Cruciger, C

Name: Caspar Cruciger

Achievements: Major Lutheran scholar.

Born: January 1, 1504; Leipzig, Germany

Died: November 16, 1548; Wittenberg, Germany (Aged 44)

Field & Discipline: Religion; Scholar; Theologian

Language: German; Latin

Father: Unknown

Mother: Unknown

Siblings: Unknown

Spouse: Unknown

Children: Unknown

Education: University of Wittenberg (1521-25)

Life & Times:

Cruciger was  the son of a merchant.   He studied theology, mathematics and natural science at the University of Wittenberg from 1521-25, where he was taught by both [taught by] Luther* and [taught by] Melanchthon*.

A keen supporter of Luther and the Reformation, during the 1520s Cruciger became personal secretary to Luther, whom he assisted at many important theological disputations.

In 1525 Cruciger was appointed master of theology at the Johannisschule (St. John's School) at Magdeburg, but returned to Wittenberg early in 1529, where he was appointed professor of theology and minister at the Schlosskirche.

Still in close collaboration with Luther, he assisted in Luther's translation from the Hebrew of the Old Testament (published 1534), and helped prepare many of Luther’s works for publication.

In 1533 Cruciger was made a doctor of theology, and around this time, and in 1539 he played an active part in the Reformation in Leipzig. One of his most notable contributions to the study of Reformation history was his preservation in shorthand of many of Luther's lectures and sermons, a collection of which he published in collaboration with Veit Dietrich in 1545.

He was also a keen botanist, and established two botanical gardens outside Wittenberg, in the belief that plants would eventually provide the cure for all disease. Cruciger died at Wittenberg in 1548, at the age of 44.

Assessment:  An active supporter of Luther.

Oneliner: Caspar Cruciger, pupil of Luther

Bibliography:

• Pitts Theology Library Home Page (Emory University).