Johann Hülsemann (4 December 1602 – 13 June 1661) was a German
Lutheran
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 ...
theologian
Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
. He is known as one of the most prominent
Lutheran scholastic opponents of
Georgius Calixtus in the
Syncretistic Controversy.
Biography
Early life and education
Hülsemann was born at
Esens, 65 m. n.w. of
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
in
East Frisia
East Frisia () or East Friesland (; ; ; ) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisia (peninsula), East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia and to the ...
, 4 December 1602. He was educated at Norden, Stade, and Hanover. Before he had reached the age of eighteen, he went to the
University of Rostock
The University of Rostock () is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the third-oldest university in Germany. It is the oldest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Se ...
, and two years later to
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 ...
. He also studied briefly at
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 ...
.
Career
In 1627 he removed to
Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, where he was permitted to lecture. In 1629 he was appointed professor at Wittenberg, where he achieved an authoritative position. In 1630 he was sent to Leipzig as a delegate to a convention in behalf of the
Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession (), also known as the Augustan Confession or the Augustana from its Latin name, ''Confessio Augustana'', is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheranism, Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of th ...
, and in 1645 he took a leading position at the colloquy of Thorn. In 1646 he became professor at Leipzig, and while there he also served as pastor of
St. Nicholas Church and as superintendent from 1657.
He wrote ''Calvinisimus irreconciliabilis'' (Wittenberg 1644) as the counterpart to
Bishop Joseph Hall's ''Roma irreconciliabilis'', adding an appendix ''Quae dogmata sint ad salutem creditu necessaria'', which is somewhat conciliatory towards the Reformed doctrine of the Lord’s Supper and the personal union. In his later years he denied his appendix and asked for it to be considered an immature writing of his youth.
Though Hülsemann had been friends with Calixtus before Thorn, he became his declared opponent. In the years following Thorn, he became one of the most prominent adversaries of Calixtus, and though
Abraham Calovius is more remembered today, many of his contemporaries considered him the leader of German Lutheranism. According to Ingetraut Ludolphy, he was a born
systematician, whose attacks on Calixtus and the other
Helmstedt theologians are far superior to most other anti-Helmstedt polemics.
Death and afterward
Hülsemann died at Leipzig, June 13, 1661.
Works
Huelsemann’s principal works are his ''Brevarium theologiae'' (Wittenberg, 1640; enlarged with the title, ''Extensio brevarii theologiae'', Leipzig, 1655); ''Muster und Ausbund gutter Werke'' (1650); ''Dialysis apologetica problematic Calixtini'' (1651); and ''Der Calixtuinische Gewissenswurm'' (1653).
References
*Bosse, F. "Huelsemann, Johann." ''The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge.'' vol 5, p. 386; see also vol 11, p. 219.
*Ludolphy, Ingetraut. "Huelsemann, Johann." ''The Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church''. Julius Bodensieck, ed. Minneapolis: Augsburg Pub. House, 1965. p. 1054
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hulsemann, Johann
1602 births
1661 deaths
17th-century writers in Latin
German Lutheran theologians
Systematic theologians
Academic staff of Leipzig University
17th-century German Protestant theologians
German male non-fiction writers
17th-century German male writers
17th-century Lutheran theologians