Johannes Von Goch
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Johannes von Goch (born ''Johann Pupper'') ( – 1475) was a German Augustinian
friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...
, thought by some to be a precursor of the
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 ...
, because of his views on scripture, justification and monasticism.


Biography

He was born at
Goch Goch (; archaic spelling: Gog) is a town in the Kleve (district), Kleve district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the border with the Netherlands, south of Kleve and southeast of Nijmegen. History Goch is at least 750 years old: th ...
in the
Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
, probably studied at
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, and was the founder of an order of canonesses at Tabor, near
Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...
in Brabant, in 1451, of which he subsequently became prior. Johann Pupper was educated by the Brothers of the Common Life, as a priest he studied law at Cologne in around 1454.


Theology

He may in some respects be considered a precursor of the Reformation, and in his writings, ''De Libertate Christiana'', ''De Quatuor Erroribus circa Legem Evangelicam'', and ''Epistola Apologetica'' (1521), he attacks the influence of
Pelagianism Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the fall did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius (), an ascetic and philosopher from the British Isles, ta ...
in the Church, and advocates a return to the text of the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
as the only true source of religious truth. He was considered a man of profound piety. Johann Pupper said that the "writings of the church fathers only have authority to the extent that they conform to the canonical truth". Johann also criticized vows and believed in
nominalism In metaphysics, nominalism is the view that universals and abstract objects do not actually exist other than being merely names or labels. There are two main versions of nominalism. One denies the existence of universals—that which can be inst ...
. Johann Pupper was also a mystic, he was very concerned for union with God in love and man must be filled by God's love so that he can arrive at union with God. Johannes von Goch renounced the Catholic view on justification and questioned
monasticism Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Chr ...
. Ullmann argued that Johannes von Goch anticipated Luther in the doctrine of justification by
faith alone (or simply ), meaning justification by faith alone, is a soteriological doctrine in Christian theology commonly held to distinguish the Lutheranism, Lutheran and Reformed tradition, Reformed traditions of Protestantism, among others, from th ...
.


See also

*
Wessel Gansfort Wessel Harmensz Gansfort (1419 – 4 October 1489) was a theologian and early humanist of the northern Low Countries. Many variations of his last name are seen and he is sometimes incorrectly called Johan Wessel. Gansfort has been called one of ...
*
Johann Ruchrat von Wesel Johann Ruchrat von Wesel (died 1481) was a German Scholastic theologian. He objected to the system of indulgences, and has been called a "reformer before the Reformation". He was born at Oberwesel early in the 15th century. He appears to have b ...


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goch, Johannes von 1400s births 1475 deaths 15th-century German Catholic theologians 15th-century writers in Latin Nominalists Devotio Moderna