Thomas Erastus | |
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![]() by Tobias Stimmer, 1582 | |
Born | 7 September 1524 |
Died | 31 December 1583 | (aged 59)
Nationality | Swiss |
Alma mater | University of Basel University of Bologna University of Padua |
Known for | Opposition to Paracelsus Erastianism (unity between the church and state) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Medicine, theology |
Institutions | University of Heidelberg |
Academic advisors | Luca Ghini[1] |
Notable students | Petrus Ryff |
Thomas Erastus (original surname Lüber, Lieber, or Liebler;[2] 7 September 1524 – 31 December 1583) was a Swiss physician and Calvinist theologian. He wrote 100 theses (later reduced to 75) in which he argued that the sins committed by Christians should be punished by the State, and that the Church should not withhold sacraments as a form of punishment. They were published in 1589, after his death, with the title Explicatio gravissimae quaestionis. His name was later applied to Erastianism.[2]