Erasmus Alberus (c. 15005 May 1553) was a German

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

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 ...

reformer, and poet.

Life

He was born in the village of

Bruchenbrücken Friedberg (; official name: ''Friedberg (Hessen)'') is a town and the capital of the Wetteraukreis district, in Hesse, Germany. In 1966, the town hosted the sixth '' Hessentag'' state festival, in 1979 the 19th. Geographical location Friedberg is ...

(now part of

Friedberg, Hesse Friedberg (; official name: ''Friedberg (Hessen)'') is a town and the capital of the Wetteraukreis district, in Hesse, Germany. In 1966, the town hosted the sixth '' Hessentag'' state festival, in 1979 the 19th. Geographical location Friedberg is ...

) about the year 1500. Although his father Tilemann Alber was a schoolmaster, his early education was neglected. Ultimately in 1518, he found his way to the

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (), also referred to as MLU, is a public research university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg. It is the largest and oldest university in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. MLU offers German and i ...

, where he studied theology. He had the good fortune to attract the attention 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

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 ...

, and subsequently became one of Luther's most active helpers in the Protestant

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

. Not only did he fight for the Protestant cause as a preacher and theologian, but he was almost the only member of Luther's party who was able to confront the

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

with the weapon of literary satire. In 1542 he published a prose satire to which Luther wrote the preface, ''Der Barfusser Monche Eulenspiegel und Alkoran,'' a parodic adaptation of the ''Liber conformitatum'' of the Franciscan Bartolommeo Rinonico of

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

, in which the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

order is held up to ridicule. This drew reactions from Catholic scholars such as Henricus Sedulius, who published the ''Apologeticus aduersus Alcoranum Franciscanorum, pro Libro Conformitatum,'' which criticized Alberus' arguments in this satire. Of higher literary value is the didactic and satirical ''Buch von der Tugend und Weisheit'' (1550), a collection of forty-nine fables in which Alberus embodies his views on the relations of

Church and State The separation of church and state is a philosophical and Jurisprudence, jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the State (polity), state. Conceptually, the term refers to ...

. His satire is incisive, but in a scholarly and humanistic way; it does not appeal to popular passions with the fierce directness which enabled the master of Catholic satire,

Thomas Murner Thomas Murner, OFM (24 December 1475c. 1537) was an Alsatian satirist, poet and translator. Early life and education He was born at Oberehnheim (Obernai) near Strasbourg. In 1490 he entered the Franciscan order, and in 1495 began travelling, s ...

, to inflict such telling blows. Several of Alberus's hymns, all of which show the influence of his master Luther, have been retained in the German Protestant hymnal. After Luther's death, Alberus was for a time a deacon in

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 became involved, however, in the political conflicts of the time, and was in

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

in 1550–1551, while that town was besieged by

Maurice, Elector of Saxony Maurice (21 March 1521 – 9 July 1553) was Duke (1541–47) and later Elector (1547–53) of Saxony. His clever manipulation of alliances and disputes gained the Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty extensive lands and the electoral dignit ...

. In 1552 he was appointed General Superintendent at

Neubrandenburg Neubrandenburg (, Low German ''Niegenbramborg'', both lit. ''New Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg'') is a city in the southeast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is located on the shore of a lake called Tollensesee and forms the urban c ...

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

,Henry Eyster Jacobs
Lutheran Cyclopedia
p. 6, Alberus, Erasmus where he died on 5 May 1553.

Translations

*''Alberus' Thanksgiving Hymn: To You, O God, Our Thanks We Give'', translated by Nathaniel J. Biebert (Red Brick Parsonage, 2014).

References

Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alberus, Erasmus 1500s births 1553 deaths People from Friedberg, Hesse German Lutheran theologians German Lutheran hymnwriters German Protestant Reformers University of Wittenberg alumni German Renaissance humanists Christian humanists German male non-fiction writers 16th-century hymnwriters 16th-century German Protestant theologians 16th-century German male writers 16th-century Lutheran theologians