Lo, Peter (1530-1581)

Peter Lo (1530-13 September 1581), a Protestant theologian, was born at Elberfeld, Germany, where his father was a schoolteacher and secretary of the council. In 1552 he was made chaplain in his native town. Charged with "Anabaptism" and threatened with imprisonment, he fled to Francis II, Count of Waldeck at Beyenburg. When he attempted to return to Elberfeld he was arrested. But he managed to escape from prison, and in March 1558 he moved to Beyenburg and entered the service of the count.

In 1565 William, Duke of Jülich-Cleve-Berg, asked Lo to "convert" the Anabaptists held in Blankenberg and Bensberg. Lo disputed with them on 23-24 June in Blankenberg and 28 June-2 July in Bensberg. Not only ducal councilors and other persons of the court, but the duke himself took an active interest in these conversations. In order to induce "poor Martin," an Anabaptist preacher, to recant, the official called his attention to the great interest of His Highness in the salvation of his soul. On the question of the salvation of unbaptized infants Lo agreed with the Anabaptists but he tried to justify infant baptism "in a sort of continuing proof" and stated that those who despise the sacrament are doomed to eternal damnation, "since they made God a liar and mistreated Christ, and destroyed the symbol of the new covenant." But the Anabaptists stood by their position: little children cannot believe, and without faith baptism is an empty form. Martin Wilach declared that the prevailing church was "no longer a church of Christians but a church of pagans," and "matters of faith are not the concern of the temporal ruler." Lo is said to have won some of them over, but most of them remained true to their convictions. In 1650 there were still some Anabaptists the Blankenberg area.

Bibliography

Bouterwek, K. W.  "Die Reformation in Wuppertal und P. Lo's Anteil an derselben." Zeitschrift des Berg. Geschichtsvereins 4 (1867): 273-336

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe; Schneider, 1913-1967: II, 674.

Nebe. "Drei Briefe über Peter Lo's Verhandlungen mit den Wiedertäufern in Blankenberg 1565." Zeitschrift des Berg. Geschichtsvereins 34 (1899): 1-15.

Niemöller, Heinrich. Peter Lo, der Reformator von Elberfeld. Elberfeld: Selbstverlag, 1907.

Schönneshofer, Bernhard. Geschichte des Bergischen Landes. Elberfeld, 1895: 202.

Author(s)	Wilhelm Wiswedel
Date Published	1957

Cite This Article

MLA style

Wiswedel, Wilhelm. "Lo, Peter (1530-1581)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lo,_Peter_(1530-1581)&oldid=172012.

APA style

Wiswedel, Wilhelm. (1957). Lo, Peter (1530-1581). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lo,_Peter_(1530-1581)&oldid=172012.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 378. All rights reserved.

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