Johann Stössel (also spelled Stoessel; 24 June 1524 – 18 March 1576) was a Lutheran

Theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and Reformer.

Life

Stössel was born in

Kitzingen Kitzingen () is a town in the German state of Bavaria, capital of the district Kitzingen. It is part of the Franconia geographical region and has around 21,000 inhabitants. Surrounded by vineyards, Kitzingen County is the largest wine producer ...

. He came to

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 of ...

at 15 and became a master after 10 years of study. Since he distanced himself from the

Philippist The Philippists formed a party in early Lutheranism. Their opponents were called Gnesio-Lutherans. Before Luther's death ''Philippists'' was the designation usually applied in the latter half of the sixteenth century to the followers of Philip ...

s, he was appointed by

John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony John Frederick II of Saxony (8 January 1529 – 19 May 1595), was Duke of Saxony (1554–1566). Early life John Frederick II was the eldest son of John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony and Sibylle of Cleves. He was given a comprehensive educat ...

as a court preacher in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

. Here he developed into a zealous Gnesio-Lutheran. As such, he took part in the Reformation in the Margraviate of

Baden-Durlach The Margraviate of Baden-Durlach was an early modern territory of the Holy Roman Empire, in the upper Rhine valley, which existed from 1535 to 1771. It was formed when the Margraviate of Baden was split between the sons of Margrave Christoph ...

. It was in keeping with his strident attitude that he wanted to include anathemas in the church order there against all dissenters. He maintained this stance at the Colloquy of Worms of 1557 and in the drafting of the ''Konfutationsbuch''. He defended his position in a special Apology. When he accompanied Duke Johann Friedrich to

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, he tried to bring Elector Frederick III, the Pious, over to his opinions. There he disputed with

Pierre Boquin Pierre Boquin (also known as Bouquin, Boucquin, or Petrus Boquinus; post 1518 –1582 in Lausanne) was a French Reformed Theologian who played a critical role in the Reformation of the Electoral Palatinate. Origins and early career Pierre ...

and

Thomas Erastus Thomas Erastus (original surname Lüber, Lieber, or Liebler; 7 September 152431 December 1583) was a Swiss physician and Calvinist theologian. He wrote 100 theses (later reduced to 75) in which he argued that the sins committed by Christians sho ...

on 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 instit ...

. In the aftermath of this disputation, his theological convictions began to change. As he began to warm to other theological perspectives, this shift naturally led to a break with the Gnesio-Lutherans.

Matthias Flacius Illyricus Matthias Flacius Illyricus (Latin; hr, Matija Vlačić Ilirik) or Francovich ( hr, Franković) (3 March 1520 – 11 March 1575) was a Lutheran reformer from Istria, present-day Croatia. He was notable as a theologian, sometimes dissenting strong ...

and

Johann Wigand Johann Wigand (Latin: Jo(h)annes Wigandus; c. 1523 – 21 October 1587) was a German Lutheran cleric, Protestant reformer and theologian. He served as Bishop of Pomesania. Johann Wigand was born at Mansfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. He was ...

accused him at court, however they were dismissed from their offices themselves. Stössel was appointed professor at the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

. On the basis of the ''Declaratio'', Nicholas Selnecker and others returned to Jena, but soon left the university. Stössel was left as the only theologian. During this period,

Paul Eber Paul Eber (8 November 1511 – 10 December 1569) was a German Lutheran theologian, reformer and hymnwriter, known for the hymn for the dying, " Herr Jesu Christ, wahr Mensch und Gott". Life He was born at Kitzingen in Franconia, and was educated ...

oversaw his reception of the first doctorate in Jena. With the regime change of 1567, Stössel had to give way to the Gnesio-Lutherans. For a short time he was church superintendent in Mühlhausen and then in

Pirna Pirna (; hsb, Pěrno; ) is a town in Saxony, Germany and capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 37,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as ...

. He rose quickly in the favor of Elector

August of Saxony August of Saxony (7 September 1589, Dresden – 26 December 1615, Naumburg) from the Albertine line of the House of Wettin was Administrator of the diocese of Naumburg-Zeitz. Life August was the youngest son of the elector Christian I of ...

that he soon served as his father confessor. His downfall, however, came abruptly. In a series of poorly understood events, Stössel advocated the cause of the Dresden

Crypto-Calvinists Crypto-Calvinism is a pejorative term describing a segment of those members of the Lutheran Church in Germany who were accused of secretly subscribing to Calvinist doctrine of the Eucharist in the decades immediately after the death of Martin Lut ...

, was denounced before the Elector, and imprisoned in the castle at

Senftenberg Senftenberg ( wen, Zły Komorow) is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district. Geography Senftenberg is located in the southwest of the historic Lower Lusatia region at the border with Saxony. It ...

, where he died, aged 51, after a short illness. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stossel, Johann 1524 births 1576 deaths People from Kitzingen 16th-century German Lutheran clergy Philippists German Protestant Reformers Clergy from Bavaria University of Wittenberg alumni Academic staff of the University of Jena