Johann or Johannes Agricola (originally Schneider, then Schnitter; 20 April 1494 – 22 September 1566)
[John Julian: Dictionary of Hymnology, Second Edition, page 19. London: John Murray, 1907.] was a German
Protestant Reformer
Protestant Reformers were those theologians whose careers, works and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.
In the context of the Reformation, Martin Luther was the first reformer (sharing his views publicly in 15 ...
during the
Protestant 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 ...
. He was a follower and friend of
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
, who became his antagonist in the matter of the
binding obligation of the law on Christians.
Biography
Early life
Agricola was born at
Eisleben
Eisleben is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is famous as both the hometown of the influential theologian Martin Luther and the place where he died; hence, its official name is Lutherstadt Eisleben. First mentioned in the late 10th century, E ...
,
whence he is sometimes called Magister Islebius. He studied at
Wittenberg
Wittenberg ( , ; 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 River Elbe, north o ...
, where he soon gained the friendship of
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
.
In 1519 he accompanied Luther to the great assembly of German divines at
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 ...
,
and acted as recording secretary. After teaching for some time in Wittenberg, he went to
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
in 1525 to establish the Protestant mode of worship. He had resided there only a month when he was called to Eisleben, where he remained until 1526 as teacher in the school of St Andrew, and preacher in the Nicolai church.
Controversy
![Martin Luther letter september 1543 a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Martin_Luther_letter_september_1543_a.png)
In 1536 he was recalled to teach in Wittenberg, and was welcomed by Luther. Almost immediately, however, a controversy, which had been begun ten years before and been temporarily silenced, broke out more violently than ever. Agricola was the first to teach the views which Luther was the first to stigmatize by the name
Antinomian
Antinomianism (Ancient Greek: ἀντί 'anti''"against" and νόμος 'nomos''"law") is any view which rejects laws or legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms (Latin: mores), or is at least considered to do so. The term ha ...
, maintaining that while non-Christians were still held to the
Mosaic law, Christians were entirely free from it, being under the gospel alone. (See also:
Law and Gospel). After he wrote an attack on Luther shortly after Luther had given him shelter when he was fleeing persecution, Luther had nothing further to do with him.
Restoration and later life
As a consequence of the
bitter controversy with Luther, in 1540 Agricola left Wittenberg secretly for
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, where he published a letter addressed to
Frederick III, Elector of Saxony, which was generally interpreted as a recantation of his prior views. Luther, however, seems not to have so accepted it, and Agricola remained at Berlin.
Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg
Joachim II (german: Joachim II Hector or ''Hektor''; 13 January 1505 – 3 January 1571) was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1535–1571), the sixth member of the House of Hohenzollern. Joachim II was the eldest son of Joa ...
, having taken Agricola into his favour, appointed him court preacher and general superintendent. He held both offices until his death in 1566, and his career in Brandenburg was one of great activity and influence.
Along with
Julius von Pflug
Julius von Pflug (1499 in Eythra – 3 September 1564 in Zeitz) was the last Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Naumburg from 1542 until his death. He was one of the most significant reformers involved with the Protestant Reformation.
Life
...
,
bishop of Naumburg-Zeitz, and
Michael Helding
Michael Helding (1506 – 30 September 1561) was a Roman Catholic bishop, scholar, writer and humanist.
'' ...
, titular
bishop of Sidon The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sidon was a bishopric in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Establishment
Before the arrival of the crusaders to Syria in the late 11th century, the Orthodox bishops of Sidon had been suffragans ...
, he prepared the
Augsburg Interim
The Augsburg Interim (full formal title: ''Declaration of His Roman Imperial Majesty on the Observance of Religion Within the Holy Empire Until the Decision of the General Council'') was an imperial decree ordered on 15 May 1548 at the 1548 Diet ...
of 1548, a proposed settlement under which Protestants would accept all Catholic authority, being permitted to retain the Protestant teaching on
communion under both kinds
Communion under both kinds in Christianity is the reception under both "species" (i.e., both the consecrated bread and wine) of the Eucharist. Denominations of Christianity that hold to a doctrine of Communion under both kinds may believe that ...
and married clergy, but otherwise compelled to accept Catholic doctrine and practice, including the rejection of
justification by faith
''Justificatio sola fide'' (or simply ''sola fide''), meaning justification by faith alone, is a soteriological doctrine in Christian theology commonly held to distinguish the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, among others, fr ...
alone.
Peter Stanford
Peter James Stanford (born 23 November 1961) is an English writer, editor, journalist and presenter, known for his biographies and writings on religion and ethics. His biography of Lord Longford was the basis for the 2006 BAFTA-winning film '' ...
, ''Martin Luther: Catholic dissident'', pg 379, 385. From that time, he was an outcast among Protestant theologians. It was an irony that one of the most radical Reformers ended his life viewed as having capitulated to Catholics.
He endeavored in vain to appease the
Adiaphoristic controversy.
He died during an epidemic of
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 pe ...
on 22 September 1566 in Berlin.
Writings
Agricola wrote a number of theological works. He was among the first to make a commentated collection of
German proverbs. The first volume contains 300 proverbs and was published in 1529 (''Drey hundert Gemeyner Sprichworter, der wir Deutschen vns gebrauchen, vnd doch nicht wissen woher sie kommen''; first published in Low German the year before); the second volume contains 450 proverbs and was published in 1530 (''Das ander teyl gemainer Tewtscher Sprichwörter, mit jhrer außlegung : hat fünffthalb hundert newer Wörtter''). A revised edition containing the seven hundred and fifty proverbs of the previous two volumes was published in 1534 (''Sybenhundert und fünfftzig teütscher Sprichwörter, verneüwert und gebessert'') and later republished with updated orthography, for example, in Wittenberg in 1592.
In literature
In 1836,
Robert Browning used him as the subject of an early poetic soliloquy, "
Johannes Agricola in Meditation".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agricola, Johannes
1494 births
1566 deaths
People from Eisleben
German Lutheran theologians
German Protestant Reformers
Clergy from Saxony-Anhalt
German Renaissance humanists
German male non-fiction writers
16th-century German Protestant theologians
16th-century German male writers
University of Wittenberg alumni
University of Wittenberg faculty
15th-century Lutheran theologians
16th-century Lutheran theologians