Wouter Deelen ( en, Walter Deloenus, la, Gualterus Delenus, french: Gualtier Delvin) (–1563) was a Dutch Anabaptist, Greek and Hebrew scholar, for a time librarian of Henry VIII, and then preacher at the Dutch church in London.
Biography
Wouter Deelen was born in
Balen in the province of Antwerp in Brabant. He made a trip to Wittenberg in 1522. Following studies at the
University of Leuven he taught Greek and Hebrew at the University of Haarlem 1523-1527, then from July 1533 was the first professor of Greek and Hebrew at the
University of Amsterdam. Due to an interpretation of John 6:51b, he was accused of Anabaptist heresy, and removed on 1 May 1535. Nine days later 10 May 1535 Anabaptist uprising in Amsterdam occurred, after which Deelen was discovered to have met in secret with radical Anabaptist leaders including
Jan van Geelen
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Num ...
, although it is possible that Deelen's role was as a mediator.
In 1535 he fled to England, later becoming a librarian to
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, and working on a revision of the Latin New Testament of
Erasmus. This he published under the Latin name Galterus Deloenus: ''Testamentum Novum Latinum'' in 1540. In 1550
Edward VI appointed Deelen and
Marten Micronius (c.1522-1559) as preachers of the Dutch refugee congregation at
Austin Friars
Austin Friars is a coeducational independent day school located in Carlisle, England. The Senior School provides secondary education for 350 boys and girls aged 11–18. There are 150 children aged 4–11 in the Junior School and the Nursery ha ...
. It seems likely that Deelen was acquainted with
Immanuel Tremellius and his student
Christopher Carlisle
Christopher Carlile (or Carlisle) (ca. 1530-1588) was an Anglican clergyman.
Born around 1530, he studied at Clare College University of Cambridge, MA 1541, elected proctor 1548, BD 1552, then fellow of Clare College and DD. By 1563 he was at ...
at Cambridge, and may have been present at the latter's debate with Sir
John Cheke on the doctrine of
harrowing of Hell in 1552, since he published sharing Carlisle's view on removing the doctrine from the creeds.
Following the death of Edward VI (1553) aged 15, most of the Dutch, German and Polish Anabaptist community returned to the Low Countries. Deelen settled in
Emden
Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528.
History
The exact founding date of E ...
, Germany, where he worked with
Jan Utenhove of
Ghent on a translation of the New Testament into Dutch and edited the Dutch translation of reformation historian
Johannes Sleidanus Johannes Sleidanus or Sleidan (1506 – 31 October 1556) was a Luxembourgeois historian and annalist of the Reformation.
Life
He was born at Schleiden, then part of the duchy of Luxembourg, an element of the Spanish Netherlands (not far from Aach ...
' ''De statu religionis commentarii''. In 1559, a year after
Elizabeth I succeeded
Mary Tudor, Deelen returned to London, where he died in 1563.
[Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, pp. 221-222.]
References
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Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deloenus, Walter
1500 births
1563 deaths
Dutch Anabaptists
Dutch Mennonites
Flemish academics
Dutch Hebraists
Translators of the Bible into Latin
Old University of Leuven alumni
Academic staff of the University of Amsterdam
People from Balen