Michael Servetus

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1511-1553

Martin Luther and John Calvin are widely credited as the founders of the Protestant movement during the Renaissance era in Europe. Lost from most of the world however, are the works of Michael Servetus. Both a scientist and a religious reformer, Servetus made contributions in many different fields. Servetus served as a physician and astrologist editing classical works including works by Greek astrologist Ptolemy. In one of his books left after his death, it was discovered Servetus published about pulmonary systems around 75 years before William Harvey did.

Servetus's greatest work however is his questioning of the Catholic concept of Trinity which stated that the three branches of god, the father, the son, and the holy spirit, were all parts of the same being. Servetus argues in De Trinities Erroribus (On the Error of the Trinity) and Christianismi Restitutio (The Restoration of Christianity) that unlike the old belief that Jesus Christ is the eternal son of god, he is instead the son of the eternal god and therefore not immortal or omnipotent as god is. His beliefs however caused disturbance to both Catholic and Protestant reformers forcing Servetus to keep his identity secret while publishing his works. It was John Calvin who proved to be Servetus's ultimate downfall sending Servetus to execution in Geneva at age 42 for Heresy against the church. Servetus's works survive today in a small group of followers known as the Unitarians.

Sources:

"Biography Michael Servetus." Index Page for Tlogical.net. Web. 02 July 2011. http://www.tlogical.net/bioservetus.htm&gt.

Goldstone, Lawrence, and Nancy Bazelon. Goldstone. Out of the Flames: the

Remarkable Story of a Fearless Scholar, a Fatal Heresy, and One of the Rarest Books in the World. New York: Broadway, 2002. Print

"Michael Servetus Biography - SIS." Michael Servetus - SIS. Web. 02 July 2011. .

Christopher Marlowe

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1564-1593

Christopher Marlowe may have been a greater play writer than William Shakespeare if it were not for his early death and involvement as a Elizabethan spy. Marlowe had success very early in his career writing such plays as Tamburlaine the Great and Dr. Faustus. Marlowe during his life was a supposed Atheist during a time of a Christian dominant English country. During his college years, Marlowe became a English spy for the queen to detect treason and murder plots. His spying is rumored to have led to Elizabeth's belief that Mary Queen of Scots was planning an assassination plot. During the height of his popularity when Shakespeare was just beginning, Marlowe had apparently been murdered. It was said that Marlowe's murder had involved a stabbing over a dinner quarrel that turned violent. However, there are speculations of this story and many say that Marlowe had actually faked his murder. Marlowe had done this in order to avoid prosecution for being an atheist and continue his spy work and play writing under a safer name.

Sources:
"Biography of Christopher Marlowe | List of Works, Study Guides & Essays |GradeSaver." Study Guides & Essay Editing | GradeSaver. Web. 01 July 2011. .

"Christopher Marlowe Timeline and Biography." Tudors. Web. 01 July 2011.

"Life of Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)." Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. Web. 01 July 2011. .