Sternberger Luke

Sternberger Luke

Sternberger Luke, (or, as some write the name, SternBerg,) is properly ranked by Bock among modern Antitrinitarians, although he differed from the generality of them on many points. He is not honoured with a place in Sandius's "Bibliotheca Antitrinitariorum;" but this may have been, because he is not known to have left any writings behind him. Trinitarians, and Roman Catholics in particular, have not been sparing in their abuse of him ; and if all that is said of him be true, his name would be no great honour to any cause. Laurence Surius, the Carthusian, describes him as "an impious, blasphemous, and thrice-execrable villain."

Being educated a Catholic, he embraced the monastic life ; but growing weary of that, and of his vow of celibacy, he became a Lutheran, and studied under Melanchthon, in whose school he made such proficiency, that, in the year 1561, he was deemed worthy to undertake the pastoral charge of a Church at Olmutz. From reading the works of Servet, however, and other Antitrinitarians, he was led to renounce the doctrine of the Trinity ; and after publicly teaching his new opinions in Moravia, he went into Poland. Lamy says this, and much more of him ; but as Lamy is an author worthy of little credit, we may pass over the rest of his account, and proceed to avail ourselves of those of more trustworthy writers.

According to Sandius, in his Hist. Eccles. Enucl., Sternberger taught, that all, who believe and worship the Trinity, are Tritheists ; that the word Trinity is superfluous and absurd, and is nowhere found in Scripture ; and that there is but one God in heaven. He therefore, continues Sandius, forbade the singing of the beautiful hymn, "O veneranda Trinitas," and insisted upon the words "O veneranda Dei Bonitas" being sung instead. He further taught, that Christ is not the Supreme God, and that he rose from the dead, not by any divine power of his own, but by the power of the Almighty ; and wrought no miracle, but by the same power, the Almighty having endowed him with gifts superior to those of all other Prophets. He admitted, indeed, that Christ was the Son of God ; but only as regarded his soul.

From this account of Sandius, it would appear, that Sternberger's opinion bore some resemblance to that of Apollinarius, who taught, that Christ had the body and flesh of a man, but not a human soul, the place of which was supplied by the Logos.

Spondanus says, that he vomited forth his blasphemies in the city of Olmutz ; denying the Trinity, and asserting that Christ was a man, like other mortals, the son of Joseph and Mary, and was adopted as the Son of God, when the voice was heard from heaven at John's baptism ; that the Holy Spirit was nothing but a dove ; that the sabbath ought to be observed in preference to the Lord's day ; and that Baptism was an institution of Satan.

This description of Spondanus would lead one to suppose, that Sternberger's notion respecting Jesus Christ approached more nearly to that of Cerinthus, than to that of Apollinarius. But the truth is, that all accounts of the opinions of such men are to be received with some degree of allowance, whether they proceed from the pens of Catholics, or orthodox Protestants ; for it not unfrequently happens, (vide Art. 182,) that a reputed heretic is charged with ten or a dozen different heresies, of which the larger proportion are incompatible with each other, and could not possibly have been held by the same person.

(Vidend. Bock, Hist. Ant. T. I . pp. 966—969. Sandii Nucleus Histories Ecclesiastical, Colon. 1676, 4to. L. iii. A. 1561, p. 429. [Lamy] Histoire du Socinianisme, &c. Paris, 1723, 4to. P. ii. Chap. x. pp. 276 —278, etc.

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