Paul Luther
Encyclopedia
Paul Luther was a German physician
, medical chemist and alchemist
. He was the third son of the Protestant reformer
Martin Luther
and was successively physician to John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony
, Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg
, Augustus, Elector of Saxony
, and his successor Christian I
. He taught alchemy to Anne of Denmark
.
, the third son of Martin Luther by his marriage to Katharina von Bora
, Luther was named after Saint Paul the Apostle and proved such an energetic child that his father said of him, "He is destined to fight against the Turks." The boy's education began with the study of Greek and Latin
under Philip Melanchthon and Veit Winsheim.
In 1546, when Luther was nine, his father died, leaving the family in straitened circumstances, without Luther's salaries. At the outbreak of the Schmalkaldic War
, they fled to Magdeburg
and in 1547 to Brunswick
. In July, at the end of the war, it was possible to return to Wittenberg, although in relative poverty. On the advice of Melanchthon, Luther attended the University of Wittenberg to study medicine.
In September 1552, an outbreak of the Bubonic plague
forced the Luther family to leave their home once again. They fled to Torgau
, travelling in a cart which overturned near the city gates, seriously injuring Luther's mother. She died there on 20 December 1552. While in Torgau, on 5 February 1553, at the age of twenty, Luther married Anna, daughter of the translator Veit Warbeck (c. 1490–1534).
.
He turned down an offer to teach at the University of Jena because of his objections to the theology of Victorinus Strigel
, a leading academic there. In religion, Luther was an enthusiastic Lutheran
and zealously defended his father's teachings.
Luther took up a career as a physician
. He became the personal physician of John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony
, remaining at Gotha
until the surrender of the city on 13 April 1567. He was then in practice at the court of Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg
until his death on 3 January 1571, and was subsequently physician to Augustus, Elector of Saxony
, and his successor, Christian I
, at Dresden
. In 1590 he retired and took up residence at Leipzig
.
Luther was also distinguished as a chemist and developed several drugs, such as Unguentum ex nitro, Magistrum perlarum, Magistrum collorum, and Aurum potabile, which were produced by the pharmacies of Saxony
. He was interested in alchemy
, the ultimate goal of which was the production of gold
, and has been claimed as the most significant instructor of the amateur alchemist Anne of Denmark, Electress of Saxony
.
Luther died at Leipzig on 8 March 1593. His funeral oration was given by his friend Matthias Dresser.
While still a medical student at Wittenberg, Luther had married Anna Warbeck. They were married for thirty-three years, until Anna's death at Dresden
on 15 May 1586. From this marriage there were six children:
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, medical chemist and alchemist
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
. He was the third son of the Protestant reformer
Protestant Reformers
Protestant Reformers were those theologians, churchmen, and statesmen whose careers, works, and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century...
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
and was successively physician to John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony
John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony
John Frederick II of Saxony , was duke of Saxony, and briefly, Elector of Saxony .He was the eldest son of John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, and Sybille of Cleves.-Reign and military ambitions:...
, Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg
Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg
Joachim II Hector was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg . A member of the House of Hohenzollern, Joachim II was the son of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg, and his wife Elizabeth of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden...
, Augustus, Elector of Saxony
Augustus, Elector of Saxony
Augustus was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586.-First years:Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He consequently belonged to the Albertine branch of the Wettin family...
, and his successor Christian I
Christian I, Elector of Saxony
Christian I of Saxony was Elector of Saxony from 1586 to 1591.He was the sixth but second surviving son of Elector Augustus of Saxony and Anna of Denmark...
. He taught alchemy to Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark, Electress of Saxony
Anne of Denmark or Anna was Electress of Saxony and Margravine of Meissen. She was a member of the House of Oldenburg.- Life :...
.
Early life
Born at WittenbergWittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
, the third son of Martin Luther by his marriage to Katharina von Bora
Katharina von Bora
Katharina von Bora, referred to as "die Lutherin", was the wife of Martin Luther, Germanleader of the Protestant Reformation. Beyond what is found in the writings of Luther and some of his contemporaries, little is known about her...
, Luther was named after Saint Paul the Apostle and proved such an energetic child that his father said of him, "He is destined to fight against the Turks." The boy's education began with the study of Greek and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
under Philip Melanchthon and Veit Winsheim.
In 1546, when Luther was nine, his father died, leaving the family in straitened circumstances, without Luther's salaries. At the outbreak of the Schmalkaldic War
Schmalkaldic War
The Schmalkaldic War refers to the short period of violence from 1546 until 1547 between the forces of Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, commanded by Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League within the domains of the Holy Roman...
, they fled to Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
and in 1547 to Brunswick
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
. In July, at the end of the war, it was possible to return to Wittenberg, although in relative poverty. On the advice of Melanchthon, Luther attended the University of Wittenberg to study medicine.
In September 1552, an outbreak of the Bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
forced the Luther family to leave their home once again. They fled to Torgau
Torgau
Torgau is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.Outside Germany, the town is most well known as the place where during the Second World War, United States Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union...
, travelling in a cart which overturned near the city gates, seriously injuring Luther's mother. She died there on 20 December 1552. While in Torgau, on 5 February 1553, at the age of twenty, Luther married Anna, daughter of the translator Veit Warbeck (c. 1490–1534).
Career
Returning to Wittenburg, Luther completed his medical studies and on 29 July 1557 gained the degree of Doctor of MedicineDoctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
.
He turned down an offer to teach at the University of Jena because of his objections to the theology of Victorinus Strigel
Victorinus Strigel
Viktorin/Victorinus Strigel was a Philippist Lutheran Theologian.-Life:...
, a leading academic there. In religion, Luther was an enthusiastic Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
and zealously defended his father's teachings.
Luther took up a career as a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. He became the personal physician of John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony
John Frederick II, Duke of Saxony
John Frederick II of Saxony , was duke of Saxony, and briefly, Elector of Saxony .He was the eldest son of John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, and Sybille of Cleves.-Reign and military ambitions:...
, remaining at Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
until the surrender of the city on 13 April 1567. He was then in practice at the court of Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg
Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg
Joachim II Hector was a Prince-elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg . A member of the House of Hohenzollern, Joachim II was the son of Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg, and his wife Elizabeth of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden...
until his death on 3 January 1571, and was subsequently physician to Augustus, Elector of Saxony
Augustus, Elector of Saxony
Augustus was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586.-First years:Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He consequently belonged to the Albertine branch of the Wettin family...
, and his successor, Christian I
Christian I, Elector of Saxony
Christian I of Saxony was Elector of Saxony from 1586 to 1591.He was the sixth but second surviving son of Elector Augustus of Saxony and Anna of Denmark...
, at Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. In 1590 he retired and took up residence at Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
.
Luther was also distinguished as a chemist and developed several drugs, such as Unguentum ex nitro, Magistrum perlarum, Magistrum collorum, and Aurum potabile, which were produced by the pharmacies of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. He was interested in alchemy
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
, the ultimate goal of which was the production of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, and has been claimed as the most significant instructor of the amateur alchemist Anne of Denmark, Electress of Saxony
Anne of Denmark, Electress of Saxony
Anne of Denmark or Anna was Electress of Saxony and Margravine of Meissen. She was a member of the House of Oldenburg.- Life :...
.
Luther died at Leipzig on 8 March 1593. His funeral oration was given by his friend Matthias Dresser.
Family
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
on 15 May 1586. From this marriage there were six children:
- Paul Luther, died 1558
- Johannes Ernst Luther, who became canon of ZeitzZeitzZeitz is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Weiße Elster, in the middle of the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.-History:...
. Through him, the male line of the Luther family continued until 1759. - Johannes Joachim Luther, died young
- Johannes Friedrich Luther, died young
- Margarethe Luther, who married Georg von Kunheim
- Anna Luther, who married in Oberschaar Nicolaus Freiherr Marschall von Bieberstein
Publications
- Oratio de arte medica et cura tuendae valetudinis (published posthumously at Breslau, 1598)
Further reading
- 'Luther, Paul', in Allgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche Biographie is one of the most important and most comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language....
, vol. 19 (Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot, 1884), pp. 692–694: online text from Wikisource (in GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
)