Peter Thyraeus
German Jesuit theologian
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Peter (or Petrus) Thyraeus (1546 – December 3, 1601)[1] was a German Jesuit theologian.
Thyraeus was born in Neuss,[1] the brother of Herman Thyraeus, also a Jesuit theologian.[2] He joined the Jesuits in 1561, and taught at Jesuit colleges in Trier and Mainz from 1574.[3]
In 1590, he was appointed professor of theology at the University of Würzburg, where he was well regarded by Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn. He died at Würzburg in 1601.[1]
He published a number of works on theology, which the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie grouped into three classes: writings on visions and apparitions, writings on possession and exorcism, and writings on traditional theological subjects such as the Eucharist and the role of the Catholic Church.[1] His writing on exorcism "has been called the first 'scientific' (i.e. systematic) research on modern exorcism, based in part on the experiences of Peter Canisius".[2]
