Hoffmann, Daniel

Hoffmann, Daniel a Lutheran theologian, was born at Halle 1540, and educated at the University of Jena. In 1576 he was made professor of theology at the University of Helmstadt. In the theological controversies of his day he took an active part, contending against the Calvinistic theory of the sacraments, predestination, and also against the doctrine of Ubiquity (q.v.) as held by his own Church. He decried philosophy as hurtful both to religion and to the community, attempting to sustain his position by extracts from the Pauline epistles and the writings of Luther himself, who, as is well known, did in his earlier years hold that there is a contradiction between the truths of theology and those of philosophy. In his later years Luther radically changed his views. Hoffmann was attacked by the two great Aristotelian philosophers, Caselius and Martini, who also complained of him at the university. The duke of Brunswick, after consulting the University of Rostock, obliged Hoffmann to retract, and vacate his chair at the university. He died at Wolfenbüttel in 1611. His followers, on account of their adherence to a twofold doctrine, were called duplicists, and their opponents simplicists. His controversial writings are numerous, as De duplici veritate Lutheri a philosophis impugynata (Magdeb. 1600): — Super quaestione, num syllogismus rationis locum habeat in regno fidez (ibid. 1606). An account of his disputes may be, found in Thomasius, De Controversia Hoffmanniana (Erlangen, 1844, 8vo) Halleus Impietatis Hoffmannianae (Frankf. 1604). See Herzog, Real-Encyklop. 6, 185 sq.; Mosheim, Ch. Hist. cent. 17 pt. 2, chap. 1, § 10; Enfield, Hist. of Philos. 2, 506; Gass, Gesch. d. Dogmat. 2, 73 sq.; Bayle, Hist. Dict. 3, 478 sq.; Krug, Philos. Lex. 5, 531 sq.; Schrockh, Kirchengesch. s. d. Reform. 4, 159-61. See HUNNIUS.