[MIGUEL SERVETO] ( 1 5 1 I–I 553 ) , Spanish physician and polemic, was born in 1511 at Tudela in Navarre, his father being Her nando Villanueva, a notary of good family in Aragon. His sur name is given by himself as "Ser veto" in his early works, "per Michaelem Serueto, alias Reues." Later he Latinized it "Servetus"; when writing French (1553) he signs "Michel Seruetus." The surname, Villanovanus or de Villeneufve, is derived from the home of the family, Villanueva. Servetus studied law at Toulouse, where he first became acquainted with the Bible (1528). From 1525 he had found a patron in Juan de Quin tana (d. a Franciscan promoted in 153o to be con fessor to Charles V. In the train of Quintana he witnessed at Bologna the double coronation of Charles in Feb. 153o, visited Augsburg, and perhaps saw Luther at Coburg. The spectacle of the adoration of the pope at Bologna impressed him strongly in an anti-papal direction. He left Quintana, visited Lyons and Geneva, repaired to Oecolampadius at Basle, and pushed on to Bucer and Capito at Strasbourg. His first publication, De Trin itatis erroribus (1531, printed by John Setzer at Hagenau) is crude, but original and earnest, and shows a wide range of reading. The essay was followed in 1532 by a revised presentation of his views in dialogue form. We next find him at Lyons (1535) editing scientific works for the Trechsel firm, adopting the "Villanovanus" surname, which he constantly used till the year of his death. At Lyons he found a new patron in Dr. Symphorien Champier (Campegius) and he then went (1536) to Paris to study medicine under Johann Gunther, Jacques Dubois and Jean Fernel. In 1536 Calvin saw Servetus in Paris, and as he himself says, proposed to set him right on theological points. Servetus succeeded Vesalius as assistant to Giinther, who extols his general culture, and notes his skill in dissection, and ranks him vix ulli secundus in knowledge of Galen. He graduated in arts, and claims to have graduated in medicine, published six lectures on "syrups" (the most popular of his works), lectured on geometry and "astrology" (from a medical point of view) and defended by counsel a suit brought against him (March 1538) by the medical faculty on the ground of his astrological lectures. Shortly after
wards, on the death of his master, he left Paris for Louvain, where he studied theology and Hebrew. He then practised medicine for a short time at Avignon, and for a longer period at Charlieu. In September 154o he entered the medical school at Montpellier.
Pierre Paulmier, since 1528 archbishop of Vienne, who had attended his lectures in Paris, now invited Servetus to Vienne as his confidential physician. At Vienne he remained for 12 years making money by his practice, and also by renewed editorial work for the Lyons publishers. Outwardly he was a con forming Catholic ; privately he pursued his theological specula tions. It is probable that in 1541 he had been rebaptized (he maintained the duty of adult baptism at the age of 3o). Late in or very early in 1546, he opened a fatal correspondence with Calvin, forwarding the ms. of a much-enlarged revision of his theological tracts and expressing a wish to visit Geneva. Calvin replied (Feb. 13, 1546) in a letter now lost, in which, he says, he expressed himself "plus durement que ma coustume ne porte." On the same day he wrote to Guillaume Farel, "si venerit, modo valeat mea autoritas, vivum exire nunquam patiar," and to Pierre Viret in the same terms. Evidently Servetus had warning that if he went to Geneva it was at his peril. Writing to Abel Pouppin in or about 1547) he complains that Calvin would not return his ms., and adds, "mihi ob eam rem moriendum esse certo scio." The volume of theological tracts, again recast, was declined by two Basle publishers, Jean Frellon (at Calvin's instance) and Marrinus, but an edition of r,000 copies was secretly printed at Vienna by Balthasar Arnollet. Ready by Jan. 3, 1553, the bulk of the impression was privately consigned to Lyons and Frankfort for the Easter market.