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Mumpelgart, Colloquy of

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A conference between Beza and Andrea, with a view to bring about the union of the Lutheran and Reformed churches, but which loses much of its importance from the fact that the two theologians acted here of their own accord, and not as representatives of their respective churches. The occasion of it was the incorporation of the territory of Mumpelgart into the duchy of Wiirtemberg by inheritance. Farel had preached the Gospel there as early as 1526, but had been driven away. In 1535 duke George of Wurtemberg had caused the Reformation to be introduced into Mumpelgart by Tossanus, a French minister. The Wiirtemberg authorities afterwards sought to introduce the Lutheran form of worship. But when, in consequence of persecution, many French Calvinists sought a refuge at Mumpelgart, they found great difficulty in being allowed to take part in the Lord's Supper, and in order to put an end to this state of things demanded a colloquy. Neither of the two theologians appointed entertained much hope of the result.

Beza had been forewarned that all such attempts had heretofore served only to embitter the strife, yet he did not consider himself free to reject the application of the exiles, while Andrea felt the less opposed to take part in a discussion presided over by a Lutheran prince. On the Lutheran side appeared Andrea and Lucas Osiander, assisted by the two political counsellors, Hans Wolf von Anweil and Frederich Schiitz; on the part of the Reformed, Beza, Abraham Musculus (pastor at Berne), Anton Fajus (deacon at Geneva), Peter Hybner (professor of the Greek language at Berne), Claudius Alberius (professor of philosophy at Lausanne), and the two counsellors, Samuel Meyer, of Berne, and Anton Marisius, of Geneva. The colloquy took place at the castle of Mumpelgart, March 21-26,1586. Beza did not succeed in arranging that a protocol of the discussion should be drawn up, and the accounts of the proceedings led subsequently to a lengthy controversy. The points of the controversy were: 1, the Lord's Supper; 2, the person of Christ; 3, images and ceremonies; 4. baptism; 5, election. Beza, who had only intended to argue on the first point, was, in spite of all his efforts, obliged to discuss them all to the last, on which, as lie had foreseen, the possibility of a compromise was still less than on the others. He declared himself ready to yield on all these points if he could be shown by Scripture to be in the wrong. Andrea, it is said, declared from the first-like Luther at Marburg-that he would yield nothing, and that the pure doctrine was forever established by the Confession of Augsburg. Both parties afterwards gave different versions of the colloquy. The Lutherans published the Acta Colloquii Montisbelligartensis (Tubingen, 1587), and also a German translation of it, and an Epitome colloquii in 1588. Beza defended himself in the Responsio ad acta coll. M. (Geneva, 1587 and 1588; German, Heidelberg, 1588), etc. At this colloquy both parties gave each other their doctrines and principles in writing. See Schweizer, Gesch. der reformirten Centraldogmnen, 1:402 sq., 501 sq.; Herzog, Real-Encyklopadie, 10:89. (J.N.P.)