Editing Johann Gerhard (section)

==Biography==
He was born in the German city of [[Quedlinburg]]. During a dangerous illness, at the age of fourteen he came under the personal influence of [[Johann Arndt]], author of ''Das wahre Christenthum'', and resolved to study for the church. He entered the [[University of Wittenberg]] in 1599, and studied [[philosophy]] and theology. A relative then persuaded him to change his subject, and he studied medicine for two years. In 1603, he resumed his theological reading at [[University of Jena|Jena]], and in the following year received a new impulse from J.W. Winckelmann and Balthasar Mentzer at Marburg. He graduated in 1605 and began to give lectures at Jena, then in 1606 he accepted the invitation of [[John Casimir, Duke of Coburg]], to the superintendency of [[Heldburg]] and mastership of the gymnasium [[Casimirianum Coburg]]; soon afterwards he became general superintendent of the duchy, in which capacity he was engaged in the practical work of ecclesiastical organization until 1616, when he became the senior theological professor at Jena, where the remainder of his life was spent.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

Here, with [[Johann Major]] and [[Johann Himmel]], he formed the "Trias Johannea." Though still comparatively young, Gerhard was already regarded as the greatest living [[theology|theologian]] of [[Protestant]] Germany; in the "disputations" of the period he was always protagonist, and his advice was sought on all public and domestic questions touching on religion or morals. During his lifetime he received repeated calls to almost every university in Germany (e.g. [[university of Giessen|Giessen]], [[university of Altdorf|Altdorf]], [[university of Helmstedt|Helmstedt]], [[University of Jena|Jena]], [[University of Halle-Wittenberg|Wittenberg]]), as well as to [[Uppsala University|Uppsala]] in [[Sweden]]. He died in [[Jena]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}