bavarikon4UNotizbuch des Kurfürsten Johann des Beständigen von Sachsen, eigenhändige Predigtnachschrift auf 8 Ahornholztäfelchen
Description
The notebook consists of maple-wood tablets with the autograph transcript of a sermon made by Elector John I of Saxony, called the Steadfast. The sermon deals with the first letter of Timotheus (1 Tim 4, 1-10). The calligraphy is known as the handwriting of John I, even though its style cannot be easily recognised because of the shorthand and many abbreviations. John I became elector after the death of his brother Frederick III the Wise (1463-1525) and was a steadfast supporter of the Reformation. On his death in 1532, Luther is supposed to have said: “With Elector Frederick wisdom died, with Elector John piety perished.” In 1525, Luther preached four times about the Letter of Timotheus, however without ever reaching the passage 1.4, so that it has to remain uncertain whether John transcribed a sermon by Luther. Instead the sermon may perhaps have been given by Johannes Voit (d. 1559 or 1562), a Franciscan from Weimar who on leaving his monastery became for some time preacher at John I’s court before taking up a post as Protestant pastor. The book reached the Coburg Autograph Collection in 1881 as the gift of Vicky (1840-1901), the eldest daughter of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen Victoria.
Author
Klaus Weschenfelder