Johann Heß (or Hess) (23 September 1490 – 5 January 1547) 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 ...

and Protestant Reformer of Breslau. Heß was born in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

. He attended the universities of

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 ...

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 was taught in jurisprudence and liberal arts. In Wittenberg he became a follower of

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 ...

, and stayed in touch with the

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

when he relocated to Neisse ( Nysa) in 1513 as the secretary of

Johann V Thurzo Johann V Thurzo (, ; 1464–1520) was a 15th-century Bishop of Wrocław in Silesia, now Poland. A great patron and lover of the arts and sciences, Martin Luther called him "the greatest bishop of the century". Johann was the son of János T ...

bishop of Breslau A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

. In 1518 Heß moved to

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

to study theology, completing his studies there in 1519. On the way back to

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

he stopped in

and became a friend of

Philipp Melanchthon Philip Melanchthon (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, an intellectual leader of the ...

. In 1520 he was ordained to the priesthood and in 1523 Heß was pressed by the city council of Breslau (probably at the instigation of

Laurentius Corvinus Laurentius Corvinus (; ; 1465–1527) was a Silesian scholar who lectured as an "extraordinary" (''i.e.'' untenured) professor at the University of Krakow when Nicolaus Copernicus began to study there. He also attracted a reputation as one of ...

) to become pastor of St. Maria Magdalena church. In the coming years he slowly introduced Protestant teachings in Breslau, presenting his ideas in a

disputation Disputation is a genre of literature involving two contenders who seek to establish a resolution to a problem or establish the superiority of something. An example of the latter is in Sumerian disputation poems. In the scholastic system of e ...

at St. Dorothy's monastery at Breslau in 1524. His careful approach even normalized the relationship with Catholic bishop Jakob von Salza. Theologically, he,

Ambrosius Moibanus Ambrosius Moibanus (4 April 1494 – 16 January 1554) was a German Lutheran theologian and reformer, and first Lutheran pastor at St Elisabeth's church in Breslau (now Wrocław). He was active in Silesia. He was an opponent of the Anabaptists, an ...

, pastor of St. Elisabeth church, and the city council of Breslau sided with Wittenberg and opposed

Caspar Schwenckfeld Caspar (or Kaspar) Schwen(c)kfeld von Ossig () (1489 or 1490 – 10 December 1561) was a German theologian, writer, physician, naturalist, and preacher who became a Protestant Reformer and spiritualist. He was one of the earliest promoters ...

and his followers in Liegnitz

Legnica Legnica (; , ; ; ) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River and the Czarna Woda. As well as being the seat of the county, since 1992 the city has been the seat of the Diocese of Legnica. Le ...

. In 1541 he took part in the

Conference of Regensburg The Colloquy of Regensburg, historically called the Colloquy of Ratisbon, was a conference held at Regensburg (Ratisbon) in Bavaria in 1541, during the Protestant Reformation, which marks the culmination of attempts to restore religious unity in th ...

. He died in Breslau in 1547.

References

*Julius Köstlin, 'Johann Heß, der Breslauer Reformator', ''Zeitschrift des Vereins für Geschichte und Alterthum Schlesiens'' 6 (1864), pp. 97–131, 181-265. *Adolf Henschel, ''Dr. Johannes Heß der Breslauer Reformator.'' Schriften für das deutsche Volk 37 (Halle: Verein für Reformationsgeschichte, 1901). *''

Neue Deutsche Biographie (''NDB''; Literal translation, literally ''New German Biography'') is a Biography, biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 27 volumes published thus far co ...

'' (NDB),

Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities () is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledge within their subject. The general goal of th ...

München Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Bd. 9, pp. 7–8. *Grantley McDonald, 'Laurentius Corvinus and the Epicurean Luther', ''Lutheran Quarterly'' 22 (2008), pp. 161–76. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hess, Johann 1490 births 1547 deaths 16th-century German Lutheran clergy Clergy from Nuremberg German Protestant Reformers Leipzig University alumni University of Wittenberg alumni University of Bologna alumni