Nikolaus von Amsdorf

Nikolaus von Amsdorf , 1483-1565, German Protestant reformer. He became a devoted supporter of Martin Luther. Elector John Frederick I of Saxony appointed Amsdorf bishop of Naumberg in 1541, but after the elector was captured by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the office was withdrawn (1547). A zealous defender of Luther's doctrines, Amsdorf attacked all who deviated from them in the slightest, including Melanchthon. He took part in the founding of the Univ. of Jena and superintended the Jena edition of the works of Luther.

Amsdorf, Nikolaus von (1483–1565), Lutheran theologian. He joined M. Luther in 1517 and accompanied him to the Disputation of Leipzig (1519) and the Diet of Worms (1521). In 1524 he went to Magdeburg to lead the Protestant opposition to the Catholic clergy and to reform the services on Lutheran lines. He objected to the Leipzig Interim (1548) and became one of the leaders of the Gnesio-Lutheran party opposed to the Adiaphorists. Against G. Major and others, he maintained that good works were not only useless but actually harmful.