Michael Weiße facts for kids

Michael Weiße (also spelled Weisse) was an important German thinker, born around 1488. He was a Protestant reformer, which means he helped change how Christianity was practiced in his time. He was also a hymn writer, creating songs for church services.

Michael Weiße first joined a religious group called the Franciscans. Later, he became part of the Bohemian Brethren, a Christian group known for its strong beliefs. In 1531, he created a very important book of hymns, writing most of the words and some of the music himself. One of his hymns was even used by the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach in his work, St John Passion.

Michael Weiße's Early Life and Work

Michael Weiße was born in a town called Neiße, which is now Nysa in Poland. He went to a special school there for people who wanted to work in the church.

Studying and Becoming a Friar

In 1504, Michael Weiße began studying at the University of Cracow. After his studies, in 1510, he became a Franciscan friar in Breslau (which is now Wrocław, Poland). Friars are like monks who live and work among people.

Joining the Bohemian Brethren

Around 1517, Michael Weiße and two friends, Johannes Zeising and Johann Mönch, started to follow the ideas of Martin Luther. Luther was a key leader in the Protestant Reformation, a movement that changed the Christian church. Because of their new beliefs, Weiße and his friends were asked to leave Breslau. In 1518, they found a new spiritual home and joined the Bohemian Brethren.

Leading the Brethren Community

In 1522, Michael Weiße was chosen to be a preacher and leader for the German-speaking members of the Bohemian Brethren in a town called Landskron (now Lanškroun).

Meeting Martin Luther

That same year, Weiße was part of a group sent to Wittenberg. Their goal was to compare the beliefs of the Bohemian Brethren with those of Martin Luther. This was an important step to see how similar or different their ideas were.

Challenges and Leadership

From 1525, Weiße and his friends Zeising and Mönch became interested in the teachings of Ulrich Zwingli, another important reformer. This caused some disagreements with the bishop in Prague. While Weiße and Mönch decided to follow the bishop's rules, Zeising joined a different group called the Anabaptists. Sadly, Zeising was later executed in 1528.

In 1531, Michael Weiße became a priest of the Unity of the Brethren. At the same time, he was made the leader of the German congregations in Landskron and Fulnek. He continued his important work until he passed away in Landskron in 1534.

Michael Weiße's Writings and Hymns

Michael Weiße wrote many religious texts and hymn lyrics. He even composed some of the music for his hymns himself.

The First German Hymnal

In 1531, he published a very important hymnal called Ein New Gesengbuchlein (A New Little Hymnal). This book was the first hymnal of the Brethren written in German. It contained 157 hymns, and Michael Weiße wrote or changed 137 of them. The melodies for these hymns often came from the traditional music of the Bohemian Brethren.

This hymnal was the largest Protestant hymnal of its time and greatly influenced other hymn collections. It was also special because it was organized by topics. It had sections for different times of the church year, songs of praise, prayers, teachings, and even hymns for children, funerals, and the Last Judgment.

His Hymns in Famous Music

One of Michael Weiße's hymns was used in Johann Sebastian Bach's famous St John Passion. This hymn, called "Christus, der uns selig macht" (Christ, who hath us blessed made), describes what Jesus went through, even though he was innocent. Parts of this hymn are also used in another musical work called Wer ist der, so von Edom kömmt.

Even in modern times, Michael Weiße's work is remembered. In 1985, a composer named Mauricio Kagel used a part of Weiße's hymn in his own musical piece, Sankt-Bach-Passion, which was about Bach's life.

Weiße's Hymns Today

Today, eight of Michael Weiße's hymns are still included in the main German Protestant hymnal, Evangelisches Gesangbuch. One of his well-known Easter hymns is "Gelobt sei Gott im höchsten Thron" (Praise be to God on the highest throne).

His original hymnal was reprinted in 1957 as a special copy called a facsimile, titled Gesangbuch der Böhmischen Brüder 1531 (Hymnal of the Bohemian Brethren 1531). You can also find a digital version of an edition from 1544 online at e-rara.

Literature

• Petr Hlaváček: Die Franziskaner-Observanten zwischen böhmischer und europäischer Reformation. In: Winfried Eberhard und Franz Machilek (ed.): Kirchliche Reformimpulse des 14./14. Jahrhunderts in Ostmitteleuropa. Böhlau-Verlag 2006, ISBN: 978-3-412-26105-4, pp.321f.
• Michael Weiße. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL).
• S. Fornagon. Michael Weiße. Jahrbuch für Schlesische Kirche und Kirchengeschichte. NF 33, 1954, .
• Walther Killy: Killy Literaturlexikon: Autoren und Werke deutscher Sprache. 15 volumes. Bertelsmann, Gütersloh, München 1988–1991. CD-ROM: Berlin 1998, ISBN: 3-932544-13-7.
• Andreas Marti: Weiße, Michael. In: Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. volume 8. 4th edition. 2005, p.1379.