Introduction

Biography

Magdeburg en­rolled at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Wit­ten­berg in 1544, and in 1546 was ap­point­ed rec­tor of the school at Schön­ing­en (near Helm­städt), Bruns­wick.

He be­came pas­tor of Dan­nen­berg in Lü­ne­burg in 1547, but re­signed in 1549, and in the same year be­came pas­tor of Salz­we­del in the Alt­mark.

Refusing to adopt the Ca­tho­lic ce­re­mo­nies pre­scribed by the Act of the In­ter­im, in 1552 he was ba­nished from the Elect­or­ate of Bran­den­burg.

He was sub­se­quen­tly ap­point­ed dia­co­nus of St. Pe­ter’s Church in Ham­burg, and there be­came ac­quaint­ed with church his­to­ri­an Mat­thi­as Flach.

Disagreements with lo­cal cler­gy led to his re­mov­al in 1558, and he went to Mag­de­burg to help Flach com­pile the church his­to­ry known as the Mag­de­burg Cen­tu­ries.

Shortly there­af­ter, he was ap­point­ed pas­tor of Oß­mann­stedt in Thu­rin­gia, but as a fol­low­er of Flach, was re­moved in 1562.

He then stayed, for va­ri­ous lengths of time, with Count von Mans­feld, Bar­on von Schö­burg and oth­ers.

When Em­per­or Maxi­mi­li­an II lift­ed the ban on Pro­test­ant preach­ers in Aus­tria, he be­came re­gi­ment­al cha­plain at Raab (now Gy­őr), Hun­ga­ry, in 1564. In 1571, he was liv­ing in Er­furt, and 1581–83 was a preach­er in Ef­er­ding, Aus­tria.

In 1587 he be­came a pas­tor in Ess­en and Is­er­lohn, North Rhine-West­pha­lia, where he ap­parent­ly spent the rest of his life.