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The Impact of the Reformation on Hessian Education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

William J. Wright
William J. Wright
Affiliation:
Mr. Wright is assistant professor of history in the University of Tennesse, Chattanooga.
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Extract

“Are we to permit none but louts and boors to rule when we can do better than that.” With these words, Martin Luther challenged the politicians of his day to educate the young, for, he wrote, it is pleasing to God that princes, lords and councilmen and others in authority be educated and qualified to perform the functions of their offices. It was necessary for those in authority to educate the young, because many parents would not do it, others were incompetent to do so, others did not have the time, and that was not to mention orphans.One of those politicians who responded to Luther's challenge was Philip the Magnanimous of Hesse. In the years 1526 to 1537, Philip organized a territorial system of public education consisting of state Latin grammar schools and a university.

Type
Research Article
Information
Church History , Volume 44 , Issue 2 , June 1975 , pp. 182 - 198
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Church History 1975

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References

1. Luther's Works, ed. Helmut T. Lehmann and Jaroslav Pelikan, 55 vols. (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg/Fortress; St. Louis: Concordia, 1955-; hereafter cited as LW), 45:357.Google Scholar

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3. Ibid., p. 355.

4. Hildebrand, Bruno, ed., Urkundensammlung über die Verfassung und Verwattung der Universstät Marburg unter Philipp dem Grossmütigen (Marburg: N. G. Elwert, 1848), p. 19,Google Scholar and Hermelink, Heinrich and Kaehler, Siegfried A., Die Philipps-Universität zu Marburg 1527 bis 1927 (Marburg: N. G. Elwert, 1927), p. 55.Google Scholar

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9. Hesselbach, pp. 6–7.

10. Schmidt, p. 20, and Hesselbach, pp. 8–11.

11. Hesselbach, pp. 8–16.

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26. Ibid., pp. 536–546.

27. Ibid., 2:399.

28. Ibid., 7:525.

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31. Sehling, Emil, ed., Die Evangelischen Kirchenordnungen des XVI. Jahrhunderts. Hessen (Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1965;Google Scholar hereafter cited as KOO, 8, pt. 1, pp. 113–130.Google Scholar

32. Lauze, 1:386.

33. See Diehl, , Schulordnungon Hessen, 2:6–7.Google Scholar It is interesting to note that Diehl contradicted his views in the above cited article that Bucer was the father of the Hessian Volksschulen in this work.

34. Werke, D. Martin Luthers: Krictische Gesammtuusgabe, Briefwechsel (Weimar: Hermann Böhlaus, 1933;Google Scholar hereafter cited as WA), 4:112–115.

35. Credner, Karl August, Philipp's des Grossmütigen hessische Kirchenreformations-Ordnung aus schriftlichen Quellen herausgeben, übersetzt und mit Rücksicht auf die Gegenwort bevorwortet (Giessen: J. Ricker, 1852;Google Scholar hereafter cited as Reformation since only that document will be cited from this source), pp. 49–110.

36. Wright, William J., “The Homberg Synod and Philip of Hesse's Plan for a New Church-State Settlement,” Sixteenth Century Journal 4 (10 1973): 24–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

37. Reformation, pp. 105–106.

38. Ibid., pp. 104–105.

39. Hahn, Fricdrich, Die evangelisehe Unterweisung in der Schulen des 16. Jahrhunderts (Heidelberg: Quelle & Meyer, 1957), pp 26, 42.Google Scholar

40. Reformation, pp. 106–107.

41. Ibid., p. 106.

42. See Robbins, pp. 53–54, who maintained that this was one of those “vague” statements from the early church orders, showing little concern with intellectual attainment, a subject which will be dealt with again later.

43. Reformation, p. 106.

44. LW, 45:188.

45. See his To the Councilman and the Exposition of Psalm 127, for the Christians at Riga, 1524, ibid., pp. 350–351, 318.

46. Reformation, p. 107.

47. LW, 45:351.

48. Ibid., 46:257.

49. WA, 4:157–158.

50. KOO,8, pt. 1, p. 99; Richter, Aemilius Ludwig, ed., Die Evangelischen Kirchenordnungen des sechszehnten. Jahrhunderts (Nieuwcoop: B. DeGraaf, 1967), 1:285;Google Scholar Vormbaum, 1:33–34; and Franz, Günther, ed., Urkundlichen Quellen zur hessischen Reformationsgeschichte (Marburg: N. G. Elwert, 1954;Google Scholar hereafter cited as UQ), 2:267–268 #343a.

51. See Wright, pp. 22–23, and compare the Reformation to LW, 40:41.

52. UQ, 2:37–38, See also Reformation, pp. 94–95, 104–105, and UQ, 2:25–26, and 48–49, #74.

53. EOO, 8, pt. 1, p. 99; Richter, 1:285; Vormbaum, 1:33–34; and UQ, 2:267–268, #345a.

54. UQ, 3:299, #877.

55. Ibid., p. 197, #785.

56. Ibid., 2:48–49, #74.

57. Vormbaum, 1:33.

58. UQ, 2:78, #115; 101, #158; 244–245, #220, 300, #378. Hesse and Henneberg were the joint sovereigns for the city of Schmalkalden.

59. LW, 45:350–351.

60. Ibid.

61. Ibid., pp. 175, 188.

62. Roth, Friedrich, “Zur Kirchengüterfrage in der Zeit von 1538 bis 1540,” Archiv fü Reformationsgeschichte 1 (1904): 305–306.Google Scholar

63. Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, p. 109.Google Scholar

64. Ibid., p. 161.

65. UQ, 2:64, #78, #115; 244–245, #320; 250, #327; 389–390, 3:197, #785; and Vormbaum, 2:393–394.

66. Wolff, Wilhelm, Dee Säkularisierung und Verwendung der Stifts-und Clostergüten in Hessen-Kassel unter Philipp der Grossmütigen und Wilhelm IV (Gotha: Friedrich Andreas Perthes, 1913), p. 13.Google Scholar

67. See Repertorium über Hessische Landtagsabschiede: Landgrafsehaft Hessen, Landgravisehe Archiv, Landtagsabschiede, verz. 3, pp. 33–34. Hessisches Staatsarchiv, Marburg an der Lahn.

68. UQ, 2:325, #404; 389–390, 3:260–261, #831.

69. Ibid., 2:37–38,#57.

70. KOO, 8, pt. 1, p. 99; Richter, 1:285; Vormbaum, 1:33–34; and UQ, 2:267–268, #345a.

71. UQ, 2:288, #366.

72. Ibid., pp. 126–127, #193; 312–313, #389.

73. Ibid., p. 42, #63; 105–108, #165.

74. Ibid., p. 138, #209; 312–313, #389.

75. Hesselbach, pp. 39–40.

76. Vormbaum, 1:33–34. See also UQ, 2:244–245, #320; and 3:197; #785, on tuition.

77. See Robbins, p. 77.

78. Hesselbach, pp. 39–42.

79. The figures for the year 1581 are from Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, pp. 284–285.Google Scholar The other figures can be found in UQ, 2:389–390, and 3:150–151, #729. Fl. is the symbol used for the gulden, a territorial coin made of silver.

80. UQ, 2:244–245, #320.

81. Ibid., 3:299, #877.

82. Ibid., pp. 181–182, #770.

83. Ibid., p. 299, #877.

84. Hildebrand, p. 42. See also KOO, 8, pt. 1, p. 155, and Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, p. 127.Google Scholar There is also an indication of Melanchthon's importance in the Marburg School Order of 1560 for the city school or Seminar according to Heinemeyer, p. 199.

85. Hermelink and Kaehler, p. 68–69.

86. Vormbaum, 1:33–34.

87. See Richtcr, 1:99–101.

88. The Donat was supposedly first written by Aelius Donatas in the fourth century. Luther referred to it as the best grammar book. The Cato, or more properly the Catonis disticha de moribus, was a collection of 164 proverbs, which students practiced and learned. The Cato supposedly dated from the third or fourth century. The use of proverb books was particularly recommended by the humanists with their emphasis on ethics and moral philosophy.

See Hahn, pp, 37–38, 84–85; Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, pp. 126–133;Google ScholarMerz, George Karl, Das Schulwesen der deutschen Reformation in 16. Jahrhundert (Heidelberg: Carl Winter, 1902), pp. 270, 292;Google Scholar and Heinemeyer, pp. 118–119.

89. UQ, 2:421–426, #514.

90. See Hahn, p. 65.

91. Ibid., pp. 40–42, citing WA, 6: 461–462. See also Hahn, p. 266.

92. Hahn, pp. 20–21.

93. UQ, 3:247–248, #819.

94. LW, 45: 357–358, 368; and see Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, p. 126.Google Scholar

95. Hildebrand, pp. 6–7.

96. Lauze, 1:147–148.

97. KOO, 8, pt. 1, p. 169; and Hildebrand, p. 67.

98. KOO, 8., pt. 1, p. 143.

99. Ibid., p. 169, n. 20; and Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, p. 122.Google Scholar

100. KOO, 8, pt. 1, p. 169, n. 20; and Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, pp. 122–123.Google Scholar

101. Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, pp. 123–137.Google Scholar See also Heinemeyer, p. 119.

102. Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, pp. 280–281,Google Scholar maintains that the reform came in 1539. See the document in UQ, 2:389–390, #459.

103. See UQ, 2:389–390, and Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, pp. 278, 280–281.Google Scholar

104. See UQ, 2:389–390. #459 and Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, pp. 280–281.Google Scholar

105. UQ, 2:389–390, #459 3:150–151, #729; and Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, pp. 278, 280–281.Google Scholar

106. Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, pp. 284–285, 294–295.Google Scholar The first four rules of arithmetic were addition subtraction, doubling and halving.

107. KOO, 8, pt. 1, p. 169, n. 20; and Wolff, , Unterrichtswesen in Hessen, p. 122.Google Scholar