Daniel Clasen, in Latin Danielis Clasenius or Clasenus (1 May 1622, Lüneburg – 20 November 1678,J.F. von Schulte, Die Geschichte der Quellen und Literatur des canonischen Rechts (The Lawbook Exchange, 2000, 2008), p. 49. Helmstedt), was a German political theorist, religious scholar, and classicist.
His treatises, written in Latin, dealt with law, jurisprudence, religion, and politics. Clasen was one of the earliest theorists of political religion, though preceded by Tommaso Campanella (1568–1639),Raymond Trousson, Le thème de Prométhée dans la littérature européenne (Librairie Droz, 1964, 3rd ed. 2001) p. 204. and argued against accommodation theory.Martin Mulson, "Cartesianism, Skepticism and Conversion to Judaism: The Case of Aaron d'Antan," in Secret Conversions to Judaism in Early Modern Europe (Brill, 2004), p. 138, note 44.
Clasen was a major mythographer of the 17th century,Trousson, Le thème de Prométhée, p. 204. and wrote commentaries on classical texts such as the so-called Tablet of Cebes (Cebetis Tabula vitae humanae), for which he provided a Latin translation.Daniel Clasen, Cebetis Tabula vitae humanae recte instituendae de scriptionem continens cum commentariis (1652 edition), full text online, with parallel Greek text and Latin translation.
Works Clasen's works include: Commentarius in constitutiones criminales Caroli V. Imperatoris De religione politica De iure legitimationis exercitatio iuridica Exercitatio iuridica de patria potestate Politicae compendium succinctum cum notis De iure aggratiandi Theologia gentilis (vol. 7 of the series Thesaurus Graecarum antiquitatum edited by Jakob Gronovius) De oraculis gentilium et in specie de vaticiniis Sibyllinis
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