Francis Lambert (c. 1486 – April 8, 1530) was a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

reformer, the son of a

papal The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

official at

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

, where he was born between 1485 and 1487. At the age of 15 he entered the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

monastery at Avignon, and after 1517 he was an itinerant preacher, travelling through

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Italy and Switzerland. Lambert's study of the

Scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

shook his faith in

Roman Catholic theology Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on canonical scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the magisterium of the Catholic ...

, and by 1522 he had abandoned his order, and became known to the leaders of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

in Switzerland and Germany. He did not, however, identify himself either with Zwinglianism or

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

; he debated with

Huldrych Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swis ...

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

in 1522, and then made his way to

Eisenach Eisenach () is a Town#Germany, town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia, and bordering northeastern Hesse, Hessian re ...

and

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

, where he married in 1523. Lambert arrived in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

in 1524, anxious to spread the doctrines of the Reformation among the French-speaking population of the city. The Germans mistrusted him, and in 1526 his activities were prohibited by the city. He was, however, befriended by

Jacob Sturm Jacob Sturm (21 March 1771 – 28 November 1848) was a leading engraver of entomology, entomological and botany, botanical scientific publications in Germany at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century. He was born and lived in Nur ...

, who recommended him to the Landgraf

Philip of Hesse Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (13 November 1504 – 31 March 1567), nicknamed (), was a German nobleman and champion of the Protestant Reformation, notable for being one of the most important of the early Protestant rulers in Germany. He was o ...

, the most liberal of the German reforming princes. With Philip's encouragement he drafted the scheme of ecclesiastical reform for which he is known. Its basis was essentially democratic and congregational, though it provided for the government of the whole church by means of a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

. Pastors were to be elected by the congregation, and the whole system of canon-law was repudiated. This scheme was submitted by Philip to a synod at Homberg; but

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

intervened and persuaded the Landgraf to abandon it. The plan was far too democratic to commend itself to the Lutherans, who had by this time bound the Lutheran cause to the support of princes rather than to that of the people. Philip continued to favor Lambert, who was appointed professor and head of the theological faculty in the Landgraf's new

University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Prote ...

. Patrick Hamilton, the Scottish

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

, was one of his pupils; and it was at Lambert's instigation that Hamilton composed his ''Loci communes'', or ''Patrick's Pleas'' as they were popularly called in Scotland. Lambert was also one of the divines who took part in the great conference of

Marburg Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...

in 1529; he had long wavered between the Lutheran and the Zwinglian view of the

Lord's Supper The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

, but at this conference he definitely adopted the Zwinglian view. Lambert died of the plague on April 8, 1530, and was buried at Marburg. A catalogue of Lambert's writings is given in the brothers Eugène and Émile Haag's ''La France protestante''.

References

*Gerhard Müller: "Franz Lambert von Avignon und die Reformation in Hessen" in ''Veröffentlichungen der Historischen Kommission für Hessen und Waldeck. Quellen und Darstellungen zur Geschichte des Landgrafen Philipp des Gutmütigen'' (24)4. Marburg 1958 (Enthält den kompletten französischen Text der Somme chrestienne.) *Rainer Haas: ''Franz Lambert und Patrick Hamilton in ihrer Bedeutung für die evangelische Bewegung auf den Britischen Inseln'', Dissertation, Universität Marburg 1973. *Rainer Haas: "La Corone de nostre saulveur" in ''Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte'' 84.Band 1973, S. 287-301. *Reinhard Bodenmann: "Bibliotheca Lambertiana" in ''Pour rétrouver Francois Lambert'', Baden-Baden und Buxwiller, 1987, S. 9-213. *Rainer Haas: "Franz Lambert und der Bekenntnisstand Hessens im 16. Jahrhundert" in ''Jahrbuch der Hessischen Kirchengeschichtlichen Vereinigung'' Band 57/2006, S. 177-210. *Rainer Haas: "Franz Lambert, Franziskaner in Avignon - Professor in Marburg", in ''Allerlei Protestanten'', Nordhausen, 2010 *Edmund Kurten: "Franz Lambert von Avignon und Nikolaus Herborn in ihrer Stellung zum Ordensgedanken und zum Franziskanertum im Besonderen, Aschendorff", 1950, ''Reformationsgeschichtliche Studien und Texte''; Bd. 72. *Gerhard Müller: "Die Anfänge der Marburger Theologischen Fakultät" in ''Hessisches Jahrbuch für Landesgeschichte'' VI (1956), S. 164-181. *Louis Ruffet: ''François Lambert d’Avignon, le réformateur de la Hesse'', Bonheur, Paris 1873. *Roy Lutz Winters: ''Franz Lambert of Avignon 1487-1530. A Study in Reformation Origins'', United Lutheran Publication House, Philadelphia, Penn. 1938. *Johann Wilhelm Baum: ''Franz Lambert von Avignon'', Straßburg 1840. *Gerhard Müller: "Lambert, Franz" in ''Neue Deutsche Biographie'' Band 13. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1982, S. 435–437. *Felix Stieve: "Franz Lambert" in ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' Band 17. Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1883, S. 548–551. Attribution: *

References

Further reading