Matthias Martinius
Calvinist theologian from Germany
Matthias Martinius (Martini) (1572 – 30 December 1630) was a German Calvinist theologian and educator.
Life
He was born in Freienhagen, Waldeck and educated at Herborn Academy. He became court preacher at Dillenburg, and then taught at Herborn before moving to Emden in 1607.
From 1610 Martinius was the founding rector of the Gymnasium Illustre at Bremen. The teaching at Bremen influenced in particular Johannes Cocceius, student under Martinius and Ludwig Crocius.
At the Synod of Dort of 1618 Martinius was present as a representative of Bremen. He was involved in controversy with the Lutherans Balthasar Mentzer and Philipp Nicolai.
Views
Martinius and the Bremen academy played an important role in the later developments of covenant theology. His views as Calvinist were considered moderate, and anticipated hypothetical universalism. The Bremen delegation at Dort, together with the English delegates John Davenant and Samuel Ward, were conspicuous for arguing against the Gomarist line on doctrine.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Matthias Martinius” as calvinist theologian from Germany. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as calvinist theologian from Germany. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q110005. VIAF identifies the subject as 14922336. The Library of Congress control number is no98132902. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1572, 1630, 1607 and 1610.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Matthias Martinius”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Matthias Martinius primary sources, Matthias Martinius archive and Matthias research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Matthias Martinius”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Matthias Martinius” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.