Forster, Johann

Forster, Johann an eminent German theologian and scholar, was born at Augsburg in 1495. He became professor of Hebrew at Zwickau, and assisted Luther in his translation of the Bible. In 1535 he was made pastor of St. Moritz at Augsburg by the influence of Luther. His zeal for the Lutheran doctrines often brought him into conflict with his colleagues at the university. He even attacked Blarer and CEcolampadius. A visiting committee, sent from Stuttgard in 1540, laid the matter before the duke, who decided against Forster. The latter retired to Nuremberg, from whence he proceeded to Ratisbon, and in 1543 accepted a call to Schleusingen. He finally succeeded Cruciger as professor of theology in the University of Wittenberg. In 1554 he assisted Melancthon in the Osiandrian controversies, and died at Wittenberg December 8, 1556. He wrote a Hebrew Lexicon, Dictionarium Hebraicum Novum, etc. (Basel, 1557, fol.), founded purely on the Hebrew of the Bible, and throwing out Rabbinical sources of information. His letters are of considerable importance for the history of that time. — Herzog, Real-Encyklop. 4:436. There is an elaborate article on Forster in the Zeitschrift f. d. hist. Theologie, 1869, page 210 sq.