Johannes Zollikofer (born 29 December 1633 in St. Gallen; died 23 April 1692 in

Herisau Herisau is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality and the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. It is the seat of the canton's government and parliament; the judicial authorities are situated ...

) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

Life and work

Johannes Zollikofer studied in Zürich and Basel. At the age of twenty he was called as a German vicar to

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. He later continued his studies in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

. He worked as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

in St. Leonhard and St. Gallen, and later as a vicar und chamberlain in Herisau in

Appenzell Ausserrhoden Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden ( ; ; ; ), in English sometimes Appenzell Outer Rhodes, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of twenty municipalities. The seat of the gove ...

. He was author and translator of many books. According to the ''Stemmatologia Sangallensis'' of Johann Jacob Scherrer (1653–1733) he was 1653–1692 vicar, 1653–1654 German ''Adjunkt'' in Geneva, 1655–1655 German assistant in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, 1657–1692 ''Synodalis'', 1657–1666 deacon in St. Leonhard, 1657–1692 ''Collega Disputat.'', 1657–1692 ''Collega music.'', 1660–1660 ''Bußner Coll. theol. I'', 1665–1665 ''Bußner Coll. theol. II'', 1666–1692 vicar in Herisau, (the 13th since 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 ...

), 1667–1692 ''Synodalis'' of Ausserrhoden, 1671–1692 ''Camerarius'' of Ausserrhoden and 1684–1692 ''Ordinari'' civil registry officer in Ausserrhoden.Geneal-Forum.
/ref> Herisau ref

Zollikofers sermon on ''The unholy fiends' miserable condition (Der unseligen Unholden elender Zustand)'', held on 5 May 1689 in Herisau and printed in the same year in St. Gallen, is based on the publication ''Magiologia - Christian warning regarding superstition and sorcery (Magiologia - Christliche Warnung für dem Aberglauben und der Zauberei)'' of Bartholomäus Anhorn the Younger, in which magical practices are criticised.

Witch-hunt A witch hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. Practicing evil spells or Incantation, incantations was proscribed and punishable in early human civilizations in the ...

s were conducted with reference to his sermon. His master piece ''A Newly Opened Treasury of Heavenly Incense, or Christian's Companion: Containing Instructions and Devotional Exercises, Applicable to All Persons and Circumstances in Life (Himmlischer Weyhrauch-Schatz)'' was published in 1691 and reprinted in high numbers over 150 years. The inscription ''H. Johannes Zollikofer, Pfarrer'' in a bell of the church in Herisau, which was cast in 1679, reminds on this vicar.Arnold Nüscheler-Usteri: ''Die Glocken, ihre Inschriften und Giesser, im Kanton Appenzell.'' In: ''Appenzellische Jahrbücher'', 14 (1882), S. 10
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Family

Johannes Zollikofer was a son of Georg Zollikofer (1591–1634) and Judith Schobinger. He married on 3 November 1657 Catharina Gonzenbach (1631–1672), a daughter of Heinrich Gonzenbach and Sabina Zwicker. He had with her one baby daughter in 1663, who died without being christened, and 1665 a daughter Judith. In his second marriage he married on 11 June 1672 Susanna Zollikofer (1644–1685 in Herisau), a daughter of Niklaus Zollikofer and Benigna Zollikofer and had with her four children: Magdalena (1673–1700 in

), Georg Niklaus (1676–1706 in

Eastern India East India is a region consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The states of Bihar and West Bengal lie on the Indo-Gangetic plain. Jharkhan ...

), Johannes (born 1681), who died as a baby, and another Johannes (born 1683). In his third marriage he married on 15 June 1686 Elisabeth Zollikofer (1656–1694), daughter of David Zollikofer and Elisabeth Högger and had with her three children: David (born 1688), Elisabeth (1690–1694) and Gottlieb (1691).

References

External links

* Katrin Moeller
''Zollikofer, Johann''
in Historicum.net * Heidi Eisenhut
''Eine Hexe sollst du nicht am Leben lassen.'' Abhandlung über Zollikofers ''Misera lamiarum sors''
auf ''zeitzeugnisse.ch'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Zollikofer, Johannes 1633 births 1692 deaths Swiss Calvinist and Reformed theologians Systematic theologians 16th-century Swiss writers People from St. Gallen (city)