Ursinus, Johanii Heinrich, a Protestant theo- logian of Germany, was born at Spires, Jan, 26, 1608, and died at Ratisbon, May 14, 1667, where he had been superintendent since 1655, He is the author of Anale.ctorum Sacrorum Libri Duodecim (Frankf, 1668- 70, 2 vols.) : — Compendium Histor. de Ecclesiar. Ger- manicur. Origine et Progressu ab Adscensione Domini usque ad Carolum Magnum (Nuremb. 1664) : — Ecclesi- astessive de Sacris Concionibus (Frankf, 1659) : — Sacrar. Concionum jiu'ta Diversas Tnictandi Methodos Partt- digmata (ibid, eod, ). See Winer, Jlumlb. der theol. Literalur, i, 30, 778; ii, 58; Furst, Bib/. Jud. iii, 462. (B. P.)
Ursinus (BEEu),Zacharias, a German theologi- an of the 16th century, the friend and pupil of Melanc- thon, the friend of Calvin and Peter Martyr, and one of the two authors of the Heidelberg Catechism, was born at Breslau. July 18. 1534. He accompanied Melancthon to the religious colloquy of Worms in August, 1557 ; after- wards visited Calvin at Geneva; and, finally, went to Paris, where he studied Hebrew under Jean Mercier, On his return he was called to the service of his native city, and became fourth professor of the Collegia. Primi Ordinis in September, 1558; but the mildness of his views respecting the eucharist having excited contro- versy, he solicited a release from that office, which was granted April 26, 1560. In this dispute he wrote the Theses de Sacrumentis (in Tract. Theol. an. 1584, p. 339- 382). He went to Zurich, and became the companion and pupil of Peter Martyr, with the residt that he dis- covereil himself to be no Lutheran, and not even a mere Philipist, but altogether a supporter of the views of Cal- vin, Beza, and Peter Martyr.
Ursinus was soon afterwards called to the Collegium Sapieiitim in Heidelberg, and to its duties afterwards added the chair of dogmatics. He began his theologi- cal prelections Sept. 1, 1562, and in the following year undertook also the deliverj' of the Sunday-afternoon sermon on the catechism. To these various duties he added the formation of a constitution for the churches of the Palatinate, in which he was aided by Olevian, but whose defence devolved on him alone. It was in the prosecution of this work that he began his active literary life. He wrote a Verantirortin/g against criti- cisms and perversions of the Heidelberg Catechism, which
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fiirrned the principal element in the new constitution; an Antwort auf etUcher Theologea Ceiisirr, and otlier works. When the Maiilbronn Convention grew out of these discussions [see Maulbhon'n], Ursinus was one of the collocutors for the Palatinate, and demonstrated by his readiness and keenness tliat he was one of the ablest disputants of the time. The Wurtembergers having violated the agreement to refrain from publish- ing the proceedings, the Heidelbergers were obliged to respond; and the duty of correcting the perversions whicli had gone out before the public devolved again on Ursinus. From this time onward he was involved in the controversy about the correct interpretation of Art. X of the Augsburg Confession, in which the strict Lutherans insisted that Luther's writings, especially his polemical writings, should be considered the onlv guide, anil endeavored to deprive all who did not hold their view of the legal standing assured to those who accept- ed the Confessioii as a statement of their faith. Weary of the endless dispute, Ursinus closed his share in the controversy in 1566, with the determination to write no more. He was worn out. His health was impaired, auii he was obliged to seek relief from excessive labors by resigning the chair of dogmatics to Hieronymus Zaiichius, Feb. 10, 1568. A few months later, however, a new conflict demanded his attention. George With- ers, an Englishman, had defended in a disputation at Heidelberg the thesis that the administration of ecclesi- astical discipline in all its extent belongs properly to tlie ecclesiastical ministerium in connection with an or- ganized presbyteriate ; and Olevian had endorsed that iipiuion, while Erastus opposed it. Each side gained a'lherents without being able to intimidate its opijo- nents. Beza and Bidlinger were called on for advice, and, eventually, Ursinus was required by the elector to state his views. He did this in 1569, in so candid and kindly a manner as to win approval even from those wiio did not accept his conclusions. The elector finally decreed the erection of presbyteries and the execution of discipline.
The accession of the elector Louis inaugurated a new order of things in the Palatinate, under which Luther- anisin was able to regain its predominance. The Colle- (j'uim Supieiitiw was closed in September, 1577, and Ur- sinus was dismissed from his post. A professorship in Lausanne was at once offered him, but he declined it, and accepted, instead, a call to Neustadt, where the the- ology of the Reformed Church found a refuge in the CiiUe'/ium Illustre Cdsimirianum. He had previoush' published, in Latin and German, the confession of faith appended to the late elector's will (1577), and was soon afterwards commissioned, in connection with Zanchius, to draw up for the Frankfort Synod (September, 1578) a confession which should be accepted in the Reformed cliurchcs of all European countries. This office he de- clined on the grounds of ill-health and distrust of his aliility. He began his lectures on Isaiah May 26, 1578, and subsequently participated in the conflict over the acceptance of the Formula Concordia, having contrib- uted the most powerful argument in opposition to that measure. He died March 6, 1583, at Neustadt. His literary remains were intrusted to Prof. Jungnitz, and he, with other friends of the departed scholar, collected and ]iublished many works which, until then, existed only in ^LS., and gave the author's name to others which had previously been anonymously published. The llnddberg Catechism, with notes, anil Lectures on the Organon of Ai-istotle, etc., were published at Neustadt. Parens, at a later day, issued a corrected edition of the Exposition of the Catechism ( Brem. 1623, 8vo); and a complete edition of Ursinus's works was issued by Renter, his pupil and immediate successor in the Sapientim.