Sandius Christopher,  (Germ. Sand,) the son of Philip Sandius, was born Dec., 1611, at Kreutzburg, a small town in the province of Natangia, in Prussia, of which his father was an Alderman. He left school in the summer semester of 1627, with an honourable recommendation from the Rector to the authorities of the University of Konigsberg; but being under the usual age of admission, he did not take the academical oath, till the 14th of April, 1631. In this University he applied first to the study of Divinity, and afterwards to that of Law; and having finished his studies in his native country, he travelled through Germany, Holland, France and Italy, and everywhere made it his object to add to his stock of previously acquired knowledge. It is recorded of him, that he acted as amanuensis to Hugo Grotius, during a somewhat protracted residence in Holland. On his return to his own country, about the year 1644 or 1645, he began to give instructions to private pupils in the University of Konigsberg, which, as he had not then taken his academical degree, was an infringement of the Statutes of the Faculty of Philosophy: but on being summoned before the Dean, and making a proper apology, he was complimented on his good conduct and acquirements, and the fine which he had incurred, by a breach of the University Statutes, was remitted, on condition that he should abstain from giving further instruction, till he had graduated.

In 1648, he was presented with the office of Councillor of Brandenburg, and Secretary of the Supreme Government in Prussia. Some time afterwards, when Prussia was declared an independent state, and a Supreme Court of Appeal was instituted, under the name of the Tribunal, Sandius was appointed its Secretary; but was allowed to retain his former office. This must have been about the year 1656; for it was in that year that the Elector, Frederick William, surnamed the Great, compelled the King of Poland to acknowledge the independence of Prussia, which had formerly been held of the Polish sovereigns. The duties of the two secretaryships, although they were attended with much labour and trouble, did not altogether prevent Sandius from following his literary pursuits, to which he was accustomed to set apart a portion of each day: but he especially devoted himself to the study of Ecclesiastical History, and Biblical Archaeology.

In the midst of these private occupations, he was led to study the Socinian controversy, which had recently excited much attention, and which occupied so much of his own time and thoughts, that he absented himself from public worship, and very naturally fell under a suspicion of Separatism. He had, besides, embraced the Arian doctrine, of which he made no secret. He rather sought for opportunities of professing and disseminating it, in the course of conversation. His Arianism became quite manifest in the year 1668, when he requested that the Lord's Supper might be administered, by James Tilheim, Dean of the Cathedral Church, to his daughter, who was then at the point of death. Great pains were taken, by the clergy of the Cathedral Church of Konigsberg, to re-convert him, but to no purpose. He was, therefore, deprived of his public offices in 1668, and spent the remainder of his life as a private individual, employing his time in studying the Fathers, and visiting the booksellers' shops. He held a dispute with Melchior Zeidler, Professor of Theology in the University of Konigsberg, on the subject of the Trinity; but was not convinced by him. His death took place on the 6th of June, 1686. He collected a number of interpretations of Scripture, at variance with the commonly received ones; and being unable to get them printed at Konigsberg, he sent them to his son, Christopher, at Amsterdam, with a request that he would get them printed there, under his own name. His other writings were as follow.

1. Preface to his Son's "Nucleus of Ecclesiastical History." Cologne, 1676, 4to.

2. A solid Demonstration, that Arians, Mennonites, or similar Heretics, cannot justly be exiled on account of their Religion. MS. Germ.

3. Sophron, on the Use of Reason in Theology. MS.

4. Poems.

5. Letters on Theological Subjects. MSS. These were addressed chiefly to his son, Christopher Sandius, together with whom he wrote the two following treatises.

6. A Paper, which they presented to James Bohlius on the 24^th of January, 1668; and in which they discussed the commonly received doctrine of the Trinity. MS.

7. Reply to a Refutation of the first Doubt in the aforesaid Paper. MS.

8. A Disputation with the Divines of Konigsberg. MS.

9. On the Confession of the Kneiphof Ministry of Konigsberg.

10. Answer to the Theological Faculty of Konigsberg's Assertion of the Deity of Christ.

11. Declaration presented to the Corporation of Konigsberg.

(Vidend. Sandii B. A. pp. 150, 151. Bock, Hist. Ant . T. I. pp. 741 —744.)

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