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Petri, Laurent

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one of the three principal Swedish Reformers. a brother of the following, was born at OErebro in 1499. After having followed at Wittenberg the teaching of Luther and Melancthon, on his return to Sweden he spread the principles of Reform in that country. Appointed by Gustavus Vasa professor of theology in the University of Upsala, of which he became rector in 1527, he was elevated in 1531 to the archiepiscopal chair of that city. He then undertook, with the aid of his brother Olaus and of Laurent Andrea, a Swedish translation of the Bible, based principally upon Luther's version, which was printed in 1541: it is known under the name of Gustavus's Bible, and it has contributed greatly to the development of the Swedish language. Sent in 1534 as ambassador to the czar of Russia, he held, in the presence of that prince, a conference upot religion with the patriarch of the Russian Church; the discussion took place in Greek; but the interpreter em ployed by the czar to translate into Russian the word of the interlocutors often did not understand the abstract terms used by Petri, and then told what passed through his head, until one of the assistants, who understood Russian and Greek, disclosed the fraud by bursts of laughter. Petri, during the rest of his life, was occupied in consolidating Lutheranism in his own country, and in organizing the new Church, of which he was one of the principal founders. He was very beneficent. and distinguished himself advantageously over his brother by his conciliatory spirit, which did not prevent him from addressing to Eric XIV, in 1567, a severe reprimand on the subject of the murder of the Sture.

Petri died in 1573. We have of his works. Verae ac justae rationes quare regnum Sueciae Christierno captivo, Daniae olim regi ac ejus heredibus nihil debeat (Stockholm, 1547, 4to): — Postille sur les Evangiles (ibid. 1555, 1641, 8vo): — Refutatio D. Beurei pertinens ad articulum de Cona Domini (Upsala, 1563): — Discipline de l'Eglise Suedoise (Stockholm, 1571, 4to); a work which, by a decision of the Diet of 1572, obtained the force of law: — Sermons sur la Passion (ibid. 1573, 8vo): — several other Sermons, and liturgic, polemical, and dogmatical works. See Schinmeier, Lebensbeschreibung der drei Schwedischen Reformatoren, Andrea, Olaus und Laurent Petri (Lubeck, 1783, 4to); Hallman, Lefvernes beskrifing ofver Olaus och Lars Petri; Biographisk-Lexikon; Alaux, La Suede sous Gustave Wasa (Paris, 1861).Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 39:755. Comp. Fisher, Hist. of the Ref. page 176 sq.; Gieseler, Eccles. Hist. 4:276.