
Sebastian Hofmeister (1476,
Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...
– June 26, 1533,
Zofingen), known in writing as ''Oeconomus'' or ''Oikonomos'', was a Swiss monk and religious Reformer who was prominent in early debates of the
Reformation.
Hofmeister joined the Franciscan order in Schaffhausen before studying for several years in
Paris. There he studied Hebrew and the classical languages and received a doctorate in theology in 1519. By 1520, he was sent to
Zürich as a lecturer and later in the same year to Constance. It was in Zurich where he first met the Swiss Reformer
Huldrych Zwingli, who influenced him a great deal. Hofmeister would begin preaching the Reformation at Lucerne, resulting in his expulsion from that town. He returned to
Schaffhausen and became a central Reformer in the town, only to be thrown out in 1525. Although his time in Schaffhausen was brief, it is perhaps for this period that he is best known. He would find safety in Zürich where he established himself with the early Reformation debates there. This included the first disputation in Zürich on January 29, 1523, and the second from October 26 to 28, 1523, which he initially presided over. In Zürich, he would begin to preach by 1526, and by 1528 he left for
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
where he would teach Hebrew and participate in the
Bern Disputation. He was involved in several
anabaptist
Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...
proceedings of the day. He continued to preach at several locations, including
St. Gallen and
Basel. Hoffmeister actually had a correspondence with
Martin Luther, and wrote several works, including an autobiography.
["Hofmeister, Sebastian." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006.]
Notes
1476 births
1533 deaths
People from Schaffhausen
Swiss Calvinist and Reformed theologians
16th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Swiss Protestant Reformers
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