Peter Spaak (6 June 1696 - 2 December 1769) was a Swedish

Protestant Reformer Protestant Reformers were those theologians whose careers, works and actions brought about the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. In the context of the Reformation, Martin Luther was the first reformer (sharing his views publicly in 15 ...

. Challenging the Lutheran orthodoxy as an early proponent of

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

in Sweden, he founded the society of

Pietists 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 Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...

based in the

Diocese of Gothenburg The Diocese of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs stift) is a diocese of the Church of Sweden. Since March 2018, the bishop has been Susanne Rappmann. The diocese includes the provinces of Bohuslän, Halland, and south-west parts of Västergötland. The ...

, a society part of which was later integrated into the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

Biography

Peter

Spaak {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2018 Spaak is a family originating from Bohuslän, Sweden, with notable branches in Belgium, France, and Italy.Paul De Zuttere, ''Famille Spaak'', dans : L'Intermédiaire des Généalogistes, n°385, Bruxelles, January ...

was born 1696 in Uddevalla,

Bohuslän Bohuslän (; da, Bohuslen; no, Båhuslen) is a Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea ...

, Sweden. His father Elias Jonæ Spaak served as the local

Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

and Deputy Customs Chief Inspector, and his maternal grandfather was the

Chief Judge A chief judge (also known as presiding judge, president judge or principal judge) is the highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. According to the Federal judiciary of the United States, th ...

Johan Larsson Crantzberg. Peter Spaak's brother Magnus Spaak (1699–1768) emigrated to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, becoming the primogenitor of the family cadet branch there, including his nephew :fr:Jacques Joseph Spaak (1742-1825). Peter Spaak was married twice. The first time was to Clara Charlotta Esberg, daughter of Zacharias Esberg the older,

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 ...

electus of the

Diocese of Växjö The Diocese of Växjö ( sv, Växjö stift) is one of the 13 dioceses or regional units of the Lutheran Church of Sweden. It was also a former Roman Catholic bishopric. Lutheran diocese Diocese of Växjö is situated in southern Sweden and inclu ...

and sister of Zacharias Esberg the Younger,

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Uddevalla. His second marriage was to Ingrid Maria Bagge, daughter of Eva Christina Radhe

Palmencrona Palmencrona was a Swedish noble family from Gothenburg, Sweden. Captain Lars Palmencrona (1670-1724), his wife Ingrid Palmencrona (née Bagge) (1660-1721) as well as her issue were ennobled (No. 1559) in 1718 by King Charles XII Charles XI ...

, and great granddaughter of

Nils Fredriksson Bagge Bagge is a Swedish family originally of Norwegian background from Marstrand, Bohuslän, by Nils Fredriksson Bagge, burgher and mayor of Marstrand in the 17th century. According to ''Danmarks Adels Aarbog'', the yearbook of the Danish Nobility, enn ...

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Marstrand. Professionally, Spaak served as Chief Inspector of the

Customs service Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

, and

in Uddevalla. Influenced by the

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 ...

of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

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 ...

Johann Konrad Dippel Johann Konrad Dippel, also spelled Johann Conrad Dippel (10 August 1673 – 25 April 1734), was a German Pietist theologian, physician, alchemist and occultist. Life Dippel was born at Castle Frankenstein near Mühltal and Darmstadt, and theref ...

, along with

Thomas Leopold Thomas Leopold (born 1693 near Kristianstad, Scania, died 1771 in Kungälv) was one of the prophets and martyrs of the Swedish Pietist movement during the 18th century. Leopold's father Sigfrid had immigrated from Germany, and his mother was th ...

and Johan Stendahl, Peter Spaak became one of the most prominent early proponents of the movement in Sweden. Originally, the new ideas were met with much opposition, culminating in the Conventicle Act in 1726. Like Leopold and Stendahl, at one time Spaak was threatened with

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

sentence for

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

. However, contrary to the fate of the former two he was eventually relieved of the allegations, attributed to his contacts with the authorities, including notably family connections to clerics such as Zacharias Esberg the older and Zacharias Esberg the Younger, as well as

Jacob Benzelius Jakob Benzelius (25 February 1683 in Uppsala – 29 June 1747) was Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden from 1744 to his death. Biography Jakob Benzelius was the son of Archbishop Erik Benzelius the Elder (1632–1714) and Margaretha Odh ...

and Erik Benzelius the younger, the latter both subsequent

archbishops of Uppsala This article lists the archbishops of Uppsala. Before the Reformation * 1164–1185: Stefan * 1185–1187: Johannes * 1187–1197: Petrus * 1198–1206: Olov Lambatunga * 1207–1219: Valerius * 1219 (1224)–1234: Olov Basatömer * 1236–1 ...

. The movement gained significant influence throughout the

. Spaak established a society based in Uddevalla. For a period from 1734 onwards, Spaak resided in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, where he came in contact with the Skevikare radicals on Värmdö. Around this time,

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

meetings evaluated the influences of

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 ...

in the realm, having gained supporters also among mainline Protestant clergy, with Spaak, Sven Rosén, and others making early appeals to

in opposition to the staunch Lutheran orthodoxy. Peter Spaak died 1769 in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

. Soon after, the initial criticism by the state authorities against the perceived cultural radicalism of the dissident Petists was relaxed, and the movement gained more popularity, right up to the Royal court. King

Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

visited the Skevikare

incognito Incognito is an English adjective meaning "in disguise", "having taken steps to conceal one's identity". Incognito may also refer to: Film and television * ''Incognito'' (1937 film), a Danish film * ''Incognito'' (1997 film), an American crime ...

in 1779. King Gustav IV Adolf made an official visit in 1797 with "tokens of appreciation". With time, Pietism was eventually reevaluated as a legitimate expression of

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

. By consequence, following the increased acceptance by the mainstream Protestant society, in the mid-19th century, a part of the Pietist movement was fully integrated into the official

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

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 ...

, although another part would persist in

Radical Pietist Radical Pietism are those Ecclesiastical separatism, Christian churches who decided to break with denominational Lutheranism in order to emphasize certain teachings regarding holy living. Radical Pietists contrast with Church Pietists, who chose t ...

deference into a Uddevalla local predecessor of the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Uniting Church in Sweden Uniting Church in Sweden ( sv, Equmeniakyrkan) is a united Protestant denomination in Sweden. History It was established on 4 June 2011 by the merger of the United Methodist Church, Baptist Union of Sweden, and Mission Covenant Church of Sweden ...

, independent of the state church. Subsequent to the great fire of Uddevalla in 1806, a stone house was erected for the Pietist adherents which gave the street block its name, ''Herrnhut''. The building, later purchased by the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

, remained until another fire in the 1980s.Uddevalla Missionsförsamlings 100-årsskrift (1978)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spaak, Peter 1696 births 1769 deaths 17th-century Swedish people 18th-century Swedish people Age of Liberty people People from Uddevalla Municipality Postmasters Swedish Protestants Pietists 17th-century Lutheran theologians 18th-century Lutheran theologians

Biography

See also

References