Life

Vehe was born in Biberach (now part of Heilbronn

Heilbronn

Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....

, near Bad Wimpfen

Bad Wimpfen

Bad Wimpfen is an historic spa town in the district of Heilbronn in the Baden-Württemberg region of southern Germany. It lies north of the city of Heilbronn, on the river Neckar.-Geography:...

). He joined the Dominicans

Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...

 in Wimpfen and was sent to Heidelberg

Heidelberg

-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...

 in 1506, where he taught in 1512 and received a doctorate in theology in 1513. In 1515 he was appointed regent of the Dominican house of studies at Heidelberg; later Cardinal Albert of Mainz

Albert of Mainz

Cardinal Albert of Hohenzollern was Elector and Archbishop of Mainz from 1514 to 1545, and Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1513 to 1545.-Biography:...

 chose him as theologian and put him in charge of the church of Halle, Saxony

Halle, Saxony-Anhalt

Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...

. He was summoned to Augsburg

Augsburg

Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...

 in 1530 to refute the Lutheran Confession of Faith

Augsburg Confession

The Augsburg Confession, also known as the "Augustana" from its Latin name, Confessio Augustana, is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Lutheran reformation...

 and took a prominent part in a debate against the Lutherans

Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...

 in 1534 in Leipzig. He was called to the bishopric of Halberstadt on February 21, 1539. He died in Halle in April 1539.

Works

Some Catholic commentators view Vehe's writings as the best apologetical

Christian apologetics

Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...

 treatises that appeared in Germany during the sixteenth century. His works include the following:

• "Von dem Gesatz der Niessung des h. hochw. Sacraments" (Leipzig, 1531) and "Errettung derbeschuldigten kelchdieb" (Leipzig, 1535), on Communion under one species
  Communion under both kinds
  Communion under both kinds in Roman Catholicism is the reception under both "species" of the Eucharist.-Doctrine:...
  
  
• "Wie unterschieldlicher wiess Gott und seine heiligen sollen geehret werden" (Leipzig, 1532), a treatise on the veneration of the saint
  Saint
  A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
  
  s
• "Assertio sacrorum quorumdam axiomatum" (Leipzig, 1537), on the point controverted by the Reformers
  Protestant Reformation
  The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
  
  

Vehe is also known for having published the first Catholic hymnbook with music, in collaboration with other Catholic dignitaries and musicians from Halle. Ein new Gesangbüchlin geystlicher Lieder (Leipzig, 1537) drew both from medieval Church tradition and the contemporary Protestant tradition, as well as presenting some new material, such as the first Catholic psalm paraphrases. The songs in Vehe's collection eventually formed the basis for all later Catholic hymnals.