RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Wends Werenfels
educated at the universities of Tiibingen (Ph.D., 1875) and Gottingen (lic. theol., 1877); became privat-docent of New-Testament exegesis at the latter university (1877), and associate professor (1881); was professor at Kiel (1883-85); professor of systematic theology at Heidelberg (1887-93); and since 1893 has been professor of the same subject at Jena. Besides preparing the fifth to the eighth editions of H. A. W. Meyer’s commentary on Acts (Gottingen, 1880-99), he has written Die Begriffe Fleisch und Geist im biblischen Sprachgebrauch (Gotha, 1878); Die christliche Lehre von der menschlichen Vollkommenheit (Géttingen, 1882); Die Lehre Jesu (2 vols., 1886-1890; Eng. transl. by F. Wilson, 1892); Die Norm des echten Christentums (Leipsic, 1893); Der Erfahrungsbeweis ftir die Wahrheit des Christentums (Gottingen, 1897); Das Johannesevangelium (1900; Eng. transl. by E. Lummis, Edinburgh, 1902); The Idea and Reality of Revelation (London, 1904); System der christlichen Lehre (Gottingen, 1906); and Die Schichten im vierten Evangelium (1911).
Brsutiograpuy: OC. A. Briggs, Study of Holy Scripture, pp.
498, 589, New York, 1899; H.S. Nash, Hist. of the Higher Criticism of the N. T., ib., 1900.
WENRICH OF TREVES: Schoolman and controversialist of the eleventh century. He is celebrated for his part in the struggle between Gregory VII. and Henry IV., in which, at the instigation and under the name of Bishop Dietrich of Verdun, he wrote a brief but pungent tract, published probably in 1081, in the shape of an open letter to the pope, whose policies he criticized with clever acuteness (found in MGH, Inb. de lite, i., 1890, pp. 284-299; with introduction, pp. 280-284). The tract made no ordinary stir, and moved Manegold of Lauterbach (q.v.) to issue his less able countertract, Liber ad Gebehardum (in MGH, Inb. de lite, i. 308-430, 1890). Wenrich contested the justice, force, and validity of the ban of 1080 against the German king, and asserted that such unwarranted ecxommunication segregates not the banned member, but his unjust judge. He also vigorously protested against the celibacy laws of Gregory VII. and warmly advocated royal investiture. He also charged Gregory VII. with complicity in setting up the rival kingdom in Germany, asserting that Gregory did violence to the papal dignity and used force in attaining his ends. Cart Mirst.
BreriocRApuy: Besides the introduction in MGH, Lib. de lite, i (1890), 280-284, consult: C. Mirbt, Die Publizistik im Zettalter Gregors VII., passim, Leipsic, 1894; idem, Die Wahl Gregors VII., Marburg, 1782; G. Meyer von Knonau, Jahrbiicher des deutschen Reichs unter Heinrich IV. und V.., iii. 406-415, Leipsic, 1900; G. Koch, Manegold von Lauterbach und die Lehre von der Volkssowveranitat, Berlin, 1902; and the literature under Grecory VII.
WERDENHAGEN, var’den-ha’’-gen, JOHANN ANGELIUS VON: German layman and mystic; b. at Helmstedt (102 m. s.w. of Berlin) Aug. 1, 1581; d. at Ratzeburg (31 m. n.e. of Hamburg) Dee. 26, 1652. He studied under the humanists of the university of his native town, to whom he was one of the first to apply the term Rationiste because of their undue valuation and use of the reasoning faculty. In 1618, moreover, he defended Daniel Hoffmann, whom the humanists expelled from Helmstedt on account of his attacks on philosophy.
On the other hand, he assailed the Lutheran theologians, whether of the moderate school of Helmstedt, or of the stricter Lutheran school of electoral Saxony. He was a private lecturer at Helmstedt (1601-06); then, except for a brief interval as associate rector at Salzwedel, served as traveling companion to people of rank (1606-10), visiting various universities; was employed as diplomatic agent by the court of Brunswick (1612-16); became professor of ethics at Helmstedt (1616), but soon had to surrender this office because of participation in the controversies over Daniel Hoffmann. ‘Thereafter, when he was a syndic of the city of Magdeburg, he fell into strife with the resident Lutheran canons, and lost his position in 1626. From that time till 1628, he was employed on various missions in behalf of the administrator. After sojourning several years at Leyden and The Hague, where he completed and published his chief writings, he entered in 1632 the service of Archbishop Johann Friedrich of Bremen, and later, that of the city of Magdeburg and of Duke August of Brunswick and Liineburg. He spent his closing years, 1637-52, at Liibeck, acting as envoy for Emperor Ferdinand III. to the Hanseatic towns.
All his writings, even those which deal mainly with historical and philosophical problems, dwell upon the moral conditions of his times. He insists on the incompatibility of the Thirty Years’ War with the precepts of Christ, and demands a better system of education. In Leyden he wrote under the pseudonym Angelus Marianus a brief tract: “Open Gateway of the Heart to the True Kingdom of Christ’ (1632), which arraigns the Lutheran clergy for the injury done to the Church through their scholastic and polemical theology. In 1648 he wrote against the Jesuits and in favor of peace, and declared that Emperor Ferdinand III. trusted him more than he trusted them. Cart Mirsrt.
Brsutocrapuy: J. Moller, Introductio ad hist. ducatuum Slesvicensis et Holsatici, ii. 510 sqq., Leipsic, 1699; idem, Cimbria litterata, ii. 966-970, Copenhagen, 1744; G. Arnold, Kirchen- und Ketzerhistorie, iii. 88 sqq., iv. 468 sqq., 647 sqq., Frankfort, 1700; E. L. T. Henke, Georg Calixtus und seine Zeit, i. 247 sqq., Halle, 1853; E. Schlee, Der Streit des Daniel Hoffmann iiber das Verhiltnis der Philosophie zur Theologie, pp. 46 sqq., Marburg, 1862; ADB, xli. 759 sqq.
WERENFELS, var’en-fels, PETER: Swiss pastor; b. at Liestal (4m. s.w. of Basel) May 20, 1627; d. at Basel May 23, 1703. He studied at Basel, became court preacher to Count Friedrich Kasimir of Ortenburg, near Passau, and for half a year conducted the Reformed church service at Strasburg. From 1655 till his death he labored at Basel, being pastor at the cathedral, and antistes and archdean of the Basel church. A theological professorship was connected with the office of antistes, and a result of this activity was a volume of Disputationes theologice. But his repute does not rest upon his achievements as a scholar or teacher. Two volumes of sermons, David's Pest-Arteney and Dominicalia, and numerous single addresses exhibit his homiletic ability. Werenfels was severely blamed for his attitude in the fight of a portion of the citizens of Basel against the oligarchy and its abuses. He had at first expressed sympathy with them, but changed his views
Werenfels Wernsdorf