Lucas Maius (also Mai, May, Majus) (October 14, 1522 in

Römhild Römhild () is a town in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 14 km west of Hildburghausen, and 21 km southeast of Meiningen. On 31 December 2012, it merged with the former municipalities Gleichamberg, H ...

– 4 or 5 March 1598 in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

) was a German Protestant pastor who converted from

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 ...

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Cal ...

, and playwright 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 in ...

Life

Lucas Maius was born in Römhild in 1522, to mill owner Michael May and his wife, Martha Dörrer. In his early years, he moved with his parents to

Hildburghausen Hildburghausen (IPA adapted from: ) is a town in Thuringia in central Germany, capital of the district Hildburghausen. Geography It is situated in the Franconian part of Thuringia south of the Thuringian Forest, in the valley of the Werra river ...

, as his father took part in the

German Peasants' War The German Peasants' War, Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt (german: Deutscher Bauernkrieg) was a widespread popular revolt in some German-speaking areas in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It failed because of intense oppositio ...

. There, he attended school in the winters, helping with the farmwork in the summer months. He learned a simple job as tailor. In 1548, he completed his studies at 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 ...

, where he had attended lectures by

Philipp Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon. (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lu ...

. In 1549, he traveled to Silesia, Prussia, Poland, Denmark and Holland. In 1550, he became a schoolteacher, and after his marriage in 1551, he became principal of the school in Hildburghausen. Ordained by

Johann Stössel Johann Stössel (also spelled Stoessel; 24 June 1524 – 18 March 1576) was a Lutheran Theologian and Reformer. Life Stössel was born in Kitzingen. He came to Wittenberg at 15 and became a master after 10 years of study. Since he distanced him ...

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 ...

, Maius took over as substitute pastor in Eishausen,

Straufhain Straufhain is a municipality in the Hildburghausen district of Thuringia, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, ...

in 1561, and in 1562 became pastor as well. At another parish in Weimar in 1565, he earned his Master of Philosophy 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 ...

in 1567. In 1568, he became senior pastor in

Rudolstadt Rudolstadt is a town in the German federal state Thuringia, with the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north. The former capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the town is built along the River Saale inside a wide va ...

, and he went in the fall of 1575 as senior pastor and Superintendent of St. Mary's Church in

Halle, Saxony-Anhalt 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 German state of Saxony-Anh ...

. In that capacity, he signed the 1577

Formula of Concord Formula of Concord (1577) (German, ''Konkordienformel''; Latin, ''Formula concordiae''; also the "''Bergic Book''" or the "''Bergen Book''") is an authoritative Lutheran statement of faith (called a confession, creed, or "symbol") that, in its t ...

Wolmirstedt Wolmirstedt () is a town in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is located 14 km north of Magdeburg, on the river Ohre. The town Wolmirstedt consists of Wolmirstedt proper and the ''Ortschaften'' (municipal divisions) Elbeu, Fa ...

, though suspicion fell on him of being a

Crypto-Calvinist 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 ...

. In 1577, Maius hosted

Jakob Andreae Jakob Andreae (25 March 1528 – 7 January 1590) was a significant German Lutheran theologian and Protestant Reformer involved in the drafting of major documents. Life He was born in Waiblingen, in the Duchy of Württemberg. He studied at the U ...

, Nicholas Selnecker, and other fellow Reformation pastors at Halle, where they developed a sort of philosophical conundrum known as the 'Devil's Cross' (''Teufels kreutz'') that was said to have turned numerous parishioners away from the devil. It was explained as follows: He became involved in the constant dispute over Article VIII (on the Person of Christ), and because of some statements he allegedly had made against the Concord, was interrogated by the Administrator of the

Archbishopric of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Roman Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 955 and established in 968, the Roma ...

Joachim III Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg Joachim Frederick (27 January 1546 – 18 July 1608), of the House of Hohenzollern, was Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg from 1598 until his death. Biography Joachim Frederick was born in Cölln to John George, Elector of Branden ...

. Seeing no prospects in Halle, he was dismissed from his post in 1579, converted to the Reformed faith, and took a position as second pastor in

Altstadt. There, he rose to first pastor, and became chaplain to the Landgrave

Wilhelm IV of Hesse William IV of Hesse-Kassel (24 June 153225 August 1592), also called ''William the Wise'', was the first Landgrave of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day. Life La ...

. As a comedic playwright, Maius also wrote a script, ''Von der wunderlichen Vereinigung Göttlicher Gerechtigkeit und Barmherzigkeit''. (From the Wonderful Union of Divine Justice and Mercy). He also translated Nicholas Selnecker's ''Paedagogia Christiana''.

Family

He was married on 13 Jan. 1551 to the daughter of the mayor of

Bad Rodach Bad Rodach () is a town in the Coburg (district), district of Coburg, in Upper Franconia, a north Bavarian Regierungsbezirk, Germany. It is situated 10 km southeast of Hildburghausen, and 17 km northwest of Coburg. Since 1999 the city ha ...

, Dorothea Schmuck (d. 9 Apr. 1560 in Hildburghausen), with whom he had six children. He was married a second time in Hildburghausen on 4 Oct. 1561 to Barbara Kirch (born 1540, d. 20 Jan 1608 in Kassel). 12 children were produced from that marriage. Known children are: *1. Nicolaus, became counselor in Magdeburg *2. Jonas *3. Paul *4. Lucas (born 7 July 1571 in Rudolstadt) pastor in Kassel *5. Rebecca; married 1592 in Kassel to Johannes Meurer *6. Sybilla (1575), married 1598 Hermann Fabronius *7. Maria *8. Andreas *9. Eckbrecht (1581), married Elisabeth Cothmann, d. 1652 *10. Johann (born 6 Dec. 1599 in Kassel, d. 15 März 1640), pastor in Kassel *11. Name unknown, daughter married Caspar Lotz

References

Sources

* Oskar Hütteroth: Die althessischen Pfarrer der Reformationszeit. NG Elwert, 1966, p. 217 * Wilhelm Scherer:

Lucas Maius Lucas Maius (also Mai, May, Majus) (October 14, 1522 in Römhild – 4 or 5 March 1598 in Kassel) was a German Protestant pastor who converted from Lutheranism to Calvinism, and playwright during the Protestant Reformation. Life Lucas Maius was bo ...

(German Wikisource). In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Band 20. Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1884, pp.124 f. * Wilhelm Kosch: ''Deutsches Literatur-lexikon''. Verlag Francke, Bern and Munich, 1966, , Vol 10, * Veronika Albrecht-Birkner: Pfarrerbuch der Kirchenprovinz Sachsen. Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig, 2007,
Lucas Maius
in Zedlers Universallexikon, Volume 19, Spring 363 * Lupold von Lehsten: Die hessischen Reichstagsgesandten im 17. Und 18. Jahrhundert. Hessische Historische Kommission, Darmstadt, 2003, , *
Script of Comedy, "on Divine Justice and Mercy" by Lucas Maius
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maius, Lucas 1522 births 1598 deaths German Protestant clergy 16th-century Lutheran clergy 16th-century Calvinist and Reformed ministers University of Jena alumni German male dramatists and playwrights