KÖPFEL, WOLFANG. — Protestant theologian and reformer, b. at Hagenau in Alsace in 1478, d. at Strasbourg on 4 Nov. 1541. He studied at the Universities of Ingolstadt (1505) and Freiburg im Breisgau, where he obtained his licentiate in theology in 1511 and his doctorate in canon law after 1520. From 1512 he held the office of preacher in Bruchsal (diocese of Speyer), and then at Basilica, where he was also professor of theology and where he met Erasmus and Zwingli, becoming a propagator of Luther’s early writings.
His inner evolution toward the new doctrines was well under way when, in 1520, he entered the service of the prince-archbishop-elector of Mainz, Albrecht of Brandenburg, as court preacher and chancellor. He thus influenced the attitude of the cardinal, who was still undecided regarding the reformers, and then, clarifying his position in 1523, withdrew from the court, taking possession of the provostship of St. Thomas in Strasbourg, which he had obtained from Leo X in 1521. This became the center of his reforming activity in the city and the region. Subsequently, alongside Bucer, he played an important role in the introduction of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland (the Bern Disputation in 1528, the Bern Synods of 1532 and 1537), in the negotiations between the Swiss innovators and the theologians of Wittenberg, and took part with the Protestant leaders in various diets of the Empire, especially that of Augsburg in 1530 (K. is one of the authors of the Confessio tetrapolitano) and that of Regensburg in 1541. Intolerant toward Catholics, he showed himself highly tolerant and conciliatory toward the various Protestant currents, his flexible character enabling him to engage in the most diverse negotiations. His work lay more in reforming and diplomatic action than in his writings, which may be distinguished into Latin writings, German pamphlets, and letters.