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Matthias Flacius Lliyricus a Biographical Sketch by HENRY W

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Matthias Flacius Lliyricus a Biographical Sketch by HENRY W CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY Matthias Flacius lllyricw. HENRY W. REIMANN The Pastor's Role in ~ocial Action NORMAN TEMME Brief Studies Homiletics Theological Observer Book Review VOL. XXXV February 1964 No.2 Matthias Flacius lliyricus A Biographical Sketch By HENRY W. REIMANN (EDITORIAL NOTE: After the death of the EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION Rev. Prof. Henry W. Reimann, S. T. M., on Jan­ uary 6, 1963, the manuscript which is herewith atthias Vlacic, the son of Andreas reproduced in a slighdy abbreviated as well as M Vlacic and his wife Jacobea Lu­ amplified form was found among his papers. It ciani, was born on March 3, 1520, in was obviously a preliminary study for the bio­ graphical chapter which he proposed to include Albona,l a south Istrian town of 1,200 in his doctoral dissertation on Matthias Flacius inhabitants. The VlaCics, originally rural Illyricus. For this initial sketch he had restricted peasants, had lived in this Adriatic city as himself to summarizing the essential data in Wilhelm Preger's German biography of Flacius, artisans and landlords for three generations. a standard work in its field even after a century, The Lucianis were a patrician family in and the German digest of a 20th-century biog­ town. Three families, the Vlacics, Lucianis, raphy by Flacius' fellow-countryman, Mijo Mir­ kovic. Although this material represents an un­ and Lupetinas, were related, and from these finished draft of the life of Flacius, it can well families came the leading intellectuals of serve English-speaking readers by making avail­ Albona. Nearby was the mining commu­ able a capsuled summary in English of the stand­ ard European biographies of the second-genera­ nity of Podlabin, where a Franciscan mon­ tion Lutheran theologian who next to Luther astery served as the village church. There and Melanchthon was probably the most learned lived the Albona prior Baldo Lupetina, who Lutheran scholar of the 16th century. In editing the manuscript for publication as an article in later languished twenty years in a Venetian our journal, some sections were shortened or dungeon for his Lutheranism and who was reworked. It was also supplemented in the foot­ so influential in Flacius' life. A brother notes widl references to other recent studies with which Mr. Reimann had been working. Because of Jacobea Vlacic was married to a sister of the preliminary nature of the study, it does of Baldo Lupetina. So Flacius' Luciani not include a documented assessment of Flacius' uncle was a brother-in-law of this famous character. Franciscan provincial.2 Flacius was frequendy irascible, stubborn, and uncharitable in his polemics [as his op­ These families were all of Croatian stock, ponents often were in theirs]. Although at as is much of southeast Istria today. Ac- one time or another in his life he had been as­ sociated with practically every major Lutheran 1 Albona is the present city of Labin, Yugo­ leader, he had ultimately managed to alienate all slavia, located about forty miles southeast of but one or rwo of them. His one-sided zeal for Trieste. Luther's position as he understood it finally be­ 2 Mijo Mirkovic, Matija Vlacic Ilirik trayed him into heresy in the doctrine of orig­ (Zagreb: Jugoslavenska Akademija, 1960), inal sin. Yet his formidable abilities, his in­ 3-33; 487-490. In this study pp.487-549 defatigable industry, his important contributions are the German digest. This is followed by an to the theological sciences of Biblical interpre­ index (pp. 551-562) and 44 beautifully printed tation and church history, and his inflexible in­ photostatic reproductions of Flacius' correspon­ tegrity combined to give him such an influence dence and his interesting Slavic works. The on the course of events that the history of the author has evidendy made a thorough study of Lutheran movement in the 16th century is unin­ the Flaciana at Regensburg, Weimar, and Stras­ telligible without an appreciation of his role.) bourg. Hereafter cited as M. 70 MATIHIAS FLACIUS ILL YRlCUS tually, however, Albona was bilingual. In Lupetino would have him received as a lay the 15th century it had come under Vene­ brother in one of the famous Franciscan tian sovereignty, and while Croatian was monasteries at Padua or Bologna. He the language of the home, Italian was the wanted to serve God and the church by official and literary language. Indeed Istria, studying theology. But Baldo was already which Flacius called mea dulcissima patria a secret adherent of Luther's. He gave in the Clavis, was trilingual with the Slo­ Matthias some of the Reformer's writings venes in the north. This was the stony, and advised his young friend not to enter hilly, beautiful Illyrian coastland of which a cloister but to go to Germany and there Flacius was always proud. (M., 438-455; study theology. Ten years later Flacius 540-543) wrote: "With great joy I accepted this After his father's early death, young advice." (P., 1,15) Matthias was instructed by Franciscus As­ In 1539 the young searcher left Venice cerius, a learned Milanese tutor.a When for Augsburg. From there he went to he was sixteen he was sent to Venice like Basel, where Oswald Myconius, Simon many other Istrians for further humanistic Grynaeus, and Johannes Oporinus were at studies. At this time many Croatians of work. Perhaps he made this side trip be­ Flacius' homeland moved to Venice to cause his old Venetian teacher, the human­ work as dock laborers, sailors, innkeepers, ist Giambattista Cipelli, had friendly con­ or to live as monks or scholars. Flacius stud­ tacts at Basel. Perhaps it was the Zwinglian ied there between 1536 and 1539. (M., superintendent at Augsburg, Bonifatius 24,489) W olfhardt, who directed the young man The young scholar hoped that Baldo to Switzerland. At any rate, now began a lifelong friendship with Oporinus, who a Wilhelm Preger, Matthias Flacius Illyricus later published Flacius' chief works. (M., und seine Zeit, 2 vols. (Erlangen: Theodor Blasing, 1859, 1861.) Cf. I, 13 f. The first 28,35,235,490, 525; P., I, 16) volume has 436 pages; the second, 581 pages including a 274-item list of books, pamphlets, FLACIUS' "SOUL STRUGGLE" tracts published by Flacius (II, 539-572) and While at Basel, Flacius lived in Gry­ an index to both volumes. Hereafter cited as P. - See also, particularly for more recent biblio­ naeus' house and pursued studies in Greek graphical references, the useful articles by Gustav and Hebrew. Here began also the "soul Kawerau in Realencyklopiidie liir protestantische Theologie und Kirche, 3d ed., VI (1899), 82 to struggle" which was not to be ended until 92; Heinrich Bornkamm in Twentieth Century he reached Wittenberg. Preger interprets Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, I (1955), the beginning of this three-year crisis as 429-430; G. Buttler in Evangelisches Kirchen­ lexikon, I (1956), 1298-1300; and Gi.inther the first confrontation with the realities Moldaenke in Die Religion in Geschichte und of religion as it affected Flacius personally.4 Gegenwart, 3d ed., II (1958), 971, as well as the bibliographical references in Hans Lietzmann 4 Describing this struggle, Preger writes: "In (ed.), Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch­ Stunden, wo diese Heimsuchung ihn am hef­ lutherischen Kirche heransgegeben im Gedenk­ tigsten ergriff, wo er sich nicht fiir einen nur jahr der Augsburgischen Konfession 1930, 4th Versuchten, sondern fiir einen Verworfenen ed. by Ernst Wolf (Gottingen: Vandenhoeck hielt, dachte er an Selbstmord.... Scheu wich und Ruprecht, 1959), pp.843, 872, 873, 913 er den Menschen aus. Niemandem offenbarte to 915, 937, 952, 1053-1055. er sich. Und in diesem Zustande quiilte er sich MATTHIAS FLACIUS ILLYRICUS 71 Mirkovic regards this as a personality con­ laying hold on this doctrine. This con­ flict (mental and spiritual) which Flacius viction, secured so dramatically about 1543, later interpreted as religious (M., 46-53, Matthias Flacius Iilyricus never 10st.6 490) . At any rate there is no gainsaying Mirkovic correctly points out other that the youth was very unhappy and un­ events which may have helped terminate certain. the crisis. He emphasizes especially the After a year at Basel, Flacius spent a role that Baldo Lupetina's imprisonment short time in Tubingen, where Grynaeus on November 4,1542, and his heroic stead­ had friends. In 1534 he and Ambrosius fastness must have played in the thinking Blaurer had reformed the university for of Flacius. With such a demonstration of Duke Ulrich. In Tubingen Flacius lived evangelical faith by his countryman, bene­ with a fellow Elavic Iilyrian, Matthias Gar­ factor, friend, adviser, and near relative, bitius, a professor of Greek. On the faculty there must be no more uncertainty for him! was Melanchthon's good friend Joachim There now could be no turning back to Camerarius, a professor of classics. Rome! (M., 53-55,491) In 1541, passing through Regensburg Furthermore, from now on Flacius came at the time of the Colloquy, he finally into closer contact with Martin Luther. The arrived in Wittenberg. Upon the recom­ great man made use of Flacius by having mendation of his Tubingen friends, Me­ him travel to Venice in the summer of lanchthon received the sad young foreigner 1543 with a letter to the Doge, Pietro gladly. He provided for him and supplied Lando, from Elector John Frederick and him with students to tutor in Greek and the other princes of the Smalcaldic League Hebrew. The inner struggles continued.5 on behalf of Lupetina. This activity on Finally, in despair over this three-year behalf of Luther and the personal wit­ conflict, he talked to chaplain Friedrich ness of the Franciscan's faith (for he vis­ Backofen with whom he lived.
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