JORDAN, HERMANN SIEGFRIED ARNOLD:
German Lutheran; b. at Sandau-an-der-Elbe (35 m. n.w. of Brandenburg) July 30, 1878. He was educated at the universities of Erlangen (1896-97) and Greifswald (1897-99; lie. theol., 1902), and after being a private tutor in Deyelsdorf, Pomerania, from 1899 to 1903, was connected with the cathedral-chapter of Berlin in 1903-04. Since the latter year he has been privat-docent for New-Testament exegesis and church history in the University of Greifswald. He has written: Die Theologie der neuentdeckten Predigten Novatians (Leipsic, 1902); Rhythmische Prosa in der altchristlichen lateinischen Literatur (1905); and Rhythmische Prosatexte aus der altesten Christenheit (1905).
JORDANIS (originally perhaps Jornandes): The first and only Gothic historian whose works are extant; d. c. 560. He descended from a noble family related to the royal family of the Amali. His grandfather had been notary of the Alanic King Candac in Moesia. Jordanis was also notary until his conversion, which probably implies that he assumed an ecclesiastical position. He was probably bishop of Croton, in any case not an Arian, but a Catholic. Vigilius, to whom he dedicated one of his works, seems to have been the pope of that name (538-555), and they were both in Constantinople about 551. Jordanis left two works, a history of the Goths or rather of Moesia, which seems to have had the title De origine et actibusque Get-
Joris Joseph
THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
arum, and a compendium of universal history, often called De regnorum ac temporum successione, also De breviatione chronicorum, by Mommsen De summa temporum vel origine actibusque gentis Romanorum. The former he dedicated to his otherwise unknown friend Castalius or Castulus, the latter to Vigilius. The history of the Goths, which extends to 551, was written probably in that year in Constantinople or in Chalcedon. The chronicle of the world had been begun between Apr., 550, and Apr., 551, before the other work, but is continued until 552. The history of the Goths shows little originality as it follows closely the lost work of Cassiodorus which seems to have had the same title. Toward the end Jordanis used also the annals of Marcellinus Comes. The style is obscure, artificial, and sententious, but this is undoubtedly due to the source used by Jordanis. The fundamental view of the identity of the Getae and Goths is probably also borrowed from Cassiodorus. The universal history is practically a history of Rome; for the rest Jordanis furnishes merely genealogies and names of kings. The work contains nothing but extracts from other historians.
(WlLHELM ALTMANN.)
Bibliography: His History of the Goths has been printed often, best ed., by A. Holder, Freiburg, 1882. Both his works are edited by T. Mommsen in MGH, Auct. Ant., v. 1 (1882), 1-1 3S, with prefatorial notes, pp. v.-lxxiv. A very useful list of editions and literature is given by Potthast, Wegweiser, pp. 682-684. A useful article on his life and works is in DCB, iii. 431-438. Consult: L. von Ranke, Weltgeschichte, iv. 2, pp. 313—327, Leipsic, 1884; A. Ebert, Allgemeine Geschichte der Literatur des Mittelalters, i. 556-562, Leipsic, 1889; W. S. Teuffel, Geschichte der romischen Literatur, pp. 1256-1259, 1283, ib. 1890.
JORIS (or JORISZOON, " the son of George "), JAN DAVID: Dutch Anabaptist; b., probably at Ghent or Bruges, 1501 or 1502; d. at Basel Aug. 25, 1556. He was originally a glass-painter, but was of an adventurous disposition, and after long wanderings abroad settled in Delft and married. An ultra-enthusiast, he eagerly embraced the Reformation, circulated hymns and tracts, and violently assailed the priesthood and the mass. In 1528 he publicly insulted a religious procession, for which he was imprisoned, pilloried, flogged, and had his tongue burned through, in addition to being banished for three years. He then joined the Anabaptists, among whom he speedily became prominent, although he disapproved the Anabaptist insurrection at Munster (q.v.) and openly opposed Battenburg, the leader of the extreme radicals. After the fall of Munster, Joris sought to reunite the Anabaptist factions, but his success was only temporary, and he was attacked by sectaries of all shades. On the other hand, enthusiasts called him " the hallowed of the Lord," and proclaimed him a prophet and bringer of judgment, so that in 1536 he himself became convinced of his divine mission. At the same time he began to have visions, and gradually gathered about him a circle of followers (the " Davidists ") who trusted him implicitly, even forming a distinct Anabaptist sect with a chiliastic basis. The chief centers of its activity were Oldenburg, eastern Friesland, and the Netherlands, but after 1538 the authorities sharply opposed
it, and many of its adherents were executed. Joris himself, however, repeatedly escaped in such remarkable ways as to give rise to the belief that he could make himself invisible. Meanwhile he was untiring in his activity. He had already had much success among the followers of Battenburg, and for a time among the Anabaptists of Munster, but the adherents of Melchior Hoffmann in Strasburg, like Johannes a Lasco and Menno Simons, rejected his overtures. The Landgrave Philip of Hesse, on the other hand, granted him protection on condition of his accepting the Augsburg Confession. His unceasing personal propaganda was aided by his numerous writings, of which the most important was his t'Wonderboeck, waerin dat van der wereldt aan versloten gheopenbaert is (Deventer [?], 1542), a jumbled mass of fantasy, mystery, and allegory.
With the amassing of wealth from his adherents and the despair of gaining a great following, a new period began in the career of Joris. In Aug., 1544, he appeared at Basel under the name of John of Bruges, a rich and distinguished fugitive from Holland for the sake of the Gospel. He was accepted as a citizen, led an irreproachable religious life, was conspicuous for his charities, and acquired considerable property, including a small castle at Binningen. His propaganda was now restricted to writing mystic treatises and epistles to his followers, whom he urged to conform externally to the existing Church. On the other hand, he was in touch with opponents of the dominant Church, pleading for Servetus in an anonymous petition of 1553, writing to Schwenckfeld (though he opposed his deification of the humanity of Christ), and being acquainted with Castellio. The identity of " John of Bruges " with the Dutch Anabaptist Jan David Joris was not discovered until three years after his death and burial. In Apr., 1559, the University of Basel condemned Joris as a heretic and on May 13 his body was exhumed and burned, together with his books and portrait. His Basel adherents were obliged to do penance in the cathedral on June 6, but in Holstein and Holland the sect lingered, heresy-trials of the Davidists occurring as late as the end of the sixteenth century.