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 for this reason was 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 Wittenberg (1524) to join Luther, to whom he gave no small help in the translation of the Bible. In 1527 he took up the post of pastor and the following year that of superintendent at Saalfeld, and in 1550 he was preacher at Schmalkalden. An intransigent Lutheran, A. opposed the "Interim," for which Charles V placed a price of 5000 florins on his head. In memory of the sermons he had delivered as commentaries on the book of Psalms of David, on Hosea, on Zechariah and on John, he gave the names David, Hosea, Zechariah and John to his four sons.

Piero Chimini