Aegidius Hunnius
Encyclopedia
Aegidius Hunnius the Elder (December 21, 1550 Winnenden
– April 4, 1603 Wittenberg
) was a Lutheran theologian of the Lutheran scholastic
tradition and father of Nicolaus Hunnius
.
Hunnius went rapidly through the preparatory schools of Württemberg, and studied from 1565 to 1574 at Tübingen. In 1576 Jacob Heerbrand
recommended him as professor to the University of Marburg, where Hunnius exerted himself to do away with all compromises and restore Lutheran orthodoxy
. He gained many adherents, and the consequence was a split in the State Church
of Hesse which finally led to the separation of Upper and Lower Hesse
. The cardinal point of all controversies was the doctrine of ubiquity
which Hunnius maintained in his writing De persona Christi. Bartholomäus Meier, one of Landgrave William's theologians, replied, but could not prevail against Hunnius' learned eloquence. In 1592 Hunnius removed to Wittenberg. In the electorate of Saxony, Calvinism
had made great headway under the elector Christian
, but his successor, Duke Frederick William, desired to introduce Lutheran orthodoxy, and for this purpose called the Swabian theologians, among them Hunnius, to Wittenberg. Immediately after his arrival he was made member of a committee on visitation, instituted for the purpose of purifying the country from Calvinism (see: Saxon Visitation Articles
). For the same purpose he was called into other German territories, as, for instance, into Silesia
by Duke Frederick of Liegnitz. Hunnius was the most able representative of the Swabian theology of Johannes Brenz
, and consequently of the doctrine concerning the majesty and omnipresence of Christ as man. But he advanced the Lutheran cause also in reference to other doctrines, and his influence is traceable in the development of Lutheran dogmatics after his time. The later doctrine concerning the authority of Holy Scripture is based upon Hunnius' Tractatus de maiestate, fide, autoritate et certitudine sacrae scripturae. In the same way he established the orthodox Lutheran doctrine of predestination by following John of Damascus
in his distinction between voluntas antecedens and consequens, and considering faith as the instrumental cause of election.
The literary activity of Hunnius was mainly polemical. His most important works are De persona Christi (1585), which is an enlargement of an earlier treatise entitled Bekenntnis von der Person Christi (1577); Tractatus de maiestate, fide, autoritate et certitudine sacrae scripturae (1588); Calvinus iudaizans, sive Judaicae glossae et corruptelae in explicandis testimoniis Scripturae Sacrae de trinitate, etc. (1593); Anti-Parens (1594); and Anti-Parens alter (1599). He wrote also numerous dogmatic monographs and commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of Paul, and the first Epistle of John. He composed several Biblical dramas in Latin, among them Josephus, comaedia sacra, which was presented at Strasburg in 1597. A complete edition of his Latin writings was edited by his son in-law, H. Garthius (5 vols., Wittenberg, 1607–09).
Winnenden
Winnenden is a small town in the Rems-Murr district of the Stuttgart Region in Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany. It lies in a wine-growing area approx. northeast of Stuttgart and has a population of less than 28,000...
– April 4, 1603 Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
) was a Lutheran theologian of the Lutheran scholastic
Lutheran scholasticism
Lutheran scholasticism was a theological method that gradually developed during the era of Lutheran Orthodoxy. Theologians used the neo-Aristotelian form of presentation, already popular in academia, in their writings and lectures...
tradition and father of Nicolaus Hunnius
Nicolaus Hunnius
Nicolaus Hunnius , the thirdson of Egidius Hunnius, was an orthodox Lutheran theologian of the Lutheran scholastic tradition....
.
Hunnius went rapidly through the preparatory schools of Württemberg, and studied from 1565 to 1574 at Tübingen. In 1576 Jacob Heerbrand
Jacob Heerbrand
Jacob Heerbrand was a German Protestant theologian and controversialist.-Life:He was born at Giengen in Swabia on August 12, 1521. He was educated at the school at...
recommended him as professor to the University of Marburg, where Hunnius exerted himself to do away with all compromises and restore Lutheran orthodoxy
Lutheran Orthodoxy
Lutheran orthodoxy was an era in the history of Lutheranism, which began in 1580 from the writing of the Book of Concord and ended at the Age of Enlightenment. Lutheran orthodoxy was paralleled by similar eras in Calvinism and tridentine Roman Catholicism after the...
. He gained many adherents, and the consequence was a split in the State Church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
of Hesse which finally led to the separation of Upper and Lower Hesse
Lower Hesse
Lower Hesse a historic designation for an area in northern Hesse, Germany.The term Lower Hesse originated in the Middle Ages for the so-called "lower principality" of Hesse, which was separated until 1450 from the so-called "upper principality" by the area Ziegenhain...
. The cardinal point of all controversies was the doctrine of ubiquity
Ubiquitarians
The Ubiquitarians, also called Ubiquists, were a Protestant sect started at the Lutheran synod of Stuttgart, 19 December 1559, by Johannes Brenz, a Swabian ....
which Hunnius maintained in his writing De persona Christi. Bartholomäus Meier, one of Landgrave William's theologians, replied, but could not prevail against Hunnius' learned eloquence. In 1592 Hunnius removed to Wittenberg. In the electorate of Saxony, Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
had made great headway under the elector Christian
Christian I, Elector of Saxony
Christian I of Saxony was Elector of Saxony from 1586 to 1591.He was the sixth but second surviving son of Elector Augustus of Saxony and Anna of Denmark...
, but his successor, Duke Frederick William, desired to introduce Lutheran orthodoxy, and for this purpose called the Swabian theologians, among them Hunnius, to Wittenberg. Immediately after his arrival he was made member of a committee on visitation, instituted for the purpose of purifying the country from Calvinism (see: Saxon Visitation Articles
Saxon Visitation Articles
Visitation Articles in the Entire Electorate of Saxony are a Lutheran doctrinal statement written by Aegidius Hunnius and other theologians against Crypto-Calvinism on request of administrator Frederick William...
). For the same purpose he was called into other German territories, as, for instance, into Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
by Duke Frederick of Liegnitz. Hunnius was the most able representative of the Swabian theology of Johannes Brenz
Johannes Brenz
Johann Brenz was a German theologian and the Protestant Reformer of the Duchy of Württemberg.-Early Advocacy of the Reformation:...
, and consequently of the doctrine concerning the majesty and omnipresence of Christ as man. But he advanced the Lutheran cause also in reference to other doctrines, and his influence is traceable in the development of Lutheran dogmatics after his time. The later doctrine concerning the authority of Holy Scripture is based upon Hunnius' Tractatus de maiestate, fide, autoritate et certitudine sacrae scripturae. In the same way he established the orthodox Lutheran doctrine of predestination by following John of Damascus
John of Damascus
Saint John of Damascus was a Syrian monk and priest...
in his distinction between voluntas antecedens and consequens, and considering faith as the instrumental cause of election.
The literary activity of Hunnius was mainly polemical. His most important works are De persona Christi (1585), which is an enlargement of an earlier treatise entitled Bekenntnis von der Person Christi (1577); Tractatus de maiestate, fide, autoritate et certitudine sacrae scripturae (1588); Calvinus iudaizans, sive Judaicae glossae et corruptelae in explicandis testimoniis Scripturae Sacrae de trinitate, etc. (1593); Anti-Parens (1594); and Anti-Parens alter (1599). He wrote also numerous dogmatic monographs and commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of Paul, and the first Epistle of John. He composed several Biblical dramas in Latin, among them Josephus, comaedia sacra, which was presented at Strasburg in 1597. A complete edition of his Latin writings was edited by his son in-law, H. Garthius (5 vols., Wittenberg, 1607–09).