Wessel Gansfort facts for kids

Wessel Harmensz Gansfort (born 1419 – died October 4, 1489) was an important religious thinker and early humanist from the northern Low Countries (which is now the Netherlands). He is sometimes incorrectly called Johan Wessel.

Gansfort is known as one of the thinkers who helped prepare the way for the Reformation. He questioned some practices of the church at the time. He believed people should focus more on Jesus Christ for their salvation, rather than on human actions or church traditions.

Early Life and Learning

Wessel Gansfort was born in Groningen. He first went to school at the local Latin school of St Martin's. Later, he studied at the municipal school of Zwolle. This school was connected to a group called the Brethren of the Common Life, and Wessel lived in their house while he was a student. He became good friends with Thomas a Kempis, a famous writer and monk.

Studying in Cologne

Around 1449, Wessel moved to Cologne to continue his studies. He lived in a place called the Bursa Laurentiana and soon became a teacher there. In 1452, he earned his magister artium degree. He was very grateful for his time in Cologne because it was there that he first studied the ideas of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. He also learned Greek from monks who had come from Greece, and Hebrew from some Jewish people.

A Life of Teaching and Travel

Wessel was very curious about different ideas and wanted to learn more.

Time in Paris

He went to Paris to learn about the debates between different ways of thinking about philosophy. He stayed there for 16 years, both studying and teaching. He eventually sided with the "nominalists," a group that often disagreed with the Pope.

Journey to Rome

His interest in humanism led him to Rome in 1470. There, he became close friends with Italian scholars and was supported by important church leaders like Cardinal Bessarion and Francesco della Rovere. It is said that Francesco della Rovere, who later became Pope Sixtus IV, wanted to make Wessel a bishop. However, Wessel was not interested in a high church position. Instead, he asked for a Hebrew Old Testament, which was a very rare and valuable book at the time. He took this book back to Groningen and studied it carefully.

Teaching Across Europe

From Rome, Wessel returned to Paris and became a very famous teacher. Many young students, including Reuchlin, gathered around him to learn. In 1475, he was in Basel, and in 1476, he taught philosophy at the university in Heidelberg.

Return to Groningen

As he grew older, Wessel became tired of the arguments and debates common in academic theology. After 30 years of teaching, he returned to his hometown of Groningen. He spent the rest of his life working at a convent and also at the convent of St. Agnes in Zwolle. People saw him as the most famous scholar of his time. They even told stories that he had traveled everywhere, gathering knowledge from all sciences. He shared his deep spiritual beliefs and love for learning with his friends and students.

Wessel Gansfort passed away on October 4, 1489. His last words were: "I know only Jesus the crucified." He was buried in the church of the Olde Convent in Groningen. His bones were later moved to the Martinikerk and then briefly studied in 1962. After being thought lost for many years, his remains were rediscovered in 2015 and were reburied in the Martinikerk in 2017.

Lasting Influence

Wessel Gansfort had a big impact on later thinkers. When the Protestant University of Groningen was founded in 1614, its founders saw Wessel Gansfort as one of their important intellectual heroes. Early editions of his books often called him the "learned light of the world" (Lux mundi).

Even Martin Luther, a key figure in the Protestant Reformation, admired Wessel's writings. In 1521, Luther published a collection of Wessel's works. Luther said that if he hadn't written anything before reading Wessel's books, people might have thought he had stolen all his ideas from them! This shows how important Wessel Gansfort was in preparing the way for the Reformation.

Wessel's Writings

Wessel Gansfort wrote many important books and letters. Some of his main works include:

• De oratione et modo orandi (About prayer and how to pray)
• Scala meditationis (Ladder of meditation)
• De causis incarnationis (About the reasons for the Incarnation)
• De dignitate et potestate ecclesiastica (About church dignity and power)

Other works he wrote are:

• De providentia (About God's plan)
• De causis et effectibus incarnationis et passionis (About the causes and effects of the Incarnation and Passion)
• De sacramente, poenitentiae (About the sacrament of penance)
• Quae sit vera communio sanctorum (What is the true communion of saints)
• De purgatorio (About purgatory)
• De sacramento Eucharistiæ et audienda missa (About the sacrament of the Eucharist and hearing Mass)

Some of his friends are said to have burned some of his writings after his death. They did this because they were afraid of the church's reaction to his ideas.

Collected Works

A collection of his writings called Farrago rerum theologicarum was published around 1521. This collection was reprinted several times, including one edition in Basel with a preface written by Martin Luther. A complete collection of Wessel's works, including a biography, was published in Groningen in 1614.

See also

In Spanish: Juan Wessel Gansfort para niños