Ludwig Rabus (also Rab or Günzer) (10 October 1523 – 22 July 1592) was a German

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 ...

theologian and

Protestant reformer Protestant Reformers were those theologians whose careers, works and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. In the context of the Reformation, Martin Luther was the first reformer (sharing his views publicly in 15 ...

Life

He was born in

Memmingen Memmingen (; Swabian: ''Memmenge'') is a town in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Wür ...

, in poor circumstances. He went to Strasbourg, where he was supported by the preacher

Matthäus Zell Matthäus Zell (also ''Mathias Zell''; anglicized as ''Matthew Zell'') (21 September 1477, in Kaysersberg – 9 January 1548, in Strasbourg) was a Lutheran pastor and an early Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg. He joined the Reformati ...

and his wife

Katharina Katharina is a feminine given name. It is a German form of Katherine. It may refer to: In television and film: *Katharina Bellowitsch, Austrian radio and TV presenter *Katharina Mückstein, Austrian film director *Katharina Thalbach, German actre ...

. In 1538 Rabus became a student at

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-W� ...

, and graduated

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

in 1543. In the following years Rabus became Zell's assistant, made a reputation as a preachers, and in 1548 was Zell's successor. The

Augsburg Interim The Augsburg Interim (full formal title: ''Declaration of His Roman Imperial Majesty on the Observance of Religion Within the Holy Empire Until the Decision of the General Council'') was an imperial decree ordered on 15 May 1548 at the 1548 Die ...

meant he lost his post, but he remained in Strasbourg. In 1552 he became head of the Collegium Wilhelmitanum and teacher at the High School; in 1553 together with

Jacob Andreae Jakob Andreae (25 March 1528 – 7 January 1590) was a significant German Lutheran theologian and Protestant Reformer involved in the drafting of major documents. Life He was born in Waiblingen, in the Duchy of Württemberg. He studied at the Un ...

he was awarded a Tübingen doctorate. When the Strasbourg council favoured

Johannes Marbach Johann Marbach (14 April 1521 – 17 March 1581) was a German Lutheran reformer and controversialist. Life He was born at Lindau in Bavaria. He began his studies at Strasbourg in 1536, and three years later went to Wittenberg, where he shar ...

, Rabus left the city, where he was regarded as something of a fanatic, and went as minister and dean to

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

, where he worked for 34 years. In the controversy around

Kaspar 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 ...

he wrote against Katharina Zell, who defended herself; what had been a long-running private disagreement about her husband's legacy became a public quarrel. In Ulm Rabus standardised teaching, held inspections, introduced liturgical books, and supported Andreae in his efforts towards the

Swabian Concord Swabian or Schwabian, or ''variation'', may refer to: * the German region of Swabia (German: "''Schwaben''") * Swabian German, a dialect spoken in Baden-Württemberg in south-west Germany and adjoining areas (German:"''Schwäbisch''") * Danube Swa ...

. He died there.

Works

Rabus began to work on a selective Protestant martyrology in the late 1540s, as the Interim began to affect churches in his region. A Latin version appeared in 1552. Historien der Heyligen 1557

The German ''Historien der Heyligen'' appeared in six volumes (completed 1557), published at Strasbourg by Samuel Emmel. It is framed as a

universal history A universal history is a work aiming at the presentation of a history of all of mankind as a whole, coherent unit. A universal chronicle or world chronicle typically traces history from the beginning of written information about the past up to ...

. The first volume begins with

Abel Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd ...

and discusses biblical stories and martyrs of the

Early Christian Church Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish ...

; it uses Eusebius of Caesarea as a source. In the following five books around 70 martyrologies are given. He dedicated his book of martyrology to the Strasbourg council; as well as to

Christoph, Duke of Württemberg Christoph of Württemberg (12 May 1515 – 28 December 1568), ruled as Duke of Württemberg from 1550 until his death in 1568. Life In November 1515, only months after his birth, his mother, Sabina of Bavaria, fled to the court of her parents ...

.Kolb, p. 47
Google Books

References

* :de:s:ADB:Rabus, Ludwig

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabus, Ludwig 1523 births 1592 deaths German Lutherans Martyrologists