Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

CHEMNITZ (or KEMNITZ), MARTIN (1522-1...

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V06, Page 76 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

CHEMNITZ (or KEMNITZ), See also:MARTIN (1522-1586)  , See also:German Lutheran theologian, third son of See also:Paul Kemnitz, a See also:cloth-worker of See also:noble extraction, was See also:born at Treuenbrietzen, See also:Brandenburg, on the 9th of See also:November 1522 . See also:Left an See also:orphan at the See also:age of eleven, he worked for a See also:time at his See also:father's See also:trade . A relative at See also:Magdeburg put him to school there (1539-1542) . Having made a little See also:money by teaching, he went (1543) to the university of See also:Frankfort-on-See also:Oder; thence (1545) to that of See also:Wittenberg . Here he heard See also:Luther preach, but was more attracted by See also:Melanchthon, who interested him in See also:mathematics and See also:astrology . Melanchthon gave him (1547) an introduction to his son-in-See also:law, Georg Sabinus, at See also:Konigsberg, where he was See also:tutor to some See also:Polish youths, and See also:rector (1548) of the Kneiphof school . He practised astrology; this recommended him to See also:Duke See also:Albert of See also:Prussia, who made him his librarian (1550) . He then turned to Biblical, patristic and kindred studies . His See also:powers were first brought out in controversy with See also:Osiander on See also:justification by faith . Osiander, maintaining the infusion of See also:Christ's righteousness into the believer, impugned the Lutheran See also:doctrine of imputation; See also:Chemnitz defended it with striking ability . As Duke Albert sided with Osiander, Chemnitz resigned the librarianship . Returning (1553) to Wittenberg, he lectured on Melanchthon's Loci Communes, his lectures forming the basis of his own Loci Theologici (published posthumously, 1591), which constitute probably the best ex-position of Lutheran See also:theology as formulated and modified by Melanchthon .

His lectures were thronged, and a university career of See also:

great See also:influence See also:lay before him, when he accepted a See also:call to become coadjutor at See also:Brunswick to the See also:superintendent, See also:Joachim Morlin, who had known him at Konigsberg . He removed to Brunswick on the 15th of See also:December 1554, and there spent the See also:remainder of his See also:life, refusing subsequent offers of important offices from various See also:Protestant princes of See also:Germany . Zealous in the duties of his See also:pastoral See also:charge, he took a leading See also:part in theological controversy . His See also:personal influence, at a See also:critical See also:period, did much to secure strictness of doctrine and compactness of organization in the Lutheran See also:Church . Against Crypto-Calvinists he upheld the Lutheran view of the See also:eucharist in his Repetitio sanae doctrinae de See also:Vera Praesentia (156o; in German, 1561) . To check the reaction towards the old See also:religion he wrote several See also:works of great See also:power, especially his Theologiae Jesuit arum praecipua capita (1562), an incisive attack on the principles of the society, and the Examen concilii Tridentini (four parts, 1565-66-72-73), his greatest See also:work . His Corpus doctrinae Prutenicum (1567), See also:drawn up in See also:conjunction with Morlin, at once acquired great authority . In the See also:year of its publication he became superintendent of Brunswick, and in effect the director of his church throughout See also:Lower See also:Saxony . His tact was equal to his learning . In conjunc- tion with See also:Andrea and Selnecker he induced the See also:Lutherans of Saxony and See also:Swabia to adopt the See also:Formula Concordiae and so become one See also:body . Against lax views of Socinian tendency he directed his able See also:treatise De duabus naturis in Christo (1570) . Resigning See also:office in infirm See also:health (1584) he survived till the 8th of See also:April 1586 .

Lives of Chemnitz are numerous, e.g. by J . Gasmerus (1588), T . Pressel (1862), C . G . H . Lentz (1866), H . Hachfeld (1867), H . Schmid in J . J . See also:

Herzog's Realencyklopadie (1878), J . Kunze in A . Hauck's Realencyklop. See also:fur prot .

Theol. and Kirche (1897) ; that by Hausle, in I . Goschler's Dict. encyclopedique de la theol. cath . (1858), gives a See also:

Roman See also:Catholic view . (A . Go .

End of Article: CHEMNITZ (or KEMNITZ), MARTIN (1522-1586)
[back]
CHEMNITZ
[next]
CHENAB (the Greek Acesines)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.