- Johann Augustanus Faber
John Augustanus Faber (c. 1470 – 1531) was a
Swiss theologian, born inFribourg .He entered the
Dominican Order , probably atAugsburg ,Germany , where he passed the greater part of his religious life, hence his name Augustanus. He obtained the degrees of Master and Doctor of Divinity, and in 1511 was madeVicar General of the Dominican Congregation of Upper Germany, and for twenty years filled the office of prior in the Augsburg Convent.From 1512 to 1515 he rebuilt the Dominican church in that city, for which some of the funds were obtained through the preaching of a jubilee permitted by
Pope Leo X and also, after a prohibition, by the EmperorMaximilian I . Maximilian made him court preacher and royal counselor. On the recommendation ofErasmus , with whom he was very friendly, he was again appointed to these offices by Maximilian's successor, King Charles V. Sympathizing with theLutherans in their revival of classical learning, he advocated a plan for the treatment ofMartin Luther and his followers that the ecclesiastical superiors could not accept. When he withdrew this, and broke away from the humanists, he received the abuse of Luther, and also of his former supporter Erasmus, who had already been provoked by his censure, published anonymously, for adhering to the new errors. The accusation made by Erasmus, that Faber had calumniated him toThomas Cardinal Cajetan has not been proved.
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