MOLLER, HEINRICH).
The Lutheran movement at Utrecht had begun in 1520, through the efforts of a Dominican, Worte (Walther), who preached in Delft against the indulgence bestowed by the pope in favor of St. Lawrence's Church at Rotterdam. , He was joined by Master Friedrich Hondebeke (Canirivus); Georgius Saganus, a scholastically cultivated man, with whom Rode subsequently journeyed to Germany; and the youthful Johannes Sartorius, or Snijders. Their most important fellow-combatant was Cornelis Henriks (Hinrichson) Hoen (Honius), advocate in the court of justice at The Hague; but Rode was the movement's leading spirit. Hoen objected to the Roman doctrine, deviating, however, from Wessel in construing the words of institution, which Hoen explained: " this is a pledge, the symbol of my body; it signifies my body." On all sides, however, there was a desire for Luther's view, upon which rested all decisions as to Scripture. Rode was sent to ask from Luther a decision upon this matter and to request him to edit the writings of Wessel. In spite of all researches, there is still debate as to the year when Rode was at Wittenberg. The majority favor 1520-21; Mbller and Loofs, 1522. After visiting Luther, Rode made a journey by way of Basel to Zurich, to confer with Zwingli. In 1522 he was condemned at home on the ground of his Lutheran doctrine.
Leaving the Netherlands, Rode returned to Basel some time before Sept. 1, 1522, his immediate purpose being to supervise the issue of Wessel's Farrago, which appeared in Sept., 1522. Rode could not continue at home by reason of the hostile state of mind there. So early as 1523, two Augustinians were executed; also two young lads, Henricus Voes and Johannes Esch. The new bishop, Henry of Bavaria, continued the persecution with greater vehemence. Johannes Pistorius, a pupil of Rode's, was executed Sept. 8, 1525.
At this period Rode was in Strasburg with Butzer, as witness the latter's letter to Martin Frecht, a document of much significance in connection with Butzer's attitude toward Rode and with the controversy over the Lord's Supper. In this the following passage occurs:
Bode
Roerdam
THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
" Meanwhile, after Carlstadt's tract had appeared, presenting his revised interpretation down to 1524, . there came to me a strange man, Joh. Rodius, a heart so devout, so illumined in deeds and words, that I know of no one, not even excepting Luther, . whom I could prefer to this man in insight and judgment. . He is a native of the Netherlands, where he follows the same calling as Paul among the Greeks. Although recognizing Luther as his teacher, he owes more, in certain articles, to Wessel. Moreover, I can note ease wondering that we profit so little by this man. This Rodius was my guest (in the autumn of 1524); and, Bible in hand, he conversed at much length with me on the question of the Lord's Supper, wherein I defended Luther's opinion against him with all my might. But I then discerned that I was no peer to this man's mind, nor equal to all his arguments; and that one can not consistently maintain, by the Scripture, what I desired to affirm. I had to waive the corporeal presence of Christ in the bread; albeit I still hesitated concerning the certain explanation of the words."
The foregoing sketch by a contemporary discloses the significance of Rode, and likewise his influence upon the Swiss Reformed theology. The Eucharistic dispute emanated from Rode; Luther gaged him correctly, and hence Luther's vigorous opposition. Just as the Strasburg and Swiss theologians proved susceptible to Rode's influence in the doctrine as to the Lord's Supper, it was also due to him that the Netherlands Church, and afterward the East Frisian Church, became estranged from the Lutheran trend. Rode later returned to Deventer, in his home country, where Gerhard Geldenhauer (Xoviomagus) met him in 1525. From data concerning Rode in the letters of Butzer and Capito, dated July 9 and Sept. 26, 1526, it appears that he married in 1526. This was why, to escape constant persecutions, he accepted a teacher's position at Norden, in Ostfriesland. Owing to Rode s aggressive intervention in the East Frisian movement, the previously Lutheran sentiment now took on a Reformed complexion. Rode, when deposed on account of his opposition to Luther, went to Wolfhusen, protected by Count Enno.
Rode's widow died in 1557; the year of his own death is not known. While nothing is certainly extant in the way of his writings, that he produced none is hardly probable; it is not beyond reason to suppose Rode the possible author of a work with the title (Economia Christiana. Rode is still mentioned along with Gnapheus and Honius in connection with the translation of Luther's New Testament into Dutch (Amsterdam, 1525). Yet there are serious doubts in the matter. L. Schulze.
Bibliography: The first source is the Doesburg Chronicle, in part published by W. Moll, in Kerkhistorisch Archie!, iii. 108-115, Amsterdam, 1862; then A. R. Hardenberg'a Vita Wesselii, prefixed to the Opera of Wessel, Groningen, 1614 (cf. the literature under Wessel); and D. Gerdes, Introductio in hist. Evangelii seculo XVI., i. 228-331, Groningen, 1744. Consult A. J. Van der Aa, Biographisch W oordenboek van der Nederlanden, xvi. 302, Haarlem, 1852 sqq.; W. Moll, Kerkgeschiedenis van Nederland, 2 vols., Arnhem and Utrecht, 1864-71; J. G. de Hoop-Scheffer, Geschiedenis der Kerkhervorming in Nederland, pp. 30, 90-91, 105-106, 263, 316 et passim, Amsterdam, 1873; T. Kolde, Martin Luther, ii. 557-578, Gotha, 1884; O. Clemen, Hinne Rode in Wittenberg, Basel, Zurich, . . , in ZKG, xviii (1898), 346 sqq.; J. Kostlin, Martin Luther, ed. Kawerau, Berlin, 1903; ADB, vol. xxix.
RODGERS, JOHN: Presbyterian; b. at Boston Aug. 5, 1727; d. at New York May 7, 1811. He received his education under Samuel Blair and
Gilbert Tennent (qq.v.); was licensed Oct., 1747; pastor at St. George's, Del., 1749-65; and at New York, 1765-76, and from the the close of the Revolutionary War till his death. In 1789 he was elected moderator of the first general assembly of the Presbyterian Church, at Philadelphia. He was a stanch patriot during the Revolution, and served as chaplain in the continental army in 1776, of the provincial congress of New York, of the council of safety, and of the first legislature in 1777. He was a prominent character in church and city life.
Bibliography: S. Miller, Memoirs of the Rev. J. Rodgers, Late Pastor of the Wall Street and Brick Churches in the City of New York, New York, 1813; W. B. Sprague, Annals of the American Pulpit, iii. 154-165, ib. 1858; E. H. Gillett, Hist, of the Presbyterian Church, vol. i. passim, Philadelphia, 1864; R. E. Thompson, in American Church History Series, vol. vi. passim, New York, 1895.
ROEHM, rem, JOHANN BAPTIST: German Roman Catholic; b. at Lauingen (26 m. n.e. of Ulm) Jan. 6, 1841. He was educated at the University of Munich, after which he was curate in Ettringen, Thannhausen, and Oettingen in the diocese of Augsburg, and then an instructor in religion at Augsburg, and curate and professor at the royal theological seminary in Munich. Since 1899 he has been canon of the cathedral at Passau.
He has written: Ausgewahlte Reden des heiligen Gregor von Nazianz (Kempten, 1874); Ausgewahlte Schriften des Origenes (1876) ; Predigten auf dem Feste der Heiligen (Augsburg, 1876); Das Glaubensprinzip der katholischen Kirche (Vienna, 1877); Predigten auf dem Feste der seligsten Jungfrau (Passau, 1879); Aufgabe der protestantischen Theologen (Augsburg, 1882); Gedanken iiher die Union (Hildesheim, 1883); Confessionelle Lehrgegensatze (1883); Grobe Unwahrheiten von und uber Luther (1884); Der erste Brief an die Thessaloniker (Passau, 1885) ; Ein Wort uber die deutsche protestantische Schule (5 parts, Hildesheim, 1887); Zur Charakteristik der protestantischen Polemik der Gegenwart (1889) ; Zur Tetzellegende (1889) ; Protestantische Lehre vom Antichrist (1891); Zur Charakteristik des Protestantismus in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart (1892); Sendschreiben eines katholischen an einen orthodoxen Theologen (Augsburg, 1895) ; Der Protestantismus unserer Tage (Munich, 1897) ; Die Wiedervereinigung der christlichen Konfessionen (Mainz, 1900).
ROEHR, rfjr, JOHANN FRIEDRICH: German Lutheran of the rationalistic school; b. at Rossbach (24 m. s.w. of Leipsic) July 30, 1777; d. at Weimar June 15, 1848. After completing his education at the University of Leipsic, he was appointed assistant preacher at the university church of the same city, and then taught for two years at Pforta (1802-04). He was then pastor at Ostrau, near Zeitz, until 1820, when he was called to become chief pastor at Weimar, where he passed the remainder of his life. He was likewise chief court preacher, supreme consistorial and ecclesiastical councilor, and general superintendent for the principality of Weimar.
The importance of Rohr lies in his defense of popular rationalism, a position first consciously set forth in his Brief e uber den Rationalism us (Aachen, 1813). This system was essentially the blending of two religious truths, revealed and non-revealed (reason), the final end of religion being pure morality; the divinity of Christ was categorically denied. Rohr's views were received with so little favor that in the second and third editions of his Grundund Glaubenssatze der evaiii/clisch-protcstantixchen Kirche (Neustadt-on-the-Oder, 1834, IS 11) he was