Victorinus Strigel

1524-1569. German theologian. One of Melanchthon's* most distinguished associates, he was born in Kaufbeuren, Swabia, and after study at Freiburg and Wittenberg, taught at Magdeburg, Erfurt, and Jena. His biblical commentaries and historical and philological works showed him to be a wide-ranging scholar, in addition to being a notable theologian. Unfortunately he taught in territories wracked by bitter disputes among Lutherans on synergism and the Eucharist. Not willing to agree with definitions like the Book of Confutation, and sympathetic to Reformed theology, he found his position in Jena becoming more and more difficult because of his public disagreements with M. Flacius* and the inability of the duke of Saxony to reconcile the opposing factions. A move to Leipzig in 1562 brought a temporary remission, but by 1567 he was once again in difficulties and inhibited from teaching, because of suspected Calvinist views on the Lord's Supper. Appointment to a chair at Heidelberg in 1567 offered Strigel a congenial theological environment, but he died shortly after appointment. He was widely respected among Reformed theologians, including English scholars like W. Perkins.*