He was born in
Waiblingen, in the
Duchy of Württemberg; his father was a blacksmith. He studied at the
University of Tübingen from 1541. He attended the diets of
Regensburg (1557) and
Augsburg (1559), became
professor of theology in the University of Tübingen (1562), and provost of the church of St. George. He was active in Protestant discussions and movements, particularly in the adoption of a common declaration of faith by the two parties. In 1573 he conducted with the help of
Martin Crusius a correspondence with
Patriarch Jeremias II of Constantinople, to make contact on behalf of the
Lutheran Church with the
Eastern Orthodox Church. In 1576, Elector Augustus officially entrusted him with the reform of the churches, schools and universities of Saxony. In the latter part of his life he traveled in Bohemia and Germany, working for the consolidation of the Reformation, conferring with pastors, magistrates, and princes. He attended the 1586 Mompelgard Colloquim, with himself and
Lucas Osiander the Elder representing the Lutheran side with
Theodore Beza representing the Reformed side. Another name for this event is the
Colloquy of Montbéliard. They discussed the doctrines of the Lord's Supper, the person of Christ, predestination, the use of pictures, and ceremonies. He was the author of more than 150 works, nearly all polemical and vigorously written, for the most part directed against
Calvinism. He died in
Tübingen, in the Duchy of Württemberg. ==Family==