Johann Cochlaeus

January 10, 1479 (age 73)

Wendelstein, Germany

Johann Cochlaeus left Cologne (May 1510) to become schoolmaster at Nuremberg, where he brought out several school manuals. In 1515 he was at Bologna, hearing (with disgust) Eck's famous disputation against usury, and associating with Ulrich von Hutten and humanists. He took his doctor's degree at Ferrara (1517), and spent some time in Rome, where he was ordained priest. In 1520 he became dean of the Liebfrauenkirche at Frankfort, where he first entered the lists as a controversialist against the party of Luther, developing that bitter hatred to the Reformation which animated his forceful but shallow ascription of the movement to the meanest motives, due to a quarrel between the Dominicans and Augustinians. Luther would not meet him in discussion at Mainz in 1521.

Johann Cochlaeus

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humanist controversialist

Background

Johann Cochlaeus' family name was Dobneck, was born of poor parents in 1479 Wendelstein (near Nuremberg), whence his friends gave him the punning surname Cochlaeus (spiral), for which he occasionally substituted Wendelstinus.

Education

Having received some education at Nuremberg from the humanist Heinrich Grieninger, Johann Cochlaeus entered (1504) the university of Cologne.

In 1507 he graduated, and published under the name of Wendelstein his first piece, In musicam exhortatorium.

Career

Johann Cochlaeus left Cologne (May 1510) to become schoolmaster at Nuremberg, where he brought out several school manuals.

In 1515 he was at Bologna, hearing (with disgust) Eck's famous disputation against usury, and associating with Ulrich von Hutten and humanists.

He took his doctor's degree at Ferrara (1517), and spent some time in Rome, where he was ordained priest. In 1520 he became dean of the Liebfrauenkirche at Frankfort, where he first entered the lists as a controversialist against the party of Luther, developing that bitter hatred to the Reformation which animated his forceful but shallow ascription of the movement to the meanest motives, due to a quarrel between the Dominicans and Augustinians. Luther would not meet him in discussion at Mainz in 1521.

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