Born: July 17, 1595 - Coburg, Bavaria, Germany
Died: May 15, 1643 - Coburg, Bavaria, Germany |
Andreas Keßler [Kessler, Kesler], was a German Lutheran theologian. He came from a humble background. His father was the citizen and tailor Andreas Kessler and his mother Katharina was a born Schmidt. First, he visited the schools of his hometown Coburg and moved in 1610 to the University of Jena. There he became in 1615 Baccalaureate and 1619 in Master of Philosophy. In 1619 he went to the University of Wittenberg, was private lectures there and in 1621 became Adjunkt at the faculty of philosophy. In 1623 he returned to his native city and became Professor of logic at Coburger Gymnasium Casimirianum.
In 1625 Andreas Keßler received a call to Superintendent in Eisfeld, he earned his doctorate in 1627 in Jena the doctor of theology and in 1632 lost his library in a fire in a military encroachment of the Croats in Eisfeld. The following year he moved as a Superintendent and was in 1634 became director of Gymnasiums in Schweinfurt. In 1635 he returned to Coburg and became General Superintendent of Coburg. In this capacity he suffered a heartbeat during the sermon and died as a result.
Andreas Keßler acted above all as a representative of Lutheran orthodoxy against the Sozians and wrote several pamphlets. Likewise, he turned in the denominational conflict with the representatives of the so-called Papists.
Andreas Keßler married on January 11, 1631 in Eisfeld with Hedwig Catharina, the daughter of the Electoral Saxon Rentmeister Hieronymus Stumpf (called Lahr) from Schleusingen. His marriage again in Coburg on April 10, 1638 with Katharina Lucretia, the daughter of lawyer Christoph Waltz. Both marriages remained childless. |