WIMPINA, vim-pi'na (KOCH), KONRAD: Cath
olic theologian; b. at Buchen (29 m. e.n.e. of Hei
delberg) about 1465; d. at Amorbach (44 m. s.s.e.
of Frankfort) May
17, 1531.
The family
name was
Koch, but Konrad called himself Wimpina, prob
ably because his family originally had their home
in the neighboring Wimpfen-on-the-Neckar. In
1479
he entered the University of Leipsic, became a
Thomist in philosophy; in 1491 he was received
into the council of the philosophical faculty; in
1494
was rector, and the same year dean of his fac
ulty, at a later time vice-chancellor for three years.
After 1486 he devoted himself also to the study of
theology, and in 1495 became subdeacon. In 1500 he became involved with his former teacher and
friend Polich in a passionate dispute concerning
Humanism and Scholasticism, or, as the opponents
formulated it, over the question whether the art of
poetry is the source of theology. In assigning a
very low place to poetry, Wimpina aroused the
Humanists against himself, while Polich became
one of their stanchest defenders. In
1505
Joachim
I. and his brother Albrecht called Wilnpina to the
newly established University of Frankfort as its
first rector. In 1518 he became involved in a dis
pute with Luther concerning indulgences, and into
this dispute Tetzel was drawn, participating on Jan.
20, 1518, in Frankfort in a disputation concerning
theses which had been formulated by Wimpina in
opposition to Luther. Wimpina thus appears as
one of the earliest literary opponents of Luther, and
he devoted the following years to an intensive refu
tation of the doctrine of Luther, at first only in dis
putations, then, in 1528, he published his great work
of refutation
Anacephalmosis,
a production of in
tense intellectual labor. It represents Lutheranism
as the rallying-point of the sects and heresies of all
times. All heresy, Wimpina states, is directed fun
damentally against the Church as a divine founda
tion. Wxclif is the father of the doctrine of the
Hussites, and that is the source of the Lutheran
heresy. By a necessity of nature the pope, Wim
pina argues, stands above the emperor and possesses
not only doctrinal power, but also executive and dis
ciplinary power. Wimpina went to the Diet of
Augsburg as the theologian of Joachim I. When
at the beginning of the diet without the knowledge
of Luther the Articles of Schwabach (see
Schwabach Articles) had been printed and
communicated to Joachim, Wimpina together with kiis Bran
denburg colleagues Mensing, Redorfer,.9nnd Elgers
ma published
as refutation
Christlicher Unterricht
gegen die Bekanntnus M. Luthers.
He was also one
of the circle of theologians to whom was entrusted
the confutation of the Augsburg Confession, but
Wimpina's part was evidently small. After the
diet he accompanied his elector to Cologne. Then
he returned to his native state and lived thereafter
in the Benedictine monastery of Amorbach. Besides
his great work
Anacephaheosis (1528)
he published
Prwcepta coaugmentandm Rethoricm orationis, of
Ars
epistolandi (e. 1486); Alm
Bibliography: J. C. Beckmann, Notitia Universitatis Franeofurtance, Frankfort, 1707; J. Gropp, Xtas mine annarum . monasterii . . . in Amorbach, Frankfort, 1736; G. Bauch, in Zeitschrift des Vereins für Geschichte und Alterthum Schlesiens, xxx (1896), 133 sqq.; idem in Neues Archiv für sachische Gesellschaft, xviii (1897), 293 sqq.; idem, Geschichte des Leipziger Fruhhumanismus, Leipsic, 1899; idem, Die Anfdnge der Universitat Frankfurt, Freiburg, 1903; E. Friedlander, Matrikel der UniversitSt Frankfurt, pp. 1-2, 48, Leipsic, 1887; N. Müller, in TSK, 1893, pp. 83 sqq., 1894, pp. 389 sqq.; G. Erler, Die Main rikel der Universiit Leipzig, Leipsic, 1895-97; N. Paulus, in Der Katholik, 1900, ii. 281 sqq.; idem, Die deutschen Dominikaner im Kampfe gegen Luther, pp. 134 sqq., Freiburg, 1903; J. Negwer, Konrad Wimpina, Breslau, 1907-1909; ADS, xliii. 330 sqq.; KL, xii. 1682-85.
| Calvin College. Last modified on 08/11/06. Contact the CCEL. |  |