STAUPITZ, JOHANN VON - Enciclopedia Cattolica, Vol. XI, p. 777

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

STAUPITZ, Johann von. - German theologian and mystic of the 16th century, professor of theology at Wittenberg and vicar general of the Augustinians in Germany.

He was Luther’s teacher and friend, ceding his chair to him in 1512 and supporting and protecting him in the early days of the revolt. In 1518 he accompanied Luther before the cardinal legate at Augsburg and absolved him from his vow of obedience. Later he resigned the vicariate, disavowed Lutheran doctrines, and died in the Benedictine abbey of St. Peter in Salzburg (1524).

His treatises: *Imitazione della morte di Gesù Cristo*; *Dell’amor di Dio*; *Della retta fede cristiana*, together with his sermons, show the influence of the German mystics of the 14th century and exerted a formative spiritual impact on Luther.

BIBL.: edd.: the treatises ed. F. G. Pistoth Schöpf, 2 vols., Dresden 1862–64; the German works ed. J. R. Knaake, Potsdam 1867; G. Buchwald–F. Wolf, *Staupitz’ Tübinger Predigten*, Leipzig 1927. General bibliography, cf. in: K. Schottenloher, *Bibliographie zur deutschen Geschichte im Zeitalter der Glaubensspaltung (1517–85)*, II, Leipzig 1935. The best monograph is A. Jeremias, *J. V. St. Luthers Vater und Schüler. Sein Leben, sein Verhältnis zu Luther und eine Auswahl aus seinen Schriften*, 1929; J. Lortz, *Die Reformation in Deutschland*, 3rd ed., Freiburg im Br. 1949, V. index.