Francis Lambert (c. 1486 – April 8, 1530) was a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

reformer, the son of a

papal The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

official at

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

, where he was born between 1485 and 1487. At the age of 15 he entered the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

monastery at Avignon, and after 1517 he was an itinerant preacher, travelling through

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, Italy and Switzerland. Lambert's study of the

Scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

shook his faith in

Roman Catholic theology Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on Biblical canon, canonical Catholic Bible, scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by ...

, and by 1522 he had abandoned his order, and became known to the leaders of 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 ...

in Switzerland and Germany. He did not, however, identify himself either with

Zwinglianism The theology of Ulrich Zwingli was based on an interpretation of the Bible, taking scripture as the inspired word of God and placing its authority higher than what he saw as human sources such as the ecumenical councils and the church fathers. He ...

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

; he debated with

Huldrych Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system. He attended the Unive ...

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

in 1522, and then made his way to

Eisenach Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...

and

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon language, Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the Ri ...

, where he married in 1523. Lambert arrived in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

in 1524, anxious to spread the doctrines of the Reformation among the French-speaking population of the city. The Germans mistrusted him, and in 1526 his activities were prohibited by the city. He was, however, befriended by

Jacob Sturm Jacob Sturm (21 March 1771 – 28 November 1848) was a leading engraver of entomological and botanical scientific publications in Germany at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century. He was born and lived in Nuremberg and was the ...

, who recommended him to the Landgraf

Philip of Hesse Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (13 November 1504 – 31 March 1567), nicknamed (in English: "the Magnanimous"), was a German nobleman and champion of the Protestant Reformation, notable for being one of the most important of the early Protestan ...

, the most

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

of the German reforming princes. With Philip's encouragement he drafted the scheme of ecclesiastical reform for which he is known. Its basis was essentially democratic and congregational, though it provided for the government of the whole church by means of a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

. Pastors were to be elected by the congregation, and the whole system of canon-law was repudiated. This scheme was submitted by Philip to a synod at Homberg; but

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 ...

intervened and persuaded the Landgraf to abandon it. The plan was far too democratic to commend itself to the Lutherans, who had by this time bound the Lutheran cause to the support of princes rather than to that of the people. Philip continued to favor Lambert, who was appointed professor and head of the theological faculty in the Landgraf's new

University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg (german: Philipps-Universität Marburg) was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protestant university in the wor ...

. Patrick Hamilton, the Scottish

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

, was one of his pupils; and it was at Lambert's instigation that Hamilton composed his ''Loci communes'', or ''Patrick's Pleas'' as they were popularly called in Scotland. Lambert was also one of the divines who took part in the great conference of

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...

in 1529; he had long wavered between the Lutheran and the Zwinglian view of the

Lord's Supper The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

, but at this conference he definitely adopted the Zwinglian view. Lambert died of the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

on April 8, 1530, and was buried at Marburg. A catalogue of Lambert's writings is given in the brothers Eugène and Émile Haag's ''La France protestante''.

References

*Gerhard Müller: "Franz Lambert von Avignon und die Reformation in Hessen" in ''Veröffentlichungen der Historischen Kommission für Hessen und Waldeck. Quellen und Darstellungen zur Geschichte des Landgrafen Philipp des Gutmütigen'' (24)4. Marburg 1958 (Enthält den kompletten französischen Text der Somme chrestienne.) *Rainer Haas: ''Franz Lambert und Patrick Hamilton in ihrer Bedeutung für die evangelische Bewegung auf den Britischen Inseln'', Dissertation, Universität Marburg 1973. *Rainer Haas: "La Corone de nostre saulveur" in ''Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte'' 84.Band 1973, S. 287-301. *Reinhard Bodenmann: "Bibliotheca Lambertiana" in ''Pour rétrouver Francois Lambert'', Baden-Baden und Buxwiller, 1987, S. 9-213. *Rainer Haas: "Franz Lambert und der Bekenntnisstand Hessens im 16. Jahrhundert" in ''Jahrbuch der Hessischen Kirchengeschichtlichen Vereinigung'' Band 57/2006, S. 177-210. *Rainer Haas: "Franz Lambert, Franziskaner in Avignon - Professor in Marburg", in ''Allerlei Protestanten'', Nordhausen, 2010 *Edmund Kurten: "Franz Lambert von Avignon und Nikolaus Herborn in ihrer Stellung zum Ordensgedanken und zum Franziskanertum im Besonderen, Aschendorff", 1950, ''Reformationsgeschichtliche Studien und Texte; Bd. 72. *Gerhard Müller: "Die Anfänge der Marburger Theologischen Fakultät" in ''Hessisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte'' VI (1956), S. 164-181. *Louis Ruffet: ''François Lambert d’Avignon, le réformateur de la Hesse'', Bonheur, Paris 1873. *Roy Lutz Winters: ''Franz Lambert of Avignon 1487-1530. A Study in Reformation Origins'', United Lutheran Publication House, Philadelphia, Penn. 1938. *Johann Wilhelm Baum: ''Franz Lambert von Avignon'', Straßburg 1840. *Gerhard Müller: "Lambert, Franz" in ''Neue Deutsche Biographie'' Band 13. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1982, S. 435–437. *Felix Stieve: "Franz Lambert" in ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' Band 17. Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1883, S. 548–551. Attribution: *

References

Further reading