FLACIUS, or VLACICH, Matthias, Lutheran theologian: b. Albona, Myna, 3 March 1520; d. Frankfort-on-Main, 11 March 1575. He is usually called Flacius Illyricus. After studying at Venice, Basel and Tubingen he went in 1541 to Wittenberg, where he became a pupil of Luther and Melanchthon. In 1544 he became professor of the Hebrew Scriptures at Witten berg University. From this time he took an active part in all the theological discussions of the time; and for his attacks on Melanchthon's compromise, known as the Leipzig Interim, he was, four years later, deprived of his professor ship. Nor did he procure another appointment until 1557, when he became professor of theology at Jena. This post he again lost, after four years, on account of his doctrine that orig inal sin was essentially inherent in man s nature. From then on he was continuously in trouble with church and civil authorities, and was driven successively from Regensburg, Ant werp and Strassburg. He finally went to Frankfort-on-Main from where he was again to be deported when he was taken mortally ill. He published a large number of works,
most of which were comparatively short and of a controversial nature. Of his larger writ ings the following deserve mention: (Catalogus Testium Veritatis> (Basel 1556) ; (Ecclesiastica Historia,) more frequently called (Magde burger Zenturien) (Basel 1559-74) ; (Clavis Scripturm Sacra: (Basel 1567). Consult Hollander, A., (Der Theologe M. Flacius Illyricus in Strassburg) (in Deutsche Zeit schrif t ur Geschichtewissenschaft, n. s. Vol. II, p. 203, Freiburg 1897) ; Preger, W.,