Samuel Crell-Spinowski (25 March 1660 in

Kluczbork Kluczbork (german: Kreuzburg O.S., szl, Kluczborek) is a town in southern Poland with 23,554 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Kluczbork County and an important railroad junction. In Kluczbork the major ...

– 9 June 1747 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

) was an Arian philosopher and theologian, pastor of the church of the

Polish Brethren The Polish Brethren (Polish: ''Bracia Polscy'') were members of the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, a Nontrinitarian Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658. By those on the outside, they were called "Arians" or "Socinians" (, ' ...

. Son of Christopher Crellius and grandson of

Johannes Crellius Johannes Crellius (Polish: ''Jan Crell'', English: John Crell; 26 July 1590 in Hellmitzheim – 11 June 1633 in Raków) was a Polish and German theologian. Life Johann Crell's father, Johann Crell Sr., was pastor of the church at Hellmitzheim, ( ...

. Samuel's mother died when he was 6, and his father then took his older brother, Christopher, and one of his sisters to England. Samuel remained with his father in Poland, who later remarried and became father of Paul (1677). It is recorded that Samuel studied in England, but when Christopher Crell Sr. died in 1680 Samuel's elder brother Christopher Crell Jr. appears to have been not in England, but studying medicine in Leiden, and did not return to take up medicine in London till 1683. Samuel was minister of the

Socinian Socinianism () is a nontrinitarian belief system deemed heretical by the Catholic Church and other Christian traditions. Named after the Italian theologians Lelio Sozzini (Latin: Laelius Socinus) and Fausto Sozzini (Latin: Faustus Socinus), uncle ...

church in

Lubniewice Lubniewice (german: Königswalde) is a small town in Sulęcin County, Lubusz Voivodeship, western Poland, with 2,059 inhabitants (2019). It is the administrative seat of Gmina Lubniewice. History Middle Ages The area formed part of Poland sinc ...

(from about 1706 and again from 1718) and Królowa Wola. In

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

he served as a spiritual leader, as had

Samuel Przypkowski Samuel Przypkowski (Przipcovius, Pripcovius) (1592–19 April 1670, Königsberg) was a Polish Socinian theologian, a leading figure in the Polish Brethren and an advocate of religious toleration. In ''Dissertatio de pace et concordia ecclesiae'', p ...

and

Zbigniew Morsztyn Zbigniew Morsztyn (Morstin, Morstyn) (ca. 1628 – December 13, 1689) was a Polish poet. Morsztyn was born in Kraków. For nine years (1648-1657) he served in the army, and fought against the Swedes and Russians during the Northern Wars. His ...

before him. He worked closely with his half-brother Paweł, 17 years his junior, who was a minister of the church in Kosinowo. Samuel maintained contacts with representatives of the Reformation in England, Germany and the Netherlands, among others with

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...

,''The Correspondence of John Locke'', Volume 6 - Page 459 John Locke - Biography & Autobiography - 1981

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

and

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury (26 February 1671 – 16 February 1713) was an English politician, philosopher, and writer. Early life He was born at Exeter House in London, the son of the future Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd E ...

, who was protector also of Paul Crell. Samuel Crell was the author of over 20 works of philosophy and theology in Latin, printed in Amsterdam, London and

Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...

. He died on 9 June 1747 in Amsterdam. It is recorded in Polish sources that Samuel had two sons, who emigrated to Georgia, America and spread Socinian teaching there.

References

''Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia'', in article on Socinus

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crell, Samuel 1660 births 1747 deaths Polish Unitarians