Valentin Weigel (or ''Weichel''; 7 August 1533, in Hayn10 June 1588, in

Zschopau Zschopau (), is a town in the Erzgebirgskreis district of Saxony, Germany. Geography The town is located on the northwestern slopes of the Ore Mountains, on both banks of the Zschopau River, about south-east from Chemnitz. The highest point ...

) was a German

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 ...

, philosopher and mystical writer, from

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, and an important precursor of later

theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

. In English he is often called Valentine Weigel. He was born at Hayn, near

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

, into a Catholic family. He studied at Meissen,

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

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 ...

. In 1567 he became a

Lutheran 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 ...

pastor at

, near Chemnitz. There, he lived out a quiet life, engaged in his writings. Weigel was best known for his belief that the Virgin Mary was herself the product of a virgin birth. He based his belief on the idea of the immaculate conception, which required that Mary must also be sinless in order to bear God in the flesh. He kept his ideas secret, entrusting them only to personal friends (in contrast to Jakob Böhme). He carried out his parochial duties and kept a low profile. He left around 6000 pages in printed or manuscript works. His ideas on human nature were only gradually and posthumously published.

Johann Arndt Johann Arndt (or Arnd; 27 December 155511 May 1621) was a German Lutheran theologian who wrote several influential books of devotional Christianity. Although reflective of the period of Lutheran Orthodoxy, he is seen as a forerunner of Pietism, a ...

Gottfried Arnold Gottfried Arnold (5 September 1666 – 30 May 1714) was a German Lutheran theologian and historian. Biography Arnold was born at Annaberg in Saxony, Germany, where his father was schoolmaster. In 1682, he went to the Gymnasium at Gera and ...

, and

Gottfried Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathem ...

helped to spread Weigel's ideas. His teachings are known as ''Weigelianism''. His mysticism was marked by that of

Johannes Tauler Johannes Tauler OP ( – 16 June 1361) was a German mystic, a Roman Catholic priest and a theologian. A disciple of Meister Eckhart, he belonged to the Dominican order. Tauler was known as one of the most important Rhineland mystics. He pro ...

and by doctrines of Paracelsus; he was also a follower of

Sebastian Franck Sebastian Franck (20 January 1499 Donauwörth, Swabia – c. 1543 Basel, Switzerland) was a 16th-century German freethinker, humanist, and radical reformer. Biography Franck was born in 1499 in Donauwörth, Swabia. Because of this he styled hims ...

and

Caspar Schwenckfeldt Caspar (or Kaspar) Schwen(c)kfeld von Ossig () (1489 or 1490 – 10 December 1561) was a Germans, German theologian, writer, physician, naturalist, and preacher who became a Protestant Reformer and spiritualist. He was one of the earliest pro ...

. Like these two latter, he emphasized the inner life. He advocated a "spiritual church" in which one could know Christ without books or scripture.

Works

*''"Unterrichts-Predigt: Wie man christlich trauern und täglich solle im Herrn sterben"'', 1576 *''"Libellus de vita beata"'', 1609 *''"Ein schön Gebetsbüchlein, welches die Einfältigen unterrichtet"'', 1612 *''"Der güldene Griff, alle Ding ohne Irrtum zu erkennen"'', 1613 *''"Ein nützliches Traktätlein vom Ort der Welt"'', 1613 *''"Dialogus de Christianismo"'', 1614 *''"Erkenne dich selbst"'', 1615 *''"Informatorium oder Kurzer Unterricht"'', 1616 (erweitert: ''"Soli deo gloria"'', 1618) *''"Kirchen- oder Hauspostill"'', 1618 *''"Libellus disputatorus"'', 1618 *''"De bono et malo in homine"'', 1618 *''"Zwei schöne Büchlein"'', 1618 *''"Studium universale"'', 1618 *''"Tractatus de opere mirabili"'', 1619

References

External links

''Astrology Theologised'', online book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weigel, Valentin 1533 births 1588 deaths German Lutheran theologians 16th-century German Protestant theologians 16th-century German Lutheran clergy Paracelsians German male non-fiction writers People from Mansfeld-Südharz 16th-century German male writers