Erhard Hegenwald (also Erhart Hegen Walt, first half of the 16th century) was a writer of the

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 ...

. Hegenwald had been schoolmaster in

Pfäfers Abbey Pfäfers Abbey (german: Kloster Pfäfers), also known as St. Pirminsberg from its position on a mountain, was a Benedictine monastery in Pfäfers near Bad Ragaz, in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Situated at the junction of the Tamina an ...

and participated in the "First Zurich Disputation" of

Ulrich Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system. He attended the Univ ...

. He wrote a documentation of the dispute, titled "Handlung der Versammlung in der loblichen stat Zürich auff den 24. tag Jeners 1523, von wegen d. h. Evangelii" (Acto of the assembly in the praised city Zurich on 24 January 1523, on the Holy Gospel). This was printed in the same several times. On Friday after Epiphany 1524, Hegewald's hymn "Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott, nach deiner großen Barmherzigkeit" (Have pity on me, O Lord God, according to thy great mercy) appeared in Wittenberg as a broadside. It is a paraphrase of

Psalm 51 Psalm 51, one of the penitential psalms, is the 51st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Have mercy upon me, O God". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vu ...

"Miserere". The song was included in the Erfurt ''Enchiridion'' and in other hymnals. From Wittenberg, Hegenwald remained in contact with reformist circles in Zurich, said in a letter to

Conrad Grebel Conrad Grebel (c. 1498 – 1526), son of a prominent Swiss merchant and councilman, was a co-founder of the Swiss Brethren movement. Early life Conrad Grebel was born, probably in Grüningen in the Canton of Zurich, about 1498 to Junker Jak ...

from 1 January 1525. In 1526, Hegewald received his doctorate in medicine in

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 ...

. It is not clear if he is the person of the same name who worked as a physician in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

from 1528 to 1540.

Literature

External links

Handlung der Versammlung in der loblichen stat Zürich
Digitale Sammlung München {{DEFAULTSORT:Hegenwald, Erhard 16th-century German people German Protestant hymnwriters