Editing Caspar Schwenckfeld (section)

==Career==
In 1518 or 1519, Schwenckfeld experienced an awakening that he called a "visitation of God". [[Martin Luther]]'s writings had a deep influence on Schwenckfeld, and he embraced the "[[Lutheranism|Lutheran]]" Reformation and became a student of the scriptures. In 1521, Schwenckfeld began to preach the gospel, and in 1522 won Duke Friedrich II over to Protestantism. He organized a Brotherhood of his converts for the purpose of study and prayer in 1523. In 1525, he rejected Luther's idea of [[real presence]] and came to a spiritual interpretation of the [[Eucharist|Lord's Supper]], which was subsequently rejected by Luther. 

Schwenckfeld began to teach that the true believer ate the spiritual body of Christ. He pushed for reformation wherever he went, but also criticized reformers that he thought went to extremes. He emphasized that for one to be a true Christian, one must not change only outwardly but inwardly. Because of the communion and other controversies, Schwenckfeld broke with Luther and followed what some describe as a "middle way". Because of his break from Luther and the [[Magisterial Reformation]], scholars typically categorize Schwenckfeld as a member of the [[Radical Reformation]]. He voluntarily exiled himself from Silesia in 1529 in order to relieve pressure on and embarrassment of his duke. He lived in [[Strasbourg]] from 1529 to 1534, and then in [[Swabia]].

===Teachings===
Some of the teachings of Schwenckfeld included opposition to war, secret societies, and oath-taking, that the government had no right to command one's conscience, that regeneration is by grace through inner work of the Spirit, that believers feed on Christ spiritually, and that believers must give evidence of regeneration. He rejected [[infant baptism]], outward church forms, and "denominations". His views on the Eucharist prompted Luther to publish several sermons on the subject in his 1526 ''[[The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ—Against the Fanatics]]''.

=== Publications ===
In 1540 Luther expelled Schwenckfeld from Silesia. In 1541, Schwenckfeld published the ''Great Confession on the Glory of Christ''. Many considered the writing to be [[Heresy in Christianity|heretical]]. He taught that Christ had two natures, divine and human, but that he became progressively more divine.  He also published a number of works about interpreting the scriptures during the 1550s, often responding to the rebuttals of the Lutheran Reformer [[Matthias Flacius|Matthias Flacius Illyricus]].<ref>Arbeiten zur Geschichte und Theologie des Luthertums, Neue Folge, Band 5 (Hannover, Lutherisches Verlagshaus: 1984).</ref>

Schwenckfeld's ''Theriotropheum Silesiae'' is considered the world's oldest published local faunal list, containing a list of the animals of Silesia, including 150 bird species.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/s10336-007-0160-2|title=The development of ornithology in central Europe|year=2007|last1=Haffer|first1=J.|s2cid=38874099|journal=Journal of Ornithology|volume=148|pages=125–153}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Andrejew, Adolf| title=[Kaspar Schwenckfeldt - a Silesian physician, Renaissance student of nature and bibliophile| pages=89–104| journal=Kwartalnik Historii Nauki I Techniki R.|volume=40| year=1995| issue=5| pmid=11624921|url=http://bazhum.muzhp.pl/media/files/Kwartalnik_Historii_Nauki_i_Techniki/Kwartalnik_Historii_Nauki_i_Techniki-r1995-t40-n3/Kwartalnik_Historii_Nauki_i_Techniki-r1995-t40-n3-s89-104/Kwartalnik_Historii_Nauki_i_Techniki-r1995-t40-n3-s89-104.pdf }}</ref>

=== Death ===
In 1561, Schwenckfeld became sick with [[dysentery]], and gradually grew weaker until he died in [[Ulm]] on the morning of December 10, 1561. Due to his enemies, the fact of his death and the place of his burial were kept secret.