Michael Vehe (c. 1480–1539) was a German

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

Life

Vehe was born in Biberach (now part of

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. From the late Middle Ages on, it developed into an important trading centre. At the begi ...

, near

Bad Wimpfen Bad Wimpfen () is a historic spa town in the district of Heilbronn in the Baden-Württemberg region of southern Germany. It lies north of the city of Heilbronn, on the river Neckar. Geography Bad Wimpfen is located on the west bank of the River ...

). He joined the

Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...

in Wimpfen and was sent to

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

in 1506, where he taught in 1512 and received a doctorate in theology in 1513. In 1515 he was appointed regent of the Dominican house of studies at Heidelberg; later Cardinal Albert of Mainz chose him as theologian and put him in charge of the church of Halle, Saxony. He was summoned to

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

in 1530 to refute the Lutheran Confession of Faith and took a prominent part in a debate against the

Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

in 1534 in Leipzig. He was called to the bishopric of Halberstadt on February 21, 1539. He died in Halle in April 1539.

Works

Some Catholic commentators view Vehe's writings as the best apologetical treatises that appeared in Germany during the sixteenth century. His works include the following: * (Leipzig, 1531) and (Leipzig, 1535), on Communion under one species * (Leipzig, 1532), a treatise on the veneration of the

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

s * (Leipzig, 1537), on the point controverted by the

Reformers A reformer is someone who works for reform. Reformer may also refer to: * Catalytic reformer, in an oil refinery *Methane reformer, producing hydrogen * Steam reformer * Hydrogen reformer, extracting hydrogen *Methanol reformer, producing hydrogen ...

Vehe is also known for having published the first Catholic hymnbook with music, in collaboration with other Catholic dignitaries and musicians from Halle. (Leipzig, 1537) drew both from medieval Church tradition and the contemporary Protestant tradition, as well as presenting some new material, such as the first Catholic psalm paraphrases. The songs in Vehe's collection eventually formed the basis for all later Catholic hymnals.Walther Lipphardt and Clytus Gottwald.
Vehe, Michael
'. In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online (accessed September 21, 2008).

Notes

References

;Attribution * The entry cites: **

Hugo von Hurter The von Hurter family belonged to the Swiss nobility; in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries three of them were known for their conversions to Roman Catholicism, their ecclesiastical careers in Austria and their theological writings. Friedric ...

, ''Nomenclator'', II, 1249 sqq. **Script. ord. praed., II, 95 **Bull. ord. praed., IV, 678 **Veesenmeyer, Kleine Beitrage zur Gesch. des Reichstags in Augsburg, 1530 (Nurnberg, 1830), 115 **Gaumker, Das kath. deutsche Kirchenlied, I (Freiburg, 1886), 124 sqq.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vehe, Michael German Dominicans 16th-century German Catholic theologians German male non-fiction writers 16th-century German male writers 1485 births 1539 deaths