Background
Georg Calixtus was born in Medelby, Schleswig on December 14, 1586.
Georg Calixtus was born in Medelby, Schleswig on December 14, 1586.
Georg Calixtus was studying philology, philosophy and theology at Helmstedt, Jena, Giessen, Tübingen and Heidelberg.
After studying philology, philosophy and theology at Helmstadt, Jena, Giessen, Tiibingen and Heidelberg, Georg Calixtus travelled through Holland, France and England, where he became acquainted with the leading Reformers.
In 1613 he published a book, Disputaliones de Praecipuis Religionis Chrislianae Capitibus, which provoked the hostile criticism of orthodox scholars; in 1619 he published his Epitome theologiae, and some years later his Theologia Moralis (1634) and De Arte Nova Nihusii.
Roman Catholics felt them to be aimed at their own system, but they gave so great offence to Lutherans as to induce Statius Buscher to charge the author with a secret leaning to Romanism.
Scarcely had he refuted the accusation of Buscher, when, on account ofhis intimacy with the Reformed divines at the conference of Thorn (1645), and his desire to effect a reconciliation between them and the Lutherans, a new charge was preferred against him, principally at the instance of Abraham Calovius (1612 - 1686), of a secret attachment to Calvinism.
In fact, the great aim of his life was to reconcile Christendom by removing all unimportant differences.
The disputes to which this attitude gave rise, known in the Church as the Syncretistic controversy, lasted during the whole lifetime of Calixtus, and distracted the Lutheran church, till a new controversy arose with P. J. Spener and the Pietists of Halle.
The great aim of Calixtus' life was to reconcile Christendom by removing all unimportant differences. The disputes to which this attitude gave rise, known in the Church as the Syncretistic controversy, lasted during the whole lifetime of Calixtus, and distracted the Lutheran church, till a new controversy arose with P. J. Spener and the Pietists of Halle.
