Later on he portrayed himself as a prophet, and promoted his own particular view of Christianity, outlined in a pamphlet "Christiani Hominis Norma" which he wrote in London.

He came into conflict with civil and ecclesiastical authorities all over Europe, and spent his final years as a preacher and faith healer in his native Holland.

In 1541 he moved to Leuven, where he met Portuguese humanist Damião de Góis,[2] and maintained friendly relations with Vesalius.

[4] In 1542 he had failed in his bid to succeed Nannius, and he moved to Strasbourg in 1544 at the recommendation of Bucer, after a short teaching stint at the Marburg Latin School and possibly in Basel.

From Easter 1544-50 Velsius taught dialectic and Aristotelian ethics in the higher grades of the gymnasium in Strasbourg, as a co-worker of Johannes Sturm.

When Velsius got in trouble because he accepted the Interim and the resulting conflict with his Protestant colleagues, he moved to Cologne in the spring of 1550; he probably only gave up his Strasbourg canonicate in 1553.

The Council of Cologne wanted to build a Trilingual school following the example of the University of Leuven, and appointed Velsius professor of philosophy and Greek, in August 1550.

[7] On 29 October 1554 Krisis was condemned by Cologne University, and Velsius' teaching license revoked (11 December 1554, confirmed 29 March 1555), since he did not distance himself from his writing.

Emperor Charles V, who had become involved at the instigation of the cathedral chapter, the clergy and the university, urged the council in vain to take action against Velsius, who on 25 March 1555 had published a defense, Epistola ad Ferdinandum.

[works 14] Only after Velsius attempted to give theological lectures at his home, and rejected the Eucharistic adoration and celibacy, did the magistrate banish him in April 1555.

The Dominican Johannes Slotanus served as papal inquisitor for the ecclesiastical province of Mainz, Cologne and Trier against Velsius and three other imprisoned people, whom he described as Anabaptists.

[9] Velsius arrived in Frankfurt on 15 July 1556,[10] approached Robert Horne, pastor of the English Church, and informed him of the revelations on which he wished to conduct a public dispute.

In a letter addressed to Melanchthon, dated 17 September 1556, Calvin commented as follows: I have been dragged hither by the dissensions with which Satan has rent, for nearly two years, the little French church established here, and reduced to such extremities that it must have disappeared, unless some remedy had been very promptly applied.

Since I entered the town I have not had a moment's repose, and as if I had not had sufficient occupation in this affair, a madman called Velsius, to whom you had written twice, involved us in new fooleries.

In June 1558 this license was revoked by the Senate of the University at the orders of Kurfürst Ottheinrich because he spread theses that were against the Holy Scriptures.

He asked the council for permission to have a book printed he had written die Summa christlicher Lehre und Lebens (The Summary of Christian Doctrine and Life).

The council referred his request to the Lutheran pastors, who on 2 August 1560 reported back that his book contained theses that were against orthodox doctrine.

Again he sought controversy, this time with Nicolaus Carinaeus, the minister of the Dutch refugee church, who had died from the plague in September 1563.

Velsius opposed him publicly developing at length his idea that the perfection of Adam could be reached on earth after inner rebirth had taken place in the individual.

This unusual situation lasted until May 1575, when de Robles required the jail to be vacated, since the adjacent castle had to be strengthened and readied for the garrison.

His theological profile in the religious landscape is not clearly defined: first, he did not agree with Luther's dogma of "sola fide" and instead held on to the free will of man; on the other hand, he supported the Lutheran Eucharist and rejected transubstantiation.