Stephan Riccius

Stephan Riccius, also Reich (born December 25, 1512 in Kahla , † 1588 in Lissen ) was a Protestant theologian of the Reformation.

Life

Stephan Reich attended the Latin school in Jena and went to study in Wittenberg in 1529 . In addition to the arts faculty, he also attended lectures by Martin Luther , Philipp Melanchthon , Justus Jonas the Elder and Caspar Cruciger the Elder . When he ran out of money for further studies, Melanchthon recommended him to Johann Stratius in Posen as a teacher of the Greek language.

After a year and a half he returned to Wittenberg and obtained his master's degree in 1536 . Now he became a schoolmaster in Jena and got married. He held the same office soon after in Saalfeld / Saale before he was appointed deacon there in 1542 . For a short time he was pastor in Langenschade . Then he was called to his hometown of Kahla.

But it was an unfortunate decision. There was no good relationship with the community. In 1558 the unfounded rumor was raised that his wife had committed adultery. A highly embarrassing process ensued. The woman was publicly flogged and expelled from the country. Riccius believed in his wife's innocence. He gave up his office in Kahla and moved to the vicinity of Weißenfels , where he took over the pastoral office in Lissen.

Here he had the opportunity to develop a lively writing activity in addition to his parish ministry. In addition to numerous school books, editions and translations by ancient authors, he published a number of Luther and Cruciger's biblical interpretations. Like many other theologians of the time, he knew how to combine the humanist heritage with Reformation theology.

literature

• E. Koch: Magister Stephan Riccius, his life and his writings . Meiningen 1886.
• Rudolf Hermann : Magister Stephan Riccius . In: Luther in Thuringia . Published by R. Jauernig. Berlin 1952, pp. 207-212.
• Robert Stupperich : Melanchthon and the Polish humanists . In: Issues of Polish Culture in the 16th Century, edited by R. Olesch and H. Rothe. Giessen 1980, p. 370.