Gisle Johnson
Gisle Johnson ( born September 10, 1822 in Halden ); † July 17, 1894 in Nøtterøy ) was a Norwegian Lutheran theologian.
Family
Johnson's parents were the lieutenant and later Port Director George Daniel Barth Johnson (1794-1872) and his wife Wilhelmina ( " Mina " ) Hanssen ( 1800-1869 ). On 31 October 1849 he married Emilie ( " Milla " ) Helgine Sophie Dybwad (15 September 1825-14. February 1898 ), daughter of the merchant Jacob Erasmus Dybwad ( 1792-1854 ) and his wife Christiane Lange ( 1795-1885 ). He came from both parents of Iceland's most distinguished families: On my father's side of Gisli Jónsson, Bishop of Skálholt, the mother's side of the family that also had his great-uncle Jón Jónsson Espolin, Syslumaður and annalist spawned.
Career
Johnson grew up in Kristiansand, where he attended the Cathedral School. In 1839 he passed the exam of Arts. Important for the future was the long -standing friendship with the Christian theologians Thistedahl, the Lutheran orthodoxy of the 17th century and a pietistic theology colored font, which was anchored in a classical education instilled in him. After graduating, he studied Protestant theology at the University of Christiania (now Oslo) in 1845 and put his degree from. After that he went on a scholarship to Germany. He came to Berlin, where he studied with August Twesten and Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg, and Leipzig, where he heard Adolf Harless, and finally studied at Erlangen, where he met the Erlangen School of Theology. After two years abroad, he became in 1849 a lecturer at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Christiania. In 1860 he became a professor at the Department of Systematic Theology. From 1855 to 1874 he also taught education at the practical- theological seminary. At his instigation the theologian Carl Paul Caspari came to Christiania. These two were the leading theologians of Norway in the 19th century and the fiercest opponents of the Grundtvigianismus and sectarianism.
Teaching
The Bible, the Reformed confession and Martin Luther himself were the main foundations of his theology for Johnson. But he turned it on modern principles: Theology is rooted in the experience of faith of the individual. The Lutheran doctrine is to internalize in the believer, so that the experience of faith coincides with the teachings. Thus, the experience of faith receives the theologically correct content. This method he founded theologically and psychologically in his teaching about the nature of faith. He fought out of this theological point out for the pure Lutheran doctrine, announced the revival and laid emphasis on the personal piety.
Theological disputes
The Norwegian state church was in the 1850s with major challenges. The pastor Gustav Adolph Lammers had resigned from his church office and a free church, the Baptist was later established, and also the ideas of Kierkegaard's spread. In the church people was great indignation against the Grundtvigian clergy. 1851 also Johnsson turned sharply against the Grundtvigianismus and accused him of not to recognize the exclusive authority of the Bible and see the people optimistic. Its cultural openness is incompatible with the Lutheran doctrine and the pietistic attitude of the people in the pews. Added to this was the rejection of infant baptism by the Baptists, against whom he taught (Some words about infant baptism ) the font Nogle Ord om Barnedaaben. He fought in vain for a general synod. However, the Storting not approved the funds. He succeeded indeed to persuade the government to at January 27, 1859 to convene a "Great Commission Church ", which drew five volumes proposals and a draft law. But these proposals were never realized. So he initiated a series of regional synods on a voluntary basis. There is even a new church constitution was drawn up, which was not accepted by the government.
For the Grundtvigianer and the Liberals Johnson represented the orthodox dogmatism and a dark pietism; for the conservative clergy and the laity pietistic movement, he was against a " kirkehøvding " ( church chief ).
On January 22, 1855 Johnson founded the " Foreningen for Indre Mission i Christiania " ( Association for the Inner Mission in Christiania ). You should operate pastoral care, distribution of devotional works and diakonia as a supplement to the state church services. From 1855 on he held in Christiania public Bible readings with large inlet. He broke social and cultural barriers by itself operated as a professor as a preacher closer to the people, not only in Christiania, but throughout the country up to Tromso. The pietistic revival in the 1850s in Norway was even for him " Johnson - awakening " and trained by him at the University of clergy were " Pastor Johnson " called. This orthodox pietistic spirituality developed a close connection with the Inner Mission, which was in the 20th century of importance to far.
Johnson also promoted the establishment in 1868 of " The norske Lutherstift Else", a nationwide organization dedicated to the Inner Mission and the precursor was founded in 1891 " Det norske lutherske indremisjonsselskap " ( The Norwegian Lutheran Inner Missionary Society). He also had a part in the creation of some institutions, for example 1868, the Deaconess House and the first nursing school in Norway, in 1871 a student hostel and a Committee (not grundtvigianische ) community colleges in the same year. In 1890, he teamed up with Caspari from the new translation of the Old Testament.
As a Lutheran theologian had Gisle Johnson difficulties with public lay preachers who were also active in the Inner Mission. The public preaching were not ordained minister contradicted the Lutheran Confession ( Art. 14 Augsburg Confession ). Johnson sought to compromise with the " emergency " principle: When the church was in spiritual need, even a layman would use his gift of grace to preach. But as " Luther Stiftelsen " in the " Indremisjonsselskap " changed, the emergency principle has been abandoned, generally accepted the lay preaching and Johnson withdrew from the line.
In the 1870s, Johnson finished his lectures in systematic theology and taught instead the history of dogma. He felt burned out and no longer able to meet the challenges of modernity. In the 1880s he supported the conservatives with his Oppropet Til Christendommens Venner i VORT country ( appeal to the friends of Christianity in our country ), which appeared in 1883 as a response to the political radicalism within the " Venstre " party. The call provoked powerful reactions from the liberal and radical side. Even within the lay movement, which belonged to a large part of the Venstre, he was not anywhere approval.
Importance
Gisle Johnson was one of the most important theologians of the 19th century in Norway. He had seemed very long at the theological faculty in Christiania, and so exercised great influence on the subsequent cleric. He was co-founder and long also the director of the Inner Mission in Norway. With its evangelization in the 1850s, he had a decisive religious life in Norway.
Honors
He was a founding member of " Videnskabs -Selskabet " in Christiania (now " Det Norske Akademi Videnskaps - " ) and since 1857 member of " Det Norske Kongelige Videnskabers Selskab ". It was in 1866 Knight of St. Olav's Order and was given in 1882 the Commander's Cross 1st class. In 1879 he became an honorary doctorate from the University of Copenhagen.
Works
- Nogle Ord om Barnedaaben. 1857
- ( Translation ) Konkordiebogen eller the evangelisk - lutherske Circe Bekjendelsesskrifter (along with CP Caspari ), 1861-1866
- Grundrids af the systematiske Theology, til Brug ved Forelæsninger 1879-1881, 1878 anonymous manuscript Grundrids af the systematiske Theology.
- (Translation ) Dr. Martin Luther's Catechism store (along with CP Caspari ), 1881
- " Til Christendommens Venner i VORT Land" ( To the friends of Christianity in our country ) in: Morgenbladet January 28, 1883
- Forelæsninger over Dogmehistorien, ( posthumously ) 1897
- Forelæsninger over the kristelige ethics, ( posthumously ) 1898
Magazine start-ups
- Theologisk tidsskrift for the kirke i Norge evangelisk lutherske (along with Caspari and Tønder Nissen ) 1858.
- Luthersk Kirketidende. 1863
Comments
The article is based on the Norsk biografisk leksikon. Any other information are shown separately.