Johann Stössel was a Lutheran Theologian and Reformer

Protestant Reformers

Protestant Reformers were those theologians, churchmen, and statesmen whose careers, works, and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century...

.

Life

Stössel came to Wittenberg at 15 and became a master after 10 years of study. Since he distanced himself from the Philippists, he was appointed by John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony

John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony

John Frederick II of Saxony , was duke of Saxony, and briefly, Elector of Saxony .He was the eldest son of John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, and Sybille of Cleves.-Reign and military ambitions:...

 as a court preacher in Weimar

Weimar

Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...

. Here he developed into a zealous Gnesio-Lutheran. As such, he took part in the Reformation in the Margraviate of Baden-Durlach. It was in keeping with his strident attitude that he wanted to include anathemas in the church order there against all dissenters.

He maintained this stance at the Colloquy of Worms

Colloquy of Worms

The Colloquy of Worms was the last colloquy in the 16th century on an imperial level, held in Worms from September 11 to October 8, 1557. At the Diet of Augsburg in 1555 it had been agreed that the dialog on controversial religious issues should be continued. A resolution was passed at Regensburg...

 of 1557 and in the drafting of the Konfutationsbuch. He defended his position in a special Apology

Apologetics

Apologetics is the discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers...

. When he accompanied Duke Johann Friedrich to Heidelberg

Heidelberg

-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...

, he tried to bring Elector Frederick III, the Pious

Frederick III, Elector Palatine

Frederick III of Simmern, the Pious, Elector Palatine of the Rhine was a ruler from the house of Wittelsbach, branch Palatinate-Simmern-Sponheim. He was a son of John II of Simmern and inherited the Palatinate from the childless Elector Otto-Henry, Elector Palatine in 1559...

, over to his opinions. There he disputed with Pierre Boquin

Pierre Boquin

Pierre Boquin was a French Reformed Theologian who played a critical role in the Reformation of the Electoral Palatinate.- Origins and early career :...

 and Thomas Erastus

Thomas Erastus

Thomas Erastus was a Swiss physician and theologian best known for a posthumously published work in which he argued that the sins of Christians should be punished by the state, and not by the church withholding the sacraments...

 on the Lord’s Supper. In the aftermath of this disputation, his theological convictions began to change.

As he began to warm to other theological perspectives, this shift naturally led to a break with the Gnesio-Lutherans. Matthias Flacius Illyricus and Johann Wigand accused him at court, however they were dismissed from their offices themselves. Stössel was appointed professor at the University of Jena. On the basis of the Declaratio, Nicholas Selnecker and others returned to Jena, but soon left the university. Stössel was left as the only theologian. During this period, Paul Eber

Paul Eber

Paul Eber , German Lutheran theologian, was born at Kitzingen in Franconia, and was educated at Nuremberg and Wittenberg, where he became the close friend of Philipp Melanchthon....

 oversaw his reception of the first doctorate

Doctorate

A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...

 in Jena.

With the regime change of 1567, Stössel had to give way to the Gnesio-Lutherans. For a short time he was church superintendent in Mühlhausen

Mühlhausen

Mühlhausen is a city in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut. Mühlhausen had c. 37,000 inhabitants in 2006.-History:...

 and then in Pirna

Pirna

Pirna is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 40,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a Große Kreisstadt...

. He rose quickly in the favor of Elector August of Saxony

Augustus, Elector of Saxony

Augustus was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586.-First years:Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He consequently belonged to the Albertine branch of the Wettin family...

 that he soon served as his father confessor. His downfall, however, came abruptly. In a series of poorly understood events, Stössel advocated the cause of the Dresden Crypto-Calvinists

Crypto-Calvinism

Crypto-Calvinism is a term for Calvinist influence in the Lutheran Church during the decades just after the death of Martin Luther . It denotes what was seen as a hidden...

, was denounced before the Elector, and imprisoned in the castle, where he died after a short illness.