Christoph Pezel

Pezel was born in Plauen and educated at the universities of Jena and Wittenberg, his studies at the latter institution being interrupted by his teaching for several years.

He soon took a leading position as a zealous Philippist, but in 1574 he and his colleagues were summoned to Torgau and required to give up the Calvinistic theory of the Lord's Supper.

As they refused to subscribe to the articles presented to them, they were placed under surveillance in their own houses and forbidden to discuss or to print anything on the questions in dispute.

Pezel, who had hitherto been at Zeitz, now went to Eger; but in 1577, like his fellow exiles, received a position from Count John of Nassau, first at the school in Siegen and later at Dillingen.

Pezel was the editor Of many theological writings, of which the most important were the Loci theologici of his teacher, Victorinus Strigel (4 parts, Neustadt, 1581–84); Philip Melanchthon's Consilia (1600); and Caspar Peucer's Historia carcerum et liberationis divinae (Zurich, 1605); while among his independent works special mention may be made of the following: Argumenta et objectiones de praecipuis articulis doctrinae Christianae (Neustadt, 1580–89); Libellus precationum (1585); and Mellificium historicum, complectens historiam trium monarchiarum, Chaldaicae, Persicae, Graecae (1592).