Wenceslaus Linck

Wenceslaus Linck

Wenzeslaus Linck (also Link, Lincke; born January 8, 1483 in Colditz ; † March 12, 1547 in Nuremberg ) was a German Lutheran theologian , prior of the Augustinian monastery in Wittenberg and reformer .

Life

Early Years and Studies (1498–1509)

Linck was born the son of councilor Hans Lincke and his wife Christina Vetsch. Martin Luther later wrote about him that he had grown up with him. It was probably in Magdeburg , where they went to school together. He lost his father at an early age and enrolled at the University of Leipzig on April 23, 1498 , which he left again without having acquired an academic degree. Around 1501 he became an Augustinian monk in Waldheim . As "Augustinus from Waldheim" he matriculated in the winter semester of 1503 at the University of Wittenberg .

After he had acquired the artistic degrees as Baccalaureus in 1504 and as Magister artium in 1506, he began studying theology. He quickly obtained the theological degrees there and received his Baccalaureus biblicus on January 29, 1509 , Sententiarius on October 25, 1509 , Sententiarius formatus on June 7, 1510 , licentiate on August 30, 1511 and doctorate in theology on October 16, 1511 . During his student years, Linck made friends with Nikolaus von Amsdorf and Hieronymus Schurff and was likely to have dealt with the vicar general of the German Augustinian hermits, Johann von Staupitz , at an early age .

Religious period (1501)

In 1511 he was appointed prior of the Augustinian monastery in Wittenberg. On May 5, 1512, Luther was appointed subprior to the Chapter of the Augustinian Order in Cologne . Linck held this function until 1515 or 1516. He was appointed district vicar in 1512.

On October 4, 1511 he was admitted to the theological senate and took over a professorship at the theological faculty until 1516. During this time he became dean of the theological faculty in 1512 and 1514, prior of the Wittenberg Augustinian order and worked particularly closely with Martin Luther , who soon became his deputy.

After he had been a preacher at the Munich Augustinian monastery for a short time from October 1516 , Johann von Staupitz brought him to Nuremberg in March 1517 in the same capacity , where he enjoyed great popularity among all social classes. In his sermons he remained popular and clear. As a respected preacher, he was consulted by the circle of humanistically educated patricians such as Willibald Pirckheimer and Lazarus Spengler and in return made them familiar with Luther's ideas. These had gathered in the sodalitas Staupitiana around Staupitz, who supported Linck in this environment. In 1517 Staupitz took him on a visitation trip. Allegory occupied a large part in his sermons. One of these sermons from 1518 on Matt. 21 was printed under the significant heading: How the rough man should be our Lord's donkey, carry him and go with him to Jerusalem, to see fruitfully the suffering of Christ.

Linck and Luther, Reformation Change (1523)

He was very much in contact with Luther. Luther sent him the six obilisci from Johannes Eck and assisted him in 1518 during the interrogation by Cardinal Thomas Cajetan in Augsburg . After Staupitz had resigned his office as vicar general to protect Luther, Linck took over the leadership of the German Augustinian order in 1520. He tried to consolidate the troubled religious life by aligning with the Gospel. When the bull of excommunication met Luther, he never thought of parting with him. From 1520 he visited the Augustinian monasteries, including the Augustinian Hermit Monastery in Sternberg . The Edict of Worms and the Wittenberg Movement presented him with difficult decisions. He asked Luther for advice, but was only referred to the gospel if the monasteries perished over it.

His position as vicar of the order became more and more untenable until the German convention dissolved completely. In January 1523 Linck took over the pastor's position in Altenburg after he had resigned his vicariate. There he spent a year and a half and made essential contributions to the introduction of the Reformation. He succeeded in bringing “the spiritual understanding of the gospel” to the people. In 1523 communion could be celebrated under both forms. During this time Luther married his old friend and the daughter of the Altenburg lawyer Suicer. In practical terms, the work of the Altenburg pastor was of particular importance. The foundation of poor relief, which the Nuremberg alms order may have had an impact, was essential. Numerous interpretations of his scriptures and sermons were also printed in Altenburg that year. He also worked in Zwickau and preached there against enthusiastic inclinations. From Luther's and Philipp Melanchthon's writings, he compiled the book On the Kingdom of God . He recorded his own proclamation in the articles and positions . He also emerged as a translator during this time.

When he was appointed to the Sebaldus Church by the Nuremberg Council in April 1525 , Georg Spalatin was his successor in Altenburg. The citizens said goodbye to him with great honors and the Elector Johann gave him a precious cup as a farewell.

He worked in Nuremberg for over 20 years and gained a great reputation there. In a dispute about the second marriage that broke out in Nuremberg at the time, his view was resounding. He did not want to see a difference in duties and responsibilities between the clergy and the church. In carrying out the Reformation in Nuremberg, he was one of the leading men on whose advice the authorities listened. There, too, he continued to stand up for the full gospel and did not shy away from fighting with Anabaptists . Despite honorable appointments, he stayed in Nuremberg, where he remained the key preacher alongside Dominicus Sleupner , Andreas Osiander , Thomas Venatorius and Veit Dietrich . His main work at this time is the interpretation of the Old Testament , which was printed in the years 1543–45. He also published a number of practical treatises .

Works (selection)

• From work and begging how one should appear to the lazy, and pull yederman to work. Gastel, Zwickau 1523; Reprint Nuremberg 1979.
• A beautiful Christian sermon from the outset of the children of God out of the Entichrist Gefengknuß, so through the outset of the children Jsrahel out of Egipten, Babilonia [et] c. is figured. Gastel, Zwickau 1524.
• Eyn Christian cover, Wentzeslai Lincken ... from the wills of the dying people. Gastel, Zwickau 1524.
• Edification writings. Own writings from the years 1526-1536 together with four writings translated or edited by Linck from the years 1524 and 1525 (= sources and research on the edification literature of the late Middle Ages and the early modern period , Volume 9). Edited and with an introduction by Helmich van der Kolk. Rodopi, Amsterdam 1978.

literature

• Rudolf Bendixen: Real Encyclopedia for Protestant Theology and Church . 3. Edition. Volume 11, p. 505.
• Rudolf Bendixen: Wenzeslaus Linck . In: ZKWL , 8, 1888, p. 138.
• Adolf Brecher:  Linck, Wenceslaus . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 18, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1883, pp. 661-663.
• Marinus A. van den Broek: Proverbial expression and proverbial comparison in the edification writings of the Nuremberg preacher Wenzeslaus Linck (1483-1547). Leuvense Bijdragen 76 (1987).
• Hermann Wilhelm Caselmann: Wenzeslaus Link's life. In: Moritz Meurer (ed.): The life of the old fathers of the Lutheran Church. Volume 3. Naumann, Leipzig 1863, pp. 321-428.
• Walther Killy (Ed.): Literature Lexicon. Authors and works in German (15 volumes). Bertelsmann-Lexikon-Verlag, Gütersloh / Munich 1988–1991 (CD-ROM: Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-932544-13-7 ).
• Theodor Kolde : Contributions to the history of the Reformation (Church history studies dedicated to Hermann Reuter.) Leipzig 1887, pp. 195–263.
• Rosemarie Jäpel: Character, course and results of the Reformation in Altenburg , dissertation, Leipzig 1989, p. 29.
• Adelbero Kunzelmann: History of the German Augustinian Hermits . Volume 5: The Saxon Thuringian province and the Saxon reform congregation up to the downfall of the two . Würzburg 1974, pp. 508-512.
• Jürgen Lorz: The Reformation Work of Dr. Wenzeslaus Lincks in Altenburg and Nuremberg (1523–1547). Nuremberg 1978.
• Wilhelm Reindell: Dr. Wenzeslaus Linck from Colditz. Marburg 1892.
• Wolf-Friedrich Schäufele:  Linck, Wenzeslaus. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 15, Bautz, Herzberg 1999, ISBN 3-88309-077-8 , Sp. 864-870.
• Gottfried Seebaß:  Linck (e), Wenzeslaus. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-428-00195-8 , p. 571 f. ( Digitized version ).
• Otto Winckelmann: The welfare system of the city of Strasbourg before and after the Reformation up to the end of the 16th century . In: Sources and research on the history of the Reformation . Leipzig 1922, p. 22.
• Lincke, lat.Linckius, Linccius, Lincus, Wenceslaus. In: Johann Heinrich Zedler : Large complete universal lexicon of all sciences and arts . Volume 17, Leipzig 1738, column 1310-1312.
• 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. 124–125

Web links

Commons : Wenzeslaus Linck  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Wenzeslaus Linck  in the German Digital Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gottfried Seebaß:  Linck (e), Wenzeslaus. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 14, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-428-00195-8 , p. 571 f. ( Digitized version ).
2. ↑ Andreas Gößner: Evangelical in Munich: Traces of Protestantism from the Reformation until the beginning of the 19th century. Little Munich stories. Verlag Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg 2017, ISBN 978-3-7917-6097-1 , p. 10 f.