
Elisabeth Cruciger (also spelled Kreuziger, Creutziger etc.; née von Meseritz) (c. 1500 - 2 May 1535), a German writer, was the first female poet and hymnwriter of the
Protestant Reformation and a friend of
Martin Luther.
Life

Elisabeth von Meseritz was born into a noble family in
Eastern Pomerania
Eastern Pomerania can refer to distinct parts of Pomerania:
*The historical region of Farther Pomerania, which was the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania
*The historical region of Pomerelia including Gdańsk Pomerania, located ...
. While still a child, she became a nun at the Marienbusch Abbey, a
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
cloister in
Treptow an der Rega. At the cloisters, she learnt of the religious ideas of the Reformation through
Johannes Bugenhagen, one of the influential figures in
Lutheranism.
In 1522 Elisabeth left the abbey to move to
Wittenberg, where she joined Bugenhagen's household. Then in 1524 she married the theologian
Caspar Cruciger, a student and an assistant to
Martin Luther. Together they had two children: a daughter, Elisabeth, who married Andreas Kegel, the rector of Luther's hometown
Eisleben, and then—on Kegel's death—Luther's son Johannes; and a son,
Caspar Cruciger the Younger, who succeeded in
Philip Melanchthon
Philip Melanchthon. (born Philipp Schwartzerdt; 16 February 1497 – 19 April 1560) was a German Lutheran reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lu ...
's post as professorship at Wittenburg.
Elisabeth Cruciger died in
Wittenberg in 1535.
Veneration
In 2022, Elisabeth Cruciger was officially added to the
Episcopal Church liturgical calendar with a feast day on 3 May.
Works
* For
Epiphany
Epiphany may refer to:
* Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight
Religion
* Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ
** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...
- "" in the current German Protestant hymnal ' (EG) Nr. 67 (originally known as ''Eyn Lobsanck vom Christo'', first published in Erfurt 1524 in ''
Eyn Enchiridion oder Handbüchlein'', an early Protestant hymnal)
Notes
References
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Further references
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* Carl Bertheau
Kreutziger, Elisabeth.In: ''
Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie
''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language.
It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...
'' (ADB). Vol 17, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1883, p. 148 f.
* Sonja Domröse: ''Frauen der Reformationszeit, Gelehrt, mutig und glaubensfest'', Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2010,
*
Walther Killy: ''
Killy Literaturlexikon''. Autoren und Werke deutscher Sprache''. Directmedia Publications, Berlin 2000, . (1 CD-ROM)
* Elisabeth Schneider-Böklen: ''Elisabeth Cruciger, die erste Dichterin des Protestantismus''. In: ''Gottesdienst und Kirchenmusik''. Heft 2/1994, S. 32 ff.
* Wolfgang Herbst: Wer ist wer im Gesangbuch?
Onlineleseprobe
External links
*
1500 births
1535 deaths
16th-century German Roman Catholic nuns
Premonstratensian nuns
German women poets
German Lutheran hymnwriters
Converts to Lutheranism from Roman Catholicism
16th-century hymnwriters
Women hymnwriters
16th-century women composers
Cruciger family
Martin Luther family
Anglican saints
Year of birth uncertain
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