Jacob Kærup (13 September 1682–29 August 1751) was a Danish

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 particu ...

. 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 ca ...

of the Diocese of Christianssand from 1733 until his death in 1751. He was one of the most diligent and conscientious bishops in the era of state-run

pietism Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy and ...

during the 1700s in Denmark-Norway under

King Christian VI Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

Personal life

Jacob Kærup was born on 13 September 1682 in the village of

Nakskov Nakskov is a town in south Denmark. It is situated in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland on the western coast of the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 12,495 (1 January 2022). To the west is Nakskov Fjord, an inlet from the La ...

on the island of

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitant ...

in southern

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 ...

. He was born to the merchant and local leader Peder Kærup and his wife Margrete Jacobsdatter, who was the daughter of a priest. He was married 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 1712 to Helene Cathrine Brinch, the widow of the Danish priest Hans Hansen Hagerup (1682–1711). He died on 29 August 1751 in

Christianssand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation ...

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 ...

Education and career

Jacob Kærup was educated at the

Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...

at the Church of Our Lady in

. He graduated from 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 ...

in 1701. In 1703, he received his

Baccalaureate degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

and continued his studies at

Borchs Kollegium Borchs Kollegium, originally known as Collegium Mediceum, is a university dormitory situated on Store Kannikestræde in the Old Town of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is one of the oldest dormitories of the University of Copenhagen. It was founded in 1 ...

in Copenhagen. After some time as a teacher, he defended his theological thesis and in 1707 became a student under the Bishop of Copenhagen, Henrik Bornemann. He took his

theological 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 ...

exam in 1711 in

and in 1712, he got his

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

degree. After all of his studying, he was hired in 1711 to work as the resident

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

at the Church of Holmen in

. After seventeen years there, he was promoted to head parish priest and dean there in 1728. On 27 April 1733, he was appointed by the King of Denmark-Norway 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 ca ...

of the Diocese of Christianssand in southern

. The year after he became bishop, there was a major fire, burning two-thirds of the city of

including the church and school. This led to much poverty and lack of resources for his people. His time as bishop was during a time of state

whereby the King endorsed legislation that sought to make all of his subjects behave like good Christians and Bishop Kærup did what he could to carry out those laws. In particular, he sought to put in place a good educational system in his diocese to allow the people of the diocese to become more educated, especially after the 1736 law which made

Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

mandatory. He served as bishop until his death in 1751 at the age of 69. He was described by Mich. Tyrholm as a good bishop having "the zeal of faith, thorough teaching, godly living, right-mindedness, a humble walk, and unremitting haste."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaerup, Jacob 1682 births 1751 deaths Bishops of Agder og Telemark 18th-century Lutheran bishops