Caspar Olevian (or Kaspar Olevianus; 10 August 1536 – 15 March 1587) was a significant German Reformed

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

during the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...

and along with

Zacharius Ursinus Zacharias Ursinus (18 July 15346 May 1583) was a sixteenth-century German Reformed theologian and Protestant reformer, born Zacharias Baer in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland). He became the leading theologian of the Reformed Protestant movement o ...

was said to be co-author of the Heidelberg Catechism. That theory of authorship has been questioned by some modern scholarship.

Life

Born in

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

, Olevian was the son of a baker and attended a course of humanist studies in Paris. He went on to study law at Bourges and came under the influence of Reformation teaching. On his return to Trier his beliefs came into conflict with those of the local clergy. In 1560 he was invited by Frederick III, Elector Palatine to teach at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. After the Elector's death his son Louis VI, Elector Palatine, who was strongly

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

in conviction, attempted to turn the school away from the Reformed doctrine of the Heidelberg catechism. Olevianus was banned from teaching but he was able to move to

Berleburg Bad Berleburg (, earlier also Berleburg) is a town, in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is one of Germany's largest towns by land area. It is located approximately northeast of Siegen and northwest of ...

. There, in 1578, he published a commentary on the '' Epistle to the Galatians'', with a preface by

Theodore Beza Theodore Beza ( la, Theodorus Beza; french: Théodore de Bèze or ''de Besze''; June 24, 1519 – October 13, 1605) was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformation ...

. Olevianus published several works on the

Covenant of Grace Covenant theology (also known as covenantalism, federal theology, or federalism) is a conceptual overview and interpretive framework for understanding the overall structure of the Bible. It uses the theological concept of a covenant as an orga ...

. In 1584 he moved to the County of Nassau and became rector of

Herborn Academy The Herborn Academy ( la, Academia Nassauensis) was a Calvinist institution of higher learning in Herborn from 1584 to 1817. The Academy was a centre of encyclopaedic Ramism and the birthplace of both covenant theology and pansophism. Its faculty ...

. He died in 1587 surrounded by friends and supporters and was buried in Herborn. On his deathbed he was asked "Are you undoubtedly sure of your salvation, as you taught others constantly?" His reply was "Most certain!"

References

External links

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Webseite of the Caspar Olevian Society, Trier
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1536 births 1587 deaths People from Trier German Calvinist and Reformed theologians German Protestant Reformers 16th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 16th-century German Protestant theologians 16th-century German male writers German male non-fiction writers {{calvinism-stub