Wendelin, Marcus Friedrich

Wendelin, Marcus Friedrich a theologian of the Reformed scholastic school in the 17th century, was born near Heidelberg in 1584, and after graduation, presumably at the university of that town, became tutor of the princes of Anhalt-Dessau, and in 1611 rector of the gymnasium of Zerbst. He retained the latter: position during a period of forty-one years, and died there August 7, 1652. He composed a number of textbooks which bear witness to the breadth of his culture; but his most important works were of a theological character. Among them were, Compend. Christiana Theologiae (Hanau, 1634): — Christianae Theologiae Systema Majus (posthumously published, Frankf. 1656 and 1677): — Exercitationes Theol. contr. Jo. Gerhard. et Danhauer: and Collatio Doctr. Reformatorum et Lutheranorum (Cassel, 1660). He avoided abstruse discussions, assumed only simple and evident premises, and made only a formal use of dialectics. His method was to discuss the contents of the dogma itself instead of an extraneous addition of Aristotelian tenets to the doctrine. The arrangement of his material and the determination of the problems presented to his mind give evidence of great acuteness. His Christ. Theol. Systema was translated into Dutch and Hungarian. See Wendelin's Works; Becmann, Anhaltilsche Historie; Jocher, Allgemeines Gelehrten-Lexikon; Herzog, Real-Encyklop. s.v.