Hans Munch was a Danish-Norwegian

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

. He served as a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the Diocese of Christianssand from 1694 until 1699 and of the Diocese of Christiania from 1699 until his death in 1712.

Personal life

Hans Nielsen Munch was born on 5 June 1654 in the village of Torkildstrup on the island of Falster in southeastern

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 = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. His parents were Niels Munch and Karen Sadolin. He married Anna Aagaard, the cousin to the King's mistress,

Sophie Amalie Moth Sophie Amalie Moth, Countess of Samsøe (28 March 1654 – 17 January 1719) was the officially acknowledged royal mistress of King Christian V of Denmark. Together they had six acknowledged illegitimate children, all of whom bore the surname G ...

Education and career

He was educated in

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northe ...

, graduating in 1672. He received a

magister's 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 ...

in 1677. In 1680, he was hired as a parish priest in Kalundborg. In 1686, he was called to be the

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

in Christiania. In 1694, he was appointed to be the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the Diocese of Christianssand. He accepted the position, but he also received a royal promise that when the bishop's seat in Christiania became vacant, he would get to transfer there. In 1699, that seat became vacant upon the death of

Hans Rosing Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

, and Munch was transferred there to serve as the Bishop of the Diocese of Christiania. He was present for the coronation of the new King Frederik IV in 1700. The same year, he received his doctor of theology degree. During his time as a bishop, he maintained his duties, but did not excel. In 1704, the King came to Christiania and he gave a sermon for the King, but it was characterized as a sermon of a country citizen, but not of a bishop. The only time he showed real zeal as a bishop was one time when he expelled a Quaker priest from London who had been traveling through the diocese preaching. He served there until his death on 24 June 1712.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munch, Hans 1654 births 1712 deaths Bishops of Agder og Telemark Bishops of Oslo 18th-century Lutheran bishops 17th-century Lutheran bishops