Polykarp Leyser II

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Polykarp Leyser II, German Lutheran theologian and superintendent in Leipzig (1586–1633)

Polykarp Leyser II (20 November 1586, Wittenberg – 15 January 1633, Leipzig) was a German Lutheran theologian and superintendent in Leipzig. He was professor of theology since 1613.

Life

Provenance

His father Polykarp Leyser the Elder, was a theologian. His mother was Elisabeth, daughter of the painter Lucas Cranach the Younger.

Family

He was the father of nine recorded children, most of whom became theologians. His son, Johann Leyser, was also a theologian, but found himself cut off from his family for his controversial defense of polygamy. One of Polykarp's sons, however, Michael Leyser became a physician and anatomist, making important contributions to documenting the medical advances of the time, notably in respect of the Lymphatic system.

His grandson Polykarp Leyser III and his great-grandson Polykarp Leyser IV were all also theologians.

Bibliography

• Biography in Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie
• Entry in Zedlers Universallexikon, Vol. 17, p. 382
• Erdmann Hannibal Albrecht: Sächsische evangelisch-luther’sche Kirchen- und Predigengeschichte, von ihrem Ursprung an die bis auf gegenwärtige Zeiten. Leipzig 1799, S. 61, (GoogleBooks)