Tidsskrift.dk (Det Kongelige Bibliotek)
Not a member yet
114105 research outputs found
Sort by
Religion og politik. Religion og integration: Afskedsforelæsning ved Københavns universitet, Det teologiske Fakultet, den 15. september 2008
No full textThis Article is based on a lecture which I gave on the occasion of my retirement as Professor of Church History at the Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen (September 2008). It begins with some personal meditations on the study of church history during the years 1957-1965 at the University of Copenhagen. Here I refer in particular to the church historians who have inspired me most, such as the professors J. Oskar Andersen, Hal Koch, and Niels Knud Andersen. In my church history research I have emphasised history as opposed to the history of dogma, and in some instances I have succeeded to demonstrate the profits gained from focussing on manuscripts in particular. My research has - apart from the publication oftheological textbooks - been concentrated on three main areas: 1) The relationship between religion and politics in the 16th Century. That was primarily covered in my monographs on the Danish kings, Christian 2nd (1513-1523) and Christian 3rd (1536-1559), 2) The history of universities, especially in my works on the University of Copenhagen during the Middle Ages and the Reformation Era, and 3) The relationship between society and religion, particularly the role of integration, as it may be read in my six volumes (1992-2007) on the relations between Christians and Jews in Denmark from the Middle Ages to 1948
J.C. Christensen: Første skridt på vejen til konseilspræsident
No full textJ. C. Christensen was bom in 1856 as the eldest of a farmer’s 9 children. 11 years old he arrived at the home of an uncle giving him the possibility of going to school. A competent and knowledgeable teacher inspired J. C. to become a teacher himself and having been confirmed he was employed as an assistant teacher at the age of 16. Later on, in 1874-75, he frequented Grundtvig’s Højskole near Copenhagen, and during the following years (1875-77) he was trained as a teacher at a seminary in Jutland. Having taught a couple of years he was married to a farmer’s daughter from the place from which he came himself, forcing him to look for a new job, which he found in Eastern Jutland, near Horsens, and at which he stayed from 1882 to 1886. That year he moved to a new teaching post in Stadil, close to the west coast ofJutland. During the 1870’ies and 1880’ies J. C. had followed the political development in which J. B. S. Estrup (Prime Minister since 1875), bypassing the majority of the Lower Chamber (Folketinget) of the Parliament, had granted money to the defence, especially to the fortifications of Copenhagen. Estrup succeeded in dividing the opposition into three factions, one led by Frede Bojsen, another by the more radical Viggo Hørup, and the third by Chr. Berg, who was to become J. C.’s example. J.C. was elected chairman of the local council in Stadil, an appointment he had never had before. Approaching the Parliamentary election in 1890 he was asked to run as a candidat, a request he hesitantly accepted as he knew, that being elected it would pose certain dangers to his spiritual life. At the election of 1890 Berg’s group was almost doubled to 17 members and J.C. was one of the newly elected among a group of farmers and smallholders from Jutland. Berg controlled his group and at the end of the session he wanted to know, how the work in the different committees had turned out. J.C. answered that very little concrete work in the three committees of which he was a member had been done, but apart from this he had had several discussions with his party colleagues, the budget being one of them. At the election of 1890 a couple of Social Democrats were elected to the Lower Chamber of the Parliament, one of them, newspaper editor Harald Jensen, was elected in the country. In his speech at Constitution Day, the Minitser ofJustice, Nellemann, spoke of the dangers posed by nihilism and socialism and urged for cooperation among opponents. But not all followed suit. Bojsen, in his struggle against the government, proposed several social laws, which J.C. on his hand opposed. During the preparations for the parliamentary election in 1892, Berg was forced to convalesce during midsummer, and member of the UpperChamber of the Parliament (Landstinget) Madsen Mygdal took over in touring western Jutland accompanied by J. C. Berg returned after two months of absence, but died a few months later, in November of 1891. At the election 1892 Bojsen benefited from a gain of seats while the groups headed by Berg and Hørup respectively each lost two members. Hørup was not even re-elected. During the session Bojsen renewed his proposal on wages to the clergy hoping to get properties attached to the vicarages parcelled out, but the Minister for Educational and Ecclesiastical affairs (Kultusminister), C. Goos, expressed his scruples. To the important financial committee, two new members from Berg’s group were elected: J. C. along with Anders Nielsen. During the 1893-94 parliamentary sessions Bojsen approached a compromise with the government. This process was accompanied by several proposals concerning the church. One of these was proposed by J. C. He hoped that the churches could be opened for instructions and sermonizing by clergy and as well as by lay with a view to get preaching removed from the meeting halls and back to the churches. Another proposal by J. C. concerned the tithe on which he argued that it should be replaced while Berntsen from the moderate wing of the party argued that it could be replaced. The session ended with accept by Bojsen of the government’s defence policy, much to the annoyance ofJ. C. A great part of the Bojsen-group, led by Sofus Høgsbro and Alberti, left him and, later, joined the group originally headed by Berg, thereby creating the Reformed Left. Høgsbro was elected chairman and J. C. secretary. In 1897, Høgsbro retired and J. C. took over. During the 1890’ies Copenhagen and the larger provincial towns across the country expanded, and in the new districts the lack of churches was felt. Although § 3 in the Constitution granted the state’s support of the Danish church (Folkekirken), this was not sufficient as it was difficult to get laws passed concerning the construction of new churches. Claiming that there were sufficient churches, the Social Democrats opposed the erection of new churches and the supporters of the party grew in numbers. A foundation with the bishop of Sjælland (H. V. Sthyr) in front was formed with the aim of collecting money to the establishment of minor parishes with small churches. The foundation succeeded inbuilding new churches and in paying the clergy employed there.. While the Minister of Educational and Ecclesiastical Affairs regarded the development with some concern and the Social Democrats criticised the »begging« across the country solely for the purpose of building churches in the capital, J. C. supported the initiative. In 1897 he had questioned bishop Sthyr about his intensions. In the opinion ofJ. C. the future did not look bright if the clergy alone should reign the church. Those who carried its burdens and enjoyed its advantages were those who should be given the responsibilities. In the Parliamentary elections in 1895 and in 1901 the Right (Højre) had lost voters continually while the Left (Venstre) had gained further seats. J. C. had put forward a proposal in 1900 concerning the establishment of church councils in each parish in an attempt of extending the responsibility for the church by including the laity as well. The proposal was opposed by the minister responsible and was voted down by the Upper Chamber of the Parliament. The result of the election in 1901 made the king, Christian IX, real-ise, that the time had come to let the Left form the new government, in which J. C. became Minister of Educational and Ecclesiastical Affairs, and thereby paving the way for much needed reform of the Church
Omkring kampen om menighedsrådene 1909-1912: Frederik VIII og Zahles regering 1909-1910
No full textFor more than 25 years the conservative party (Højre) had the majority in the Landsting (the Upper House) thanks to a preferential franchise. Because of this the party had stayed in power while the opposition party Venstre gradually had gained the majority in the Folketing (the Lower House) thanks to a general franchise. However, King Christian IX recognized that the majority in the Folketing, with Venstre as the dominating party, ought to form the government and after the change in 1901 (Systemskiftet) the leader of Venstre J. C. Christensen, who was a teacher at a village school, by his own choice became Secretary of Church Affairs and Education. He recognized that the time had come to let people, men as well as women, influence the affairs concerning their own parish church through elected parochial church councils. Furthermore, these councils ought to be participating in the election of a new parish priest. From time immemorial the minority of a congregation had had the right to choose their own vicar, and J. C. Christensen wanted for this right to be improved. His Bill was passed by the Folketing without any major problems but conservative members of the clergy influenced the Højre-majority of the Landsting making them block the Bill. What J. C. Christensen had in mind was a constitution for the Church built on a reform “from below”, an idea that Højre opposed. According to Højre a bill on parochial church councils should go hand in hand with a bill on the appointment of a committee that should compose a constitution for the Church; both bills were passed but they were provisional, expiring on January 1st 1910. In 1905 J. C. Christensen had become Prime Minister, but had withdrawn from the government in 1908 when it was revealed that the Secretary of Justice had committed fraud. Enevold Sørensen became Secretary of Church Affairs etc. and like J. C. Christensen he did not regard the time ready for issuing a constitution for the Church. On the other hand he found it necessary that the Law on parochial church councils should be prolonged in that limited form it had been given by the Landsting in 1903; a Bill was put forward at the parliamentary session of 1908-09. However, for J. C. Christensen this was not enough. He wanted the law improved. Among other things he did not want the parish priest to chair the council, the council should elect its chairman among the members, and the council’s influence on the election of a parish priest should be a prerogative. The Bill was, once again, blocked by the Landsting. In the parliamentary session of 1909-10 the Bill was reintroduced by the Secretary. But before the bill could be passed, the government was reduced to a minority by parties both to the left and to the right - and it was forced to resign. The Secretary of Church Affairs etc. of the left wing (Radikale) minority government that took office late in 1909 did not want that kind of parochial church councils. Instead, he wished for a more open arrangement in which the congregations could elect their parish priest directly among three candidates chosen by the Ministry. Having delivered a sermon each, the candidate who got the majority of the votes should be elected. In several aspects, the Radikale government wanted to demonstrate that it was prepared to advance further than Venstre but the expectations surpassed the abilities and the government had to step down. In the years of 1908-9 Venstre had been divided into several groups or factions but at the general election in 1910 they united again. The party won the election and, once again, formed the government. Among the many reforms, through which Venstre demonstrated as great a wish for reform as did the Radikale, a law emerged giving people influence at parish level. The highly respected teacher at a college (højskole) Jacob Appel became Secretary of Church Affairs etc. He did not favour the organized parish-democracy by J. C. Christensen, but preferred an arrangement like the one of his predecessor: the election of a parish priest should be decided by all members of a congregation at a meeting. However, during the years of 1910-12, until a solution to the question was found, Appel had to realize, that J. C. Christensen was still the most powerful politician in Venstre and that his political line had to be followed; the law on parochial church councils had to be prolonged. Proposing the bill Appel had added some changes: at the election of a new vicar the parochial church council ought to be enlarged in order to include people elected at a congregational assembly and that very same assembly should decide on several other matters, such as the Divine service. At the 1910-11 session the Landsting blocked Appel’s bill, the content of which was almost identical to that of J. C. Christensen. In the session of 1911-12 Appel reintroduced the bill but had, through minor changes, eased the situation concerning the parochial church councils. In consequence, both the Radical party and the Social Democrats (they for the first time) could vote for the bill. This was a victory. - Furthermore, Appel was able to carry through a bill that made it possible for the members of the Church (Folkekirken) to ask a vicar of their own choice to deliver a sermon in their local parish church. Before the government’s resignation in 1913, Appel carried the first bill on the salaries of the vicars through
Guds ord og døden: Danske teologer og blodskam 1680-1770
No full textIn 16th and 17th century Northern Europe incest was defined by the Word of God as expressed in Leviticus 18 and 20. Secular and religious authorities agreed that execution was the appropriate punishment for incestuous behaviour. In Denmark, only rarely the king used his right to change such verdicts to lifelong prison or exile. In the Danish and Norwegian codes of law published in 1683-1687, however, this royal prerogative was stated in such a manner that the king now had the duty to consider all cases where people had been sentenced to death. Since incest was defined according to Leviticus he soon started to ask for the opinion of theologians at the University of Copenhagen on single cases. This went on for almost 50 years and the theologians wrote copious declarations, gradually changing from a strict interpretation of Leviticus to a milder view that recommended lesser penalties. Most of the time the king accepted their conclusion, but less and less as time passed, and around 1730 he stopped asking them for advice. Biblical influence on law making was dwindling and continued to do so. Before the end of the 18th century, even the definition of incest had become based on ideas derived from natural law instead of the Word of God
Den gode strid: Brud og kontinuitet i landbosamfundets sociale rela- tioner i samspillet med de religiøse vækkelsers nye fællesskabsformer, 1820-1840
No full textThe agricultural reforms in the late 18. century resulted in a fundamental change of the rural economy in Denmark as well as the social framework of the danish peasant, during the 19. century. Previously, the local village had formed a natural and given social environment. At this time the peasant gradually experienced common values with individuals from distant parts of the country due to agrarian capitalism and social movements,. This process was initiated by a number of religious revivals mainly in the 1820’s. This article focuses on the nature of the conflict between old and new forms of social interaction in a parish on Fyn where one of the most dramatic religious revivals took place. Through analysis of the pattern of events, phenomenological analysis of texts, statistical analysis of the social interaction in connection with marriages and finally a sociological approach, it is shown that former conceptions of the revivalist movement as generally cultural renewing does not fully reflect the complexity of the situation. The revivalist movement was coexisting with earlier patterns of social interaction, in fact these were the most persistent in the long run. The revivalist group emphasized the contradiction between the members of the group and the surrounding society. This is apparent in their writings and in the pattern of events, but should first and formerly be interpreted as religious rhetoric with the purpose of displaying the new identity of the true believers. However, it is also apparent that although shortlived the revival constituted a change in the social relations which heralded the vast social and religious transformations of the 19. and 20. century: Secularization. As Hanne Sanders has pointed out, religious practice gradually became a matter of interest for the individual and not the group
