Johannes Elai Terserus (April 1605 – 11 April 1678) was a Swedish prelate and theologian who served as the Bishop of Turku from 1658 to 1664 and then Bishop of Linköping between 1671 and 1678.
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Early life
Johannes Elai Terserus was born in Leksand where his father, Elaus Ingelberti Terserus, was a vicar. His mother was Anna Danielsdotter Svinhufvud. At the age of four, Terserus lost his mother, and his father married Margareta Bure, the so-called Stormor i Dalom. When he was twelve years old, he also lost his father, but was cared for by his stepmother and her later husband, Uno Troilius.
Education and career
Terserus was sent to study in Västerås, where Bishop Johannes Rudbeckius took a special interest in his unusual statute and diligence, and whom he then accompanied on a visitation trip to Livland. He commenced studies in Uppsala in 1628 and ordained priest in 1631. In 1632 he became a lecturer in Greek in Västerås and the following year, with the support of Carl Gyllenhielm, Johan Banér and Axel Oxenstierna, eh embarked on a study trip during which he visited the leading academies in Germany, France, England and the Netherlands. He returned to Sweden in 1637 and resumed his position as a lecturer and also became the principal of an upper secondary school and notary in the chapter of the court. In 1639 he was awarded the Master of Philosophy with first honors from Uppsala. That same year, he also became a theology lecturer in Västerås.