RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Hegesippus Heidegger
seeing herein an attack on the liberty of teaching, opposed it in his Consideration over eenige saecken onlanghs voorgevallen in de Universiteijt binnen Leyden (Leyden, 1676). The work caused such a sensation that within ten days a second edition was necessary, and a third appeared in the same year. Heidanus maintained that his teachings did not contradict the confessional writings, but only presented their truths in a different light. However, on May 4, 1676, he was deposed from his office. The course of the curators was disapproved by many in the Netherlands as well as in foreign countries.
Heidanus represented the view that theology and philosophy should remain each in its own sphere. According to him, there is no such intimate connection between the theology of Cocceius and the philosophy of Descartes that a follower of the former must necessarily agree with the Cartesians. He himself as a theologian was in sympathy with Cocceius, as a philosopher a disciple of Descartes, but his Cartesianism hardly influenced his theology. His writings include: Proeve en wederlegginghe des Remonstrantschen Catechismi (Leyden, 1641); De causa Dei, dat is de sake Godts verdedight tegen den mensche (1645); Dispviationes de Sabbato el die dominica (Amsterdam, 1658); Consideration over de heyliging van den Sabbat ende den dagh des Heeren tot vrede der Kerchen (Leyden, 1659).
(S. D. van Veen.)
Bibliography: The funeral oration by C. Wittich was published Leyden, 1679. Consult P. Bayle, Dictionary, Historical and Critical, iii. 360-364, London, 1736 (quite full, quotes sources); J. A. Cramer, Abraham Heidanus en zijn Cartesianisme, Utrecht, 1889.
HEIDEGGER, hoi'deg"er, JOHANN HEINRICH :
Swiss Protestant, author of the Helvetic Formula consensus (see Helvetic Consensus); b. at Barentschweil (15 m. s.e. of Zurich) July 1, 1633; d. at Zurich Jan. 18, 1698. He studied at Zurich, Marburg (1654), and Heidelberg; in the last-named place he became a close friend of Ludwig Fabricius, taught Hebrew and philosophy, and lectured on Latin classics. In 1659 he accepted the theological chair for Loci communes and church history at Steinfurt, where he remained until 1665. Then he traveled to Holland, where he became acquainted with Cocceius. The disturbances of war made an end of the Steinfurt academy, and Heidegger returned to Zurich, where he was appointed professor of Christian ethics. In 1667 he succeeded Hottinger as professor of theology, and he remained faithful to his native city in spite of calls to Leyden (to succeed Cocceius) and to Groningen.
Heidegger lived in harmony with his colleagues
until the appearance of Johann Muller in 1672, just
at the time when the Formula con-
The sensus was in preparation. Heidegger
Helvetic agreed with the orthodox theologians Consensus, of Basel, Theodor Zwinger, Lucas Gernler, and others, thatTurretin in Geneva ought to be assisted in his opposition to the new hypothesis of Amyraut and the other theologians of Saumur (see Amyraut, Moise), but thought that the measures adopted against the Saumur theology should be moderate. There were two parties in
Switzerland, one of which, headed by Johann Muller, adhered to the orthodox teachings of Maresius, while men like Heidegger leaned toward the doctrines of Cocceius. The party headed by Muller was interested in eradicating not only the heresies of Saumur, but also the Cocceian theology and Cartesian philosophy. Heidegger with his adherents gained the victory. The special formula for the defense against the innovations of Saumur was drawn up by him, and was approved by all theologians, although the opposition was allowed to make extensive changes. In 1675 the formula was ratified by the council and citizens of Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Schaffhausen. On the insistence of Muller the formula was modified in certain articles before it was sent to the other cantons. Since the formula was directed specifically against Saumur, the Maresians planned new measures against the Dutch tendencies. Heidegger, J. H. Schweizer, and others could hardly print anything without the interference of Muller, who instigated the council against them. Biilod, Fussli, and Gessner incited the people by denouncing the adherents of Heidegger as Arians and Arminians.
From 1664 to 1680 Heidegger developed an
extensive polemical activity against the Roman
Catholic Church. During the persecu-
Controversy tion of the Protestants in France in
with 1682, and their unsatisfactory condi-
Roman tion in England under Charles II., he
Catholics, employed his pen in their defense by writing his Historia papatus (Amsterdam, 1684), but the situation did not change. In 1685 a Roman Catholic line assumed the rule in the Palatinate, in England the new king, James II., openly avowed Romanism, and Louis XIV. revoked the Edict of Nantes. A multitude of fugitives poured into Switzerland, and Heidegger had an opportunity to prove his hospitality. His polemical attitude against his Roman neighbors was renewed when Sfondrati, abbot of St. Gall, tried to extend his rule over Reformed territory by ordering private baptism by midwives, without excepting the Evangelical families. Heidegger wrote by order of the magistrate on the necessity of baptism and against its profanation by midwives. His relations with the Lutheran Church were always of a conciliatory nature. Instigated by the suppression of the Reformed Church in France, he urged a union of all Evangelicals, which found a response in Spener, but the canons of the Synod of Dort made an agreement impossible in Spener's opinion.
Heidegger's literary activity was extensive and chiefly polemical — against the Roman Catholics, Baronius, the superstitious pilgrimages to Einsiedeln, etc. To defend the rights of the Reformed in the German empire he wrote Demonstratio de Augustana confessionis cum fide reformata consensu (1664), and, aiming to unite all Evangelicals, he wrote Manducatio in viam concordice Protestantium ecclesiastical (1686). His doctrinal writings exerted much influence, especially his Corpus theologies Christiance (ed. J. H. Schweizer, 2 vols., Zurich, 1700) and Ethicce Christiana elementa (ed. J. Curicke, Frankfort, 1711); of the former work he made two shorter compilations, Medulla theologice
Heidelberg: Catechism