Schwebel, Johaun (1), an evangelical theolo- gian and Reformer in the palatinate Zweibriicken, Rhenish Bavaria, was born in 1490 at Pforzheim, in Baden, and received his early education in the famous Latin school of that town, from which men like Capito Hedio, Grynreus, Ilallcr, etc., came forth. It is not known that Schwebel studied at any higher school. He entered the Order of the Holy Ghost while yet very young, and transferred to it the whole of his property, some part being afterwards returned to him through the intervention of the margrave Philip. In 1514 he was consecrated priest. He spent his time in studying the Scriptures and the writings of the fathers, and thus learned to know the perversions of doctrine and corrup- tion of practice in the creed and worship of the Church ; and his surroundings, as also the events of the time, aided to confirm the purpose he had formed of publicly antagonizing the evils he had found. The dispute of the Dominicans of Cologne with Rcuchlin (q. v.) had united all the friends of classical and Biblical learning iu an endeavor to combat scholasticism, monkish ob- scurantism, and the exaggerated demands of the Roman curia. IMany reformatory spirits were then in Pforz- heim or that vicinity ; e. g. Gerbel, Capito, Pellican and Sebastian IMynster, Bucer, QCcolampadius, and Irenicus.
SCHWEBEL
445
SCHWEGLER
Luther's Theses became known in 1517, and in the fol- lowing 3'ear, April 25, Luther himself was at Heidelberg engaged iu the famous disputation, Melancthon, too, wrote frequently to Schwebel from Wittenberg, and sent him extracts from his lectures on Matthew and Romans (Cent. Epist. p. 3), etc.
Such intlnences served to prepare Schwebel for his reformator\' career. He laid aside the garb of his order, and in 1519 became an evangelical preacher in his na- tive town, but was speedily expelled by the margrave Philip. He fled to Franz von Sickingen, and sought, from the asylum furnished by that stanch defender of the Reformation, to influence his countrymen by means of letters. Towards the close of 1522 he published a work entitled Ermahmmg zu dem Questivnieren, ahzu- stellen iibeyfiiissif/e Kosten, in which he censured the abuses connected with the collection of alms in the Romish Church, all intended to secure money to the clerg}', from the pope to the lowest monk. He was permitted to return to Pforzheim, and on April 10, 1524, preached there on the theme of the " Good Shepherd." A small evangelical congregation was thus gatliered, and was at this time placed under the pastoral care of Johann Unger, who had been tutor in the family of iMe- lancthon, and who remained its pastor until his death, in 1553 (Yierordt, iJe Jokaune Unc/ero, Carolsr. ISii).
While Schwebel was present in the Castle of Sickingen that nobleman introduced the celebration of the mass in the German tongue, and Schwebel heartily approved of the innovation (Cent. EpisU p. 337). In 1524 he mar- ried, and, like other Reformers, was censured for that step, but defended himself in two treatises on marriage, and particularly the marriage of priests. Sickingen's unfortunate campaign against the elector of Treves and his allies (begun in September, 1522) necessitated the dismissal of his theological guests, and Schwebel went to Zweibriickon, where he became court-preachor and superintendent of the churches of the duchy. He se- cured the conlidence of liis patron, the count-palatine Louis II, and found powerful co-laborers in the persons of Jacob Schorr and .Jerome Bock, who belonged to the train of that prince. In 152-i Schwebel expounded Matthew, John, and Romans, though he afterwards preached usually on the pericope assigned to the day. His discourses were founded on the Epistle to the Ro- mans. He taught that the chief elements of Christian doctrine are, (1) repentance (panitentia) ; (2) justilica- tion by faith; (3) love to God and our neighbor; (4) the doctrine of sufferings {cnix) as conservers of faith ; (5) believing prayer in behalf of ourselves and others (ibid. p. IG). Elsewhere he saj's that works grow out of faith; man has free-will, but only to evil naturalh', and only by grace to good (Teittscke Schriften, i, 81). He regards the sacraments as signs of the grace or the will of God towards us, and as symbols of love among Christians. The bread and wine in the supper become a spiritual food when received b\' faith.
Besides the German sermon, Schwebel introduced catechetical instruction covering the Decalogue, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's I'raj'cr, and the words of institution in the sacramental service; and he substi- tuted the singing of German for Latin hymns. In 1529 he prepared a form of Churcli government, which was approved by Bucer {Cent. Ejrist. p. 133), and continued, in connection with the evangelical clergj' of that re- gion, to give attention to this subject for many years (Teutsche Schriften, p. 317, 379, etc.). For ten years Schwebel guided the Reformation in Zweibriicken alone. His health began to fail and his strength to decline, and in 1533 he attempted to resign his office, in which pur- pose he was strengthened by the troubles caused by an assistant named Georgius, who denied original sin and infant baptism, and disturbed the peace of the Church. He was, however, prevailed on to remain, and in that year Caspar Glaser and Jlichael Ililspach were called to his aid (comp. Croll, Hist. Scholcp. Hornb. p. 18, 19). Schwebel was prohibited by his official position from