Jesper Rasmussen Brochmand (5 August 1585 - 19 April 1652) was a Danish Lutheran clergyman, theologian and professor who served as
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 Zealand The Diocese of Zealand (Danish: ''Sjællands Stift'') was a protestant diocese in Denmark that existed from 1537 to 1922. The diocese had been formed in 1537 following the Reformation of Denmark, and was dissolved in 1922 when it was divided into ...
from 1638 until his death.
Brochmand was a key founder of the dogmatic system that formed the basis for the
lutheran orthodoxy
Lutheran orthodoxy was an era in the history of Lutheranism, which began in 1580 from the writing of the ''Book of Concord'' and ended at the Age of Enlightenment. Lutheran orthodoxy was paralleled by similar eras in Calvinism and tridentine Ro ...
in Denmark.
Biography
Jesper Rasmussen Brochmand was born in
Køge
Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland, Denmark. In 2022, the urban area had a ...
,
Zealand
Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020.
It is the 1 ...
. He attended
Herlufsholm Academy 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 ...
, followed by training as a theological student in the
Netherlands
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
at
Leiden University and the
University of Franeker
The University of Franeker (1585–1811) was a university in Franeker, Friesland, the Netherlands. It was the second oldest university of the Netherlands, founded shortly after Leiden University.
History
Also known as ''Academia Franekerensis'' ...
. He returned to Copenhagen in 1608 to serve as
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of Herlufsholm Academy. In 1610, he became a Professor Pædagogicus at
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...
, professor of Greek in 1613 and a member of the
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 s ...
faculty in 1615. In 1617 he was appointed tutor to
Crown Prince Christian, eldest son of King
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 ...
, returning to the university three years later.
He was ordained Bishop of Zealand (''Bisperække for Sjællands stift'') in 1639. During his long and fruitful activity in this office, he reorganized the worship service of 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, ...
, especially by abolishing the Latin choir and by introducing Wednesday services during
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
.
At this same time, Denmark-Norway was impacted by the
Counter-Reformation efforts of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
through propaganda generated by the
scholastic revival. Brochmand made the controversy with
Rome
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a subject of his public lectures. In 1626–28, he published his ''Controversiæ sacræ'' (3 parts), a reply in the style of
Lutheran scholasticism
Lutheran orthodoxy was an era in the history of Lutheranism, which began in 1580 from the writing of the ''Book of Concord'' and ended at the Age of Enlightenment. Lutheran orthodoxy was paralleled by similar eras in Calvinism and tridentine ...
to
Cardinal Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine, SJ ( it, Roberto Francesco Romolo Bellarmino; 4 October 1542 – 17 September 1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was canonized a saint in 1930 and named Doctor of the Church, one of only ...
's attacks on the
Lutheran Church. In 1634, at the king's order, he engaged in a
polemic
Polemic () is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called ''polemics'', which are seen in arguments on controversial topic ...
with the
Jesuits
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, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
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, who endeavored to defend the conversion of
Christian William, Margrave of
Brandenburg
Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...
to
Roman Catholicism.
Carl Frederik Bricka: ''Brochmand, Jesper Rasmussen, 1585-1652, Biskop'' (Dansk biografisk Lexikon / III)
/ref>Against this pamphlet Brochmand delivered a series of lectures which, after his death, were collected and published under the title ''Apologiæ, speculi veritatis confutatio'' (1653). His reputation as a dogmatist
Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Isla ...
was established by his ''Systema universae theologiae'' (2 vols., 1633) in which he proved himself a firm opponent, not only of the Roman Catholics, but also of Calvinism
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
. He wrote several devotional works, of which his ''Sabbati sanctificatio'' was for more than two centuries a favorite collection of sermons with the Danish people.
Selected works
* ''Controversiarum sacrarum Pars I'' (1626)
* ''Controversiarum sacrarum Pars II'' (1627)
* ''Controversiarum sacrarum Pars III: Akropolis pontificatus'' (1628)
* ''Systema universae theologiae didacticae, polemicae, moralis'' (1633)
* ''Lychnos logou prophetikou oppositus veritatis pontificiae speculo'' (1634)
* ''Päpstischer Warheit'' (1638)
* ''Sabbati sanctificatio aller Gudelig Betaenkning over alle Evangelier og Epistler paa Sondage og alle hellige Dage'' (1638)
* ''Apologiae speculi veritatis confutatio'' (1653)
Note
*
References
Related Reading
* Dahl, Gina (2010) ''Book Collections of Clerics in Norway, 1650–1750'' (Brill Academic Pub)
* Kolb, Robert (2008) ''Lutheran Ecclesiastical Culture, 1550-1675'' (Brill Academic Pub)
* Garstein, Oskar (1992) ''Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia'' (Brill Academic Pub)
* Grell, Ole Peter (1995) ''The Scandinavian Reformation. From evangelical movement to institutionalization of reform'' (Cambridge University Press)
External links
''Caspar Rasmussen Brochmand'' (Post-Reformation Digital History)
''Rektorer 1537-1850'' (University of Copenhagen)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brochmand, Jesper Rasmussen
1585 births
1652 deaths
17th-century Danish clergy
17th-century Danish writers
People from Køge Municipality
Danish Lutheran bishops
Danish Lutheran theologians
17th-century Latin-language writers
Lutheran sermon writers
17th-century Lutheran bishops
Rectors of the University of Copenhagen
Burials at the Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen
16th-century Lutheran theologians
17th-century Lutheran theologians
Early modern Christian devotional writers