Johann Jakob Breitinger (Antistes)

For the Swiss philologist and author, see Johann Jakob Breitinger. For the Swiss architect, see Johann Jakob Breitinger (architect).
Johann Jakob Breitinger

Johann Jakob Breitinger (19 April 1575 in Zürich - 1 April 1645) was a Reformed pastor in Zürich, professor, antistes and politician.

Johann Jakob Breitinger studied in Herborn, Marburg, Franeker, Leiden, Heidelberg und Basel. He was a pastor in Zumikon, Albisrieden and then Professor of Logic and Rhetoric at the Collegium Humanitatis.[1] Afterwards pastor to St. Peter, the Grosse Rat (parliament of the city) elected him in 1613 to pastor at the Grossmünster and thus to the Antistes of the Zürich Church. As the sixth successor to Zwingli in the leadership of the Zürich Church, he introduced a day of prayer and was known for his sermons, in which he reprimanded foreign military service, bribery, buying offices and national debt.[2] He demanded the improvement of discipline and custom among the people and a ban on the theater.[3] He promoted elementary school, Sunday children's teaching and church singing in town and country and campaigned for poor relief and welfare.[4] On behalf of the authorities, he carried out the first census of the Zürich area after the Reformation in 1634.[5]

Theologically, he strictly represented the doctrine of predestination and the Second Helvetic Confession. After the initially negative attitude of the clergy, Breitinger was sent to the Dordrecht Synod (1618-19)[6] as a delegate representing Zürich, following the intercession of the Dutch diplomat Peter von Brederode and his support by Professor Caspar Waser.[7] There he took a stand against the remonstrants. Johann Heinrich Waser, the professor's son, accompanied him as his secretary.[8]

During the Thirty Years' War, the Antistes represented the Swedish side in Zürich and collected 35,000 guilders to alleviate the war needs in the Holy Roman Empire. He saw in the Catholic towns and the counter-reformation Habsburg Austria a danger for the reformed Zürich and advocated the modernization of the defense system and the construction of a new, third city fortification.[9]

  1. ^ Hans Rudolf von Grebel. Antistes Johann Jakob Breitinger, 1575–1645. Zürich 1964.
  2. ^ Handbuch der Schweizer Geschichte, Zürich 1972. Bd. 1, S. 635.
  3. ^ Bedencken von Comoedien oder Spilen; von Joh. Jak. Breitinger. Zürych 1624. doi:10.3931/e-rara-9835 Johann Jakob Breitingers Bedencken von Comoedien oder Spilen : die Theaterfeindlichkeit im Alten Zürich : Edition, Kommentar, Monographie / Thomas Brunnschweiler. Zürcher Germanistische Studien, Bd. 17, 1989 
  4. ^ Johann Kaspar Mörikofer. J. J. Breitinger und Zürich : ein Kulturbild aus der Zeit des dreißigjährigen Krieges.Leipzig 1874.
  5. ^ Leonhard Meister.Kleine Reisen durch einige Schweizer-Cantone: Ein Auszug aus zerstreuten Briefen und Tagregistern.Basel- 1782. S. 117.
  6. ^ Willem van Irhoven (Hrsg.): Canones Synodi nationalis Dordracenae, ofte Oordeel des Synodi nationalis der Gereformeerde Kercken van de Vereenigde Nederlanden: ghehouden binnen Dordrecht, inden jare 1618 ende 1619. J. H. Vonk van Lynden, Utrecht 1752, S. 23, 40, 69 und 95 (Google-Books).
  7. ^ Norbert Domeisen. Caspar Waser at the Wayback Machine (archived 2014-06-15) (1. September 1565 – 9. September 1625)
  8. ^ Barbara Schmid. Das Hausbuch als literarische Gattung. Die Aufzeichnungen Johann Heinrich Wasers (1600–1669) und die Zürcher Hausbuchüberlieferung, in: Daphnis, 34 Nr. 3/4, Amsterdam 2005, S. 603–656; Rudolf Rey. Bürgermeister Johann Heinrich Waser 1600–1669. Sein Werdegang bis zum Eintritt in den Staatsdienst . Winterthur 1964. S. 55.
  9. ^ Norbert Domeisen. Bürgermeister Johann Heinrich Waser (1600–1669) als Politiker. Ein Beitrag zur Schweizer Geschichte des 17. Jahrhunderts . Zürich 1975. . S. 64. at the Wayback Machine (archived 2014-06-15)