orthodoxae Ecclesiae constans et perpetua doctrina, opposita Antitrinitariorum blasphemiis. Dantisci 1581.
  • Dvarvm natvrarvm in Christo hypostaticae vnionis, illustria testimonia, opposita Spiritus mendacis, eiusque organorum feralibus ac diris vlulatibus. Dantisci 1581.
  • Testimonia verae atque aeterne Deitatis Domini nostri Iesu Christi veterum et recentium Arianorum blasphemiis opposita. Dantisci 1581.
  • Tertia pars. Historiae illorum certaminum, quibus Satanas mysterium incarnationis Filii Dei, Nestorio atque Eutyche Ducibus, furenter impugnauit, breuißimam recitationem complectens. Dantisci 1583.

literature

  • Johann Christoph Erdmann : Biographies and literary news from the Wittenberg theologians since the foundation of the university in 1502 up to the third centenary secular feyer in 1802. Wittenberg 1804, p. 36.
  • Johannes Bolte :  Praetorius, Petrus . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 26, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1888, p. 533 f.
  • Hans Bütow: On the Reformation history of the city of Königsberg Nm. In: The Neumark. Yearbook of the Association for History of the Neumark. Volume 14. 1943, pp. 27-31.
  • Manfred Knedlik:  Praetorius, Petrus. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 24, Bautz, Nordhausen 2005, ISBN 3-88309-247-9 , Sp. 1183–1184.
  • History of Cottbus . In: New Lusatian magazine . CG Zobel, Görlitz, 1822, Volume 1, p. 365 ( books.google.de )
  • Armin Koehnle, Beate Kusche: Book of Professors of the Theological Faculty of the University of Wittenberg 1502 to 1815/17. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig, 2016, ISBN 978-3-374-04302-6 , pp. 173-175

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Praetorius referred to his age as 35 in 1563 in Der Kleine Catechismus Martini Lutheri ... In older literature, it was mostly assumed to be around 1513 or 1513/1515
  2. ↑ Christoph Hartknoch : Preussische Kirchen-Historia . Franckfurt am Mayn / Leipzig MDCLXXXVI (1686). P. 751.
personal data
SURNAME Praetorius, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Pretorius, Peter; Praetorius, Peter; Richter, Peter (original name); Judex, Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Protestant theologian and writer
DATE OF BIRTH uncertain: 1513
PLACE OF BIRTH cottbus
DATE OF DEATH June 7, 1588
Place of death Danzig