Peder Madsen (38 August 1843 7 August 1911) 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 ...

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

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 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 1909 until his death in 1911. Prior to being ordained as a bishop, he had been a professor and the rector of 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 ...

. He was appointed a Commander, 1st Class, of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

and was later awarded the

Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn, also referred to as the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog (post-nominals: D.Ht.), is a meritous award connected to the Danish Order of the Dannebrog. The cross was instituted by King Frederick VI of Denm ...

Early life and education

Madsen was born on 28 August 1843 to Mads Jensen and Mette Kirstine Pedersdatter. His father, Mads Jensen, oversaw a farm near Holstebro and worked as a ''sognefoged'': an appointed aid to the rural chief of police. During his childhood, Madsen was taught by a neighboring priest until attending a secondary school in Viborg from 1858 until 1862. In January 1868 he received a

cand.theol. Candidatus theologiæ (male), Candidata theologiæ (female), abbreviated cand. theol. is an academic degree with a long tradition, awarded after a six-year higher education in theology in Iceland, Denmark, and Norway. In Norway, the title has re ...

degree from the

Career

In 1872 he traveled abroad to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In particular, he studied theology at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg, which had a lasting impact on him. He had intended to continue his travels to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, but was called back to the University of Copenhagen to fill the professorial vacancy left by

Henrik Nicolai Clausen Henrik Nicolai Clausen (22 April 1793 – 28 March 1877) was a Denmark, Danish theology, theologian and National Liberal Party (Denmark), national liberal politician. Earky life and education Henrik Nicolai Clausen was born on the island of ...

in 1874. That autumn he began giving lectures on

dogmatic theology Dogmatic theology, also called dogmatics, is the part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and God's works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Ch ...

and the

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...

of the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

. In 1875 he was appointed as a fully-fledged professor of theology. He later served as the university's rector in 1889–1890 and 1903–1904. In 1879, Madsen received his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

in theology with the completion of his dissertation on Christian spiritual priesthood: ''De kristnes aandelige Præstedømme''. He went on to publish several other works, including: ''Det kirkelige Embede, en dogmatisk Undersøgelse'' (1890), ''Embedet og Menighedens Samvirken i det kirkelige Arbejde'' (1894), ''Bornholmerne eller den saakaldte lutherske Missionsforening'' (1886), and ''Om det foreslaaede Tillæg til vor Gudstjeneste'' (1887). In addition to his work teaching theology, Madsen had an active influence on the work of the church in Denmark. From 1879 to 1881, he was involved in the preparation of a new series of pericopes and later, when the church council was established, his fellow theological faculty elected him as their representative from 1884 until 1886. He served as a member of the committee for the ''Danish Lutheran mission in Amerika'' in 1880–1894, and was appointed as a member of the board of

Indre Mission The Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark ( da, Kirkelig Forening for den Indre Mission i Danmark), or in short form Inner Mission (Danish: ''Indre Mission'') is a conservative Lutheran Christian organisation in Denmark. It is the l ...

in 1880. Madsen was appointed the bishop of Zealand in 1909, a position which he held for only two years before his death in 1911.

Personal life

On 16 September 1881 he married Charlotte Storck (1842–1917), the daughter of a priest from Lejre Municipality. In 1892, she inherited an estate in

Holbæk municipality Holbæk municipality is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in northwestern Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in Denmark. The municipality includes the island of Orø, and covers an area of 583 km², and has a total p ...

Vedbygård Vedbygård is a former manor house located within the village of Ruds Vedby, north-east of Høng, Sorø Municipality, Denmark. The oldest parts of the house date from the 15th century and are in the Late Gothic style. History Early history The ...

. At the time, the estate then became her husband's property, though she regained ownership after his death on 7 August 1911. Madsen is buried at the church cemetery in

Ruds Vedby Ruds Vedby, in Sorø Municipality, is a small town located on the railway between Tølløse and Høng in West Zealand, eastern Denmark. Ruds Vedby is located 18 km north of Slagelse, 8 km west of Dianalund and 20 km north-west of Sorø. As of 1 ...

References

{{Authority control 19th-century Danish clergy 20th-century Danish clergy Commanders First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog Danish landowners 19th-century Danish non-fiction writers 20th-century Danish non-fiction writers Rectors of the University of Copenhagen Danish theologians Academic staff of the University of Copenhagen 1843 births 1911 deaths