JOHANNES MATHESIUS (1504–1565)
Origin and Education
Johannes Mathesius was born on 24 June 1504 in Rochlitz in Saxony as the third son of the mining entrepreneur and town councillor Wolfgang Mathesius. After the death of his mother he was raised by his grandmother Juliana Scheuerfuss.
From the age of six he attended school in Rochlitz and later the trivial school in nearby Mittweida. In 1521 his father died and Mathesius left to study at the gymnasium in Nuremberg. During his studies he was forced to beg because the family could no longer support his education.
In 1523 he began studying in Ingolstadt but could stay only a short time due to financial difficulties. He continued his studies in Munich, where he obtained a position as a librarian with a man named Casimir. There, encouraged by the court jester Löffler, he first encountered the ideas of Martin Luther and also met Michael Cellarius, who later became a reformer and pastor in Augsburg.
After finishing his studies he worked as a tutor at Odelzhausen Castle for the children of Sabina Auer. During this time he studied the writings of Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli and became acquainted with Dr. Petr Widmann, who later became a lifelong friend. Afterwards he stayed with the priest Zacharias Weixner in Bruck near Fürstenfeld, who introduced him to further Lutheran writings.
These writings impressed Mathesius so deeply that in 1529 he decided to travel directly to Wittenberg. On the way he visited his hometown of Rochlitz and arrived in Wittenberg on 21 May. Luther’s sermons deeply influenced him and he enrolled as a student at the university there. He was matriculated on 30 May 1529. Despite financial support from Rochlitz and friends, he was able to study only one year.
Through Veit Dietrich he obtained a position as bachelor at the school in Altenburg. In 1533 he was offered the position of rector of the Latin school in Jáchymov. As he did not know the town, he accepted the offer only after consulting Valentin Kolb, a notary and scribe in Coburg. Mathesius remained in Jáchymov until 1540.
Mathesius and the Latin School
On 30 May 1532 Mathesius succeeded Petr Plateanus as rector of the Latin school. One of his first measures was the introduction of catechism into teaching, which was unusual at that time. Although this step was criticised by part of the Catholic population, Mathesius successfully defended it.
During his eight years as rector the school developed into a humanist educational centre known throughout the region. During this time the town purchased the palace of Laurentius Schlik for the needs of the school.
Prominent visitors came to the school, including the poet Eobanus Hessus and scholars Justus Jonas and Georg Spalatin. In 1538 Mathesius obtained a share in the mines of the mining entrepreneur Mates Sax, which later allowed him to study again at the University of Wittenberg.
Return to Wittenberg
In 1540 Mathesius returned to Wittenberg, where he became a student and close associate of Martin Luther. Thanks to this relationship he later wrote the first biography of Luther.
Preacher in Jáchymov
In November 1541 a delegation from Jáchymov came to Wittenberg asking Mathesius to become preacher at the church of St Joachim. Another delegation arrived on 28 December with letters from the town council and the miners’ brotherhood.
After negotiations his appointment was confirmed. On 29 March 1542 Mathesius received ordination from Martin Luther. On 13 April he also received ordination from Philipp Melanchthon.
After returning to Jáchymov he preached in the church of St Joachim and married Sibylla Richter, the daughter of a smelting official. At first he served as assistant preacher, later becoming parish priest, town chronicler and member of the town council.
Among his friends were Nikl Hermann and Georgius Agricola. Melanchthon visited him several times and Martin Luther probably visited him as well, although this is not fully confirmed.
Conflict with the Crown
Mathesius supported the Schlik family in their conflicts with King Ferdinand I and criticised the king’s policy during the Schmalkaldic War. In his sermons he openly criticised the royal governors in Jáchymov – Felix Bohuslav of Lobkowicz and Christoph Gendorf of Gerdorf.
On 28 September 1546 they declared him a traitor and complained about him to the king. However, since the town council and most inhabitants supported him, the king left the matter unresolved.
On 6 December Mathesius and thirty townsmen were summoned to Prague before the king. Thanks to his Latin defence and the economic importance of Jáchymov – which delivered about 80 000 thalers quarterly to the royal treasury – a compromise was reached.
His defence has sometimes been compared to Luther’s defence before Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms.
Later Years
After this conflict Mathesius withdrew from politics and devoted himself mainly to spiritual and literary work.
In 1550 he met Georgius Agricola and prepared a new school order for the Latin school, including regulations for the hospital and the church.
The parishes of Boží Dar, Horní Blatná and Abertamy also fell under his supervision.
In 1555 Mathesius became a widower. His wife Sibylla died on 23 February after childbirth from puerperal fever. Soon afterwards he began to suffer from swelling and general weakness.
In 1565 his condition worsened and for half a year he was unable to work. On 4 October he wrote the inscription for his own tomb in Latin and German.
Johannes Mathesius died on 7 October 1565 after delivering a sermon in the sacristy of the church of St Joachim. He was buried the following day. After the re-Catholicisation of the town his grave was destroyed and his remains were scattered in the Mill Valley.
Works
Zwo Predigten von Christlicher Einigkeit – first printed work from 1542.
Collections of sermons – more than 1500 sermons have survived.
Chronicle of the town for the years 1510–1563 – part of Sarepta.
Parish register – the first of its kind in the Czech lands.
Epitaphs, postils, letters, songs and poems.
Historien Von des Ehrwirdigen in Gott seligen theuren Manns Gottes Doctoris Martini Luthers anfang, Lere, leben und sterben – the first biography of Martin Luther, completed two days before Mathesius’ death and published in 1565.
Sarepta Oder Bergpostill Sampt der Jochimßthalischen kurtzen Chroniken – a collection of sermons with mining themes. In twenty sermons the author connects mining knowledge with biblical texts. The book was printed in Nuremberg and republished fourteen times by 1679. It was translated into Czech by Dr Jan Urban in 1981.
Oeconomia – a short poetic treatise dedicated in 1560 as a wedding gift to the deacon Basileus Cammerhöfer.
Leben Jesu – Historia Unsers lieben Herren und Heylands Jesu Christi, Gottes und Marien Son – collection of sermons from 1551–1558.
Evangelienpostille – sermons for the entire church year, first published in 1565.
Fragepostille – combination of catechism and Sunday sermons, published in 1558.
Hochzeitspredigten – collection of sixteen wedding sermons printed nine times between 1563 and 1584.
Sirach – a three-volume work containing 308 sermon outlines and interpretations of the biblical Book of Sirach.
In total Mathesius produced 57 writings, numerous songs and poems and twenty epitaphs including his own. His work fell into obscurity in the Czech lands during the Counter-Reformation and was rediscovered only in the twentieth century, particularly thanks to the historian Dr Jan Urban and his Czech translation of Sarepta.
