Michael Vehe (c. 1480–1539) was a German

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

and

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 ...

Life

Vehe was born in Biberach (now part of Heilbronn, near

Bad Wimpfen Bad Wimpfen () is a historic spa town in the district of Heilbronn in the Baden-Württemberg region of southern Germany. It lies north of the city of Heilbronn, on the river Neckar. Geography Bad Wimpfen is located on the west bank of the River ...

). He joined the Dominicans in Wimpfen and was sent 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 ...

in 1506, where he taught in 1512 and received a doctorate in theology in 1513. In 1515 he was appointed regent of the Dominican house of studies at Heidelberg; later Cardinal

Albert of Mainz Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg (german: Albrecht von Brandenburg; 28 June 149024 September 1545) was a German cardinal, elector, Archbishop of Mainz from 1514 to 1545, and Archbishop of Magdeburg from 1513 to 1545. Biography Early career Bo ...

chose him as theologian and put him in charge of the church of Halle, Saxony. He was summoned to

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...

in 1530 to refute the Lutheran Confession of Faith and took a prominent part in a debate against the

Lutherans 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 ...

in 1534 in Leipzig. He was called to the bishopric of Halberstadt on February 21, 1539. He died in Halle in April 1539.

Works

Some Catholic commentators view Vehe's writings as the best

apologetical Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...

treatises that appeared in Germany during the sixteenth century. His works include the following: *"Von dem Gesatz der Niessung des h. hochw. Sacraments" (Leipzig, 1531) and "Errettung derbeschuldigten kelchdieb" (Leipzig, 1535), on Communion under one species *"Wie unterschieldlicher wiess Gott und seine heiligen sollen geehret werden" (Leipzig, 1532), a treatise on the veneration of the saints *"Assertio sacrorum quorumdam axiomatum" (Leipzig, 1537), on the point controverted by the Reformers Vehe is also known for having published the first Catholic hymnbook with music, in collaboration with other Catholic dignitaries and musicians from Halle. ''Ein new Gesangbüchlin geystlicher Lieder'' (Leipzig, 1537) drew both from medieval Church tradition and the contemporary Protestant tradition, as well as presenting some new material, such as the first Catholic psalm paraphrases. The songs in Vehe's collection eventually formed the basis for all later Catholic hymnals.Walther Lipphardt and Clytus Gottwald. "Vehe, Michael." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/29116 (accessed September 21, 2008).

Notes

References

;Attribution * The entry cites: **

Hugo von Hurter The von Hurter family belonged to the Swiss nobility; in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries three of them were known for their conversions to Roman Catholicism, their ecclesiastical careers in Austria and their theological writings. Friedri ...

, ''Nomenclator'', II, 1249 sqq. **Script. ord. praed., II, 95 **Bull. ord. praed., IV, 678 **Veesenmeyer, Kleine Beitrage zur Gesch. des Reichstags in Augsburg, 1530 (Nurnberg, 1830), 115 **Gaumker, Das kath. deutsche Kirchenlied, I (Freiburg, 1886), 124 sqq.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vehe, Michael German Dominicans 16th-century German Catholic theologians German male non-fiction writers 16th-century German male writers 1485 births 1539 deaths