Matthias Vehe
Encyclopedia
Matthias Vehe known as Glirius (c.1545-1590) was a German Protestant religious radical, who converted to a form of Judaism
and anti-trinitarianism, rejecting the New Testament
as revelation.
The identity of Vehe and the writer Glirius, who published Mattanjah (Knowledge of God, 1578) in Cologne
, was established by G. E. Lessing. The history of the group including Vehe has been reconsidered by recent scholarship.
, and brought up in Königshofen
. He studied at the University of Heidelberg, and at the University of Rostock
under David Chytræus
.
He was arrested by the local Church Council with others in 1570, as a dissenter from the Calvinism
being introduced by the Elector Palatine. He was at that time deacon at Kaiserslautern
. Adam Neuser
, later a convert to Islam
, eventually escaped with help from Simon Grynaeus
. Johannes Sylvan was executed, in 1572. Two others involved were Jacob Suter and Johann Hasler.
He took refuge in Transylvania
, teaching at the Unitarian
college at Kolozsvár
(now Cluj-Napoca, in Romania), where Ferenc Dávid
was the head. Others with radical Christian views there were Jacobus Palaeologus and Christian Francken
.
Vehe's followers András Eőssy and Simon Péchi founded the Szekler Sabbatarians
, after Dávid died in prison in 1579. It has been said that Vehe was primarily responsible (as Faustus Socinus claimed) for the 1581 Defensio Francisci Davidis. By then he had been expelled from Kolozsvár.
He spent most of the rest of his life in Poland, publishing under pseudonyms. He returned to Germany in 1589, was arrested, and died in December 1590.
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and anti-trinitarianism, rejecting the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
as revelation.
The identity of Vehe and the writer Glirius, who published Mattanjah (Knowledge of God, 1578) in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, was established by G. E. Lessing. The history of the group including Vehe has been reconsidered by recent scholarship.
Life
He was born in BallenbergBallenberg
Ballenberg is an open air museum in Switzerland that displays traditional buildings and architecture from all over the country. Located near Brienz in the municipality of Hofstetten bei Brienz, Canton of Berne, Ballenberg has over 100 original buildings that have been transported from their...
, and brought up in Königshofen
Königshofen
Königshofen may refer to:*Bad Königshofen , a town in Bavaria, Germany*Lauda-Königshofen, a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
. He studied at the University of Heidelberg, and at the University of Rostock
University of Rostock
The University of Rostock is the university of the city Rostock, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Founded in 1419, it is the oldest and largest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area...
under David Chytræus
David Chytraeus
David Chytraeus or Chyträus was a German Lutheran theologian and historian.His real surname was Kochhafe, which in Classical Greek is χυτρα, from where he derived the Latinized pseudonym "Chyträus".Chytraeus was professor of the University of Rostock and one of the co-authors of the Formula of...
.
He was arrested by the local Church Council with others in 1570, as a dissenter from the Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
being introduced by the Elector Palatine. He was at that time deacon at Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
. Adam Neuser
Adam Neuser
Adam Neuser was a Protestant pastor of Heidelberg who held Antitrinitarian views.Adam Neuser was a popular pastor and theologian in Heidelberg in the 1560s serving at the Peterskirche and later the Heiliggeistkirche...
, later a convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, eventually escaped with help from Simon Grynaeus
Simon Grynaeus
Simon Grynaeus , German scholar and theologian of the Reformation, son of Jacob Gryner, a Swabian peasant, was born at Veringendorf, in Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.He adopted the name Grynaeus from the epithet of Apollo in Virgil...
. Johannes Sylvan was executed, in 1572. Two others involved were Jacob Suter and Johann Hasler.
He took refuge in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, teaching at the Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
college at Kolozsvár
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
(now Cluj-Napoca, in Romania), where Ferenc Dávid
Ferenc Dávid
Ferenc Dávid was a Transylvanian Nontrinitarian and Unitarian preacher, the founder of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania.-Life:Born in Kolozsvár to a Hungarian family, he studied in Wittenberg and Frankfurt...
was the head. Others with radical Christian views there were Jacobus Palaeologus and Christian Francken
Christian Francken
Christian Francken was a former Jesuit who became an anti-Trinitarian writer.In 1577 Francken left his position as professor of the Jesuit college in Vienna and commenced the publication from Basel and La Rochelle of many tracts against the order.François Du Jon in 1584 wrote his Defensio...
.
Vehe's followers András Eőssy and Simon Péchi founded the Szekler Sabbatarians
Szekler Sabbatarians
The Szekler Sabbatarians were a religious group in Transylvania and Hungary between the Sixteenth and Nineteenth centuries who held Unitarian and judaizing beliefs.-History:The Magyar...
, after Dávid died in prison in 1579. It has been said that Vehe was primarily responsible (as Faustus Socinus claimed) for the 1581 Defensio Francisci Davidis. By then he had been expelled from Kolozsvár.
He spent most of the rest of his life in Poland, publishing under pseudonyms. He returned to Germany in 1589, was arrested, and died in December 1590.
Further reading
- Burchill, Christopher J. (1989) The Heidelberg Antitrinitarians. Bibliotheca Dissidentium 11, ed. André Séguenny. Baden-Baden: Editions Valentin Koerner.
- Dán, Róbert (1982), Matthias Vehe-Glirius: Life and Work of a Radical Antitrinitarian with His Collected Writing