Ludwig Crocius
Ludwig Crocius (also Ludovicus Crocius) was a German Calvinist minister and scholar who lived from 1586 to 1653 or 1655. He was a delegate at the Synod of Dort and later taught theology and philosophy in Bremen.
He was born in Laasphe, the son of Paul Crocius. For a time he tutored the sons of the counts of Nassau-Dillenburg and Wittgenstein-Berleburg. From 1583 he served as minister and superintendent in Laasphe. In 1606 he wrote a Protestant martyrology book, Groß Matyrbuch und Kirchenhistorien. His younger brother was Johann Crocius, and his grandfather Matthias Crocius had been a minister near Luther and Melanchthon.
Crocius studied at Herborn Academy and then at the University of Marburg, where he earned a Master of Arts in 1604. After his father’s death in 1607, he briefly took over his father’s duties but left in 1608 to study further. He studied in Bremen, Marburg, Basel, and Geneva, where he continued his education. He earned the Doctor of Divinity in Basel in 1609 and then returned to Bremen to become the first preacher at St. Martini and a professor of philosophy and theology at the Gymnasium Illustre, starting in 1610.
He declined several high-profile offers, including positions from the Elector of Brandenburg and the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, and a chance to become General superintendent for Silesia. He served as prorector at the Gymnasium Illustre from 1630–1639 and again from 1647 until his death. Crocius corresponded with notable scholars such as Samuel Hartlib, John Dury, and Gerardus Vossius.
In 1618 Crocius traveled with Mathias Martinius and Heinrich Isselburg to the Synod of Dort. Bremen wanted a mild Melanchthonian approach, and its delegates subscribed to the Canons of Dort, though Bremen did not impose confessional rules there. Crocius publicly criticized the Synod chair for harshness toward Remonstrants and showed sympathy for Arminian views, but he and the Bremen delegation upheld the Dort conclusions. The debates over predestination continued in Bremen afterward, with tensions between moderates and strict doctrinists. In 1640 Crocius was attacked as an Arminian by Hendrik Alting, but defenders included John Davenant and Joseph Hall. He was known as a tolerant, peace-loving writer and was on friendly terms with Calixtus of Helmstedt.
Crocius was a prolific writer, with about 71 publications. His major work was Syntagma sacrae Theologiae (1636). He also wrote educational pieces, including translations and school editions, such as a 1618 treatment of Tacitus’s Germania and an edition of Ficino’s De Religione Christiana (1617). In 1639 he published Antisocinismus Contractus against Socinians, likely for teaching use. He remained active at the Gymnasium Illustre in Bremen until his death. He passed away in Bremen in 1653.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:01 (CET).