Johann Jakob Grynaeus facts for kids
Johann Jakob Grynaeus (born October 1, 1540 – died August 13, 1617) was an important Swiss Protestant religious leader and scholar. He was known for his work in theology and for teaching at universities.
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His Life Story
Johann Jakob Grynaeus was born in Bern, Switzerland. His father, Thomas Grynaeus, was a professor who taught old languages in Basel and Bern. Later, his father became a pastor in Röteln, Germany. Johann Jakob was also the nephew of a famous scholar named Simon Grynaeus.
Early Education and Career
Johann Jakob studied in Basel. In 1559, he started working as a helper to his father. In 1563, he went to Tübingen to finish his studies in theology, which is the study of religious beliefs.
A Change in Beliefs
In 1565, Grynaeus returned to Röteln to take over from his father as pastor. While there, he decided he could no longer agree with some of the specific teachings of the Lutheran church, especially about the Lord's Supper. He chose to follow different religious ideas.
Teaching and Leading
In 1575, Grynaeus was asked to teach about the Old Testament at the University of Basel. This meant he would explain and study the ancient religious texts. He had some disagreements with other religious leaders who held very traditional Lutheran views.
Because of these disagreements, he was happy to accept an invitation in 1584 to help restart the University of Heidelberg.
Return to Basel and Later Years
After a few years, Grynaeus returned to Basel in 1586. He became a main leader, or superintendent, of the church there. He also became a professor teaching about the New Testament. For more than 25 years, he had a big impact on both the church and the government in Basel. He became known as a skilled theologian who followed the ideas of Huldrych Zwingli, another famous Swiss religious reformer.
Among his many tasks, he helped to reorganize a school called the gymnasium in 1588. Five years before he died, he became completely blind. However, he kept preaching and teaching until his death. He passed away in Basel at the age of 76.
What He Wrote
Grynaeus wrote many books and papers. These included:
- Commentaries on different books of the Old and New Testament. These are books where he explained and discussed parts of the Bible.
- Theologica theoremata et problemata (published in 1588), which was about religious ideas and questions.
- A large collection of writings by early Christian thinkers called Monumenia S. patrum orthodoxographa (published in two large volumes in 1569).
In 1569, Grynaeus also published the first collection of letters from religious hermits like Barsanuphius of Gaza and John the Prophet, along with letters from Dorotheus of Gaza.
