Anders Bendssøn Dall ( Latinized as Andreas Benedictus Dallinus) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

who served as

Bishop of Oslo Oslo bishopric is the Church of Norway's bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese in 1068. It w ...

from 1601 to 1607. He played an important role in proposing a new church ordinance for the Norwegian Church to have more autonomy from the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark ( da, Folkekirken, literally: "The People's Church" or unofficially da, Den danske folkekirke, literally: "The Danish People's Church"; kl, ...

Early life and education

Dall was born in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

around 1550; his parents' names are unknown. After entering the priesthood, he studied at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

and other foreign universities. In 1591, after several years as a parish priest, Dall returned to the University of Copenhagen, receiving his

magister degree A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from la, magister, "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to the ...

Priesthood

Dall began his priestly career in the early 1580s in Denmark, first as the parish priest in Eltang and Vilstrup, before becoming pastor in

Kolding Kolding () is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, ...

in 1586. During his time in Kolding, he authored a large manuscript entitled Theologia Davidica, and a book of sermons on the Books of Psalms. In 1590, he became vicar of the Church of the Holy Ghost in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. In 1591, after being awarded his magister degree, he was appointed court preacher of

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

, King of Denmark and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. He accompanied the king on his trip to Norway in 1598. During the 1590s, Dall published several translations of theological writings, and also translated an account of Christian IV's coronation.

Episcopacy

Dall was appointed

in Spring 1600, and was installed in 1601. As bishop, he worked to clarify church canons and issues involving church finances. It is believed that he was also the most prominent figure in proposing a separate church ordinance that would give the

independence from the

. On 2 January 1604, Dall and three other Norwegian bishops gathered to discuss the proposal, and Dall personally met with King Christian IV to represent the Norwegian Church. Dall led negotiations in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

between 22 April and 19 May 1604, and a draft of a new ordinance became the basis of the proposal that was presented to the king that same year. Dall and the other bishops, in authoring the ordinance, had considered some new theological positions, including a controversial understanding of baptism, and stricter church discipline with more power centered with the bishops. Church historian

Tarald Rasmussen Tarald is a given name. Notable people with the given name include: * Tarald Brautaset (born 1946), Norwegian diplomat * Tarald Weisteen (1916–2010), Norwegian military officer * Knut Tarald Taraldsen (born 1948), Norwegian linguist {{given name ...

described Dall's theological views as an example of "early absolutist

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of the ...

." Ultimately, the ordinance presented to the king was rejected. A new, more moderate document was authored in Copenhagen by the Church's chancery in consultation with university professors. The new draft was approved by the king in 1607. Besides his proposal for the new church ordinance, not much is known about Dall's time as bishop. It is known that he served as a canon judge at the

Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral ( sv, Lunds domkyrka) is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepi ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

for some time. In addition, he was involved in disputes over property lines in

Aker Aker may refer to: Places * Aker, Norway, a geographic area in Oslo and a former municipality in Norway * Vestre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Nordre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Aker Br ...

in 1602 and again in 1606. He also advanced a plan to improve the

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

school system by imposing a new tax on all commercial farms, but the proposal was never implemented. Dall died in office on 18 April 1607, in his mid-50s.

Personal life

Dall was married to Anne Pedersdatter, who died in 1626. In 1603, he and his wife donated a silver

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. Re ...

St. Hallvard's Cathedral St. Hallvard's Cathedral (''Hallvardskatedralen'') was the former Oslo Cathedral. It fell into disrepair in the 17th century and is today in ruins. The site is located between Bispegata and St. Halvards gate in Oslo, Norway. Summary St. Hal ...

. The cathedral has since fallen into ruin, and the chalice was transferred to the

Oslo Cathedral , native_name_lang = , image = Oslo Cathedral.jpg , imagesize = 230px , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape = , caption = Oslo Cathedral from St ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dall, Anders Bendsson Year of birth uncertain 1550 births 1607 deaths 16th-century Danish clergy 16th-century Protestant theologians 16th-century Danish writers 17th-century Danish clergy 17th-century Danish writers 17th-century Lutheran bishops 17th-century Norwegian clergy Bishops of Oslo Danish emigrants to Norway Danish expatriates in Norway Danish Lutheran bishops Danish Lutheran missionaries 17th-century Danish translators University of Copenhagen alumni Translators of the Bible into Danish Translators to Danish Translators to Norwegian Missionary linguists