Caspar Creuziger, also known as Caspar Cruciger the Elder (1 January 1504 – 16 November 1548), was a German

Renaissance humanist Renaissance humanism was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. During the period, the term ''humanist'' ( it, umanista) referred to teache ...

and

Protestant reformer Protestant Reformers were those theologians whose careers, works and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. In the context of the Reformation, Martin Luther was the first reformer (sharing his views publicly in 15 ...

. He was professor of Theology at the

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university in ...

, preacher at the Castle Church (Wittenberg, Germany), secretary to and worked with

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

to revise Luther's German Bible translation."Cruciger,"

Christian Cyclopedia ''Christian Cyclopedia'' (originally ''Lutheran Cyclopedia'') is a one-volume compendium of theological data, ranging from ancient figures to contemporary events. It is published by Concordia Publishing House as an update to the Concordia Cyclope ...

, eds. Erwin L. Lueker, Luther Poellot, Paul Jackson.(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2000)

Life

Statue of Caspar Cruciger, Schlosskirche, Wittenberg

Born in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

, Creuziger entered the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

at age 12, where he studied under Peter Mosellanus. The outbreak of the plague drove him to Wittenberg in 1521, where he completed his studies in the Hebrew language.Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation, 456. In 1525, he became Rector at Magdeburg's Johannisschule. He was called to the faculties of Philosophy and Theology at

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, north o ...

in 1528, where he lectured in both disciplines, preached at the Castle Church and wrote faculty opinions. He received his doctorate from Wittenberg in 1533. He continued to teach

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...

, dogmatics and edited instructional materials. During these years,

included him in the reformer's circle of translators, who assisted him in revising the German Bible version.Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation, 457. In 1539, Creuziger assisted Leipzig in introducing reforms. He served as a delegate to theological convocations at

Hagenau Haguenau (; Alsatian: or ; and historically in English: ''Hagenaw'') is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department of France, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is second in size in the Bas-Rhin only to Strasbourg, some to the south. To the n ...

Worms Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It had ...

and Regensburg. When other theologians fled the

Schmalkald War The Schmalkaldic War (german: link=no, Schmalkaldischer Krieg) was the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire (simultaneously King Charles I of Spain), commanded by the D ...

, he remained at his post. Creuziger also edited the Wittenberg edition of ''Luther's Works'' and helped to draft the

Leipzig Interim The Leipzig Interim was one of several temporary settlements between the Emperor Charles V and German Lutherans following the Schmalkaldic War. It was presented to an assembly of Saxon political estates in December 1548. Though not adopted by the a ...

. He died at Wittenberg in 1548.

Family

In 1524 he married the former nun Elisabeth von Meseritz - they had one daughter (Elisabeth, who married rector Kegel and then, on his death, Luther's son Hans in Eisleben) and one son (

Caspar Cruciger the Younger Caspar Cruciger the Younger (19 March 1525 – 16 April 1597) was a German theologian and Protestant reformer. Born in Wittenberg, he was the son of Caspar Cruciger the Elder and his wife, the hymnwriter and former nun Elisabeth von Meseritz. He ...

Notes

Bibliography

* ''In epistolam Pauli ad Timotheum priorem Commentarius'' * ''Enarratio Psalmi 116–118'' * ''Der XX. Psalm für christliche Herrschaft zu beten'' * ''In Evangelium Johannis Apostoli Enarratio'' * ''Enarratio Psalmi: Dixit Dominus 10et aliquot sequentium'' * ''Comment. in Matthaeum'' * ''In Epistolam Pauli ad Romanos Commentarius'' * ''De iudiciis piarum Synodorum sententia'' * ''Enarrationis Symboli Nicaeni articuli duo, de Synodis et tribus personis Divinitatis.'' 1504 births 1548 deaths 16th-century German Lutheran clergy German Lutheran theologians German Protestant Reformers German Renaissance humanists German scholars Linguists from Germany Lutheran biblical scholars Clergy from Leipzig Translators of the Bible into German University of Wittenberg faculty Cruciger family {{Christian-theologian-stub