Andreas Althamer (also ''Andreas Altheimer'') (c. 1500 – c. 1539) was a German humanist and

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

reformer. He was born in Brenz. He studied at the universities of

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

and Tübingen. After completing his studies, he became a schoolteacher in

Halle (Saale) Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (; from the 15th to the 17th century: ''Hall in Sachsen''; until the beginning of the 20th century: ''Halle an der Saale'' ; from 1965 to 1995: ''Halle/Saale'') is the largest city of the Germany, German States of ...

Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall (; "Swabian Hall"; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'' ) is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the ...

and

Reutlingen Reutlingen (; Swabian: ''Reitlenga'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it has a population of 115,818. Reutlingen has a university of applied sciences, which ...

. In 1524, he was a priest in

Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Gmünd (, until 1934: Gmünd; Swabian: ''Gmẽẽd'' or ''Gmend'') is a city in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 60,000, the city is the second largest in the Ostalb district a ...

, where he tried to introduce the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. He met with resistance from the Gmünder Council. In 1525, in order to escape persecution due to his Lutheran leanings, he fled to the

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university i ...

. He took a degree in theology and became a student of

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

. He was the first to write a catechism in 1528 that actually carried that title "on the cover", a year before Luther wrote his own. As a deacon in the Sebalduskirche in

Nürnberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ci ...

, he took part in the Bern Disputation of 1528. In May, on the recommendation of

Lazarus Spengler Lazarus Spengler (March 13, 1479 in Nuremberg – September 7, 1534 in Nuremberg) was a prominent supporter of Martin Luther and leader of the Protestant Reformation in Nuremberg, as well as a famous hymnwriter. Life and career Spengler was t ...

, he was appointed pastor to the city of Ansbach by

George the Pious George of Brandenburg-Ansbach (German language, German: ''Georg''; 4 March 1484 – 27 December 1543), known as George the Pious (''Georg der Fromme''), was a Margrave of Principality of Ansbach, Brandenburg-Ansbach from the House of Hohenzolle ...

. He died in Ansbach.

References

* * Hermann Ehmer: Andreas Althamer und die gescheiterte Reformation in Schwäbisch Gmünd. In: ''Blätter für württembergische Kirchengeschichte'' 78 (1978), S. 46-72 (grundlegend) * * Henry Eyster Jacobs
Lutheran Cyclopedia
p. 10, "Andrew Althamer" * Heinz Scheible: Melanchthons Briefwechsel Personen Band 11 * * ''Realenzyklopädie für protestantische Theologie und Kirche'' Band 1, Seite 413 * Robert Stupperich: ''"Reformatorenlexikon".'' Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn Gütersloh 1984, 1500 births 1539 deaths People from Heidenheim (district) German Lutherans Leipzig University alumni University of Tübingen alumni University of Wittenberg alumni German Protestant Reformers German Renaissance humanists German male non-fiction writers {{Germany-christian-theologian-stub