Paul Laurentius (March 30, 1554 – February 24, 1624),
Lutheranism divine, was at
Oberwiera, where his father, of the same names, was pastor. From a school at
Zwickau he entered (1573) the University of Leipzig, graduating in 1577. In 1578 he became rector of the Martin school at
Halberstadt; in 1583 he was appointed towns preacher at
Plauen, and in 1586 superintendent at Oelsnitz. On October 20, 1595, he took his doctorate in theology at
Jena. His thesis on the Symboluin Atzanasii (1597), gaining him similar honours at
Wittenberg and Leipzig. He was promoted (1605) to be pastor and superintendent at Dresden, and transferred (1616) to the superintendence at Meissen, where he died on February 24, 1624. His works consist chiefly of commentaries and expository discourses on prophetic books of the
Old Testament, parts of the
Psalter, the
Lords Prayer and the history of the Passion. In two orations he compared
Martin Luther to
Elijah. Besides theological works he was the author of a
Spicilegium Gnomonologicum (1612).
The main authority is C. Schlegel, the historian of the Dresden superintendents (1698), summarized by H. W. Roterinund, in the additions (1810) to Jocher, Gelehrten-Lexicon (1750).
