Introduction

Biography

Kasper was the son of Con­rad Bie­ne­mann, a bur­gess of Nur­em­berg.

He was edu­cat­ed at Je­na and Tü­bing­en. After com­plet­ing his stu­dies, he was sent by Em­per­or Ma­xi­mili­an II with an em­bas­sy to Greece as an in­ter­pre­ter.

In Greece, he as­sumed the name Mel­is­san­der (a Greek trans­la­tion of his Ger­man name), by which he is fre­quent­ly known.

After his re­turn, he was ap­point­ed a pro­fess­or at Lau­ing­en, Ba­var­ia, and then at Abt at Bahr (Lahr?), and Ge­ne­ral Su­per­in­ten­dent of Pfalz Neu­burg, but on the out­break of the Syn­er­gis­tic Con­tro­ver­sy, he had to re­sign his post.

In 1571, he re­ceived a DD degree from the Uni­ver­si­ty of Je­na, and in the same year Duke Jo­hann Wil­helm of Sach­sen Wei­mar made him tu­tor to crown prince Fried­rich Wil­helm.

However, on the death of the Duke in 1573, Elect­or Au­gust of Sax­ony as­sumed the Re­gen­cy, and the Cal­vin­is­tic par­ty gained as­cen­dan­cy and suc­ceed­ed in dis­plac­ing Bie­ne­mann and oth­er Lu­ther­an pas­tors in the Du­chy.

Finally, in 1578, he was ap­point­ed pas­tor and Ge­ne­ral Su­per­in­tend­ent at Al­ten­burg.