Samuel Crell-Spinowski (25 March 1660 in

Kluczbork Kluczbork (, ) is a town in south-western 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 rail line from Katowice splits i ...

– 9 June 1747 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

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

Biography

Samuel Crellius was the son of Christopher Crellius and grandson of

Johannes Crellius Johannes Crellius (Polish: ''Jan Crell'', English: John Crell; 26 July 1590 in Iphofen, Hellmitzheim – 11 June 1633 in Raków, Kielce County, Raków) was a Polish and Germany, German theology, theologian. Life Johann Crell's father, Johann Crel ...

. Samuel's mother died when he was 6, and his father then took his older brother, Christopher, and one of his sisters to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. 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 Christian belief system developed and co-founded during the Protestant Reformation by the Italian Renaissance humanists and theologians Lelio Sozzini and Fausto Sozzini, uncle and nephew, respectively. I ...

church in

Lubniewice Lubniewice () 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 since the establishment o ...

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

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

and

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

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'', ...

and Zbigniew Morsztyn 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 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

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

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton () was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment that followed ...

and

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

, who was protector also of Paul Crell. Samuel Crell was the author of over 20 works of

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, printed in Amsterdam, London and

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

. He died on 9 June 1747 in Amsterdam. It is recorded in Polish sources that Samuel had two sons, who emigrated to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, 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