BUCHMANN (BIBLIANDER), THEODORE. — Protestant, born ca. 1504 in Bischofszell (Thurgau), died of the plague in Zurich on 26 September 1564.
Professor of Oriental languages at Zurich, succeeding Zwingli (from 1531), B. distinguished himself through his knowledge of Hebrew and completed the translation of the Bible (Zurich 1542–43) begun by Leo Jud. He is chiefly the «homo grammaticus», as he liked to call himself (De optimo genere grammaticarum Hebr. [1542]; id., Commentarium de Sancta lingua Hebr., ll. 24 [ms]; id., De ratione communi omnium linguarum et litterarum Commentarius [1543]). His translation of the Qur’an (1543) is rather a revision of the text by Peter of Cluny. Unlike Luther and Melanchthon, he concerned himself with both biblical and ecclesiastical history (De ratione temporum [1551]; id., Temporum supputatio partitioque exactior [1558]). He readily attacked the Catholic Church with the weapons of the humanists in the manner of Erasmus and, more often, with the arguments of Zwinglianism. It is strange that he opposed the reforms of the Council of Trent, while nevertheless desiring the union of the Churches (Amphior consideratio decreti Synodalis Tridentini de authentica doctrina Ecclesiae Dei..., Basel 1551; and again in: De legitima vindicatione christianismi, 1553).
From the missionary point of view, Zwingli and, after him, B. adopted a humanist attitude toward the problem of the salvation of unbelievers (Oratio ad enarrationem Esajae [1532]). In his dissertation De Monarchia totius Orbis Supremi, B. claims the treasures of divine grace for all Christians, Jews, and Muslims. He also departed from Zwingli’s position on the question of predestination.