[Peace policy by accusations of heresy against Johannes Crato (1519-1585) and denunciation of Paracelcius followers as Arians].
Since 1563 the Paracelsians were publicly denounced as Arians who denied the full divinity of Christ. A work of Alexander von Suchten, who was personal physician of the Polish King, triggered the polemic. The "Propositiones" of Suchten outlined a doctrine of salvation based on chemistry and medicine. As can be proved the pamphlet was influenced by heterodox christologies and doctrines of justification. But there are no indications of contacts between Suchten and Polish antitrinitarians of his time. Actually the public denunciation of the Paracelsians as Arians was a clever political move of the Emperor's personal physician Johannes Crato who aimed at the reformation of medicine in a humanistic sense. This aim was threatened by the fundamental opposition of the Paracelsians, exactly as his irenic religious policy was jeopardized by the growing confessional dogmatism. In this situation Crato used the instrument of denunciation as a means to dissociate himself from medical and theological extremists. The Zurich naturalist Konrad Gessner supplied him with the basic idea. Thomas Erastus, medical professor in Heidelberg, worked out the accusation in detail.
Bröer
Ralf
R
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg Institut für Geschichte der Medizin Im Neuenheimer Feld 327 69120 Heidelberg. broer@uni-hd.de
D000422:Alchemy; D005060:Europe; D049669:History, 16th Century; D006801:Humans; D010686:Philosophy, Medical / Q000266:history*; D011640:Public Policy; D012068:Religion and Medicine