Camerarius, Joachim

Camerarius, Joachim, one of the most scholarly men of the sixteenth century, was born at, Bamberg, April 12, 1500. The original name of his family was Liebhard, which was changed into the Latin Camerarius (Chamberlain) because his ancestors had been chamberlains at the court of the bishops of Bamberg. He was sent to the University of Leipzic, where he studied Greek under Richard Croke and Peter Mosellanus. He evinced an extraordinary passion for that language, and in 1524 put forth his first work, a Latin translation of one of the Orations of Demosthenes. He was at that period at Wittenberg, whither he had been drawn by the fame of Luther and Melancthon. In 1526 he went into Prussia, and in the year following was nominated by Melancthon to fill the office of Greek and Latin professor in the new college at Nuremberg. The senate of Nuremberg deputed him, in 1530, to attend the diet of Augsburg, where he aided Melancthon in the disputes, and in preparing the material afterward used in the Apologia Confess ionis. SEE CONFESSIONS. In 1535 the Duke of Wiirtemberg gave him the direction of the new University of Tubingen. In 1541 he was charged by Henry of Saxony with reforming the University of Leipzic, of which he was afterward appointed rector. Here he labored zealously for the Reformation, and at the same time was one of the most laborious classical and theological teachers of the age. With his friend Melancthon he took an active part in ,the negotiations concerning the Interim, and for his willingness to make concessions was severely censured by the opponents of the Interim. In 1554 he was a deputy to the Diet of Naumburg, and in 1555 to the Diet of Augsburg, from where he went to Nuremberg to aid in adjusting the Osiandrian controversy. In 1568 the Emperor Maximilian, who had called him to Vienna to consult him about some important state affairs, wished to retain' him as his councillor, but Camerarius declined the offer on account of his infirmities. He died at Leipzic in April, 1574. Camerarius was grave and reserved even toward his own children. He hated nothing so much as untruthfulness, and did not even tolerate it in jests. The extent of his knowledge, the purity of his morals, the energy of his character, his sweet and persuasive eloquence, obtained for him the esteem of all those who knew him. He left five sons, all of whom distinguished themselves as scholars or in other high positions. A list of his numerous writings will be found in Niceron, Memoires, t. 19:Among his works in theology and exegesis are,

1. Synodica, i.e.'de Niccena Synodo (Leipz. 1543, 4to): —

2. Disputatio depiis et catholicis atq. orthodoxis precibus et invocationibus Numinis Divini (Argentor. 1560, 8vo): —

3. Chronologia secundum Graeco-rumn rationem, temporibus expositis, autore Nicephoro Archiep. Constantino, conversa in linguam Lat. (Basle, 1561, fol.; Leipz. 1574 and 1583, 4to): —

4. Historia de Jesu Christi ad mortem pro genere humano accessione, etc. (Leipz. 1563): —

5. Narrat. de P. Melancthonis ortu, vita, etc., which contains an entire history of the Reformation (1566; best ed. by Strobel, Halle, 1777, 8vo): —

6. Notatiofigurarum sermonis in iv libris Evangeliorum, etc.: Notatio in Apostolicis scriptis et in librum Actuum et Apocalypseos (these two works were published together at Cambridge in 1642, under the title Commentarius in Novum Fdedus; and at Frankfort in 1712, with the title Exegesis Nov. Test.): —

7. Homilies (Leipz. 1573): —

8. Historica narratio de Fratrum orthodoxorum ecclesiis in Bohemia, Moravia et Polonia (Heidelb. 1605, 8vo). He also published a collection of the letters of Melancthon (Leipz. 1569), which contain much valuable information of the times of the Reformation. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 8:319; Landon, Eccl. Dictionary, 2:506.