Martin Borrhaus (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: Martin Cellarius) (1499 – 11 October 1564) was a German Protestant theologian and reformer.

Life

Borrhaus was born in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

and raised as an adopted child of a Simon Keller. He enrolled at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...

, where in 1515 he graduated and came to know

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 ...

. In 1520, he moved to the University of Ingolstadt, where he took up the study of Greek and Hebrew, and theology under

Johann Eck Johann Maier von Eck (13 November 1486 – 13 February 1543), often anglicized as John Eck, was a German Catholic theologian, scholastic, prelate, and opponent of Martin Luther. Life Johann Eck was born Johann Maier at Eck (later Egg, near M ...

. Following a dispute with Eck, he left for

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 ...

, where he taught mathematics at the private school of Melanchthon. However his ideas became more radical, and he was expelled for heterodoxy in April 1522. Borrhaus travelled in the company of Felix Manz through Switzerland, Austria, Poland and Prussia. In 1526, he moved to

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, where he married Odilia of Utenheim. Under the influence of Wolfgang Capito, Borrhaus published his first work, "De operibus Dei" 1527. In 1536, his wife died and Borrhaus went to

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, where he earned a living as a glass blower and married again. In 1541, his friend Simon Grynaeus arranged for Borrhaus a position teaching philosophy at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

, and then in 1544 he became professor of

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

and 1546, 1553 and 1564 served as rector. He died in Basel. Borrhaus associated with the advocates of tolerance Sebastian Castellio,

Celio Secondo Curione Celio Secondo Curione (1 May 1503, in Cirié – 24 November 1569, in Basel) (usual Latin form Caelius Secundus Curio) was an Italian Renaissance humanism, humanist, grammarian, editor and historian, who exercised a considerable influence upon th ...

and Michael Servetus. At this point he openly rejected infant baptism. His views on the Trinity were less open in his later years, not surprisingly, given the death by burning of Servetus in 1553.

Works

* ''De operibus Dei'' (1527) – the first open questioning of the doctrine of the Trinity in print anywhere in Europe, and the first openly

millenarian Millenarianism or millenarism () is the belief by a religious organization, religious, social, or political party, political group or Social movement, movement in a coming fundamental Social transformation, transformation of society, after which ...

work in

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 ...

's circle.In sancti viri iobi historiam salutari de mysterio crucis et de lege atque evangelio doctrina referti. Basileae: Petrum Pernam, 1564. John Christian Laursen, Richard Henry Popkin ''Continental millenarians: Protestants, Catholics, heretics'', Book 4 p11 The combination of

Arianism Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is co ...

and

Millenarianism Millenarianism or millenarism () is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming fundamental transformation of society, after which "all things will be changed". Millenarianism exists in various cultures and re ...

led

Giorgio Biandrata Giorgio Biandrata or Blandrata (15155 May 1588) was an Italian-born Transylvanian physician and polemicist, who came from the De Biandrate family, powerful from the early part of the 13th century. He was an antitrinitarian. Biandrata was born i ...

and Francis David in

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

to regard Borrhaus as the first precursor of Unitarian belief, and David published key extracts of ''De operibus Dei'' with his own writings.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cellarius, Martin 1499 births 1564 deaths German Protestants