HUNNIUS, hiin'nf-us, AEGIDIUS:

Lutheran theologian; b. at Winnenden (7 m. n.e. of Stuttgart) Dec. 21, 1550; d. at Wittenberg Apr. 4, 1603. He went rapidly through the preparatory schools of Württemberg, and studied from 1565 to 1574 at Tübingen. In 1576 Jacob Heerbrand recommended him as professor to the University of Marburg, where Hunnius exerted himself to do away with all compromises and restore Lutheran orthodoxy. He gained many adherents, and the consequence was a split in the State Church of Hesse which finally led to the separation of Upper and Lower Hesse. The cardinal point of all controversies was the doctrine of ubiquity which Hunnius maintained in his writing. De persona Christi. Bartholomaus Meier, one of Landgrave William's theologians, replied, but could not prevail against Hunnius' learned eloquence. In 1592 Hunnius removed to Wittenberg. In the electorate of Saxony, Calvinism had made great headway under the elector Christian, but his successor, Duke Frederick William, desired to introduce Lutheran orthodoxy, and for this purpose called the Swabian theologians, among them Hunnius, to Wittenberg. Immediately after his arrival he was made member of a committee on visitation, instituted for the purpose of purifying the country from Calvinism. For the same purpose he was called into other German territories, as, for instance, into Silesia by Duke Frederic of Liegnitz. Hunnius was the most able representative of the Swabian theology of Brenz, and consequently of the doctrine concerning the majesty and omnipresence of Christ as man. But he advanced the Lutheran cause also in reference to other doctrines, and his influence is traceable in the development of Lutheran dogmatics after his time. The later doctrine concerning the authority of Holy Scripture is based upon Hunnius' Tractatus de maiestate, fide, autoritate et certitudine saerce scripturm In the same way he established the orthodox Lutheran doctrine of

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predestination by following J. Damascenus in his distinction between voluntas antecedens and corn sequens, and considering faith as the instrumental cause of election. The literary activity of Hunnius was mainly polemical. His most important works are De persona Christi (1585), which is an enlargement of an earlier treatise entitled Bekenntnis von der Person Christi (1577); T rattatus de maiestate, fide, auiordate et certitudine sacrce scripturte (1588); Calvinus iu doizans, sine Judaicte glossw et corruptelm in ex plicandis testimoniisScripturmSacrw de trinitate, etc. (1593); Anti-Parens (1594); and Anti-Parens alter (1599). He wrote also numerous dogmatic mono graphs and commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of Paul, and the first Epistle of John. He composed several Biblical dramas in Latin, among them Josephus, com&,dia sacra, which was presented at Strasburg in 1597. A complete edition of his Latin writings was edited by his son in-law, H. Garthius (5 vols.,. Wittenberg, 1607-09).

(Johannes Kunze.)

Bibliography: M. Adam, Vita theologorum . . German orum, pp. 344-347, Heidelberg, 1706, of. J. G. Neumann De vita Aeg. Hunnii exemplum, Wittenberg, 1704; L. W. Fisehlin. Memoria theologorum Vitteberpeneium, i.. pp. aviii. 51-53, 253-275 Leipsic 1710; F W Strieder Fleen ache Gelehrtengeschichte, vi. 213-277, 8 vols., Cassel, 1780 1788; K. A. Credner, Philippe des Grossmatigen hessische Kirchenreformationsordnung, pp. ccaxxv.-cealiii., Giessen ' 1852; A. Schweizer, Die protestantiechen Centraldogmen, i. 529 sqq., 588 sqq., Zurich, 1854; G. Frank, Geschichte der protestantischen Theologie, i. 248-249, Leipsic, 1862.