Valentin Krautwald


Valentin Krautwald was a German religious reformer, lector of theology at Liegnitz, and colleague of Caspar Schwenckfeld.

Life

Born into a burger family of Neisse, he was supported in his higher education by Johann Thurzó. He was for several years in Kraków. On his return with a doctorate, the bishop made him a canon in Neisse and appointed him notary in his office.
Thurzo had sympathy with the reforming views of Martin Luther, and Krautwald took a leading role in a small early evangelical congregation, around Breslau. At this point Jan Hess was still hesitant about reform, though in contact with Luther and Philip Melanchthon. Via correspondence with Wittenberg, the Protestant-minded Frederick [II of Legnica] called Krautwald in 1523 to become Lector of theology and canon of the collegiate church in Liegnitz. There Krautwald came into close contact with Caspar Schwenckfeld, personally but also as a scholar and theologian.
In particular Krautwald influenced Schwenckfeld's doctrine of the Eucharist. It was unacceptable to Luther, who attacked Krautwald in a pamphlet of 1526. The controversy drew in the Breslau bishop Jakob von Salza, without a resolution in sight. Schwenckfeld chose voluntary exile in 1529; but Krautwald was left isolated in an unsatisfactory position. He died in Liegnitz in 1545.

Selected works

  • Descripcio vite pii patris Arnesti, Pragensis ecclesie archiepiscopi primi, per Valentinum Crautvaldum, 1516.
  • Collatio et consensus verborum coenae Dominicae, de corpore et sanguine Christi, Strasbourg 1529
  • Annotata in tria priora capita Geneseos, 1530
  • De Oratione Fidei Epistola, 1530
  • De coena dominica et verbis coenae epistolae duae, Strasbourg ca. 1530
  • Kurze gründtliche Bewerung: Das Christus gantz der ware natürliche Sun Gottes, unnd nicht ain Geschöpff oder Creatur sei, 1538
  • Von der Widergeburt und Herkummen eines Christen Menschens - gründtliche außlegung des spruchs Christi Johannis am dritten Cap; Was auch das für ein wasser sey, darauß die kinder Gottes geboren werden. Augsburg 1538
  • Ad Quaestiones D. Bonifacii Lycosthenis... de vera ministioram electione... epistola paraenetica, Strasbourg 1538
  • Novus homo, 1545
  • Novus homo hoc est quo, quamque mirabili semine internus sive, Francofvrti, apvd Iacobvm de Zetter, 1620
  • Der new Mensch, Augspurg Verlag Ulhart, 1543
  • Der Schwermer, Strasbourg 1544
  • De veteris depravati, novi item hominis conditione, 1545
  • Von den Wercken Christi, Ulm, c. 1546