Celestyn Myślenta (also ''Mislenski''; 27 March 1588 in Kuty (Kutten), Ducal Prussia – 20 April 1653 in Königsberg (Królewiec)) was a Polish

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

theologian and rector of the University of Königsberg. Celestyn was the son of Mateusz Myślenta (also Myslonius) and Eufroza née Wiercinska. His father was once employed by Duke Radziwill and belonged to the Polish nobility. As a stipendiary of the Duke of Prussia, he studied at University Königsberg, then became Lutheran pastor in Kuty from 1581-1599. Celestyn studied Latin in Wegorzewo (Angerburg), Frydląd (Friedland in Prussia) and at the University of Königsberg. In 1609, he relocated to

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

to study Protestant theology under Leonhard Hutter, Friedrich Balduin and Friedrich Meisner. In 1615, he spent some months in

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and later moved to Gießen to study at the local university, where his disputation in

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drew much attention. His knowledge of oriental languages was gained during his stay in

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under Christoph Helvig and Johannes Gisenius and in conversations with the

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of Frankfurt, who introduced him to rabbinical literature. He continued his studies in Gießen and received his doctorate in 1619. During his educational journey, he also visited the universities of Jena, Tübingen,

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, and

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, where he broadened his knowledge of oriental languages under Johannes Buxtorf and Thomas van Erpe., here p. 674. In 1619, he was appointed by Prussian duke John Sigismund to the University of Königsberg as a professor extraordinarius of theology, and in 1621, as professor ordinarius of Hebrew. He served as an assessor for the Consistory of Sambia from 1622, the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of the Königsberg Cathedral beginning in 1626, and the superintendent for religious education in the Sambia region from 1640. In 1637 or 1638, he married Regina Winter von Sternenfeld, widow of Henning Wegner, a former jurist at the university. As a superintendent, he insisted on introducing Polish as the language of instruction, in addition to Latin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myslenta 17th-century Prussian people Polish Lutheran theologians 1588 births 1653 deaths 17th-century Lutheran theologians