Sebastian Franck
Biografie1499 - 1542
Uber den Künstler
Franck (1499, Donauwörth – 1542/1543, Basel), studied at Heidelberg and became a priest. He was named a curate in the diocese of Augsburg soon after 1516. About 1525 he joined the Lutherans and became a minister at Nürnberg, but he remained critical of Catholics, Lutherians, Zwinglians and Anabaptists. Departing from Lutheranism he emphasized a mystical view instead of a dogmatic attitude. In 1529 Franck moved to Srasbourg. There he became a friend of the reformer and mystic Kaspar Schwenckfeld.
Expelled by the civil authorities from Strasbourg he left for Ulm, where he established himself as a printer. He wrote Chronica; Zeitbuch und Geschichtsbibel (1531; Time book and historical bible), a wide-ranging history of christianity. Another famous book by his hand is Weltbuch (1534), a description of all lands and peoples of the world and particularly their customs and beliefs. It is a remarkable example of comparative religious studies. This book was translated into Dutch in 1560: Werelt-boeck; spieghel ende beeltenisse des gheheelen aerdtbodems. It was very popular among Dutch Lutherans and Anabaptists and influenced deeply the writings of Menno Simons.
Expelled by the civil authorities from Strasbourg he left for Ulm, where he established himself as a printer. He wrote Chronica; Zeitbuch und Geschichtsbibel (1531; Time book and historical bible), a wide-ranging history of christianity. Another famous book by his hand is Weltbuch (1534), a description of all lands and peoples of the world and particularly their customs and beliefs. It is a remarkable example of comparative religious studies. This book was translated into Dutch in 1560: Werelt-boeck; spieghel ende beeltenisse des gheheelen aerdtbodems. It was very popular among Dutch Lutherans and Anabaptists and influenced deeply the writings of Menno Simons.