The Marrow of Ecclesiastical History, Caralostadius
The Life of Caralostadius, who dyed Anno Christi 1541.
ANdreas Bodenstein Caralostadius was born in France, His birth.in a town called Caralostadium, by which he received his name: He was brought up at School there: and for the improvement of his Learning he went …o divers Countries,His education. and publick Schools, such as those times afforded: at last he went to Rome to study Divinity, such as was then taught there: and having spent some time in those studies, he went into Germany, and there setled himself at Wittenberg, He settles at Wittenberg.where he commenced Doctor in Divinity, and was a publick Professor Anno Christi 1512. Afterwards he became an earnest assertor of Luthers doctrine, and a defender of it against Eccius, both by disputation and writing: At the Disputation held at Lipsich, Anno Christi 1519. (of which you may read in Luthers life) Caral… stadius and Eccius first began it.A disputation. There was a great dissimilitude between these two persons. For Caralostadius shewed the modesty of a Divine in his voice, countenance, gesture, and proceedings: disputing, not for glory and victory, but to search out the Truth; wherefore he affirmed nothing but what he soundly proved: nor admitted any Quotations brought by the Adverse party till he had gathered the meaning of the Anthor by the words that went before and followed after: By this his diligence he commended himself to the learned; but the unlearned interpreted it to be du…ness and fear. But Eccius on the other hand appeared fierce by his outcryes, his stern countenance, his Theatrical gesture, and his impetuous proceedings: which outward gestures of the body shewed a minde little Theological: he often boasted of himself so highly and impudently, that he lost his reputation amongst wise men. He most constantly affirmed those things which were false, and as shamelesly denyed those things which were true: their Disputation was about Freewill; the fruit whereof as Luther writes, was not the searching out of truth, but temporis perditio, the loss of time. At his return to Wittenberg he published Trecentas & septuaginta conclusiones Apologeticas, & defensionem adversus monomachiam D. Johannis Ecc…i, cum epitome de impii justificatione. The year after he set forth his Theses against the Papacy.
Anno Christi 1521.He reforms Wittenberg. at the time of Luthers being in his Pathmos, Caralostadius obtained or the Elector the abolishing of private Mass, Auricular confession, Images, &c. at Wittenberg, about which time he marryed a wife, concerning which Luther writing to Amsdorfius, saith thus: Caralostadii nuptiae mirè placent: novi puellam: conforte… cum Dominus in bonum exemplum inhibendae & minuendae Papisticae libidinis, Amen. But Luther hearing of that Reformation in Wittenberg, and being offended at it, returned presently thither, Anno Christi 1522. and preached eagerly against that alteration; whereupon Caralostadius (who in Luthers absence was the principal man in Wittenberg) being netled with those sharp Sermons of Luther, wrote in justification of it, which was the first beginning of greater differences betwixt them about the Sacrament, whereupon he left Wittenberg, His remove to Orlamund.Anno Christi 1524. and went to Orlamund, being called to a Pastoral charge there: But after a while he was called back to his place in Wittenberg; yet before he went, Luther being s…nt by the Elector to Jene, and Orlamund, in a Sermon where Caralostadius was present, inveighed bitterly against the Anabaptists, and said withall, That the same spirit reigned in the Image haters and Sacramentaries;Luthers infirmities. whereupon Caralostadius, being much offended, went to his lodging to confer with him about it: Afterwards Luther coming again to Orlamund went not to salute Caralostadius, but in his Sermon quarrelled with their abolishing of Idols: and shortly after he procured the Elector to banish Caralostadius; He is bannished by Luthers means.whereof Caralostadius afterwards complained in a Letter to his people in Wittenberg, that unheard and unconvicted he was banished by Luthers procurement. From thence he went to Basil, where he printed some Books that he had written about the Lords Supper, for which the Magistrates (being offended with the novelty of the Doctrine) cast the Printers into Prison, and the Senate of Zurick forbade their people to read those Books: but Zuinglius in his Sermon exhorted them first to read, and then to pass judgement on them, saying, That Caralostadius knew the truth, but had not well expressed it: Afterwards whilst Caralostad…us was wandring up and down in upper Germany, His great afflictions.the sedition of the boorish Anabaptists brake out, (unto which they were stirred up by Muncer) for which many of them, especially of their Ministers, were brought to punishment, and Caralostadius also escaped very narrowly, being let down in a basket, over the wals of Rottenburg: He writes to Luther.Thus being in great straits, he wrote to Luther, and purged himself from having any hand in those uproars, entreating him to print his Book, and undertake his defence, which also Luther did, desiring the Magistrates that he might be brought to his just trial, before he was condemned: Caralostadius wrote again to him a Letter, wherein he said, That for his opinion about the Sacrament, he rather proposed it for Disputation sake, then that he positively affirmed any thing, which many imputed to him for levity: But Luther thereupon procured his return into Saxony: His return into Saxony.yet he finding little content there, went to Zurick Anno Christi 1530. and taught in that place till the death of Zuinglius, and then he went to Basil, where he taught ten years; and Anno Christi 1541.His death. he dyed there of the Plague, and was very honorably buryed. What esteem Luther had sometimes of him, may appear by this superscription of a Letter which he wrote to him. Erudit…ssimo viro, & praestantissimo D. Andreae Bo…enstein▪ Ca…alostadio, syncerioris Theologiae asscrtor… facile primario, Archidiacono Wittenbergensi, Praeceptori ac majori suo in Christo Jesu.