Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Joannes Aurifaber (1.)

AURIFABER (the Latinised form of the name Goldschmidt), Joannes, a Lutheran divine, celebrated as the friend of Luther and as one of the editors of his works, was born in 1519 in the county of Mansfeldt, or, more probably, in the town of Weimar. After completing his education at the university of Wittenberg, where he heard the lectures of Luther, he became tut or to Count Mansfeldt, and in the war of 1544-5 accompanied the army as field-preacher. For some months afterwards he resided with Luther as his famulus or private secretary, and was present at his death in 1546. In the following year he spent six months in prison along with John Frederick, elector of Saxony, who had been captured by the emperor, Charles V. He held for some years the office of court-preacher at Weimar, but, owing to theological disputes, was compelled to resign this office in 1561. In 1566 he was appointed to the Lutheran church at Erfurt, which post he held, though not without serious differences with his fellow-clergymen, till his death in 1575. Besides taking a share in the first collected or Jena edition of Luther s works, Aurifaber sought out and published at Eisleben in 1564-5 several writings not included in that edition. He also published Luther’s Letters (1556, 1565), and Table Talk (1566).