The Uppsala Synod in 1593 was the most important

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mean ...

of the

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 ...

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 ...

. Sweden had gone through its

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

and broken with

Roman Catholicism 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 ...

in the 1520s, but an official

confession of faith A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

had never been declared.

History

The synod was summoned to

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Located north of the ca ...

by Duke Charles, heir to the Swedish throne. Four

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 ...

s and over 300 priests were also present. The synod was opened on March 1, by Nils Göransson Gyllenstierna, and on the following day

Nicolaus Olai Bothniensis Nicolaus Olai Bothniensis (born about 1550 in Piteå, died 18 May 1600) was Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden 1599–1600. He was appointed in place of Abraham Angermannus who had been put in prison, but before getting inducted he died ...

, a professor of

theology 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 th ...

at the

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

, was elected chairman. By March 5, the synod had decided to declare the

Holy Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...

the sole guideline for religion. The three

creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

s—the Apostles', the

Nicene The original Nicene Creed (; grc-gre, Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας; la, Symbolum Nicaenum) was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople. The amended form is a ...

, and the

Athanasian Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...

—were officially recognized, and the unaltered Lutheran

Augsburg Confession The Augsburg Confession, also known as the Augustan Confession or the Augustana from its Latin name, ''Confessio Augustana'', is the primary confession of faith of the Lutheran Church and one of the most important documents of the Protestant Re ...

(1530) was adopted. After the unanimous acceptance of the unaltered Augsburg Confession, Nicolaus Olai Bothniensis, who was presiding, exclaimed, "Now Sweden is one man, and we all have one Lord and God."N.F. ''Lutheran Cyclopedia'', article,
Upsala, Diet of
, New York: Schrivner, 1899. p. 528-9. Another important decision was that only the

doctrine was to be allowed;

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 C ...

, and

Zwinglianism The theology of Ulrich Zwingli was based on an interpretation of the Bible, taking scripture as the inspired word of God and placing its authority higher than what he saw as human sources such as the ecumenical councils and the church fathers. He ...

were all officially banned. The Catholic-inclined

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

of King

John III of Sweden John III ( sv , Johan III, fi, Juhana III; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud. He was also, quite autonomou ...

(1537–1592) was also rejected. On March 15,

Abraham Angermannus Abraham Andersson, usually known under the Latin form of his name, Abrahamus Andreæ Angermannus or just Abraham Angermannus (died in October 1607) was the fourth Lutheran Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden from 1593 to 1599. He was d ...

was elected

Archbishop of Uppsala The Archbishop of Uppsala (spelled Upsala until the early 20th century) has been the primate (bishop), primate of Sweden in an unbroken succession since 1164, first during the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic era, and from the 1530s and onward un ...

. The meeting closed on March 20, after its decrees were signed—first by Duke Charles, members of the council, and bishops, and then by representatives from all over the country.

Signatories of the Uppsala Synod

Signatories of the Uppsala Synod were, among others: *

Christopherus Stephani Bellinus Christopherus Stephani Bellinus (died 1607 in Irsta, Västmanland County) was a Swedish priest, and Member of the Clergy of the Riksdag of the Estates of Sweden. Biography Christopherus Stephani Bellinus was a brother of Bishop Olaus Stephani B ...

Johannes Stephani Bellinus Johannes Stephani Bellinus (died 1617) was a Swedish prelate and vicar in Enköping, Sweden. Johannes Stephani Bellinus was son to Stephanus Andreae and brother to Olaus Stephani Bellinus and Christopherus Stephani Bellinus. He served as pas ...

* Laurentius Paulinus Gothus *

Olaus Canuti Helsingius Olaus Canuti Helsingius (1520-1607) was a Swedish prelate, and member of the clergy of the Riksdag of the Estates (1571, 1590, and 1594). He was a preacher at the Royal Court of Sweden, and tutor to the prince, the future King Eric XIV of Sweden. H ...

Petrus Kenicius Petrus Kenicius (1555 – 3 February 1636) was Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden from 1609 to his death. He got his education from the Universities of Wittenberg and Rostock. In 1589 he was put in prison by King John III of Swede ...

Olaus Martini Olof Mårtensson (1557 – 17 March 1609) also known in the Latin form Olaus Martini, was Archbishop of Uppsala from 1601 to his death. Born in Uppsala, Sweden, he first enrolled in the University of Uppsala, but when it was temporarily closed in ...

Ericus Erici Sorolainen Ericus Erici Sorolainen (1546–1625) was a Finnish Lutheran bishop, a Bishop of Turku from 1583 to 1625 as the successor to Paulus Juusten; and the administrator of the Diocese of Viipuri. After his ordination to priesthood, he was sent to Univ ...

References

''Kyrkomöte''
in ''

Nordisk familjebok ''Nordisk familjebok'' (, "Nordic Family Book") is a Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. Despite their co ...

'' (1911) {{Authority control 1593 in Sweden 16th-century church councils 1593 in Christianity Swedish Reformation Protestant councils and synods History of Uppsala