THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
family of poor Walloon artisans; d. at Liege c. 1177 Whether he bore the name le Begue (" the Stammerer "), which is by no means peculiar to Lambert, on account of a physical infirmity is not to be ascertained. As a secular priest he first had charge of a church affiliated with the cathedral foundation at Liege; there he undertook the cure of the small church of St. Christopher, in a suburb of Liege. At the diocesan synod of 1166 he demanded a moral reform of the clergy, especially curtailment of extravagance in dress, and the prohibition of admitting sons of priests to orders. When subsequently ecclesiastical abuses grew worse he vehemently opposed them in the pulpit. At the same time he exerted a profound influence upon the populace of Liege through his penitential sermons. To his devoted followers, the women and maidens whom he had led to renounce the world, he dedicated a number of religious poems in the Walloon dialect; also a paraphrase of the Acts and a translation of Paul's epistles. These writings are lost; but P. Meyer believes he has discovered the Latin Psalter which Lambert used. In his stormy zeal for winning the widest circles to the thoughts of the Sermon on the Mount and imitation of Christ's life of poverty, Lambert vividly reminds of Francis of Assisi; still more so, of Waldo of Lyons. In his sermons he often deviated widely from the doctrine and tradition of the Church. Thus, he ascribed a greater importance to the devout mind and practical love of one's neighbor than to means of grace and ecclesiastical sacraments; he characterized all expenditures for the administration of sacraments and for acts of consecration as simony, opposed pilgrimages to Palestine, and taught that no obedience was due to priests forgetful of duty. In 1175 the clergy of the diocese of Liege, whom Lambert had vehemently attacked, urged an accusation of heresy against him. He was condemned and imprisoned, but escaped and went to Italy on a pilgrimage to Pope Calixtus III., who permitted him to return in peace to Liege. Lambert's most extensive polemical tract, Antigraphum Petri, was published by A. Fayen (in Compte rendu de seances de la commission royale d'histoire, vol. lxviii., pp. 255-356, Brussels, 1899). In the seventeenth century he was numbered with the saints of the Church. His memory is perpetuated especially by the Beguines, who without doubt were founded by him. At first a nickname, " Beguines " was soon adopted by the societies themselves. See Beghards, Beguines. Herman Haupt.
Bibliography: P. Coens, Disquisitio historica de origine Beghinarum, Liege, 1629; Brial, in Histoire litteraire de la France, xiv. 402-410; H. Delvaux, in Biographie nationale, xv. 158-162, Brussels, 1891; Analecta Bollandiana, xiii. 206 sqq., Brussels, 1894; P. Fredericq, Corpus documeniorum inquisitionis hcereticce pravitatis Neerlandicce, ii. 9-36, The Hague, 1896; P. Meyer, Le Psautier de Lambert le Begue, in Romania, xxix (1900), 528-545; A. Fayen, in Comples rendus des seances de la commission royale d'histoire, lxviii (1899), 255-356.
LAMBERT, len"bar', FRANCOIS: Reformer in Hesse; b. at Avignon 1486; d.'at Frankenberg (32 m. s.w. of Cassel), Prussia, Apr. 18, 1530. At the age of fifteen he entered the cloister of the Franciscan Observants at Avignon. His calling as
" Apostolic preacher " gave him occasion to familiarize himself more deeply with Holy Scripture and he made a great impression as a preacher of repentance and castigation. Under the influence of Luther's writings, which found their way to him shortly after 1520, he left the cloister in the spring of 1522 and went to Geneva and Lausanne where he was promptly suspected of heretical opinions. At Zurich, in July of that year, he ventured to defend in public debate the intercession of the saints against Zwingli, but finally declared himself vanquished. Under the assumed name of Johannes Serranus he now entered Germany to study the Lutheran Reformation at its source. Having secured, through Georg Spalatin, credentials to Luther and the elector, he went to Wittenberg in Jan., 1523. His sojourn there lasted till Feb., 1524. At Luther's advice he delivered lectures on the prophet Hosea, the Gospel of Luke, Ezecbiel, and Canticles; sought to advance the Reformation by translation of reformatory pamphlets into French and Italian; and prepared a tract on the subject of his exit from the cloister and a commentary on the Minorite rule. He was one of the first monks of the Reformation era to resolve on contracting matrimony. In Mar., 1524, he went to Metz, whither he was called by secret friends of the Reformation, but was not allowed so much as once to venture to speak publicly. In Strasburg, whither he turned in Apr., 1524, he found friends, but failed to obtain a position. In spite of his extensive literary activity, his outward status continued oppressive. At last, in 1526, there was opened for him the opportunity for work and the prospect of an assured living. Recommended by Jacob Sturm of Strasburg to Landgrave Philip of Hesse, he was enabled to take the leading part at the Homberg Synod (q.v.). In 1527 he was made professor at the University of Marburg, where in company with Adam Kraft and Erhard Schnepf he served as one of the university's first theological teachers. His attachment to Zwingli's theory of the Eucharist subjected him to much suspicion in Germany, and his French mobility, pragmatism, and easy eloquence provoked opposition, but as a teacher he found great acceptance. His favorite branch was exposition of the Old and New Testament, although his object was not learned exegesis, but practical interpretation and application. Carl Mirbt.
Bibliography: Biographies are by: J. W. Baum, Strasburg, 1840 (in German); F. W. Hassencamp, Elberfeld, 1860; F. St. Stieve, Wratislaw, 1867 (in Latin); L. Ruffet, Paris, 1873 (in French). Consult further: F. G. Schelhorn, in Amcenitates literariae iv. 307-389, Supplement, x. 1235 sqq., Leipsic, 1730; F. W. Strieder, Hessische Gelehrtengeschichte, vii. 378-396, ix. 405-406, Cassel, 1787; F. W. Hassencamp, Hessiscke Kirchengeschichte, i. 65-75, Marburg, 1852; O. Clemen, in ZKG, xxii (1901), 133 sqq.; ADB, xvii. 548 sqq.
LAMBERT, lam'bart (LAMPERT), OF HERS- FELD: Medieval historian; b. probably c. 1025; d. after 1078. It is not improbable that he was educated at the famous cathedral school of Bamberg. He entered the Benedictine abbey of Hersfeld Mar. 15, 1058, and was ordained priest at Aschaffenburg in the following September, after which he made a pilgrimage through Hungary and