AQUILA, KASPAR

AQUILA, KASPAR. - Lutheran theologian, b. in 1488 at Augsburg, where his father was mayor, and d. at Saalfeld in 1560. He completed his education at the University of his native city, then at Leipzig and finally in Italy. He was among the first followers of Luther, as soon as the latter rebelled against the Church, and was consequently imprisoned by the bishop of Augsburg. Having obtained his release through the intervention of Queen Isabella of Denmark, sister of Charles V, he hastened to go to Wittenberg (1524) to Luther, to whom he gave considerable assistance in translating the Bible. In 1527 he held the post of pastor and the following year that of superintendent at Saalfeld, and in 1550 he was preacher at Schmalkalden. An uncompromising Lutheran, A. opposed the «Interim», for which Charles V placed a bounty of 5,000 florins on his head. In memory of the sermons he had delivered in commentary on the books of the Psalms of David, Hosea, Zechariah, and John, he gave the names David, Hosea, Zechariah, and John to his four sons.