Background
Agricola was born at Eisleben, whence he is sometimes called Magister Islebius.
philosopher theologian university professor
Agricola was born at Eisleben, whence he is sometimes called Magister Islebius.
He studied at Wittenberg, where he soon gained the friendship of Martin Luther.
In 1519 he accompanied Luther to the great assembly of German divines at Leipzig, and acted as recording secretary. Controversy In 1536 he was recalled to teach in Wittenberg, and was welcomed by Luther. Almost immediately, however, a controversy, which had been begun ten years before and been temporarily silenced, broke out more violently than ever.
(See also: Law and Gospel).
After he wrote an attack on Luther shortly after Luther had given him shelter when he was fleeing persecution, Luther had nothing further to do with him. Restoration and later life As a consequence of the bitter controversy with Luther, in 1540 Agricola left Wittenberg secretly for Berlin, where he published a letter addressed to Frederick III, Elector of Saxony, which was generally interpreted as a recantation of his obnoxious views.
Luther, however, seems not to have so accepted it, and Agricola remained at Berlin. Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg, having taken Agricola into his favour, appointed him court preacher and general superintendent.
He held both offices until his death in 1566, and his career in Brandenburg was one of great activity and influence.
lieutenant was an irony that one of the most radical Reformers ended his life viewed as having capitulated to Catholics. He endeavoured in vain to appease the Adiaphoristic controversy. He died during an epidemic of plague on September 22, 1566 in Berlin.
In 1836, Robert Browning used him as the subject of an early poetic solioquy, "Johannes Agricola in Meditation".