BIOGRAPHY EVENT PAPER

REQUIREMENT FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE COURSE

BY
JAMES A. JACKSON, JR.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction: 1-2
2. Servetus Physician and Classical Scholar: 2-4
3. Michael Servetus’ Theological System: 4-8
4. Michael Servetus Study of Jesus: 8-9
5. Michael Servetus’ Study of the Holy Spirit: 9-11
6. Michael Servetus and the Trinity: 11-12
7. Michael Servetus’ views on Baptism and The Lords Supper: 13
8. Servetus fleeing to the Colonies to avoid persecution, and His Capture: 13-14
9. Servetus’ Before The Geneva Court: 15-16
10. Servetus Waiting On His Fate: 16-17
11. Servetus’ Death: 18
12. Conclusion: 18-19
13. Bibliography: 20-21

Introduction
Without a doubt, when you think about Baptist History you have to think about the likes of Michael Servetus. Michael Servetus was originally given the name Miguel Serveto y Conesa at birth his birth in the year 1511. Servetus was a Spanish biblical scholar, physician, and theologian, and theologian.1 He was born in Tudela, Navarra Province. He studied law at the University of Toulouse, medicine at the universities of Paris and Montpellier, and theology at Louvain.2 Even though Servetus was an incredibly intelligent man, he was someone that did an enormous amount of wandering and traveling. In fact his travels led him to places such as Strasbourg, Basel, and Paris. Eventually after wandering from place to place he decided to settle in Lyon and Vienne where he began working as a publisher’s assistant. Nonetheless, Wesley Longman considered him as one who was immensely well-read and highly intelligent and had the humanists’ delight in undermining previously accepted notions and fusing different traditions. On the basis of neo-Platonic and mystic influences, he questioned the accepted Galenic physiological notions of the bloodstream.3
Servetus had an enormously strong passion for knowledge and because of his strong convictions challenged anyone especially if he felt the cause was worthwhile. Throughout Baptist History it was not uncommon to have people stand up for what they believed and in some cases die even for. This was the case of Michael Servetus.
Unfortunately Servetus was not the first martyr neither would he be the last martyr. In my opinion Servetus had very little patience for incompetence and ignorance which is why he stood for what he honestly believed was right.
Servetus Physician And Classical Scholar
While others may not have known why Michael Servetus was a man obsessed with challenging whatever he read or anything he felt was wrong, he was relentless with his research until he was satisfied with the end results. On the other hand, Michael Servetus was the first doctor ever to challenge and scientifically argue against the theories of Galen, which predominated for 14 centuries in medical schools worldwide.4 Even though he was relatively correct in scientific terms, Servetus was punished because of his boldness in challenging Galen's theories and was condemned to death by the Holy Inquisition.5
Yet, by publicly challenging Galen's and Hippocrates' predominant and unquestionable lessons on medicine for the first time, Servetus opened the door for other doctors to challenge and correct those theories and subsequently to bring about a new view of human anatomy and physiology. This article underlines the contribution of Servetus to the description of the pulmonary circulation.6 Continuing this point he later published a work on astrology in which he maintains how the stars have a great deal of influence on health; despite some attacks by the medical faculty, he still matriculated in medicine at Paris in 1538 and subsequently became physician to the archbishop at Vienne, France.7
Servetus however remained outwardly a conforming Catholic while pursuing his private theological studies. He soon published at Lyon his most important work, Biblia sacra ex Santis Pagnini