THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
of works for salvation. This controversy was carried on with the same relentless, cruel, and bitter personal insinuations. In 1552 the 4. The Osiandrian dispute arose (see Osi- Majoristic, ander, Andreas). Osiander taught Osiandrian, that justification is attained by the and indwelling of the essential justice of Schwenck- Christ through faith. In this case feldian Con- Flacius put himself on the side of the troversies. Melanchthonians, showing thereby that the fight against his former teachers was not personal. Again as a strict Lutheran, he developed clearly the doctrine of forensic satisfaction. In 1553 he attacked the mystic subjectivism of Caspar Schwenckfeld, who made a distinction between an inner word of God and the letter in Holy Scripture, and here also Flacius prepared the way for Lutheran orthodoxy as laid down in the Formula of Concord by maintaining the identity of the external word and the word of God. In the mean time further attempts were made to assuage the dissensions of the Magdeburg and Wittenberg circles for the sake of concord in the Evangelical party. As early as 1553 Flacius and Gallus desired to have a committee of arbitration appointed, but Melanchthon was silent
5. Fruitless in the matter; then Duke Christopher Attempts of Wittenberg proposed a convention
at Recon- of theologians, but the Thuringian ciliation. theologians Amsdorf and his associates were not in favor of it and requested the Wittenberg circle to condemn their heresies publicly. Jena in those days was the stronghold of Lutheran orthodoxy against the unionistic tendencies of Wittenberg. Several other attempts to unite the dissenting parties also failed. Now Flacius published his treatise Von der Einigkeit in which he addressed himself to the whole Church, attempting to justify his character against suspicions and indicating the necessary steps to be taken for the insurance of peace. Shortly afterward he wrote a letter to Melanchthon in spite of the fact that the latter had written some verses accompanying a picture which represented Flacius as an ass crowned by other asses. With relentless severity Flacius exposed in this letter his opponent's shortcomings concerning Adiaphorism and admonished him to relieve his conscience by confession of defeat. This Melanchthon professed to be willing to do, yet he rejected the articles of peace proposed by Flacius. The latter was not satisfied with this informal confession; again and again he requested written statements, official declarations, common signatures of articles and public revocations. In this way the breach became irreparable. The friends of Flacius spoiled matters by treating Melanchthon as an impenitent sinner and the younger Philippists not less by their insolent treatises against Flacius. In 1557 Flucius was called to Jena as professor of the New Tes-
6. Flacius tament and superintendent. Shortly Professor after his arrival a colloquy took place
in Jena, in Worms (see Worms) at which it
was proposed to array Melanchthon
and his associates together with the Thuringi-
ans and other theologians of the stricter school
against the Romanists, but nothing was achieved at this conference because the Evangelical? themselves did not agree. This was owino- or course, chiefly to Flacius. His conduct was generally criticized, and he incurred the displeasure of many who had hitherto aided him. The socalled Frankfort Recess (q. v.), convoked in 1558 by the leading Evangelical princes, was no more successful than the other attempts at unity. Then Flacius proposed a synod and fifty prominent theologians signed the Supplicatio pro libera, Christiana et legitima synodo, but all was in vain. A similar outcome resulted from the Naumburg Convention (q.v.) of 1561.
In the mean time the Synergistic dispute had arisen in Jesus (see Synergism). Victorinus Strigel (q.v.) and Superintendent Htigel of Jena criticized Flacius' doctrine concerning free will and Duke John Frederic immediately imprisoned them. In 1560 a disputation be- 7. The tween Flacius and Strigel took place Synergistic at Weimar, the result of which was that Dispute, the duke confirmed the orthodoxy of Flacius' doctrine. John Frederic, however, becoming tired of these perpetual controversies, instituted a consistory which possessed the right of excommunication and of censorship in regard to theological treatises. Flacius protested against this procedure as an act of violence, and thereupon he was deposed together with others in 1561.
He left Jena in 1562 with the bold idea of founding a Lutheran academy of learned men at Regensburg. Gallus received him kindly. From here he continued with untiring zeal his fight against Strigel and the Calvinistic tendencies, against the arrogance of secular authorities in encroaching upon the rights of the Church, and many other antagonists. With these polemical treatises hatred against him grew and his travels began to become dangerous. The Elector Augustus of Saxony 8. Flacius especially persecuted him, and the a Wanderer. Council of Regensburg found it impossible to protect him longer. In Antwerp William of Orange had allowed at this time to the Lutherans as well as the Calvinists the public exercise of their religion. The Lutheran congregation, needing the counsel of experienced German theologians, called Flacius. He arrived in 1566, but the following year he had to leave the country before the progress of the Spanish army. He attempted now to settle at Frankfort-on-t he- Main and then at Strasburg, but the cruel hatred of the Elector Augustus reached him even here; in 1569 the elector sent an envoy to Strasburg with the commission to capture Flacius. He fled to Basel, but was not allowed to remain, so he returned to Strasburg and in spite of the pressure exerted by the elector was tolerated. But now he spoiled his good relations with the Strasburg clergy by his opposition against the efforts at union made by Jacob Andrea (q.v.) and by his doctrine concerning original sin; for he was accused of the Manichean heresy. In 1573 the Council of Strasburg decreed his expulsion.
In a treatise De peccati originalis aid vetens